Count-Down Retrospective of TMNT Video Games

[Ninja Tiptup]

I have bought every single TMNT console and portable game baring some ports of the same game on other systems and while I am just one guy and this is merely my opinions and not neccessarily anyone elses I decided to make a count-down retrospecitve of TMNT video games released thus far on the consoles, portables and of course the arcade. As I never got any of the PC versions of any of these games I really can't comment on them but I have played them and the ports are pretty awful and Manhattan Mission's game seems fine but I can't really judge it without playing it more extensively and I honestly never bothered to do so.

So without further ado I begin the...

COUNT-DOWN RETROSPECTIVE
OF
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
VIDEO GAMES

26) TMNT 2007 (DS/PSP)

To cash in on the 2007 CGI animated movie Ubisoft produced 3 notably different games between the portables and consoles available in 2007 and the worst by far was the DS and PSP version. The game looks terrible and plays worse. Much of the levels are made up of jumping from platform to platform supposedly to be ninja-esque. It ends up getting quite boring after a while but the fight scenes thrown in to break up this mini-game type adventure include quite possibly the most mundane fighting found in any TMNT game and that is saying something. Avoid it, even if you find it cheap unless you really want to bang your head on the wall out of boredom and frustration.

25) TMNT Mutant Melee (GCN/PS2/Xbox)

A TMNT game that plays kind of like Power Stone or Smash Bros. sounds pretty sweet right? Well you can hope TMNT Smash-Up makes good on that concept but this game was an absolutely wasted effort. The controls are terrible, the graphics are pitiful for the time and the playable roster is downright frustratingly laughable. The starting roster was alright as it had everyone you would expect in it but the unlockable fighters were a cruel joke. 2 extra Casey’s, 2 extra Aprils, 2 extra Shredders (one being Oroku Saki who may have played a bit different I guess), various Foot Ninja, an alien of absolutely no significance and a monster from a movie Michelangelo watched during an episode of the show do nothing more than pad a pathetic roster making it even more pathetic. Where’s Usagi? Where’s Bishop? Where’s The Fugitoid, Master Yoshi and Baxter? Given they were in the previous games based on the 2003 series it was unthinkable that they would not be included in free for all fighting game. What a waste. The game’s cover had one of the monsters from the episode “Notes from the Underground” and you couldn’t even play as that thing.

Seriously what a waste of potential. The weak roster may have been forgivable if the game at least played well but the controls were stiff as a board. Even so you can have some fun with it with 3 friends but you’ll find it wont take long before you feel like chucking it in favor of any Smash Bros game or Power Stone.

24) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES / Wii VC / Ported to Many Others)

Ah yes the first NES TMNT game. Everyone knows how bad this game is. It’s unforgivably bad due to poor design and an incredibly frustrating difficulty level. Despite that apparently he final boss (who I personally never managed to get to) is pathetically easy to put down. Rather strange… I guess the challenge is actually getting to Shredder more so than fighting him. If you were looking for something close to the cartoon you did not find it here but I actually believe some of this games charm is in how it’s a mesh of various TMNT universes or at the very least a more Mirage feeling take on the old TMNT cartoon and it’s characters. What doesn’t make sense is the massive number of bizarre baddies that look ripped right out of Metroid.

Game play is actually not too bad besides the terrible design which adds to the difficulty of progressing the game. The graphics and the game play feel very similar to Castlevania in my opinion so much so that you could take the player from either game and put them in the other to create either Castlevania: Urban Adventures or TMNT: Castle Quests. They are both made by Konami so I guess that’s understandable. If you like Castlevania games you may very well enjoy this game as much or more than the beat ‘em ups but in my opinion they made this kind of of TMNT game much better on the GB several years later with The Radical Rescue.

The best part of this game is the music. It’s unique, memorable and quite catchy. I love the intro music even if it isn’t the cartoon theme. Is this worth playing? Yeah I think everyone should at least give it a shot. You’ll probably find it to be unbelievably difficult but some people have managed to beat this game so you never know. It might be just the right amount of challenge for a hardcore gamer.

I’d rate this game higher but with it being single player and not very fun to suffer through the replay value is shot entirely unless you’re a masochist like a certain angry nerd. You might find it worth picking up but stay away from the ports they play even worse than the original.

23) Fall of the Foot Clan (Gameboy)

The first Gameboy TMNT game is decent for a quick on the go gaming experience especially since you can pick any level to start playing on but the overall experience really does not hold up well compared to most of the more recent TMNT portable beat ‘em ups. The controls are basic and the animations are still and lifeless. The game plays rather awkwardly because of this and greatly lacks variety. The graphics are slightly charming and look pretty good on a Gameboy Color but the larger sprites make the game feel very cramped and that will get noticeable as soon as you start playing it. Its not a bad game for a short-term distraction but the reply value suffers from it being a single player game without much variety. Pick it up on the cheap maybe but don’t expect much.

22) Back from the Sewers (Gameboy)

The second Gameboy game plays as stiff or even stiffer than the first (which is an accomplishment I guess… in the wrong direction) but the sprites are sized a bit smaller making the screen a bit less cramped and allowing the game to give you some breathing room between the barrages of foot ninjas, mousers and other robots. Unfortunately the barrages feel endless and the single plane surface area makes them bee-line directly at you from forward and behind and that gets to be more of a chore to deal with than an enjoyable experience. It’s longer and more difficult than Fall of the Foot Clan so you’ll get a lot more out of this one but you’ll probably put it down out before you beat it as it’s a rather boring game. Pick it up on the cheap for novelty sake you might have some fun with it and its kind of rare.

21) TMNT 2003 (GCN / PS2 / Xbox / PC)

It was big news when it was announced that Konami would once again be making games based on the TMNT license. The initial previews looked promising and while it was utterly unforgivable that the game was not 4 player by the Xbox generation I still eagerly awaited it’s release. Konami was making it… how could it be bad right? Very very easily apparently. You want a prime example of how mundane endless fighting in a brawler can get when it lacks variety and fluid controls? Look no further than TMNT 2003.

So the first problem is obviously the lack of 4 player. There was absolutely no reason not to make this game 4 player. There’s 4 turtles, there’s 4 ports (on GCN and Xbox anyway) and everyone agrees the best TMNT games are the ones that let you play with 3 friends or even 3 complete strangers. So why no 4 player? Quite the oversight and thus we once again have a case of severely wasted potential.

Graphically the game was just decent for it’s time but it had a nice animated feel to it and it was a great representation of the style of the 2003 cartoon. The cell-shaded or should I say shell-shaded graphics did their job bringing the cartoon to life but looking decent did not help this game win over very many players young or old.

Game play wise it’s a average 2 player experience that had a reasonable level of challenge. Kids might have some fun with it. Older folks might as well but only if they’re TMNT fans. A hardcore gamer wouldn’t give this game a second glance. It’s too simple and too mundane. Had enough of me saying that word? I think it the repeated use of that word really drives the point I’m trying to make about how boring the game play gets when it’s the same thing over and over and over again.

The best feature by far is the 2 player VS mode which makes for a decent fighting game. Better than Mutant Melee at any rate. That adds to the replay value enough to make it worth playing more than a few times.

The overall replay value of this game is higher than the previous games listed and thus why I rated it higher than those games though some would argue they may be better than this one for single player experiences. If you find this game on the cheap you might want to check it out but you’re better off buying either of the other two game from that generation of TMNT console games based on the 2003 series.

Tune in for rest in future posts in this thread but you'll probably find I have more to say about the games I disliked or hated than the ones I enjoyed.