(Rated E10+; $39.99) A Ubisoft presentation of a game developed by Ubisoft
Montreal and licensed by Mirage Studios for GameCube, PC, Playstation 2, Wii,
and Xbox 360. Reviewed on Playstation 2.
Tapping
into gamer nostalgia for the '80s comic and TV toon as well as WB and The
Weinstein Co.'s new feature, Ubisoft's new "Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles" hits all the right notes, but fails to come together into
anything more than an adequate gaming experience.
Story is told in the past tense,
making it feel more cinematic but hard to follow in game form. The four ninja
turtle brothers and their rat sensei Splinter provide running commentary from
some mysterious place in the future. It's an unusual approach for a videogame,
producing mixed results because of the distance it creates between the story
being told and the missions being played. However much of the original humor is
still there and the distinct personalities of the turtles are intact.
Scenery is the strongest point of
the game. Gotham is beautifully rendered and the perspective of jumping across
rooftops and scaling skyscrapers is thrilling, mirroring the visuals of the
CGI-animated pic.
The turtles are easy to control
as they jump, swing and climb their way around New York City. Fighting moves
are straightforward with special tag-team moves available in later stages when
the brothers band together. Ability to rotate between the turtles comes in
handy as each one has a different weapon and special move. It also helps to
switch when one turtle's energy is low.
That said, the enemies are only
challenging to kids or gaming newbies. They are slow to react and are no match
for the quick attacks of the turtles. Later levels are more challenging not
because the enemies are more sophisticated or have better artificial
intelligence, but simply because there are more of them.
"TMNT's" biggest
drawback, however, is the lack of a multi-player option. In a game with four
main characters, it's a striking omission.
Still, compared to many other
movie-to-game rush jobs, "Turtles" stands out a bit with sharp
graphics, a decent length that justifies the purchase price, and just the right
amount of '80s 'tude.