When it comes to Turtles movies, it doesn�t get any better than the original. Seriously,
go back and watch that movie. You�ll be surprised how legitimately good it is. And
not in that, �Oh, I was a kid and it was fun� kind of way, either. It�s more like
a, �Wow...this is actually an awesome movie� kind of way.
Great cinematography, great fight scenes...that movie really shelled it out.
Nah, too cliche.
Well...it was a shell of a good hit.
The problem, though, is everything that came after it. Subsequent films lost the tone,
lost the style...lost the magic. And then this happened. It still can�t hold a pepperoni
to the original movie, but 2007�s TMNT was at least the best one since. And to make things
even more 1990, it also inspired the best Turtles video game in years.
Now this is what I call T-U-R-T-L-E power.
It�s TMNT for the GBA, D-U-D-E.
Actually, TMNT is interesting for more than just...being a good Ninja Turtles game in
2007. It�s also a perfect example of how modern game development tends to miss the
forest through the trees. The console version of TMNT is your typical 3D game with a bunch
of fancy 3D stuff. And it probably took a lot more time and resources than the handheld
version, which...you know. This is just some...cute little 2D game.
That happens to be, like, a million times better.
If you grew up with the Turtles...you might have developed a strange attraction to women
who wear yellow during your adolescence. And you might have played a crap load of Ninja
Turtles. The classic arcade game, the underrated Turtles 3 for the NES, the legendary Turtles
in Time...those games were awesome.
So TMNT asks, �Why fix what wasn�t broken...dude?�
That means TMNT is a side-scrolling beat �em up, in that grand and glorious Ninja Turtles
tradition. The only thing missing is a coupon for free pizza from Pizza Hut.
Well, that and...you know. Ninja Turtles characters.
Hey, at least it�s in 2D.
So yeah, TMNT struggles with the same stuff as a game that it struggled with as a movie.
Chiefly, there�s not enough recognizable Turtles villains. Beating up street thugs
just isn�t the same as beating up Foot Soldiers or Mousers, or freaking Triceratons. The thing
is...it also has something the old Turtles games didn�t. That�s depth, surprisingly.
There�s actually a little technique to all this brawling, as well as a combo system.
So you can get serious XP by extending your streak and fighting smart.
The game�s 2D look is obviously a highlight, as well, and there�s actually stuff to do
between levels...buying items, taking challenges, things like that. But the game does drop the
katana from time to time. The presentation is relegated to blurry still shots, which
is weak, and there�s no multiplayer...a huge drawback for a Turtles game.
As good as it is, there�s a certain charm that missing from TMNT...at least, when compared
to those classic Turtles games. But in terms of how it plays, the Turtles haven�t lost
a step. This is fun, challenging 2D brawling years after its hey day.
If you grew up loving the Turtles, TMNT is like a time capsule.
With a...drill, on the top. And a brain in its stomach.