Brawl’s location-shifting stages are also an influence, as Smash Up fights rarely conclude where they began. While fighting in an underground sewer a misplaced foot knocks a grate, sending a wave of New York filth-liquid cascading over our pugilists. Carried away, they’re deposited at the base of a subterranean aqueduct – home to a mutant crocodile with a taste for terrapins. Yes, that’s right, all you grumpy tournament fighter types – Smash Up features all kinds of environmental deaths for you to gripe about.
How refreshing to see a licensed game for the sake of a licensed game, and not just as part of a painful cross-media PR campaign for a film or cartoon. The choice to go with serious talent for a serious stab at some serious entertainment really harks back to the days when games of the film didn’t need suicide warnings on the packet. The simple fact is: when big-name talent weighs in, titles of note emerge, and Games Arts and Team Ninja are on the right track. So yes, it has been a long 20 years since the Turtles last dazzled us in game form. But 20 years older and 20 years wiser, Smash Up sees our heroes prepared to raise shell.
Feb 27, 2009
