TMNT review

If this lame platformer had a subtitle, it would be "Prepare to be disappointed"

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Remembering good TMNT games

  • +

    Renting instead of buying

  • +

    Finishing this game

Cons

  • -

    The platforming

  • -

    The fighting

  • -

    That there's nothing to love

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Imagine an action game with three different buttons for jump, but a camera which often made it difficult to tell which one to use at any given time. Imagine an action game with one attack button that triggers one three-hit combo... one. Imagine a game with turtles as its stars - but they almost never run. Instead, they must jump nearly everywhere they go, leaping only from one designated launching point to that launching point's specific landing spot - dot-to-dotting over the landscape like obsessive-compulsive, routine-obsessed frogs. Imagine a game with four ass-whupping main characters, but you still only play as one at a time, with the others only occasionally joining in for a single special attack or to race you through a level. And then be amazed, bewildered and heartbroken that such a game exists: it's TMNT - in other words, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - for DS.

How does this happen? How does one of the most beloved beat 'em-up franchises in gaming history turn into a game where it's difficult to even move? In case you still don't have a clear mental picture of this mess, we'll explain further. Let's say you're running across a rooftop and want to leap to another one. You can't just press a button marked "jump" and push the controls in the direction you want to go. Instead, you look for a white light on the ground, and when you're close to it, start watching for a blue (or orange) flash somewhere around your destination.

When you get to the white light, you press X to leap forward, Y to jump left, or A to vault right - depending upon where the blue/orange light is. When you land on a blue light, you're done, the jump is completed and you can start looking for a new location to jump to. If you land on an orange spot - say, a pole, a slope, or a fence rail, you have to hold down B to charge your momentum by sliding, spinning, or just hanging there until the orange becomes blue. When it does, you can release and continue on your way.

More info

GenreAction
DescriptionUrgh. Devoted young fans may flock to this weak imitation of publisher Ubisoft's own Prince of Persia games, but more discerning players will quickly pull their heads inside their shells and move on.
Platform"GameCube","Xbox 360","Wii","PS3","PC","Xbox","PS2","PSP","DS"
US censor rating"Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+","Everyone 10+"
UK censor rating"","","","","","","","",""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.