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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games have had quite
a run of prestige in the past. Previously having been under the
guidance of Konami, UBi Soft now hold the licence to produce games
based on the latest Motion Picture
 production: TMNT. Not
every release the franchise has benefited from has been considered a
decent presentation – 2005’s NintendoDS release,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare, is a prime
example - but the vast majority have received praise throughout the
console generations.
1989’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game
travelled onto the Nintendo Entertainment System under a barrage of
praise, and 1992’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System release,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time, was
equally well received. The follow-up on Nintendo’s 16-bit wonder,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters changed the
formula from a Side-Scrolling Beat-‘Em-Up, to a One-On-One
Beat-‘Em-Up, and still managed a great deal of success. Countless
Game Boy releases, a few Mega-Drive ports and even, much more
recently, a resurgence on the last generation of consoles thanks to
some decent brawler outings. Needless to say, expectations for UBi
Soft’s first crack at the franchise are particularly high;
especially when being the first title in ages to be supported by a
significant push for the brand.
Following the plot of the film, the game travels through a large
variety of locations – mainly rooftops, however – backed by a story
lead with FMV Sequences, Comic Book-styled intros and
rendered snippets from the film. TMNT is easiest to relate to
the likes of the latest instalments in the
 Prince Of Persia
series, and less so to that of
Lara
Croft; Tomb Raider: Legend.
Slickly-arranged Platform sections define the bulk of the title’s
Story Mode, whilst open-planned areas are significant for their
predictability of launching a fight sequence. The combat is per
functionary, with only one real attack button. Each character
features a different Combo-Set, and so requires significantly
different handling.
Sixteen Levels comprise a main quest that is enjoyable, if both
unconvincingly easy and stuttered. Boss Fights are irregular and,
for the most part, seemingly disjointed, as none will require a
complete rout in order to progress. Checkpoints are frequent, and
Lives are infinite, allowing for the player to continually progress,
but at their own pace. The Camera is fixed, and often instils the
feeling that the title has been inspired more by the Crash
Bandicoot franchise than that of the
Devil May Cry
series. A few major flaws with the Camera irritate to a
distinguishable degree; but often only for a moment as the player
adapts after Respawn.
When progressing through Story Mode, Coins will be earned which can
then be used to purchase bonus items such as Concept Artwork and
videos. Some of the videos are actually very amusing; however, the
content available is few. For those Levels upon which the players
scores an A Rank – achieved by obtaining all the Coins in a Level,
performing well in combat, effectively using Team Moves, and
successfully completing the Level within an unannounced Time Limit –
a Challenge Map is Unlocked. The Challenge Maps are interesting – a
reflection of a simpler time for videogames, styled as if to be a
training simulator program created for the turtles by Donatello.
Taking lead from the Event Matches in
Super Mario Bros. Melee,
the Challenge Maps add some depth to the title long after the Story
Mode has been completed. However, the lack of Multi-Player of any type in the
title is a glaring over-sight, given the four-player nature of even
the simplest of Mini-Game compilations, and would have no doubt have
won the title many more fans from the younger XboxLIVE!
audience.
Graphically, the title doesn’t seem to have been touched from its
PlayStation2 offering. A couple of upgraded textures here-or-there
perhaps, but certainly not a significant enough improvement to
warrant the label “Current-Generation”. The title’s sound is
adequate, although many Sound Bytes often overlap; and being
limited to only a handful for even the four turtles, can be
very annoying.
TMNT has a Target Audience far lower than what the vast
majority of the Xbox360 userbase would have been hoping for. It fits
well within that audience, but offers little to the seasoned
hardcore gamer. As a generic Platform title, TMNT fits the
bill, but fails to impress, as a title to amuse the kids for a week,
TMNT does its job. Never dull, but never too engaging,
TMNT just acknowledges its place as distant from its heritage.
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