A good game that compliments the source material well.
Some of you may remember the TMNT movie that came out in 2006/07 (I can never remember which one). Well this game ties into that and follows the story pretty closely. Is this game worth picking up for even the most die hard TMNT fans? Let's find out.The story is that Leonardo leaves to go to the other side of the world to undergo training. In his absence, his bond with his brothers, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello is broken, each of whom go their separate ways. Leonardo returns to find the Foot Clan, led by Karai, the daughter of Shredder (who was defeated before the events of the movie and only appears in a flashback level in the game) are in the midst of a hideous plot to revive ancient monsters and take over the world. Leonardo must reform his bond with his brothers and band them together to stop the foot and save the world. The story is okay, it's not the strongest story the turtle brothers have been a part of, but it works.Gameplay wise, TMNT is an action platforming game, where the five playable characters, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, and The Night Watcher (Raphael's vigilante alter ego) must reach the end of the level, while traversing tricky terrain, fighting enemies, and overcoming obstacles. The controls are responsive so the player will never have to fight with the game to get the turtle to do what they need to do. After each level, the turtle is graded based on Time, combat effectiveness, brotherly bonds (in applicable levels) and coins collected. These are tallied up and the player is given a grade, and shells based on the grade. Shells are like a currency used to purchase extras in the game. There are even five shells littered in each level but they are not collectible until the level is revisited. The first level basically hands them to you but the other levels hide them well. Yes, the game allows players to revisit chapters that they've completed to improve their score, collect the shells, or just for kicks.As the turtles fight, a meter at the top of the screen fills up for each enemy defeated. For the four main turtles, it is ten stars. For The Night Watcher, it is a bar that fills up. For the turtles, when this meter hits the max, they become much stronger and all enemies are defeated in one hit, but taking a hit empties the meter. For Night Watcher, his meter allows him to do an explosionesque move, doing major damage to his enemies, and then his attacks are stronger for a short while.Each turtle has their own move they can use to overcome obstacles. Leonardo can faze through certain walls, Donatello can use his staff pole vault over gaps when the ceiling is too low, Michelangelo can use his nunchucks to hover over gaps, and Raphael/Night Watcher can use his sais to climb up certain walls. Another major gimmick in the game is the Brotherly Bond, In certain levels where all four turtles are together, the player must perform well to earn the trust of his brothers and earn brotherly bond points. Performing poorly will cause the player to lose the trust of his brothers and they will leave, and may not be there when the player needs them most. There are two uses for brotherly bonds: Special attacks, and landing large jumps. The jumping causes a turtle to appear, grab his brother, and throw him across a large gap. If he lands properly, he will gain a BB point. If he fails, he will lose the trust of his brothers.The special attacks are very handy for clearing out enemies or damaging bosses. In fact, without giving away too much, the final battle more or less depends on these attacks. The attack used depends on which turtle is in play at the time the attack is initiated. These attacks can really get you out of a sticky situation and should not be wasted.For presentation the game does a good job of selling the world it takes place in. The Night Watcher levels are dark and gritty, while the other levels during the day are bright and colorful. I am not sure if the voice actors from the movie came back to voice their characters, but the actors that are here do a great job in selling their role, and they bounce off each other well. The cut scenes are done in a comic style; literally, as it opens a comic book and the panels show you the story, with of course dialogue and banter from the turtles, who tell the story after it happened. In levels, the character speaking (when it is one of the main heroes) is represented as a comic picture of that character, and it even shows a seperate picture for when Mikey is in his Cowabunga Carl costume from the movie.Overall, the game is fun, fast paced, and a lot of fun. If you can find a cheap copy, for you or that TMNT mega fan in your life. The game came to numerous systems so there is bound to be a version for you. Watch the movie first, though, this game is full of spoilers for the movie.
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Refurbished
5.0 (4)
