TMNT
Posted March 19, 2007
Accompanying a smattering of console releases from Ubisoft, the Nintendo DS version of TMNT follows the story line of the CGI-animated motion picture that’s being released nationwide this week. The DS title focuses on the dynamic of brotherhood throughout the game, specifically a rift between Leonardo and Raphael. Leonardo has just returned from a sabbatical in South America and Raphael feels that Splinter favors Leo over the rest of the turtles. As a brewing evil emerges within the city, the turtles have to unite again as a team or humanity will perish as the hands of dark magic. The DS presentation of the narrative is mostly via text boxes between levels and the occasional comic framed movie. That’s pretty much standard for a DS title, nothing terribly inventive. 
Gameplay:
The levels are broken into 15 different sections of the city: 14 full levels and 1 big boss fight. Levels can take anywhere from a few minutes to about twelve. About 60% of the levels have small boss fights at the finale of each section. The entire single player game takes about 2 hours to complete and that’s being fairly generous. The overly forgiving checkpoint system and the plethora of pizza power-ups usually means the player can knockout any level the first time through.
Movement is extremely limited with invisible walls and a bit of a predetermined “rail” system. While pathways often diverge, it’s partly to give the allusion of player choice, but also to chase after pizza & extra life bonuses. The jumping system uses the X, Y, & A buttons to leap forward, left, & right respectively. Beacons are lit up on the screen to offer the next jumping direction. As consecutive beacons are nailed on tempo of the jumps, the multiplier will increase and cause your turtle to speed up considerably. Occasionally, the d-pad is required to move the turtle into the next jump position. It’s also used for free motion in the fighting sections of the game.
The movement system may have been easier to deal with if the camera followed the player properly. The camera angle is quite confusing when attempting to select the correct jump button. The camera often positions itself at a bad angle when a decision on the next jump is needed. Losing my jump bonus because the camera can’t keep up is unacceptable. It also stinks when attempting to reach a brother turtle for the toss bonus. The developer shouldn’t try to force replay value through level memorization due to a shoddy camera angle.
The combat system relies on the B button for the main attack function and the A button for area attacks / finishing moves / dodging. Sadly, there is no way to lock onto enemies, which makes fighting groups a cumbersome chore. Often, you will swing wildly due to dodging enemies and there is no way to halt a weapon-swinging combo once it’s in motion. Combat in boss fights uses the same system, but bosses are thankfully so physically large that it’s easy to get a bead on them.
Boss fights are moronically easy, mostly due to poor defense. Bosses will leave themselves open to almost all attacks and the player can mash a couple combos before the boss tries their uber-attacks. Additionally, boss attacks are fairly weak and there are far too many pizza power-ups in the fighting arena. Also, the player has the option of calling upon the rest of the turtles for auto-attacks during boss battles or any point in the game. In fact, the final boss battle can be won without ever actually hitting the big baddie; just call on your brothers 4 times in a row and it’s over.
Beyond the actual story, there are collectable medals on each level. For instance, players can search for Tony Hawk inspired TMNT letters, beat the time trial, hit all the turtle buddy launches, or hit combo records when jumping. Unfortunately, there isn’t any way to see tangible results within the game. There isn’t a statistics page that lines up the records for each level. Players get a sneak peek before and after each level, but it’s not enough to figure out what you need to focus on next time.
After you finish up the single player faster than watching the actual TMNT movie, you can dive into the multi-card multiplayer. The player has access to 4 areas taken from the main game: sewers, rooftops, jungle, and Chinatown. Competing for best times on the levels isn’t particularly entertaining, but the weak combat system doesn’t seem very appealing in multiplayer either.
Graphics:
Splinter and the entire gang look great on the DS. The comical art slides between the levels are well detailed and very similar to the framed style of most DS titles. A stagnant version of the turtle currently in battle stays pasted on the touch screen during the levels. The actual game engine is pretty solid and runs at a high frame rate. The turtle models are fairly detailed as well as the boss designs. The level design is varied and the city landscapes are specifically well crafted. While the cities aren’t necessarily riffling with life, Ubisoft did an admirable job adapting the TMNT universe into 3D for the dual-screened DS.
Audio:
Without the voiceovers from the movie, this DS title relies on sound effects to convey emotions between Splinter and his turtles. The midi music files get to be a bit annoying after hearing the same loop over and over, but it captures the mood of the game. Ubisoft thankfully gives the player the option of muting the sound effects or the music in the options menu.
Overall:
Is this DS title a solid return for our heroes on the halfshell? The game reeks of opportunistic commercialism, specifically to take advantage of TMNT fans that happen to be Nintendo DS owners. The single player campaign is incredibly short and offers little replay value due to its relative ease. The multi-card multiplayer mode is an average extra, but I doubt folks will sit around to compete for the best times on those odd, jump-laden levels. This is a decent DS title once it hits the $10 bargain bin, but leave it on the retail shelf for now.
Gameplay:
The levels are broken into 15 different sections of the city: 14 full levels and 1 big boss fight. Levels can take anywhere from a few minutes to about twelve. About 60% of the levels have small boss fights at the finale of each section. The entire single player game takes about 2 hours to complete and that’s being fairly generous. The overly forgiving checkpoint system and the plethora of pizza power-ups usually means the player can knockout any level the first time through.
Movement is extremely limited with invisible walls and a bit of a predetermined “rail” system. While pathways often diverge, it’s partly to give the allusion of player choice, but also to chase after pizza & extra life bonuses. The jumping system uses the X, Y, & A buttons to leap forward, left, & right respectively. Beacons are lit up on the screen to offer the next jumping direction. As consecutive beacons are nailed on tempo of the jumps, the multiplier will increase and cause your turtle to speed up considerably. Occasionally, the d-pad is required to move the turtle into the next jump position. It’s also used for free motion in the fighting sections of the game.
The movement system may have been easier to deal with if the camera followed the player properly. The camera angle is quite confusing when attempting to select the correct jump button. The camera often positions itself at a bad angle when a decision on the next jump is needed. Losing my jump bonus because the camera can’t keep up is unacceptable. It also stinks when attempting to reach a brother turtle for the toss bonus. The developer shouldn’t try to force replay value through level memorization due to a shoddy camera angle.
The combat system relies on the B button for the main attack function and the A button for area attacks / finishing moves / dodging. Sadly, there is no way to lock onto enemies, which makes fighting groups a cumbersome chore. Often, you will swing wildly due to dodging enemies and there is no way to halt a weapon-swinging combo once it’s in motion. Combat in boss fights uses the same system, but bosses are thankfully so physically large that it’s easy to get a bead on them.
Boss fights are moronically easy, mostly due to poor defense. Bosses will leave themselves open to almost all attacks and the player can mash a couple combos before the boss tries their uber-attacks. Additionally, boss attacks are fairly weak and there are far too many pizza power-ups in the fighting arena. Also, the player has the option of calling upon the rest of the turtles for auto-attacks during boss battles or any point in the game. In fact, the final boss battle can be won without ever actually hitting the big baddie; just call on your brothers 4 times in a row and it’s over.
Beyond the actual story, there are collectable medals on each level. For instance, players can search for Tony Hawk inspired TMNT letters, beat the time trial, hit all the turtle buddy launches, or hit combo records when jumping. Unfortunately, there isn’t any way to see tangible results within the game. There isn’t a statistics page that lines up the records for each level. Players get a sneak peek before and after each level, but it’s not enough to figure out what you need to focus on next time.
After you finish up the single player faster than watching the actual TMNT movie, you can dive into the multi-card multiplayer. The player has access to 4 areas taken from the main game: sewers, rooftops, jungle, and Chinatown. Competing for best times on the levels isn’t particularly entertaining, but the weak combat system doesn’t seem very appealing in multiplayer either.
Graphics:
Splinter and the entire gang look great on the DS. The comical art slides between the levels are well detailed and very similar to the framed style of most DS titles. A stagnant version of the turtle currently in battle stays pasted on the touch screen during the levels. The actual game engine is pretty solid and runs at a high frame rate. The turtle models are fairly detailed as well as the boss designs. The level design is varied and the city landscapes are specifically well crafted. While the cities aren’t necessarily riffling with life, Ubisoft did an admirable job adapting the TMNT universe into 3D for the dual-screened DS.
Audio:
Without the voiceovers from the movie, this DS title relies on sound effects to convey emotions between Splinter and his turtles. The midi music files get to be a bit annoying after hearing the same loop over and over, but it captures the mood of the game. Ubisoft thankfully gives the player the option of muting the sound effects or the music in the options menu.
Overall:
Is this DS title a solid return for our heroes on the halfshell? The game reeks of opportunistic commercialism, specifically to take advantage of TMNT fans that happen to be Nintendo DS owners. The single player campaign is incredibly short and offers little replay value due to its relative ease. The multi-card multiplayer mode is an average extra, but I doubt folks will sit around to compete for the best times on those odd, jump-laden levels. This is a decent DS title once it hits the $10 bargain bin, but leave it on the retail shelf for now.