TMNT for Xbox 360 is based on the feature film that was released in 2007. It features all 4 of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles;
Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello. Splinter will serve as
your guide throughout the game. All of the characters are voiced, but
I'm not sure if they are the voice actors from the movie, or from the
current cartoon on Kids WB. Either way they sound quite good. TMNT is a
3D platformer/adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal. The game is
divided up into 16 stages where you are rated on how well you fight,
how fast you complete the mission, and how many coins you collect. The
first 5 or so missions you use only one of the Turtles, but as all 4
meet up again (plot point from the movie) you may switch between them
during combat or just during the level itself. The turtles all have
different co-op attacks in battle as well as during the platforming
sequences of the level. For example you can call for help from another
turtle when you need to make a very long jump.
The platforming sequences in the game are absolutely fantastic. The
turtles feel like actual ninjas when they're running, swinging,
climbing, and jumping all over the rooftops. The coolest thing about it
is that the turtles are really fast. They are as fast as you'd think a
ninja would be, yet they are graceful as well. I do not like
platformers at all, and I don't play them but I enjoyed the platforming
in TMNT quite a bit. The combat, on the other hand, is really bad.
Basically you do the same 5 hit combo with just one button, over and
over and over and over. The combat is very boring, the enemies are
cheap and I found myself loathing the beginning of every fight and
hoping to get back to the platforming right away. Sure there are some
interesting co-op attacks you can do with the turtles but those take
too long to pull off. You have to hold the x button down for a few
seconds and then release it for the attack to work but by the time it's
powered up you most likely will get hit by an enemy. The one cool thing
about combat is the "rage" mode. Once you've defeated enough enemies
and filled up a meter you unleash very powerful attacks that kill
enemies in one hit and the game slows down to "bullet time." It's kinda
neat and makes quick work of your enemies.
Even with the crappy combat system the game might be worth a purchase
if it were longer. I finished the game, and got all 1,000 achievement
points in about 5 hours tops. The game is extremely easy and way too
short to warrant paying money for it. I had no desire to continue
playing the game to unlock the bonus content after I got the
achievements. That said, be sure to rent this game for easy points and
an afternoon's worth of fun.
