Review: Cowabunga, dude!
Like many gamers of my generation, I have fond memories of heading down to the local arcade and spending way too many quarters on my favorite games. One of these was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. One cannot deny that running around the sewers and saving April as one of the turtles was tons of fun (Watch out for the elevators!). In this spirit I was really excited when the Wii version of TMNT became available. That excitement was short lived.
One of the first things I noticed about TMNT is that there is no multiplayer mode! Ubisoft really missed the boat by not including this feature. I know TMNT would have been much more enjoyable if it had been included. It would also have increased the replay value.
That isn’t to say there aren’t some good things about this game. I really liked the tutorial levels. You learn how to control the turtles gradually while also exploring the environment. I love how the movements are very ninja-like. I really felt like I was the one flipping around and climbing along walls. This is partially due to the sound effects that come out of the Wii remote.
Generally the controls aren’t very responsive. I had a little trouble with the dash function that requires you to push the Wii remote away from your body before you jump. It helps if you keep the remote close to your body while you’re playing. Otherwise you have to push it really far away from yourself for it to register. Also, the fighting in the game isn’t all that interesting. To attack you must shake the Wii remote from side to side but the attacks don’t match up with the remote’s movement.
One neat feature is the tag team option. You have to gain reputation with the other turtles by defeating enemies. Once you do you can switch between them or use them to pull off a combination attack. This requires good knowledge of each turtle and their individual specialties. Those players that are new to the TNMT franchise may have trouble with this.
The graphics are very visually appealing. There’s an amazing amount of detail put into the backgrounds. One highlight is a scene towards the beginning where you must jump along the tops of balloons in a parade.
