Video Game Review: TMNT (Game Boy Advance)
Based on the 2007 CG animated film of the same name, the Game Boy Advance version of the green foursome stands out as not only a surprisingly good movie based outing, but a fun title that draws back to the quarter-munching days of the original arcade.
There is a certain rush of fond nostalgia similar to the overall feel of Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games. A feeling much better captured than the more recent TMNT games released for the last generation of systems.
The graphics are well done with bright, recognizable and detailed sprites for all the Turtles, each with their own distinct animations for attacks. The cut-scenes are pulled from the recent movie, and while they don’t match the gameplay’s look, they don’t feel out of place, either. In beat ‘em up games such as this, a player is guaranteed to face endless sets of generic bad guys, and while plentiful here, they at least are well-detailed generic bad guys, with good animation.
The music is also well done. Kind of generic hard-hitting rock music sets the tone for gameplay. Nothing outstanding, but appropriate for the action, and reminiscent of the old Turtles games, with plenty of good grunts, “oofs”, and fighting sound effects abound.
The game itself controls like a dream, providing fast, responsive gameplay. Players don’t feel like they pulled off a move only to not have it register on screen. The Turtles are given the basic attack/jump button combos, but can pull off a few special moves and charges. The framerate is also smooth and easy, with no choppy animation here.
As far as updates to the classic formula, players can strengthen the Turtles to make them better fighters by purchasing power-ups and equipment in a free-roaming hub. April, Casey Jones and Splinter each offer you various challenges of skill. There’s a “trophy room” that gives you awards if you meet certain requirements. The level backgrounds are quite interactive and allow for some destruction. You can find and use weapons along the way. There are even attacks where you can call in your brothers for some temporary extra help, and surprise! They’re actually helpful and competent, removing an annoying bad guy too many, or dropping a pizza your way. The game also offers battery save. It’s all good stuff that doesn’t clutter the main focus of pounding endless villains.
Basically, this game is the old arcade games. Same vibe. Same feel. Same reasons you liked them, but with all these little added bonuses that actually feel useful and work.
If there were criticisms to be leveled at the game, the co-op feature of arcade games is sorely missing here. This is strictly a one-player game. If Ubisoft had somehow found a way to implement that as a feature, this game would have quite possibly been the greatest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game ever created. No exaggeration.
You also get the “flaws” of the arcade gameplay in this version. A lot of semi-unintelligent, relentless bad guys who have fairly easy patterns to exploit make up a majority of the encounters players will face.
The overall challenge, however, is fairly forgiving. If a player loses all their lives, they start over from the beginning level. If power-ups are bought in between levels, the next level must be completed in order to keep them. A little frustrating, but bearable.
At this stage in the life cycle of Game Boy Advance, with the DS reigning supreme, this is the phase where we are supposed to get mediocre kids titles, and budget games from publishers that we’ve never heard of. It’s the death knell of any game system, and you stop expecting “good” games because everyone’s moved on to the next big thing.
Don’t let this game slip you by. Even if you no longer have your GBA, it will work on your DS just fine.
The online sites were calling all the other version of the new TMNT game average at best, but were going crazy over the GBA version. So I decided to check it out, and it turned out to be well worth it.
Someone at Ubisoft clearly loved the old arcade games, more than the Konami programmers who worked on the later TMNT games for the last-gen systems. The update feels fresh, even though the gameplay is easy enough to remember and pick up. It doesn’t break new ground. It just refines it. And there is a genuine sense of cheery nostalgia playing through this title. Players can find a lot of replayability by doing some of the levels over to unlock more awards or earn more money.
In the last two years, I’ve seen some great “updates” on classic games. Mega Man: Powered Up. New Super Mario Bros., Ultimate Ghosts ‘N’ Goblins…. And they’ve all been on portable game systems. Add TMNT to the list. It keeps what you love about the original game, and just gives it a bit of modern flourish.
If this is the last new Game Boy Advance game you get, then your purchase was a good choice.
Highly recommended.