Published by: Konami
Developed by: Konami Studios
Genre: Action
Players: 1-4
Release Date: November 8, 2005
Written by: Matthew Prunty









Intro
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has been around for more than 15 years; Konami has graced gamers across the world with a franchise that will live the test of time. With incarnations on more than 15 platforms, TMNT has garnered countless fans over the years, and has even spawned several cartoon shows and movies. With the current generation, Konami tried to re-invent the Turtle franchise with a new look based on their new cartoon show that comes on Saturday mornings.

With the release of TMNT, and TMNT: Battle Nexus across current generation platforms, Konami thought that new gamers would create a fire under the series like there was back when TMNT: Turtles in Time was release for the arcade. Battle Nexus was a step above that of TMNT, but both titles lack that flare and drive which could of taken these two titles to new heights within the franchise. So Konami sought to take a step back to see what made Turtles in Time so huge, and reformulated their setup for their TMNT series. So how did they fare this time around, you will find out shortly.


The Greem, mean machines!!!

Gameplay
For those who didn’t follow the TMNT series this generation will think that the third installment was another carbon copy of the first two titles, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Mutant Nightmare takes root within the third season of the animated Saturday morning cartoon, so throughout the title, you will catch clips cut directly from the cartoon show to keep the flow of the title moving along rather smoothly. You will also notice a few tweaks here and there within the game’s engine, but you can’t help but fine some of the same terrible problems that plagued the first two titles. The only good thing about the tweak to tell you the truth is the fact that you aren’t feed various platforming sequences over and over, in a sad attempt to keep the title interesting.

When you take away the flashy movies and artistic styling of the title, you will notice that the game is a rather simple beat-‘em up title. The cast of Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo put on a show for their longtime fans, but it wasn’t enough to garner the attention that they were hoping for. The turtles were equipped with their patented weapons, and a few special abilities that made the action a little more interesting. One of these new abilities is a form of invincibility that each of the turtles can harness via collecting various hidden scrolls scattered throughout the game. Once you have enough scrolls, you can activate this mode, when pretty much bulks up your character and allows you to fly through the level (within a limited time frame) defeating almost every enemy within your path with little to no trouble at all. This feature is definitely a plus seeing how there are times where you would have to watch your back and go head up with countless enemies from all directions.

Not stopping there, Konami also included the ability to level up four turtle with various fighting abilities and combos to devastate your enemies with. With every enemy you defeat, you earn crystals, which can be cashed in in-between various levels for these special abilities. And when you get together with your buddies or family, you can unleash some impeccable fighting maneuvers that will have you guys/gals talking for some time. But just like so many titles that have been released, the true potential of this title and its new features just weren’t fleshed out enough to make for an enjoyable trip form beginning to end.

When it comes to the mechanics of this title, Konami knew they had to make some serious changes. One notable change is the character-switching feature, which was introduced in Battle Nexus was done with, and was replaced with some smart artificial intelligence. When you are going solo, the computer will take control of the other three turtles, which is a true blessing. No longer do you have to worry about every enemy that you come across in every area. But just when you think things are getting good, you will come across a few annoyances. Though some will not let them get to them, there are a few occasions where the computer control characters will get stuck in various situations (within walls, cars, etc.). But if you can look past this, the computer-controlled characters fight pretty well by your side and can disband its enemies with little to no trouble.


Isn't this a fine pickle I'm in...

But the biggest blow in my mind to this title would have to be how relatively easy it is. Not saying there aren’t moments where you have some trouble, but the fact of the matter is that when Konami tweaked the gameplay for all four turtles to be on the screen at ones, they never thought to increase the difficulty level to counteract the new gameplay style. Also because the easiness of the title, the combo moves aren’t really needed at all. You can use them if you want, but by the time you get around to performing one, the level is pretty much over with. But when you do come across that challenge that you have been longing for, it is rather overbearing. You are attacked by countless enemies from all directions, often times they use long-ranged weapons against you, which makes you work even harder to get to them and deal with them in turtle fashion (and I am not talking about eating pizza and watching television). So instead of being fed a steady title throughout, you have various ups and downs (more ups than downs), making this title rather un-enjoyable to play (unless you are just a die-hard turtle fan).

What was seen as a great addition by Konami; the inclusion of Turtles in Time, was just overshadowed by the bleakness of Mutant Nightmare. Even for the most die-hard turtle fan, it is hard to see anyone playing through such a mediocre title just get their hands on a cult classic. But for those who actually play through the game and get their hands on Turtles in Time, you will be in a treat with nice touch ups to the overall formula and an increase difficulty, surely to added another nice touch on a already marvelous, action-packed title.

Graphics
Just like with the first two installments, Mutant Nightmare sports the cell-shaded look, which still retains its nice look, but feels rather outdated. Though there are titles that still can pull of the cell-shading technique rather nicely (Tales of Legendia, Dragon Quest VIII, etc.), TMNT 3 just looks poorly constructed and a let down to the series. Some thought the inclusion of the video footage from the cartoon would be a blessing in disguise to help the story (which it did somewhat), but due to the seemingly rush job, was poorly compressed, which gives off a choppy look and fuzzy look.


Sonicboom baby!!!

For the most part, the environments were presented with a dark and gloomy look. There are instances where this look can play against you. If you are fighting off in the corner, you may not see a punch or even a weapon projectile coming, which can do damage. Though this category isn’t much of an improvement for the overall presentation, it was a step in the right direction for Konami when you look at the previous two titles.

Sound
If you followed the cartoon (closely or not), you will notice great similarities between the two. Konami used the same supporting cast, which lent their voices for the cartoon, for the title, which keeps the feel rather nicely. But the let down when it comes to the voice acting is the fact that most of the catch phrases and dialogue comes directly from the carton itself. I’m not sure if Konami was trying to release this title within a certain amount of time, or just didn’t care to reprise the dialogue, but this certainly isn’t a plus for the overall title. Just going by the voice dialogue, you can watch the cartoon for free instead of spending the $29.99 for the title.

Besides the voice acting, the game is riddled with repetitive musical loops, which get very tiresome very quickly. There are also some grunting sound affects from the supporting cast that is rather funny at times.

Replay Value
There really isn’t much to look forward to once you play through the title. But for those who get a kick out of the past, can unlock the TMNT: Turtles in Time title, which was the most successful title within the turtle franchise. Like I mentioned before, the gameplay is tweaked and there is an increase difficulty level, which gives your nostalgic feeling a run for its money.


Burn... baby... Burn!!!

Overall
I will admit, I am a die-hard turtles fan, so when I first heard about the title, I jumped on it. I can’t vouch for everyone, but this title is definitely not for everyone. Konami didn’t take enough time to polish several aspects of the title, which will hurt the overall feel and sales of the title. A few updates, which had the potential to take this title to new heights, were under-emphasized and just the overall experience was plagued with one too many problems and annoyances.

6.5/10

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