SNES

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

Turtles in Time is the definitive Ninja Turtles games. The latest entries from Konami on the GameCube have been a far cry from the SNES days despite their cel-shaded graphics and 3D environments. Hopefully Konami will wise up and return to the spirit of its classic level designs with the Turtles' games they currently have in development. It’s unfortunate that Konami hasn’t been able to beat its own effort. Until they finally do, this game will keep you satisfied. This title tosses Golden Axe and all the rest straight at the TV screen. It is the greatest side scrolling action brawler ever made because of its charm, wit, and excellent level design. Did I mention you should buy this game now?

Plutôt destiné aux plus jeunes d'entre vous, à cause de son manque de complexité au niveau des mouvements, ce gros titre de Konami reste un jeu à la hauteur de la marque.

It kinda weird to think that some of the most well respected video games in the entire industry are not only based on a licensed property, but also about turtles that walk, talk, and kick ass. It's not even the arcade versions that shell out the thrills either. The home version of the arcade sequel is a near exact translation, missing only a few minor things, but adds even more to make this one of the best games for the console. You know these guys/mutant things.

Its sharp graphics resemble a cartoon, with vibrant colors and smooth animation. The upbeat music is excellent and the control is remarkably tight. Only two buttons are used, but there's still a nice variety of moves. My favorite allows you to throw the enemy into the screen (towards the player!). It's a cool scaling effect, and it's actually necessary to defeat one of the bosses. Enemies tend to be generic ninjas dressed in different colored outfits, but the bosses are quite imaginative and well-armed with special attacks. The diverse stages locales include city streets, a sewer, the prehistoric past, and a pirate ship, to name a few. The action is fast and never lets up, but it does have a few faults. Although you can choose between four characters, there's not an appreciable difference between them. Also, battling the same ninjas over and over can get monotonous. All in all, this is a solid arcade fighter, but Turtles in Time is anything but deep.

For me, beat-em-ups are a love/hate thing. Fortunately, this one features the Ninja Turtles and some awesome time traveling stages to put it on the “love” side. If you’ve played any 2D beat-em-up you’ve pretty much played Turtles in Time. Even so, the game is a one of the best examples of a good title in the genre and ranks up near the top with classics like Final Fight and the original TMNT. As for this SNES cart, its highly collectible, and definitely worth your time and money if you can find it. Now, let’s kick shell!

I decided that I would have been pissed if I would have paid full price for this game back when it was first released, but with the "slightly" used price of SNES games these days it was worth it. The game is repetitive, but fun and it's probably the best TMNT game out there right now. Let's just hope that the new TMNT game that Konami is making is incredible.

In addition to the single player mode, there is a two player versus mode, along with the ability to play two-player story mode. It is quite essential that you know that this is not a long game, it can be beaten in a couple of hours, especially with a friend. TMNT IV is the best TMNT game of the modern gaming era, as in post-NES. Don't pass up the chance to purchase and/or play this, it is a SNES treasure.

Which is perhaps the problem with the whole game. On paper, it looks good. You have the turtles. You have a two-player option. You have the ability to adjust the number of lives a player has, the difficulty level, and various other tiny details. These are all just little bits of icing on the cake, though. And sadly, that cake is a tiny little one that has grown stale over time. Plumbers age well. Hedgehogs, too. Apparently, turtles do not.

That wasn’t enough for me. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game had cool bosses. So did The Manhattan Project. I initially liked both of those games, but eventually tired of them. With Turtles in Time not really offering anything new, it didn’t take long at all for me to lose interest. It has the Turtles and their foes and it looks good. Other that that, there isn’t much to this title. Just another case of a company taking a popular license and quickly crafting a bland game around it because they know it will sell solely because of its name.