Last year’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
game did a good job of capturing the look and feel of the hit television show,
but couldn’t deliver the goods when it came to compelling gameplay. The sequel,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus, adds a few new gameplay elements
and features, making it somewhat of an improvement when compared to its
predecessor. However, the game still falls prey to the same problems as last
year’s game, namely lousy AI, bland levels and repetitive action. While the game
does make some subtle improvements over last year’s version, anyone expecting
the first great turtle game in a decade will be disappointed yet again.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle
Nexus has you once again playing as the famous foursome (Leonardo, Donatello,
Raphael and Michelangelo) as they battle a new alien threat that has them
stranded on a strange planet with no means of going home. This time, instead of
only playing as one turtle, you have access to all four at once, allowing you to
switch them on the fly (nostalgics, think of the very first TMNT game on the NES
and you’ll know what I’m talking about). Switching between characters is an
important part of the gameplay, as each turtle has specific skills that serve a
purpose in different sections. For example, Donatello is computer savvy, which
comes in handy in certain parts involving computers, or sometimes you must use
Leonardo’s katanas to cut through an object blocking your path and so on.
The game also allows for up to four players
to sit down together (assuming you have the proper set up with four gamepads
hooked up to your PC) and play through the game with each player as a different
turtle. This adds an interesting dynamic, as each character needs to pull their
own weight to get the group to progress through the game.
The game also has some notable extras, the
coolest of which being the unlockable full version of the classic Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles arcade game. This should undoubtedly appeal to old-school gamers
who fell in love with the original TV series.
However, the game falls short in a few key
places. For starters, the level design is pretty bland. Most missions are set up
very simplistically; run here, beat up these guys, and move on. The enemies are
all very similar and make a lot of the same moves, meaning that they can all be
defeated in the same ways. The game deviates very little from this formula, and
feels extremely repetitive.
The AI is also disappointing. As I said
before, the enemies all act similarly, meaning that they all make the same
stupid mistakes, as well. Enemies follow the same patterns, walking up to your
character and stopping, leaving themselves out there for an easy hit. The
unresponsive controls cause an undue amount of frustration, leaving your
character open almost as much as the AI leaves itself open.
The graphics are pretty nice, somewhat of
an improvement over those of last year’s game. The character models have a bit
more of a defined cel-shaded look, giving them a stylized look. The environments
also have a real cartoony feel to them, although they lack much detail.
The sound effects are pretty much the same
as last year’s game. The music is good, adding to the atmosphere, and the voice
effects are well acted, albeit a bit redundant.
TMNT 2: Battle Nexus does succeed in making
a few improvements over last year’s game and has some great unlockable features
like the complete original arcade game. However, the game still succumbs to the
same problems as the original, making it hard to recommend if you are searching
for a vast improvement over the first TMNT.
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Gameplay: 6.5
TMNT 2: Battle
Nexus adds some cool new gameplay features, like the ability to hot-swap between
the four turtles. However, the biggest glaring problems in the first game (weak
AI, bland levels and repetitive gameplay) rear their ugly heads this time
around, as well.
Graphics: 8.6
The cel-shading
method has been improved, giving the characters a more stylized aesthetic. The
environments also have a nice and simple cartoony look, even though they lack a
lot of detail.
Sound: 7.3
The music does a
good job of setting a mood, but the voice acting can get very repetitive.
Difficulty: Easy/Med.
Concept: 7.0
TMNT 2 has some
great new features, and nostalgia buffs will love the old arcade game.
Multiplayer: 7.3
Up to four
players can team up and play co-operatively through the game, assuming you have
the necessary gamepads to do so.
Overall: 6.7
TMNT 2
is an improvement over the first game, but still falls prey to the same problems
as its predecessor.
