Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Review (NES) The Original Nintendo Game

Bebop and Rocksteady.

     The first foray of the TMNT into the video game world isn't one of the brawler beat-em-ups that defined the series right after this installment.  It's actually this top down view with deadly tanks, and side scrolling platformer levels upon entering sewers or buildings game on the original Nintendo.
     This game was more unforgiving and imbalanced than it rightly should've been- creating play that is far from fun and it punishes players for failing to adapt to the horrendous control scheme.  The problem with the difficulty here is that is due to arbitrary problems and poor level design you are forced to fight through wave after wave of enemies that should be menial but aren't.  Dark Souls feels like a lackadaisical stroll in comparison- at least it is fair and the controls are tight.

You get to drive the Party Wagon!!!

     Perhaps if the controls for TMNT were better the tediousness might have been simply a fun challenge, but instead it devolves into pure frustration.  If a player moves a single screen over in the level, every enemy respawns.  An infinitely respawning group of enemies that do massive damage if you even touch one gets to be really irritating while you also have to struggle with the awful controls.  Even worse is the fact that there are plenty of filler stages and places that don't contain anything necessary for progress and serve mostly to deplete what little resources you have.
     The platforming is also a problem as a result of terrible jumping mechanics.  If you bump a ceiling you drop straight down- often right into the line of fire you jumped to avoid.
     Compounding this problem is the fact that while you may choose which of the 4 Turtles you want to play as at any time, Michelangelo and Raphael are nearly useless because their weapons have nothing for range.  Many players just resort to using them in heavy damage taking areas so they can prolong the use of the only two Turtles worth using, Leonardo and Donatello, as they give you much more range.  

Diffuse the bombs.

     Somehow this is an extremely flawed game that I loved as a kid, but not as much as the drastically better TMNT: The Arcade Game, which was released in the same year.  Any fondness I once had was drown in the infamous underwater "Dam Level" that will no doubt go down in history as one of the biggest torments to any children that suffered beneath the waves.

This was a nightmare for many, many children.

     Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES is a mediocre game at best, and the difficulty curve proves to be its greatest undoing, most notably because the TMNT should really be aimed at kids.  If they hadn't included a never-ending stream of respawning minions or even a level select option the game might've left young players with better memories, but as it is, nostalgia won't cover its abundance of faults.


     For more of my Turtles posts [ TMNT ]

Aladdin: Sega Genesis: Replay & Review (RE)2

Genie of the Lamp

     Starting right away, we get amazing graphics with the Genie shooting in the air at the Sega logo and Iago falling past.  The sprites are clean and fluid- absolutely stunning animation work.  They look like they were ripped right out of the film.  The looks are perfectly paired with highly responsive controls.  Only the music is lacking, but I would chalk that up to Sega's sound capabilities being less than optimal.

     The story is the simple rags-to-riches-with-the-help-of-a-magical-bring tale of Aladdin we all know from the Disney movie.  There are a few deviations to make the game playable without confusion on its own.
     And this game has one of the most brilliant set of instructions (back when instruction booklets were commonplace) I have encountered.  One screen with all you need to know in one place.  It's so simple and effective, why more games don't do this is beyond me.

A Magic Carpet Ride

     Being a typical 2D platformer, they have you running and jumping, slicing up bad guys with a sword, or throwing apples for a long range attack.  The levels are littered with collectibles (hearts, apples, emeralds) and if you find the vendor you can buy more lives and continues.  There's also a couple of mini games by collecting the Genie and Abu tokens.  The Genie's minigame is a slot machine and for Abu's mini game you get to actually play as Abu... with a sword.

     I really enjoyed games like this, with enough production value, that if left alone Aladdin will toss himself an apple.  There are also plenty of Disney related Easter Eggs to be found- like positioning Aladdin under items on a clothesline will give you an extra life by giving you Mickey Mouse ears, and another adventurer in the dungeon level is a skeleton with the Mickey Mouse ears.  There's also some familiar looking statues in the desert.  It's in the subtle details that this game shines.  It's in the face of a camel when jumped on, it's in the way an apple splits in half when an enemy's sword cleaves it, it's in the 3 outhouses (men, women, genie)- all those little things really add up.

    The level design itself is amazing as well.  There is an absurd amount of effort put into the levels.  They aren't just go left to right, plenty of them are so creative and open new avenues of play.  One level if you collect a certain amount of flutes, it'll unlock various lying ropes that bring you to different ares in the level.  If you search there are tons of hidden jokes, and secret areas to explore.  A huge variety of things to see that fill them up like statues, flamingos and a dog with a key in its mouth.  Some are even interactive, like the camels.  You can jump on them and they'll spit which damages enemies, a very useful tactic in the early stages.
     The Genie makes frequent appearances to guide and assist you on the path.  He's a balloon, the moon, a referee, and even the doorway out in one level, where you need to scale steps that are made out of his tongue.  That is creepy and gross, but hilarious.

Wishes

     I do have to be honest the enemy variations are a slim.  Only a handful of repetitive enemies does get a little old over the course of the game.  But the bosses are distinct enough to make it great.  Although Jafar himself seems to be too difficult in comparison with the rest of the game.  The challenge skyrockets for that one boss, but is fairly moderate for the rest.

     In the end nothing in Aladdin is too bad.  The negatives are so small they are easily tolerable.  The difficulty isn't too bad, but an option for saving or continues could've done wonders for this game, as some levels drag on pretty long, and the intensity gradually gets higher toward the end- not too tough, nor too easy, it rides a delicate balance through most of the game.
     Maybe a few more stages (there's only 10) would've been nice as well.

A Diamond in the Rough 

     Aladdin stands as one of the best 16-bit platformers ever, and will forever remind me of why I loved the Sega Genesis system so much.  Aladdin displays such an undeniable use of creativity in every aspect of the game, it's fun and loaded with personality.  This is what licensed games should strive for, becoming a classic.  There's just so much here, it makes replaying it a joy just to stop and see what little touches they put into the background.  When it comes down to it, Sega's Aladdin game is every bit as much a masterpiece as the Disney film was, and won't soon be forgotten by those that play it.

     Draft from 01.12.2014

Kim Possible 2: Drakken's Demise Game Boy Advance (GBA) Replay & Review (RE)2

     This game is a prime example of taking something that was mundane at best and improving every aspect.  Better graphics, sound, gameplay, and even story!  The first Kim Possible (Revenge of Monkey Fist) wasn't special in any way- simply put- it's a forgettable time waster, but did they ever pull out stops for the sequel!

Those ghost Kims are training holograms.

     Right after loading the game there are immediately obvious improvements in looks, sounds, and music.  The animations are smooth, making the first one look downright choppy.  The music is great and the sounds are spot-on. Then, once you get started, you can see they've added a battery save (including check point auto saving), increased number of gadgets, and vastly larger levels to navigate through.
     The narrative is very coherent, unlike Revenge of Monkey Fist, where I was quite confused as to why anything was happening, or what was going on in general.  The story is easy to follow and makes sense considering it's based on a show made for kids.

     Instead of merely plowing straight through levels, this time there are reasons to explore the level.  Hundreds of collectibles and multiple paths to the end of each stage open up the world greatly.  Sometimes the platforming requires the use of gadgets and gymnastics skill moves, or occasionally creating shortcuts by tossing bad guys through breakable walls- possibly opening hidden areas.  There is a small hurdle in difficulty, nothing awful mind you- it is a kids game-, but there are some definitely challenging areas to navigate.  The liberal check point saving can be a heck of a blessing in those cases, and very helpful if you replay for collectibles.

     As for the action, well our heroine Kim starts with 2 gadgets, typical punches, kicks, and combos (they've also added the ability to damage enemies by jumping on their heads) and eventually open up things such as wall-jumping, enemy throwing, and a sneaking suit.  While you start with the lipstick that allows you to turn holes into trampolines and the absolutely necessary grappling hook, kid genius Wade eventually gets you hot sauce packets to melt ice and snowmen, a stealth suit to become invisible, and a reflective compact for lasers and projectiles.  All of the controls are clean and tight- everything worked perfectly here even with a few buttons and plenty of moves- everything felt responsive.

     There are 20 total levels over 4 stages.  They also include stages where you fly, skate, or swim your way through to break up the monotony of platforming.  Granted there is a ton of stuff to look for once you unlock all your gadgets and replay levels in the Global Justice Simulator.  Replaying levels allows you to get to previously inaccessible places which will also unlock more villains to beat and collectibles and thus a higher score for the level- and more trading cards in the extras section.

     This game is so engaging and shows such an absurd amount of sophistication that I am at a bit of a loss for words.  It is a tremendous game for the GBA- or for any 2D platformer-loving gamers for that matter, and I was blown away by how good it is.  This is a game I would give very high recommendations to, seriously- you also get to play a level as Ron Stoppable and another level as Rufus... the naked mole rat (scandalous!).  Kim Possible 2: Drakken's Demise is a finely polished gem for the GBA and packs a short-but-sweet-and-memorable punch.
     Kim Possible 2 was truly one small step for GBA action adventures, and one giant leap for Disney's licensed games.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare DS Review

     After the Turtles' franchise revival in the early 2000's there were loads of games released- all pretty much similar, and this one is no different.  In fact this is just an extension of TMNT 2: Battle Nexus on Game Boy Advance (GBA).

     Although this one eliminates the awful stealth the last game tried to implement.  But they also had not struck the gold mine Konami created back in the early 90's with the amazing arcade games and 16 bit beat-'em-ups.

     For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare the fearsome four are sent through a highly repetitive 4 levels with 6 sections each.  But between the level's first segment and last each turtle gets their own individual pathway to follow- with slight story changes to fit, which include different endings.  Regardless of which Turtle you pick, you get to fight the same hordes of palette swapped enemy, broken by the occasional recognizable bosses such as their long time nemesis The Shredder.

     Somehow ignoring the inclusion of all the extra DS buttons we are treated to the usual special, attack, and jump buttons.  Causing predictable combos and special team-up moves.  Like I said earlier- this game is pretty much an extension of the last game with just barely enhanced graphics and sound.  They did however tack on some touch screen additives to make it DS compatible.  At context sensitive points a sound occurs signaling you may tap the turtle pictured and one of the non-played brothers appears to assist with an attack.
     Near as I could tell- the controls are just as frustrating and unresponsive as the last game.  Enemies can hit you without problem, but some of your attacks will go unregistered through them.  Plus there is the massive problem of never knowing which of your attacks will hit multiple enemies, and which will leave you wide open for a retaliatory beat down from an angry Triceraton.

     There are also touch screen mini games of a sort that appear throughout a few of the levels and cause players to scramble for the stylus.  Sometimes you need to rotate a handle or slide electronic puzzle pieces back and forth in a short amount of time (or suffer injury and time loss) to proceed.  All of them feel out of place in what should be a straightforward action game.

     Another part of the game that feels way off key is the escort missions that crop up (which have time limits for no explicable reason).  One of them you are tasked with escorting Fugitoid and have to pick him up and carry him around.  Another you have to solve mini-puzzles and open doors with Leatherneck.  They are downright annoying- slowing down game progress while you figure out what you're supposed to do because most of the mini portions have no instructions.  Most are simple to solve but a couple are off because they don't tell you what the goal is.
     Sure, they did great in adding the extra characters, but at the cost of escort missions?  Not worth it in my book.

     I might add there is a multiplayer mode, that I sadly could find no one to join, and the second time a "Battle Mode" is misnamed.  Battle Mode is once again a crystal collecting challenge set of missions.

     At most this is mild entertainment for a TMNT fan, at worst a dull and forgettable 2d Turtles game.  Mutant Nightmare is another trip to platforming and puzzle solving with small bouts of combat instead of returning to the tried and true brawlers that made the Turtle games great in the 90's.  One might've thought that Konami would've learned that these kinds of TMNT games aren't what the players are looking for.


     For more of my Turtle posts: [ TMNT ]

Also check out:

     [ The TMNT Collectionary ]

     [ TMNT Block Yardsellr on Facebook ]

     They always have a plethora of TMNT goodness to peruse.

Streets of Rage: Replay & Review (RE)2

     Streets of Rage.  What can really be said about this game?  Anyone who had the privilege of playing it back when it was first released probably have good memories about it.  Which isn't bad at all.  It still holds up pretty well now.  Not amazing, but still entertaining and quite playable.

     Three fed up ex-police members want to take back their city which has been overrun by a crime syndicate.  Unfortunately the syndicate has also corrupted much of the police force, and the 3 vigilantes- boxer Adam Hunter, martial artist Axel Stone, and Judo expert Blaze Fielding- decide to do something about it.  And that something is fighting crime with brute force.  Of course the differences between characters are simple- Adam is slow and strong, Axel is the middle ground, and Blaze is fast and weak.  Finding one to fit a play style is easy, and only Adam feels slightly hampered as enemies tend to come in droves and are noticeably faster than the player.

     These cops have a surprising amount of combat depth for such limited button controls.  It's much more than Golden Axe or Double Dragon had to offer with the same 3 buttons- special, attack, and jump.  There is a range of combos and throws- and even a special move that, neglecting city safety issues, has another police officer shoot a bazooka blast into the area you are in- inflicting instant kills for small goons, and large damage to bosses.  Combat sensitivity causes there to be various moves, and each character has a couple only for themselves (Axel has a great head-butt)- and throws are range relative- just get in close and the grab is automatic- just point and toss.  It's a very useful way to clear a path of enemies.

    Along the way- players must beat down a steady stream of baddies- ranging from pitifully weak nameless punks to end boss and syndicate head honcho Mr. X over the course of 8 rounds (levels).  The streets are littered with usable items as well.  Phone booths, trash cans, and old tire stacks hide inexplicably left cooked meat, 1 ups, and a wide variety of weapons to help put the smack down on all criminals in your path.

     I've read that this was supposed to be a Final Fight killer, and while they didn't do that, they created one hell of a game.  All around decent and entertaining.  And after replaying there are two things I never noticed back then- the first is that there is actually a time limit for each level's individual section of enemies, and multiple endings.  There are two different endings depending on if there are 2 players and one or both agree to "join" Mr. X.
     What we've got here is great music, good graphics, and tight controls in a city in turmoil.  When boiled down Streets of Rage's best feature is that it spawned sequels, one of which stands as one of the greatest beat-'em-ups in history.  If you like the series it's a fun play, if not- try Streets of Rage 2- it's a lasting gem that has few rivals.

Golden Axe: Replay & Review- (RE)2

     Back in the side scrolling beat-'em-up arcade days, around the time of the fantasy barbarian sword & sorcery movie explosion, we managed to receive a grand original arcade game that combined the two- and Golden Axe was born.

     Golden Axe is the hack-n-slash story of a trio coming together to defeat the evil Death Adder, who has taken control of the king's castle and laid waste to the land of Yuria- threatening to kill the rulers if he is refused the throne by the peasants.  Not much in the way of story telling depth, but for the time it fit just fine.  I find it a bit odd that Death Adder abducted the King and Princess.  Where's the Queen?  All the other castle dwellers presumably killed, I suppose.
     All three of these mighty warriors are on quests of scantily-clad vengeance for deaths caused by Death Adder:

     First up is Ax Battler, whose name doesn't really fit as he is a broadsword wielding, stone magic using barbarian seeking vengeance for a murdered mother.  Medium in strength, speed and magic. 

     Next comes Tyris Flare.  A fire magic Amazonian armed with a longsword, looking to enact vengeance upon the killer of her parents.  Weakest in strength, but fastest and most powerful with magic. 

     Last, but not least, the Dwarf Gilius Thunderhead, whose slain twin brother will be avenged with the titular large Golden Axe and the magic of lightning.  By far the strongest, but also easily the slowest and weakest magic user.

     The Sega Genesis port of the arcade was quite amazing in it's time.  This game was filled with tons of variety.  There were plenty of different attack animations, a variety of special magic potions that increase in power with number of potions, and a constant stream of enemies to battle along the path towards Death Adder himself.  In addition they had beasts you could ride upon, and a mini-game of sorts at the campfire levels where you could replenish health and magic potions by beating up the looting gnomes that spawn.  They felt far in advance of their time.
     Though the coin-op itself had better graphics and a few less levels, it felt longer.  The Genesis port was also missing the 4th wall breaking ending as well if I recall correctly.

     Even playing with my rose-colored glasses- the game is fun despite the flaws.  Yes, there are plenty of frustrating moments because this Golden Axe was designed as a quarter-muncher coin-operated arcade.  They purposely made arcades to be difficult and unfair to keep you pumping quarters in for more play.

     Enemies are considerably faster, have way longer reach, and have much smaller hit-boxes than the player.  It does hamper the return enjoyment, but not enough for me to stop playing.  It is a lazy way to arbitrarily add challenge- but since there are infinite continues it isn't too bad.  It also helps that the game is very short- roughly an hour long.  (A block button certainly would've been nice.)

     While Golden Axe doesn't hold up nearly as well as the Streets of Rage games- it is still a decent game.  Honestly, I relished returning to the roots of hack-n-slash fantasy gaming.  It's tough to judge this game as it is a classic, and there really isn't much for the fans of today- so due to the age of this fantasy brawler, I can only truly recommend it to fans of the series.

     Note:  The Sega Genesis Ultimate Collection has all 3 Golden Axe games and I unlockable game that plays like The Legend of Zelda.  Sega also released an Arcade Classic version that I believe had online co-op, challenge modes, and a few extras such as "Duel Mode."  These versions have a few added features that give incentive to new players, and might be worth looking into.

(RE)2 = (RE)Play & (RE)View

     Since I've been on quite the retro gaming rampage lately I decided to make another section to both this blog and my other site [ Playing It Wrong ] (which is more than just myself contributing) I went and made a neat little subsection called Replay & Review.  (RE)2 or (RE)Two.

     It isn't anything special, but I like the idea of having a section wholly devoted to games we used to love, or hate, and giving them another go.  Currently I have about 20 games I've made it through to start posting on and hopefully a string of others from fellow gamers on the Playing It Wrong site.