Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare
Score: 65% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Action/ Arcade
Graphics & Sound: Visually, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare uses the same cel-shaded look as previous Turtles titles. These generally go really well with the clips from the show, though at the same time, the look is a little jarring. The show's style has a great visual look to it while the in-game graphics look a little too "hard" in some respects. The dark lines that give cel-shading its signature look feel too thick and hard, giving the game more of a comic book look rather than that of the show. Overall, the entire game looks great -- especially if you enjoyed previous games in the series -- just don't expect visual splendor (or much variety for that matter, since both the characters and environments don't show off much variety). Explosions, some sweet fighting animations and even a stray special effect or two seal the deal. Sound does an adequate job, which is about all you can really expect it to do. Impressively, the characters from the show provide voices for their in-game counterparts. This helps to make the transition between cartoon and game a little smoother; especially during in-game story sequences that help to flesh out the action a little more than the show clips allow. Grunts and battle cries have been toned down between the last game and this one, eliciting a giant sigh of "Thank You" from gamers everywhere.
Gameplay: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare retains the same beat 'em up gameplay as the past two games. This time around, the Turtles find themselves going up against a race of giant talking dinosaurs called Tricertons. Their goal is to find the Turtle's friend, Professor Honeycutt, who has invented a teleportation machine that the Tricertons want. The problem is that Honeycutt isn't anywhere to be found, prompting a Tricerton attack anyway... From the outset, Mutant Nightmare is very simple, so anyone can jump in and start playing the game without too many problems. The game keeps the idea of using all four turtles at once, only now the three turtles not being controlled by a human player are controlled by a fairly competent A.I. On the plus side, the A.I. is really good in a fight and you'll never find it standing there as you go up against a dozen enemies. On the downside, they are prone to losing their way, causing you to have to herd them around trickier levels. While the game is mostly an arcade-style beat 'em up, TMNT 3 also features a few vehicle and shooter experiences. One sequence has the Turtles hurling ninja stars down a hallway at oncoming enemies while another features a set of really annoying platforming elements. These sections really take the game out of its element and don't work well at all. For me, the biggest draw to Mutant Nightmare is the inclusion of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Turtles in Time, one of the best TMNT games to have graced gaming. The port isn't perfect, but the inclusion of this game alone makes Mutant Nightmare worth plodding through. Of course, the downside of the arcade game's inclusion is that it makes the current titles look a little worse than they already do.
Difficulty: Given that the game is geared more towards the show's target audience, it should be expected that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare is on the easy side. However, Mutant Nightmare is so far on the easy side that even the youngest of players shouldn't have that much trouble working their way through the game in a few hours. A few areas, namely the shooter and platform ones, offer a bit more challenge, though this is due more to sheer annoyance than anything else. Perhaps the biggest factor in the game's ease of play is the A.I. controlled fighters. Remember, they're not the best at finding their way around, but they still put up a great fight...
Game Mechanics: Each Turtle has his signature weapons, as well as a few throwing stars (what ninja worth his salt doesn't use them??) and some special moves of both the cooperative and single-turtle variety. Co-op attacks, which are part of the fun of having more than one character onscreen, are mostly useless. By the time you get them, you're usually down to one or two more enemies on the screen, making it a waste of a move. However, even gangs of enemies aren't that much of a challenge and can be cleared with a few deft strokes of your normal attack. After collecting a number of scrolls hidden throughout the level, your Turtle can enter his powered-up mode, which basically makes him indestructible (making the game easier than it already is). In addition to scrolls, crystals can also be collected which are then used to purchase upgrades between levels. The option of adding a personal touch is always welcome, though the system feels like it's there more for looks (and to add something else to collect) rather than being of any significant use as it never seemed to have quite that big an impact on gameplay. In the end, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare isn't that bad a game if you enjoyed the past two titles. If you didn't enjoy the past games, or haven't played one yet, Mutant Nightmare really isn't for you and should probably be passed over (unless, of course, you want to play Turtles in Time).
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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