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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: Konami Publisher: Ubisoft |
Ubisoft’s Xbox Live Arcade remake of the 1989 “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” arcade game, which should not be confused with the sequel “Turtles In Time,” is a great translation of the original game that includes four
player action and Xbox Live support. It is the perfect package of old school arcade gaming, popular licensed material and online gaming. Playing “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade” will revive
memories of gaming past. Gaming is not only different now because of the way games have changed over the years, but game play difficulty has been eased up. Though the game continues to be a bit of a challenge,
players don’t need to worry about seeing the Insert Quarter sign that flashed after a death.
Now, the Xbox Live Arcade version of the game, which will only set players back 400 Microsoft Points or $5 to download, is a great bargain and is exactly what the Xbox Live Arcade was created for. The only problem with
the game becoming a downloadable game is the fact that with the loss of needing to constantly insert quarters takes away some of the tension and fast paced action that the arcade game had. The game gives layers
twenty lives to beat the five stages of the game, which is more than enough to finish he game. The game was short, easy and almost as much fun as the original arcade game.
The issue with the quarters and the loss of fast paced action requires players to think of the game in the past, when quarters had a lot of value and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was a good looking game. Eighteen
years after its original release the same game is neither expensive nor good looking. The problem with arcade games back in 1989 was the fact that the machines took a weekly allowance pretty quick. Then players
wished that they could pay a set price and play as much as they wanted. Now that wish has been granted, and the game costs twenty quarters, a lot less than was probably put in the machine when players were
younger. The problem now is that it is much too easy, and the lack of needing quarters draws from the game’s overall experience, the panic of trying to find just one more quarter buried among pennies and pocket lint.
There are two different modes that players can participate in: single player which offers players the ability to play with three others offline who can jump in a out of the game at any time, and Xbox Live mode which allows
two to four others to play the same four level game online. The mode are split, players can’t play online and have another local player able to jump in. The game offers a leader board, some great Achievements to work
towards, voice support and a variety of other basic options for players to use.
The actual game mechanics are so simple that it is hard to believe. There is an attack and a jump button. Press the two buttons together for a special move. If players press the jump and attack along with the analog
stick results in the turtle pulling of a jump kick. Players can pick any one of the turtles as long as they aren’t already taken by another player. There are five stages that scroll from left to right in a two dimensional level
with a few fun ones mixed in, such as the skateboard stage and the elevator stage. Though they may not be spectacular stages, they still add a bit a variety to the game.
Visually, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade” is packed with colorful two dimensional characters and a dark and comical pre-apocalyptic version of the streets of New York. The turtle animations are
pretty good considering the time that they were originally created, and the music is very corny, but the whole idea of turtles that know kung fu and love to eat pizza still has some strange and horrible grasp on players, no
matter how odd the concept is. There are a handful of bosses with patterns to learn in order to defeat the easier, but with a small group of players punching, kicking and throwing their way through the game, it could be
beat in about 30 minutes.
Players will quickly find a few strategies that will help them work their way through the game even quicker, including gathering enemies into corners or jump kicking enemies with poles. Each turtle has slightly different
moves, some are quicker while others have longer reaches, but they basically all handle the same. It forces players to die multiple times throughout the game and insert more quarters, except now players just simply
reappear on the stage without the worry of quarters. Since there is no quarter panic involved in the game, there is very little skill required and the things that players actually have to do are so limited that the game ends
up being flat and boring, and often times easy to dismiss. Once players beat the game a couple of times, they’ll want to do something else, making the purchase very frustrating.
Though the game doesn’t offer much replay value, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade” is boring to play alone, but can be a lot of fun to play with friends while reminiscing about the past. For those who
want to me nostalgic for games of the past, this game will only cost twenty quarters, but doesn’t offer as much fun as the original arcade game.
player action and Xbox Live support. It is the perfect package of old school arcade gaming, popular licensed material and online gaming. Playing “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade” will revive
memories of gaming past. Gaming is not only different now because of the way games have changed over the years, but game play difficulty has been eased up. Though the game continues to be a bit of a challenge,
players don’t need to worry about seeing the Insert Quarter sign that flashed after a death.
Now, the Xbox Live Arcade version of the game, which will only set players back 400 Microsoft Points or $5 to download, is a great bargain and is exactly what the Xbox Live Arcade was created for. The only problem with
the game becoming a downloadable game is the fact that with the loss of needing to constantly insert quarters takes away some of the tension and fast paced action that the arcade game had. The game gives layers
twenty lives to beat the five stages of the game, which is more than enough to finish he game. The game was short, easy and almost as much fun as the original arcade game.
The issue with the quarters and the loss of fast paced action requires players to think of the game in the past, when quarters had a lot of value and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was a good looking game. Eighteen
years after its original release the same game is neither expensive nor good looking. The problem with arcade games back in 1989 was the fact that the machines took a weekly allowance pretty quick. Then players
wished that they could pay a set price and play as much as they wanted. Now that wish has been granted, and the game costs twenty quarters, a lot less than was probably put in the machine when players were
younger. The problem now is that it is much too easy, and the lack of needing quarters draws from the game’s overall experience, the panic of trying to find just one more quarter buried among pennies and pocket lint.
There are two different modes that players can participate in: single player which offers players the ability to play with three others offline who can jump in a out of the game at any time, and Xbox Live mode which allows
two to four others to play the same four level game online. The mode are split, players can’t play online and have another local player able to jump in. The game offers a leader board, some great Achievements to work
towards, voice support and a variety of other basic options for players to use.
The actual game mechanics are so simple that it is hard to believe. There is an attack and a jump button. Press the two buttons together for a special move. If players press the jump and attack along with the analog
stick results in the turtle pulling of a jump kick. Players can pick any one of the turtles as long as they aren’t already taken by another player. There are five stages that scroll from left to right in a two dimensional level
with a few fun ones mixed in, such as the skateboard stage and the elevator stage. Though they may not be spectacular stages, they still add a bit a variety to the game.
Visually, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade” is packed with colorful two dimensional characters and a dark and comical pre-apocalyptic version of the streets of New York. The turtle animations are
pretty good considering the time that they were originally created, and the music is very corny, but the whole idea of turtles that know kung fu and love to eat pizza still has some strange and horrible grasp on players, no
matter how odd the concept is. There are a handful of bosses with patterns to learn in order to defeat the easier, but with a small group of players punching, kicking and throwing their way through the game, it could be
beat in about 30 minutes.
Players will quickly find a few strategies that will help them work their way through the game even quicker, including gathering enemies into corners or jump kicking enemies with poles. Each turtle has slightly different
moves, some are quicker while others have longer reaches, but they basically all handle the same. It forces players to die multiple times throughout the game and insert more quarters, except now players just simply
reappear on the stage without the worry of quarters. Since there is no quarter panic involved in the game, there is very little skill required and the things that players actually have to do are so limited that the game ends
up being flat and boring, and often times easy to dismiss. Once players beat the game a couple of times, they’ll want to do something else, making the purchase very frustrating.
Though the game doesn’t offer much replay value, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade” is boring to play alone, but can be a lot of fun to play with friends while reminiscing about the past. For those who
want to me nostalgic for games of the past, this game will only cost twenty quarters, but doesn’t offer as much fun as the original arcade game.
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