Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game Review by: SacredShadow - 8.6/10
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II review! Hey guys, it's Razor-987 with another game review, today I will be reviewing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2! In my opinion, this game is a huge step up from it's predecessor, the gameplay was super boring and it was really difficult to get through each level for a combination of reasons, but this game is a lot better for a lot of reasons, just look at the title! That changed everything, so this game is much better than the original and it is different in several positive ways which I will cover in my review nonetheless. Now on to the review!
Gameplay:
The gameplay is rather simple overall and it didn't really change much, you are still going up against shredder to defeat him by getting through several levels of foot soldiers and various other enemies. This game just does a lot better in really living up to the tmnt name than the first one which was rather dull and difficult at the same time while this game is a classic side scrolling beat em' up type of game that much better suits it. As always, you can choose one of the 4 turtles to play, whichever is your favorite because they all play the same, but they have different weapons. Donatello has great range but his attacks are slow while Michalangelo and Raphael have shorter range but they attack faster and Leonardo is balanced in speed and range. The shredder will kidnap April O' Neil and Splinter and the turtles make their way through levels of foot soldiers and familiar bosses like Bebop, Rocksteady and Baxter in order to defeat shredder and save their friends. Overall I think the gameplay is a lot better and way more exciting than before and it does a way better job of bringing some good to the tmnt name.
Graphics: 8
The graphics in this game are pretty amazing and everything from the backgrounds, the scenery and also the turtles and the enemies/bosses themselves are very well designed. Compared to before, the turtles look a lot more realistic and accurate to their comic book appearance, the only gripe I have about this game is that it lags sometimes when there are too many characters on the screen, but other than that, the graphics in this game are a huge step up from what they were in the first game. The bosses and the backgrounds are also a lot more detailed and well designed as well, and they are pretty accurate to the arcade version. Overall I scored the graphics of this game an 8 out of 10 just because of the huge improvement in the quality of graphics from the first game which was rather fuzzy and not nearly as detailed and as accurate in the depiction of the turtles. Everything about the graphics in this game are really clear and are a lot more detailed and the best part is that the graphics for later tmnt games only get better!
Sound: 8
As far as sound goes, this game really starts to give you that classic tmnt music, again, the music and sounds in this game are another huge step up from before because it really gets you in the mood do play and beat up some foot soldiers while in the first game it was rather dull and the quality of the sound effects were rather dull and boring and very limited whereas in this game if you kick or attack an enemy, it sounds like what it should and the sounds aren't limited to just one thing like they were before, and the overall sound effect quality is definitely a big improvement. For instance, the giant bowling balls rolling down the stair actually sound realistic and as it should which is another huge plus sound wise. As for music, just listen to the very first song in the game and you will think it is catchy, there are some pretty good soundtracks in this game and they alternate for each stage in the game which is good because it really gives a variety and it also prevents it from being overly repetitive, just the awesome guitar based music in each level really sets the mood for this game and it really fits in quite nicely. Overall, both the sound and the music in this game are major improvements to the limited sound effects and music in the first game and because of this I scored the sound an 8, and once again, it will only improve with each future tmnt game to come!
Addictiveness: 6
Overall I would say this game is a lot more addicting than the first game for many reasons, from the greatly improved graphics and sound/music as well as the overall gameplay and controls which are a lot easier. I can see myself coming to this game a lot more often then I ever would with the first tmnt game. Although the arcade version may be better in many aspects, I still think it is worth your time to play this game and experience all it has to offer. The one edge it has over the arcade version is that there are extra levels included in this version which is another reason why you should give this game a try. Overall I think the main reason you should play this game is just to see the hug improvement in the quality in many aspects of the game compared to before. There are plenty of other great tmnt games out there to play that you would probably find more addicting, nevertheless, it is worth your time to give this game a shot which is why I scored it a 6 out of 10 overall, I think the most addictive or most fun aspect of this game is that you can play with up to 4 players which is perhaps one of the best reasons to play this game, some of you may or may not agree with the score I gave the addictiveness, you might think it is a one time play and you don't see the appeal to play it again, while others might think it is the most fun game ever, so I am going to let you judge how addicting this game is, and I am just basing the score off of how I felt about the game.
Story: 5
The story and plot of this game is pretty basic, as most of you tmnt fans probably already know, April gets kidnapped by shredder once again and it is up to you to save her by going through the 7 stages and saving her from Shredder's evil plan. It may not be much of a storyline, but at least there is some sort of a structure as far as a story goes. You play as one of the four turtles and advance through the various levels of foot soldiers and other bosses/ enemies until you reach shredder. It may not be Shakespeare material as far as a story goes, but it is enough to make you want to play through the game and as well all know, it works, just look at mario games for example, it is very similar in the sense that you always have to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, so even though the story is pretty much the same as always, it always seems to work for each and every tmnt game. Overall, I know it isn't much of a story, but there is just enough to play the game through which is why I scored the story a neutral 5, not being too fantastic or utterly horrible, but just enough.
Depth: 7
The one thing that separates this game from the arcade version is the amount of levels in the game, there are a few more levels that aren't in the arcade version. Nevertheless though, this isn't the type of game that should take weeks to beat, you can beat it fairly quickly without too much trouble, this game does offer a decent amount of levels and a fair challenge in each one, but I think it is for the best that the game is a little challenging because it is more fun that way and you just get more out of a game if it challenges you a but versus a game that is super easy which is a game you will most likely never play again. I think the best thing that this game offers is the ability to play with up to 4 players, that way you can play with your friends and it is just a lot more exciting and it adds to the addictiveness of the game as well. So as far as depth goes in this game, there are a good amount of levels as well as enemies and bosses in each one, but at the same time it shouldn't be too hard of a game where it takes you a long time to beat, sure it might take a few tries, but that doesn't mean give up, just keep at it and you will get it, so this game offers a decent amount of material to enjoy thus, I scored it a 7 overall, I think the best way to truly stretch the extent of fun you can have with this game is to invite some of your friends to play it because everything is better when you can quadruple the fun with friends right?
Difficulty: 7
This game isn't overly difficult in my opinion, yes some of the bosses can be a bit challenging considering the amount of health you have in the game, but I wouldn't say that this game is overly impossible, but at the same time, it isn't super easy either. The sprites of the enemies in this game are a bit smaller, so it does make them a bit harder to attack, but I don't think that is enough of an excuse to not play this game, if you are finding it hard to play, I can offer two solutions, I would prefer probably playing this with a friend so that the enemies are divided between the two of you and there isn't so much all put onto just one player, plus you can cover ground a lot quicker that way, or, if you are really desperate, you can the Konami codes if you are in serious need of help with this game. I would say that if you are good with tmnt games and have played them before, then you aren't really in for much of a surprise and you can get through this game fairly easy without to much trouble, abut even if you are a beginner, I still think you can get through this game without too many issues, getting acquainted with the controls and the overall feel of the game shouldn't be too challenging, will it probably take a few tries? Possibly, but that certainly isn't a reason to give up and never play this game again because you can always learn from your mistakes and get better with practice. Nevertheless I scored the difficulty a 7 overall because it isn't overwhelming to the point where it discourages you from playing it ever again, but it is just enough to provide an exciting challenge to the gameplay. If you are more experienced, this may be a piece of cake, and if you are a beginner, than you may think it is harder, so it all depends on how good you are with tmnt games. Control wise, this game is pretty simple and easy to pick up on compared to the last game, there is one button to jump and one to attack and that is pretty much all you need to get through this game.
Overall: 8.6
I think this is a tremendous improvement to the first tmnt game for many reasons, starting from the greatly improved gameplay, graphics, and the catchy music and sound effects in this game, it just has a lot more going for it than it ever did in the original which was rather dull and not really exciting to play through. This game is vibrant and colorful and catchy and it will leave you with plenty of fun through each of it's levels, if you are a tmnt fan and haven't already given this game a try yet, then by all means please do so because it is a lot of fun. This is just a classic tmnt game and I can't stress enough how much better it is than before, and with every tmnt game, it only gets better. I would highly recommend this game to those of you who really enjoy fast paced tmnt/ beat em' up games because this is the game for you. I had a great time playing and I hope you can enjoy it just as much.
So what did you think of my review, as always, I am open to comments and constructive feedback and criticism, as long as it isn't insulting, I always appreciate the feedback so that I can become a better reviewer and improve my work, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!
Graphics
8 Sound
8 Addictive
6 Depth
7 Story
5 Difficulty
7