Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack Review for Nintendo DS

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack box art

System: DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Ubisoft	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Ubisoft	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Nov. 10, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

There is a cooperative multiplayer option, but it's local, multi-card only. Good luck talking a friend into buying their own copy of the game. On second thought, friends don't let friends play games this bad.

It might be of little consequence, but one thing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack does have going for it is its visual presentation. The 3D character models and environments are attractive, and some of the animations are pretty cool to watch. There isn't all that much to see, however, as each themed level reuses the same assets, objects, and enemies throughout. There aren't any neat, little comic book additions, such as seeing words like "BAM," "KAPOW," etc. flash across the screen when you or an enemy gets hit - all stuff you'd expect to see in a game based on a comic book license - though your hit multiplier in the top-right of the screen will let you know when you're doing well in combat.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack screenshot

The music in the game is decent, but it's just sort of… there. There aren't any crescendos that bring excitement to the gameplay, and the sound effects are completely lackluster. The soundtrack could just as easily have been elevator music, as it feels completely detached from the gameplay. There's no voice work, no continuity, and when you piece all the various elements of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack together, you end up with a functional yet completely pedestrian gaming experience unworthy of the Turtles name.

Twenty-five years of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and this is how Ubisoft celebrates the franchise. "Disappointing" doesn't even begin to describe just how let down we are by this game. The best thing that can be said about Arcade Attack is that it isn't broken. Your turtles move and fight with some level of consistency, but the gameplay is consistently poor. They're ninja turtles, yet they move like sumo snails. Though many games reuse a mechanic or level type in order to pad a game's length, Arcade Attack's entire premise is based upon reusing one single device over and over… and over again. It's as if the development team was given barely enough time to consider what type of game they wanted to create, and were left with no room to flesh out any creative ideas whatsoever; Arcade Attack's not even demo-worthy, really. This game isn't for fans of either TMNT or beat'em-ups, or even games for that matter.

By Tony Capri
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.0

Graphics
It's an attractive game to look at, though the variety is sparse.

2.5

Control
There's nothing broken here, but character control is sluggish and unsatisfying.

2.5

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is decent on its own, but it does absolutely nothing to lend excitement to the gameplay.

1.0

Play Value
First generation cell-phone games had more interesting gameplay. Arcade Attack is functional, but that doesn't equate to fun.

2.0

Overall Rating - Poor
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Relive classic Turtles fights in the streets, sewers and rooftops of New York City. Take on everyone from petty thugs to great masterminds like Dr. Baxter Stockman. The enemies and their weapons are fierce but the Turtle brothers have Master Splinter's ninja training to survive the latest onslaught. Stop the enemy with your ninja weapons, kicks and throws. Evil never tires but neither do the Turtles!

Never be alone, you will always have a Turtle brother fighting alongside. Each Turtle brother has different strengths and weaknesses, so choose your tag team wisely. Play with a friend via Wi-Fi or play solo with a computer-powered Turtle brother. Strategically combine your ninja moves for special attacks to inflict serious damage.

Prepare to journey into an all-new original story of the Turtles told through amazing animated comic book art and epic battles. Chase the Turtle nemesis, Shredder, beyond New York City through cyberspace and time to uncover evil plots with villains old and new.