Dan Geeks Out: Video Game Review #372: TMNT IV: Turtles in Time

TMNT IV: Turtles in Time

Super Nintendo

Nostalgia Factor:

Since the last two games I played for 1992 Mop Up Duty were so painfully bad (Contra Force and Blaster Master Boy), I was in desperate need of something to lift my spirits. Enter Turtles in Time for the Super Nintendo. Now, this may seem like a little bit of a cheat considering I'm only supposed to be playing games I have never played before. But I truly have never played this version of the game. I've played the arcade game. I've played Turtles in Time: Re-Shelled for the PlayStation 3. But the Super Nintendo version of the game? Never played it.

Coming in, I knew all about this game's reputation. Many people consider this one of the best Super Nintendo games ever released. Even more people consider this to be the single greatest console beat 'em up of all time. While I certainly enjoyed the arcade version of the game, I would never say I was infatuated by it or that I thought it was amazing or anything like that. It was a good beat 'em up, sure. Maybe even a very good one. Heck, I gave it an A-. But the SNES version was supposed to be even better.

Time to satiate my curiosity! Is the hype for this game justified? Let's find out.

Story:

This version of the game shares the exact same storyline with its arcade counterpart. Shredder has stolen the Statue of Liberty and challenges the Turtles to come find him. The Turtles fight through a series of stages until they arrive at the Technodrome. Having fallen into his trap, the Turtles are sent back in time, where Shredder hopes to ditch them forever. His plan fails (of course), and the Turtles battle their way back to present time, where they are able to defeat Shredder once and for all. Or at least until the next Turtles game.

Gameplay:

I've played and reviewed seemingly dozens of games in the beat 'em up genre for this blog, so I really don't think at this point I need to explain how they work. Turtles in Time takes the formula previously established in the series and sets out to deliver the best version of the game possible. While the graphics and presentation are top notch (we'll get to them later), what makes this such a beloved game by so many people is its fun factor.

Anyone can pick up and play this game. You've only got two buttons to use (punch and attack). Your character moves with ease. There's no need for a tutorial or anything of that nature. That makes Turtles in Time very welcoming to casual gamers or people that are unfamiliar with the genre. Want a second player to tag along with you on your adventure? Throw a controller to mom, dad, or your significant other - even if they aren't gamers. You'll have fun. They'll probably have fun too. As I said, this is a very easy game to pick up and play.

The game consists of ten stages. Most of the stages are your typical beat 'em up affair. You fight through a bunch of bad guys and defeat a boss character at the end. Got it. Some of the stages throw little wrinkles at you. There's a side-scrolling sewer surfing stage. There's a Mode 7 stage where you ride hoverboards and fight enemies. There's even a new stage set in the Technodrome that ends with a battle where you have to lob bad guys at the camera in order to hit Shredder, who is attempting to shoot the Turtles with a cannon.

While this game is similar in structure to its arcade counterpart, there are enough key differences here for me to count this game as its own separate entity. There's some new stages for the SNES version. Some new boss characters. The aforementioned Mode 7 section - that's an SNES addition. So is the boss battle where you throw enemies at Shredder. Speaking of throwing enemies, the ability to chuck them directly at the camera is something that is brand new to this version of the game. All in all you are getting roughly the same experience you would get if you played the arcade version of the game, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that the SNES has more to offer, particularly when it comes to replayability.

Turtles in Time gives you a brand new ending if you can beat the game on hard mode, so that gives you reason to try playing through on a higher difficulty if you complete it on normal. Usually I play a game on its default normal setting - and then when I beat it I am done with the game and move onto the next one. Turtles in Time actually gave me a reason to stick around and play the game on hard.

Graphics:

While this game isn't as well-animated as its arcade counterpart, it still looks pretty darn good. I absolutely love how it looks like an episode of the cartoon brought to life. It's bright, colorful, and loyal to the source material. Each stage has its distinctive look and feel. Even though you're basically doing the same thing over and over again in this game (beating up enemies), the variety in enemy types and landscapes that you battle through really give the game a fresh feeling stage in and stage out.

Sound:

If there's an area where the SNES version comes up noticeably short compared to its arcade counterpart, it is in the sound department. Right off the bat, I noticed that the amazing rendition of Pizza Power that normally accompanies the game's opening is nowhere to be found here. That's pretty disappointing. Other than that, the stage music is still pretty good. My favorite tune still has to be the one from the Sunset Riders-esque Old West stage.

Where Turtles in Time truly excels in the sound department is in its sound effects. I've heard other reviewers say that a key to making a good beat 'em up is that you have to have a satisfying "thwock" sound when you are beating up your enemies. This game definitely delivers on that front. These have to be the most satisfying punching and kicking sounds I have ever heard in a video game before. Ever.

Overall:

Grading this game is going to be tough for me. While I acknowledge that there is more substance here than you can find in the arcade version of the game, it does suffer in other areas. The animations, the graphics, the music. Don't get me wrong, this game excels in all of those areas, but in comparison to the arcade game they are inferior. You also only have a two player mode in this game, as opposed to the four players offered by the arcade.

So while this game does have things that the arcade version doesn't, it's also missing some things too. On the whole, I care more about gameplay than any audio or visual perks that the arcade version may offer. So you could say I prefer the SNES version of the game when all is said and done. But I don't value it significantly higher than the arcade version. While this version gets the slight nod, they're both on a nearly identical playing field, in my opinion. Not enough to give them separate final grades. The arcade version of the game got an A-. This one will too.

Really, you can't go wrong with either game. If you want to play Turtles in Time, pick whichever version is more convenient for you. If you have them both, you should probably go with the SNES version. It gets the edge for me, but only by the smallest of margins.

THE GRADE:

A-

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