TMNT (GameCube)

TMNT has a slick look to it that translates better on some platforms than others. The graphics aren't so much cel-shaded as they are modeled after the CG look of the Turtles in the movie. All the characters animate nicely as they leap and fight through the various levels, and even the levels themselves are relatively pleasing to look at as you play. The frame rate has a tendency to dip in all versions of the game (the 360 version is the most erratic of the bunch), and the aforementioned camera issues are a real bummer, but otherwise, TMNT is a pretty solid-looking game.

As tends to be the case with movie-licensed games, TMNT is out on a lot of home gaming platforms, including the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, Xbox 360, and PC. The core game is identical between all of them, though there are some subtle differences. The Wii version is probably the most drastically different, simply because it includes motion controls. Unfortunately, these controls feel hopelessly tacked on. All you do is wiggle the Wii Remote back and forth when you want to do a primary attack and jerk the Nunchuk in one direction or another to kick. These mechanics get extremely tiresome very quickly, and on top of that, there's a weird sensor issue with the Nunchuk. If you're just playing the game and happen to tilt the Nunchuk too far in one direction or the other, your character will crouch like he's readying an attack, and then stay like that until you hold the Nunchuk straight again. Of course, there's nothing in the game to signify that this is what's causing the issue, and you may find yourself initially confused as to what's causing this.

Conversely, there's nothing cool about TMNT's combat. It's just boring.

The Wii version also happens to look identical to the GameCube version, blurriness and all. Despite support for 480p and widescreen viewing, there don't seem to be any visual enhancements at all between them, which is more than a touch disappointing, because the Wii should be capable of more. The Xbox 360 version predictably looks the best of the bunch, though not to the degree that you might be hoping. The 360 version is brighter, a bit crisper, and features more in the way of environmental detail, such as added grass textures and foliage. The 360 version also supports more enemies onscreen at once, though somehow the combat doesn't seem any more challenging with more enemies to dispatch. There are also achievements to consider, but they also happen to be incredibly easy to acquire, with many of them relegated to points for beating levels and pulling off individual special abilities. Even still, the better graphics and achievements ultimately make the 360 version the best by default. But if you'd rather not spend the extra $10, the PS2 version looks quite nice. The PC version is solid, too, though you really need a dual-analog gamepad to play this game properly.

Between the overly simplistic combat and sometimes-obnoxious platforming sequences, TMNT is like a man without a country. Younger audiences are likely to balk at some of the more frustrating elements of the platforming, and older players are going to be bored to tears by the effortless fighting mechanics. The moments when you actually do find yourself having fun with TMNT are just frequent enough to prevent the game from being wholly unadvisable to fans of the film desperate to take part in some interactive Turtle adventures, but for everyone else, TMNT is one you can safely pass on.

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store	price	in stock?	rating
	$18.99	Yes
Amazon.com Marketplace	$14.99	Yes

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Where to buy TMNT (GameCube)

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• GameQuest $18.99 Yes
• Amazon.com Marketplace $14.99 Yes
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