• Big Bang Mini
  
• Brave: A Warrior's Tale
• Brave: Shaman's Challenge
• Igor The Game
• Monster Madness: Grave Danger
• Ninjatown
• Raven Squad
• X-Blades

Statement

I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co., Ltd. for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen. I also announce that this complaint was delivered to the defendants on May 22nd of the same year.

In addition, I hereby announce that I have today submitted a letter of resignation to Tecmo Co., Ltd. stating that I will resign as of the 1st of July, 2008.

Before the start of development on Dead or Alive 4, Tecmo Co., Ltd. had agreed to pay a completion bonus to me for this Xbox 360 title, which I produced. However, when the time came for the actual payment, Tecmo Co., Ltd. went against its previous agreement and refused payment. President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me “if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.” In addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co., Ltd.

The conduct of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company.

I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts. Today, in addition to announcing the reasons for this lawsuit, I make clear my reasons for resigning.

To All Game Fans

I truly feel sorry to all the fans of the games I have made. Ninja Gaiden 2, which will launch on the 3rd of June will be the last Ninja Gaiden I will create. I will also never be able to make Dead or Alive 5. I regret the circumstances that have forced me to leave Tecmo, where I had worked for so many years, and I regret the disappointment this will cause my fans.

However, I can no longer continue to work with President Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.

I truly hope that nothing like this happens again in the future.

Tecmo Co., Ltd. Creative Officer

Leader, Team NINJA

Tomonobu Itagaki

It’s difficult to tell if Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am is trying to be a terrible game or just is one. I guess it doesn’t really matter because you should likely avoid this title at all costs.

Just like the television series and movie that subsequently followed, Zombie Ninja Pro-Am meanders around without much of a purpose. In fact, the designer’s goal isn’t focused at all on the game clearly; instead it’s more about screwing with the player's head. I guess that's to be expected with Aqua Teen.

From here, you’re put into one of three games. There is a golf portion which is fully simplistic: all you do is turn and push X to time the power and accuracy of the swing. This is entirely completed with the X button.

Following your hit, you’ll enter the second portion of the game where you’re forced to slowly run down the course. This part is essentially a beat em' up as you’ll meet numerous characters from the show and other such things you have to kill before being able to hit the ball again. You carry a variety of items to kill enemies with including your club, a sword, guitar, spray and more. On the way, you can also pick up various power-ups that can be utilized in the golfing and racing portions of the game.

Once in awhile, you’ll enter the third aspect of the game which is three races with golf carts against the alien frat boys. This like every other aspect of the game: it's extremely simple as there are missiles and turbo available throughout.

The combination of all this is a terrible game through and through. The graphics are horrifying with ghastly frame rates and repetitive enemies they throw at you. The controls as mentioned are very simplistic and the gameplay is short. There are just 12 levels in the game and it shouldn’t take you more than a handful of hours to complete the experience if you are really willing to put yourself through it.

About the only thing worthy in this game is the voice acting which is spot on; the characters from the show are in here including the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past. He is joined by the Commentator Guy, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. Overall I’ve got to say that the dialogue can be humorous at times.

The only other benefit in the game particularly for fans of the series is the 12 minutes of cameo clips of characters and the four full episodes, including one that has never been aired.

In the end, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am appears to be more an attempt by the designers to play a prank on those foolish enough to buy the game by giving them a lesson in tedium. Pure and simple, this game has absolutely no benefit unless you enjoy torturing yourself.

The Naruto anime features a cast of characters beating the snot out of each other in tournament-style competitions. Sounds like another particular uber-popular anime, doesn’t it? Many fans have come to see Naruto as sort of a Dragonball 2.0, but aiming to be like DBZ isn’t such a bad idea considering how well the Budokai series has done on consoles as of late. And now we have another Naruto offering (Clash of the Ninja for the GameCube was released earlier this year) that sort of emulates the frantic battles of those said DBZ games, but with a flair and style of its own. Not many games based on anime or television shows do well, but Naruto: Ultimate Ninja may just surprise some.

The art style won’t really surprise anyone considering that many other anime-based games have used cel-shading. Even though the novelty of cel-shading has run its course, here it was a good decision because it does an excellent job of copying the show’s look. What makes it more impressive is that the stages aren’t static two-dimensional backdrops. You can switch back and forth freely between the foreground and background, like the older Japanese DBZ games, so even though Ultimate Ninja sports a 2D look, it’s technically 3D played on planes.

The fighting system employed in Ultimate Ninja doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s different enough from other titles of the like to make it distinct. It seems simple at first, but then the realization that there’s so much more than beating down on the opponent will start to become apparent after you’ve settled into a few bouts. Attacks and combos are initiated with circle, jumps and double jumps with X, special attacks with triangle, and item usage with square.

Attacks and combos are done using different combination of circle and a direction. They’ve even included a Soul Calibur-like move list to help in case a particular move has escaped your mind. Then there are the stronger special attacks unique to each character. The use of special attacks is dependent on the chakra level. The chakra meter can be built up a number of ways - up to a max of three. Higher leveled meters open up more specials that can rip off more damage. If the initial hit of the special connects, then you can upgrade the attack up to three times, depending on the character and type of special. Upgrading involves hitting a specific button combination within a very small window of time, getting progressively harder after each upgrade. A successful upgrade means almost a guaranteed critical. If someone is on the receiving end of one of these attacks, they too will be given a button combination prompt. If they’re successful, then they’ll reduce the damage done, but failure means absorbing the brunt of a full blow and sometimes more. These special attacks are a blast to watch since they cut away from the standard fighting screen to show the move done in its entirety, which is a double-edged sword. I’ll get to that later.

During a bout, there’s a variety of items strewn about the stages that can be picked up. Most of these are dropped by each fighter’s support character. Support characters vary for some fighters, but in the end they serve the same purpose – to drop helpful items and to smack around the opponent when they’re near. The extra couple of hits they add are always a welcomed bonus, especially when trying to chain together a small combo into a special.

As for the items themselves, each character always has an infinite number of light hitting throwing stars at their disposal, but there are plenty of others to cycle through like huge multiple hitting stars, health restores, chakra restores, even invisibility potions. There are plenty more items like offensive and defensive buffs. The sheer number is quite staggering and knowing when to use an item, whether in a pinch or to add some extra oomph for a finishing blow, can turn the tide of the battle. This adds some strategy in what can sometimes turn out to be some very frenzied matches.

Mode-wise, Naruto doesn’t offer anything that you haven’t seen. There’s scenario, mission, practice, and free battle, along with a shop to buy extras using the money earned from the other modes. Scenario lets you play through a character’s story over the course of a handful of matches. And with 12 characters to choose from (most need to be unlocked), you’ll have plenty of reasons to come back and play through scenario multiple times, if not only to view each person’s story, but to gain more money to spend. Practice doesn’t need any explanation, and free battle allows you to choose any two characters to face off with, which can then serve as a two player versus mode. Finally, there’s the shop where you can insert your hard-earned money into a capsule machine and hopefully get something in return like artwork, figures, info cards, and audio samples.

Speaking of audio samples, the entire cast from the television show reprises their respective roles for Ultimate Ninja giving it some authenticity. There isn’t anything better than feeling like you’re playing/watching an interactive episode or arc.

The largest blemish here is how deceptively shallow the fighting system can be. Yes there are tons of different ways to dish out damage, but there will be many times when fights will start turning into special attack fests. And I mentioned that it cuts away from the action to show the moves. Well imagine that occurring at least four or five times a fight, then stack the upgrades on top of that and you’ll find that it breaks the flow of the fight. I know the reason to use specials is to take off as much energy as possible resulting in a quicker knockout, but sometimes the animations will drag the fights out longer instead.

Adding to the shallowness is the fact that one you master one character, you’ve mastered them all. While they all have unique moves, the way they are pulled off are almost exactly the same, meaning that for the most part, each character plays the exact same way. This spells monotony for anyone who blasts through the scenario mode with all the characters. The upside is that each character is accessible to everyone who has general knowledge of the fighting system, meaning you won’t be seeing the same versus fights over and over again like in other unbalanced fighting games.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja has everything a Naruto fan would want in a videogame – graphics that do a beautiful job mimicking the animated show while maintaining a small sense of 3D, a healthy roster that includes many fan favorites, and a frantic fighting system that emulates the wackiness and pacing of the cartoon fights. Naruto fans should pick this up immediately if they don’t already have it. However, Ultimate Ninja transcends the Naruto fandom; those who had fun playing Smash Bros. or even the little known Power Stone could easily find themselves having a blast here. It’s a fun brawler – what more could you ask for?

Shallow in some facets, but the system offers enough to keep it interesting at a fast pace.

Does a wonderful job of capturing the shows style and feel.

Has your generic punch and kick sounds, but the official show’s cast gives it an authentic air.

Blazing fast and frenetic gameplay is fun in single-player. It ramps up immensely in versus.

Everyone playing the same is disappointing, but over 10 sort of lengthy scenarios ease the pain

]]> Wed, 02 Aug 2006 21:18:00 -0500 Aaron Dunlap http://www.gamebump.com/go/video_first_look_at_ninja_turtles_from_ubisoft http://www.gamebump.com/go/video_first_look_at_ninja_turtles_from_ubisoft http://www.gamebump.com/go/video_first_look_at_ninja_turtles_from_ubisoft# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Those lucky enough to be young in the 1990s probably have a special connection with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and probably even more-so to their famous entries into the videogaming arena (I still say TMNT IV: Turtles in Time is the best beat-em-up ever made).

You've probably already heard about the new CGI Ninja Turtle movie in the works, a teaser trailer was just released this week. Well, did you know that Ubisoft is making the game adaptation? Every other Turtles game in history has been made by Konami, but sadly the latest creations have been... less than awesome. Well, for the people on the fence regarding whether or not to be excited about this new TMNT game, Ubisoft has released this behind-the-scenes video for Comic Con.

Ubisoft is one off the most infallible game publishers right now; they're responsible for Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, GRAW, and pretty much every game that plays as well as it looks. This game is being made specifically by the Montreal office of Ubisoft, the same office responsible for the upcoming Rainbow Six: Vegas. From what we can see of TMNT from this video, it looks like they're working on their trademark specular and bloom lighting, as well as a very fluid Prince of Persia-esq acrobatic movement system.

The game is set to release along with the new movie in March of 2007 (that means PS3, folks), so there's still plenty of time to (hopefully) make this the best TMNT game ever.

 You'll need the Divx web player if you want to watch the embedded version, or you could download the video directly here (23mb).

divxMovie('http://files.gaminghorizon.com/TMNT_Comicon_2006_Final.divx',true); ]]> Sat, 22 Jul 2006 14:29:00 -0500 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/naruto_ultimate_ninja_ships_to_stores http://www.gamebump.com/go/naruto_ultimate_ninja_ships_to_stores http://www.gamebump.com/go/naruto_ultimate_ninja_ships_to_stores# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

“In the wake of the tremendous success of NARUTO manga, anime and merchandise in the U.S., ‘NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja’ is set to thrill fans and gamers alike for the first time on the PlayStation 2,” said Naruo Uchida, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.’s Product Group Director said. “‘NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja’ truly brings the exciting series to life with meticulously re-created characters engaged in fierce ninjutsu combat.

Ultimate Ninja is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. ]]> Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:41:00 -0500 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/turtles_on_xbox_live_arcade http://www.gamebump.com/go/turtles_on_xbox_live_arcade http://www.gamebump.com/go/turtles_on_xbox_live_arcade# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Our friends over at Joystiq are running a story that announces an online petition for Konami to bring the 1991 classic game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time, or any other games in the series to Xbox Live Arcade. As of press time, there are a total of 22 signatures. Head on over and sign it by clicking the link below.

Online Petition]]> Fri, 09 Dec 2005 13:41:00 -0600 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ds http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ds http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ds# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare’s console renditions have not been well received, but Turtles fans should be pleased by Konami’s DS version, which utilizes the same storyline as its big brothers but with more functional gameplay mechanics. In a lot of ways the game is a return to Konami’s successful handheld past, but while it’s certainly better than its console relatives, it’s still not the Turtles handheld experience of a lifetime.

Mutant Nightmare’s plot is the same one utilized in the console versions with little variation. There are four episodes (three normal, one nightmare) and the plot revolves around Fugitoid, a robot that the turtles need to save from the triceratons because he’s... super smart, and it’s the right thing to do. Along the way players encounter the “mysterious Bishop” (the guy out to snatch turtle DNA to create monsters), Shredder (the franchise’s famous bad guy), and – once again – Ultimate Drako (an evil dragon creature just thirsting for revenge). The storyline’s strongest twist is that game allows each turtle to personalize the experience some, as each gives a different version of each world’s introductory events.

The game offers four typical modes of player. You can enter the story (single-player campaign) mode, select a turtle, and go through the six stages/four worlds for the meat of the game. Each stage takes about five-ten minutes to complete depending on its difficulty (levels in the latter worlds pose a significantly greater challenge than in the first two), and essentially you just walk through, defeating enemies as the exclamation icon pops on-screen. You can also check out the battle mode, which sports 12 stages and has you collecting crystals under a time limit; this mode is perhaps the game’s best aspect, as the levels get progressively harder (and thus, much more fun) as you go on. Practice mode is just a light training level for each turtle, and multiplayer grants you access to 2-4 player matches in battle mode (once again, collecting crystals against each other), practice mode (a training arena), and cooperative mode (again, you’re collecting crystals; this is not the actual story mode played out with the four turtles).

The turtles have very basic and effective maneuvers, aided by a simple control scheme. The A button performs jumps and helps swing you up or down a ledge; Y does a special attack (be forewarned: this attack drains your own health when used); X summons a turtle brother for a special screen-clearing attack (you get at least three of these attacks/level); and B performs basic swipes, kicks, and grabs. Enemies in Mutant Nightmare aren’t very bright – sometimes they’ll sit below you for a few moments until they finally decide to swing themselves up to your level – but they’re functional; they punch, charge, shoot, toss bombs at, and throw mutant goo at you. The game includes boss fights which provide some variety, along with vehicular control (motorcycle, sky vehicle) and ally characters that you sometimes get to fight side by side with (or simply carry throughout) during a stage. A few levels also feature jump platforms that hoist you into the air, watery areas, electrical shortages, steel gates, giant boulders, and wall poles for swinging, and to help you navigate, the game includes a boxed map.

Mutant Nightmare’s presentation isn’t too bad, and the Turtles franchise is more visually suited for the DS than the consoles. Characters are highly detailed, down to the turtles’ bandannas blowing in the wind, and certain special attacks are very cool to observe (especially the tag-team ones, which involve turtles flying through the air, slicing and dicing). Environments feature detailed backdrops usually visible through windows, and the color palette is appropriate, if typically dull. The music isn’t bad either, but it is monotonous, with almost the same song looped throughout each level (with the exception of boss fights or “important” stages).

You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t mentioned the game’s distinct feature for the DS, that being the unit’s touch screen capabilities. This is because there is extremely little player interaction. You tap the screen to turn water valves or line up pipes, and not only is this the bulk of your use of the stylus during actual gameplay, but these segments are very sparse. On occasion you may find it convenient to tap the appropriate turtle for a help maneuver, but it’s faster to just hit the X button. That I used the stylus more to navigate through the menus than I did in actual gameplay is extremely disappointing. Why not just make it for the GameBoy Advance?

One of the title’s biggest problems is that once you’ve played through a world or two with a single turtle, you won’t have much interest to finish the game, much less switch to another turtle and complete the same levels all over again (though a few of the levels are restricted to a particular turtle). The battle mode is fun, but the single-player mode – especially if you’ve experienced the console versions – is just a bore. A few stages that utilize AI friends or a boss aren’t going to make up for this. And multiplayer is out of the question – how are you going to convince friends to buy this thing just so you can collect crystals together? A versus mode would have been more appropriate. 

The previously mentioned map could use some obvious adjustments, like the inclusion of an actual layout. The map presents levels in long boxes and shows a gold star to head to, but it’s quite useless except in battle mode, where it displays a crystal marker so players know what part of the mini-stage to run to next.

There isn’t too much wrong with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare for the DS, except that it’s lackluster, dull, very rarely uses the touch screen during gameplay, and is repetitive to the point where you know you won’t even convince one friend to pick up a copy for multiplayer “fun”. And yet the battle mode is actually enjoyable as its set to a timer, and offers the only real challenge to be had in Mutant Nightmare for the DS. Pick it up if you really love the Ninja Turtles, because although the game does have more merits than its console brethren, that’s not saying much.

Functional, but quickly becomes dull. Battle mode is its saving grace.

Not bad for the DS, though little to no flash. Decent character animations, but dull environs.

Not bad, but monotonous. Music could have used some additional tracks.

Do you really enjoy playing the same levels over again, just with a different colored turtle?

You’ll enjoy battle mode and maybe single-player.

]]> Thu, 08 Dec 2005 20:49:00 -0600 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ps2# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare is the third installment in the recent batch of Turtles games released for this generation of consoles, and is based on events in the currently running cartoon show. The game of course stars everyone’s favorite reptiles – Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael – destined to save the planet from all sorts of evil beings, and casts players as their chosen turtle (with computer-controlled allies) or allows them to team up with three friends (all in single-player mode). The game sports a few improvements in comparison to its predecessors, but they’re clearly not enough, and Mutant Nightmare’s one glaring, unavoidable fault make it a bust: it quickly gets repetitive and dull.

Mutant Nightmare doesn’t have a storyline per se; it utilizes episodes to tell several individual stories and then tie them all together in the final, bonus episode. In one you protect the planet from angry alien invaders; in another you stop a crazed government agent from creating fiendish monsters with the Ninja Turtles’ DNA. The episodes aren’t dramatic, but function as a backdrop to the gameplay.

Mutant Nightmare features three modes of play but focuses mostly on its normal mode, which contains three regular episodes of about sixteen-eighteen stages each as well as a nightmare mode, which pits the turtles against a sum of the group’s “nightmares”, i.e. past foes and opponents from other worlds. You can select one turtle and allow the computer to control the other three, or grab some friends for a foursome. Each mission has a single objective that, when completed, unlocks the next level and occasionally grants a fun cartoon clip from the series. Most of the levels, usually the ones providing boss fights or minigames, are rather short, but there are lengthier ones that require navigating an area accompanied by a decent radar highlighted with arrows and target bubbles. The bulk of the gameplay has you and your computer-controlled brethren taking on various opponents – either dinosaur aliens, specialized government agents, or foot soldiers – sprawled throughout the stages. The AI is functional and sufficient for single-player progression, but it’s far from genius – your turtle buddies will routinely jump into walls, swipe at the air, and run into laser beams. Thankfully you can always gather them on you with a simple call, which keeps them from unnecessarily gobbling up health items or getting themselves pulverized by a boss.

Mutant Nightmare also makes fair use of several minigames that are sprinkled throughout the episodes, including fancy shuriken shooting (opponents rush directly into the camera for prompt disposal), hovercraft racing (you race against bad guys on bikes), and hang gliding (you dodge air mines during your descent). While they’re not the most engaging, they do break up the repetitiveness of walking through the same areas to kill stuff.

During regular play, perhaps to lighten the monotony, players can swipe things (canisters, barrels, etc) into the air and target them at opponents, and levels are dotted with breakable items. Some of the missions involve safely escorting characters (April, Master Splinter) throughout a small environment while others are more ordinary: get from point A to point B, or get from point A to point B to destroy target C. The objectives and minigames aren’t too grandiose or interesting, but considering the game’s target audience – Ninja Turtle fans watching the latest series – this is probably fitting.

The most intriguing aspect of Mutant Nightmare concerns its ninja scrolls, which are purchased by exchanging crystals (points) for spells/abilities. Some of the feats grant additional health or attack power while others enable the turtles to slowly drain an enemy’s HP or even don “ultimate” gear sets to annihilate any opponent. The ninja scrolls provide a light RPG touch and enable players to modify their teammates, but each turtle can only wear so many scrolls at a time. To offset this, Konami included special group attacks that flash button combinations on-screen in succession; if each player hits his buttons quickly enough (ideally in the right order) then the gang gathers for a devastating attack.

If you’re tired of normal mode you can always try out challenge or arcade mode. Challenge mode pits one turtle against a stack of foes for prizes, while arcade mode offers a true gem for the old-school gamer: Turtles in Time, revamped for a new generation and updated to present more enemies on-screen at once. Turtles in Time accommodates four players, which is a refreshing inclusion in Mutant Nightmare.

Due to the game’s top-down camera I can say that the turtles are graphically well presented and appropriately cell-shaded, but you’ll hardly notice. The 3D environments (accented by cell-shaded cars, items, canisters, and so on) are also nicely done, but again the game isn’t going to win any visual awards. What’s most important is that all the turtles move fluidly and spin about the stages independent of the player, performing flashy “strong” combos or dull “weak” ones. The cartoon cutscenes are a pleasant bonus, but more enjoyable is the inclusion of short CG sequences presented in the cell-shaded style, granting the game some graphical consistency.

To support the visual presentation, Konami included a light techno-rock theme played throughout every level as well as voiceovers done by the actual new cartoon voiceactors. The swipes, kicks, and punches are decent combat noises, but I personally preferred the music (and ambient sounds) from Turtles in Time over Mutant Nightmare’s bland offering.

There’s so much wrong in Mutant Nightmare that it’s a wonder Konami was able to get anything right. The game is extremely boring and dull, as its hack n’ slash gameplay becomes tiresome after the first five minutes of initial playtime. You run, you swipe, you run, and you swipe some more. The minigames are cute additions that don’t detract from the title’s insane boredom, and that they’re splattered throughout only does little for variety; tweaking the gameplay and giving players a reason to go through Mutant Nightmare would have been a tremendous improvement. Instead, on occasion you may use the special turtle attack, but it’s unnecessary as the game’s ninja scrolls, which you don’t need until the last boss battle in the nightmare mode, unbalance the gameplay. Mutant Nightmare is easy enough to play through without the slightest worry or concern that you’ll need this or that ninja scroll to win. Just tap the attack button and wait for all the opponents to run up and die. And without the ninja scrolls, you’re essentially just re-visiting the last Turtles game, which was also a flop. To complicate matters further, using the ninja scrolls for any other stage than the last boss fight makes the gameplay incredibly easy; just sit back and let the AI turtles swipe for you. Riveting.

The AI turtle buddies do function and make the game playable, however they also routinely bounce off walls, gobble up health items at inappropriate times, and run into laser beams. During boss fights they also become practically useless, as they don’t “think” about a boss’s attacks and only run up to get pummeled, placing the bulk of the fight on you.

The cutscenes that cut off prematurely in my preview build did not do so in my final version of the game, however they’re still presented in a cut-and-pasted manner. You hop from one level to the next with barely any connection or idea as to what the hell is going on, or why you’re even playing the game. The level descriptions don’t help: “use the hoverboard”, “fight the bad guys”, and so on aren’t enough to set the game. The audio catches also appear to have vanished from the final build, but that doesn’t make the audio any more enjoyable. The bland, silly background music alternates from unmentionable to annoying, and the dialogue delivered between turtles is plain and uninspiring. The game has its presentation moments, but they’re both few and still dull.

The lag that I experienced with a multitude of enemies on-screen at once has not disappeared, though it mostly worsens when you throw explosions into the mix, which apparently is too taxing for the game to handle. The bigger problem is the game’s use of repetitive, boring environments like sewers, laboratories, and street corners, and Mutant Nightmare has several stages per episode that utilize the same environmental setting. There’s nothing like spending an hour running through the same setting in multiple stages.

I also have a problem with the game’s overlay map, as it uses the same marker for both target objectives and new areas, and the two are not one and the same. Sometimes you’ll circle around in search of the target because you’re not sure if that highlighted circle is a new area, or a new area that leads to the target, which further wastes your time. 

I remain unimpressed with the updated Ninja Turtles franchise; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare does offer some multiplayer support which should be fun for children, but the game would be better if it just consisted of Turtles in Time and a few party games. As it stands, it’s a boring, repetitive, dull hack n’ slash game with bland visuals, unbalanced gameplay, and useless ninja scrolls. The cut-and-pasted presentation and lack of a consistent storyline (or even a more intense focus on the individual episode plots) also lower its quality. Pick this up if you’ve got kids in love with the Turtles franchise, but only as a rental.

It’s playable, but incredibly, horribly dull. Supports four players. Uninspiring hack n’ slash.

The visuals aren’t too bad, but they’re still extremely bland and don’t help the stale gameplay

Audio is equally as boring and repetitive, but quirky. Decent voiceacting for such bad dialogue

Maybe you’ll enjoy yourself by reliving some old Turtles memories. But I doubt it.

The odds that you’ll actually finish this game the first time do not look good (for the game).

]]> Wed, 16 Nov 2005 11:42:00 -0600 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_3__mutant_nightmare_ps21# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare is the third installment in the recent batch of Ninja Turtles games released for this generation of consoles, and is based on events in the currently running cartoon show. The game of course stars everyone’s favorite reptiles – Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael – destined to save the planet from all sorts of evil beings, and casts players as their chosen turtle (with computer-controlled allies) or allows them to team up with three friends (all in single-player mode). From what we’ve played so far, it seems to have a host of improvements from its predecessors and should give Ninja Turtles fans a fun multiplayer game to enjoy. 

Mutant Nightmare features three modes of play but focuses mostly on its normal mode, which contains three regular episodes of about sixteen-eighteen stages each as well as a nightmare mode, which pits the turtles against a sum of the group’s “nightmares”, ie past foes and opponents from other worlds. You can select one turtle and allow the computer to control the other three, or grab some friends for a foursome. Each mission has a single objective that, when completed, unlocks the next level and occasionally grants a fun cartoon clip from the series. Most of the levels, usually the ones providing boss fights or minigames, are rather short, but there are lengthier ones that require navigating an area accompanied by a decent radar highlighted with arrows and target bubbles. The bulk of the gameplay has you and your computer-controlled brethren taking on various opponents – either dinosaur aliens, specialized government agents, or foot soldiers – sprawled throughout the stages. The AI is functional and sufficient for single-player progression, but it’s far from genius – your turtle buddies will routinely jump into walls, swipe at the air, and run into laser beams. Thankfully you can always gather them on you with a simple call, which keeps them from unnecessarily gobbling up health items or getting themselves pulverized by a boss.

Some of the minigames that I’ve sampled include fancy shuriken shooting (opponents rush directly into the camera for prompt disposal), hovercraft racing (you race against bad guys on bikes), and hang gliding (you dodge air mines during your descent), and while they’re not the most engaging they break up the repetitiveness of walking through the same areas to kill stuff. During regular play, perhaps to lighten the monotony, players can swipe things (canisters, barrels, etc) into the air and target them at opponents, and levels are dotted with breakable items. Some of the missions involve safely escorting characters (April, master Splinter) throughout a small environment while others are more ordinary: get from point A to point B, or get from point A to point B to destroy target C. The objectives and minigames aren’t too grandiose or interesting, but considering the game’s target audience – Ninja Turtle fans watching the latest series – this is probably fitting.

The most intriguing aspect of Mutant Nightmare concerns its ninja scrolls, which are purchased by exchanging crystals (points) for spells/abilities. Some of the feats grant additional health or attack power while others enable the turtles to slowly drain an enemy’s HP or even don “ultimate” gear sets to annihilate any opponent. The ninja scrolls provide a light RPG touch and enable players to modify their teammates, but each turtle can only wear so many scrolls at a time. To offset this, Konami included special group attacks that flash button combinations on-screen in succession; if each player hits his buttons quickly enough (ideally in the right order) then the gang gathers for a devastating attack.

If you’re tired of normal mode you can always try out challenge or arcade mode. Challenge mode pits one turtle against a stack of foes for prizes, while arcade mode offers a true gem for the old-school gamer: Turtles in Time, revamped for a new generation and updated to present more enemies on-screen at once. Unfortunately my version’s Turtles in Time wouldn’t operate, but I assume that’s due to a faulty disc, as I occasionally ran into audio catches, excessive lag (worse with multiple enemies/explosions), and cutscenes that cut off mid-sentence, but the final product should lack these problems. 

Due to the game’s top-down camera I can say that the turtles are graphically well presented and appropriately cell-shaded, but you’ll hardly notice. The 3D environments (accented by cell-shaded cars, items, canisters, and so on) are also nicely done, but again the game isn’t going to win any visual awards. What’s most important is that all the turtles move fluidly and spin about the stages independent of the player, performing flashy “strong” combos or dull “weak” ones. The cartoon cutscenes are a pleasant bonus, but more enjoyable is the inclusion of short CG sequences presented in the cell-shaded style, granting the game some graphical consistency.

I can’t speak much for the audio because my version has a few bugs, but the voiceovers are done by the actual cartoon voiceactors (or seem pretty damn close) and the music is a light techno-rock theme played throughout every level (or it’s just so predictable that it sounds like it).

My version has some obvious flaws – cutscenes that end prematurely, sounds that catch and replay until the level is completed, music that’ll just stop halfway through a stage, etc – but judging from the build we received Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nightmare should be a light, easy action game for kids that supports fun multiplayer. The inclusion of Turtles in Time, for traditional Ninja Turtles fans, is the perfect boon for the franchise-faithful. Expect this one on November 1 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Nintendo DS.]]> Fri, 21 Oct 2005 22:45:45 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_red_ninja_end_of_honor_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_red_ninja_end_of_honor_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_red_ninja_end_of_honor_ps2# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

The fascination with ninjas has gripped societies for hundreds of years. Of course, you use that motivation to sell games and both the Ninja Gaiden and Tenchu series have done just that. The ability to sneak around in the darkness, eliminate soldiers with one silent slash, and just being an overall badass is a fantasy we all want to live. Red Ninja: End of Honor is a new entry into the ninja action genre with some interesting play mechanics involving a weapon you don’t see very often. So, does Red Ninja bring honor to the genre, or is it really the “end of honor”?



I mentioned something earlier about how a weapon in Red Ninja offers up a new twist on action. Well, before I get into that, let me set up the story behind it, and the game itself. It’s the “warring states” period in Japan and two of the larger warlords, Shingen Takeda and Nobunaga Oda are doing whatever they can to gain an advantage over the other. One of Takeda’s engineers designs an automatic gun, but Takeda rules that there is no honor in using this weapon and orders it destroyed. Some time later, a squad of ninjas breaks into the lead engineer’s house and kills him, with his daughter witness to this all. The ninjas grab her and leave her hanging from a tree. Later, an old lady, to her amazement, discovers the little girl barely holding on to life. This little girl is Kurenai, the red ninja of the game’s title, and is trained by the old lady in the ways of the ninja – with the same string she was hung by as her weapon of choice.

This weapon is the tetsugen. With it, Kurenai can throw the dagger head at an enemy and once it is lodged, she can move the unlucky soldier around, or forcefully remove the object from him doing all sorts of damage. Do it two or three more times and the guy will either have a head missing or have his body severed in two, depending on where you aimed the tetsugen. The tetsugen also has two other heads that can be attached. The first is a hook, which will allow Kurenai to swing from certain objects. The other is the Fundo. The Fundo is just an iron weight, but its packs plenty of blunt force. The most effective way to use it, however, is to snare a guard’s feet with it and hang him on a nearby pole, leaving him defenseless as you wail away at him.

What would a ninja game be without stealth attacks? In Red Ninja, the mechanics are the same as other games, such as Tenchu. Sneak up on a victim without him noticing and a kanji symbol will appear above his head to indicate that an attack can be done.

All of that may seem like a lot to deal with control-wise, but it’s not that bad. R1 targets an enemy, and Square is your main attacking button. On-screen indictors will help you with your button timing to do some of these attacks. The rest of the button layout is pretty standard – X jumps, and triangle and circle can be mapped for items, kind of like in the Legend of Zelda series.

Graphically, this game won’t stand head and shoulders above anything else, but it’s solid. The visuals are definitely not ugly, but the environments are a little bland, with nothing to help them stand out or be unique. The Japanese feel is very apparent and in that respect, Red Ninja deserves points.

There is one tangent to hit before we move on – gamers will find that Red Ninja offers plenty of “fan service”. And by “fan service” I mean that there are tons of panty shots of the lovely Kurenai. What would we expect from a ninja wearing nothing more than a glorified red robe with 90% of the bottom cut off?



The camera…ugh, the camera. I’ve played my share of platforming games over the years and I can honestly say that this is in the top five of my “games with the worst camera” category. How fun do you think it is to fight off six soldiers while all the screen shows is the wall behind you? Or what if the fight was blocked off by a bush? A bush?! That’s how frustrating the camera can be. And that’s just during combat sequences. Platforming parts are even worse. It makes jumping to different ledges a chore. The saving grace, however, is that Kurenai will grab on to a ledge on her own if she’s close enough.

Wall-running is another problem. Shinobi did it well; Kurenai doesn’t. Here, wall-running involves running at full speed at a wall. How far she can get depends on the angle at which she hits it and her momentum. At least that’s what the manual says. In reality, it feels so random. Sometimes, I think I’ve got it perfect then Kurenai will just fall off, not even slowing down before doing so as momentum would dictate. And this isn’t even for different walls. Running up the same wall over and over again will never lead to the same result. It’s unfortunate that such a broken play mechanic plays so prominently in the progression of the game.

While I love the tetsugen, it is so over-powered that it renders almost everything else in your inventory useless. You’ll have blow darts and kunai that you can throw to stun and sometimes kill enemies, but when your tetsugen can do the same, but more quickly, why use anything else? And since you’ll be more deadly at range than up close with your small blade, you’ll find yourself trying to position yourself for a shot than getting up close and personal, and that will just cause even more headaches from the camera.

At the beginning of this review, I summarized part of the story to help explain the origin of Kurenai’s weapon. Well, after that, the story is non-existent. The game turns into a bunch of assassination missions with no coherent reasoning behind it all except for revenge. So don’t let the beginning of the game fool you – the story isn’t as deep as those first five minutes.



It’s hard to recommend Red Ninja: End of Honor for anyone other than die-hard ninja action fans. And even then, Tenchu and Ninja Gaiden do it better. While combat with the tetsugen is very fun, the broken camera and platforming elements like wall-running hinder whatever fun you may have had with the game. Had more time been spent on cleaning up the buggy camera, Red Ninja would have had the potential to be one of those under-the-radar awesome games. Instead, it’s one that gets caught sneaking in through the front gate.

Using the tetsugen is fun, though unbalanced. Camera is god-awful.

Environments are bland, but effective in conveying the time and setting.

Music suits the game’s atmosphere. Voiceacting sounds uninspired.

Camera will cause headaches. Wall-running mechanic is broken.

Different difficulty settings, but why play through the mess of a camera all over again?

]]> Tue, 19 Apr 2005 17:04:00 -0500 Aaron Dunlap http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_editorial_memory_card_lane_issue_one http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_editorial_memory_card_lane_issue_one http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_editorial_memory_card_lane_issue_one# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor.

The Ninja Turtles rock; there’s no way around that. As a child of the 90s, I was reared into adulthood by four walking, talking turtles who all knew kung fu and were named after artists of the Italian Renaissance.

I had all the action figures; I had the realistic Technodrome with the trap door that led to a pit of acid and snakes; I had the Turtle Van with the side door that opened up to reveal a laser-gun turret; and boy-oh-boy did I have the Turtles. Samurai Turtles, Turtles with shells that you could store weapons in, Turtles that actually transformed into regular-looking turtles, and Turtles who would swing their arms with combat precision when you pressed a lever on their backs.