Before starting this review it’s safe to say I’m a huge Ninja Turtles fan. As a kid I watched the cartoons, collected the toys, and was a big fan of the movies, at-least the first two. The video games were always something that were very special to me as well. My friends and I would go to the arcade and pump lots of quarters into the machines and we played Ninja Turtles arcade games for hours.

When the Ninja Turtles arcade game came to the home consoles it did not translate quite as well. No 4 player action and limited move set made the NES version of the game just not quite as good. We also had that other Ninja Turtles video game for the NES which I will not go into. It is safe to say the consoles Turtle games have been lacking. There are some exception like Turtles in Time for SNES and the Tournament Fighter and that Smash Bros. clone wasn’t wasn’t too bad but lacked a good roster.

So when I heard about Out of the Shadows I was very excited for what looked like the first quality Ninja Turtles game in a long time. I also recently became a big fan of the new series on Nickelodeon. Check of my review about the first part of Season 1 on the website here. But how did this game live up to my expectations?

The combat mechanics of the game are somewhat similar to that of Batman Arkham City but in some ways quite different. Each turtle fights very uniquely and it is important to level up your turtles to get the true feel of the way the game works. Red Fly should of made a Splinter tutorial mode instead of April to show you what a fully powered ninja could do I feel the way to game starts off with the underpowered Turtles could put a lot of people off that would not want to dive deeper into the game.

But once you power up your Turtles and work on the combination of using multiple brothers at once you can juggle opponents while switching off and truly feel in control of this game.

The game is set up in a linear style with 4 chapters to replay. There isn’t much exploring and you travel along the straight and narrow and follow the storyline. There’s a lot of combat to be had but I would like a little bit more exploration as jumping from the rooftops is so much fun I would like to do it in a more open world environment.

The game offers some other features as well like Arcade mode that similar to the old arcade games which some old school fans may enjoy better because than the main game. There is also a challenge mode which truly excels in the replay value of this game where you can just have endless amounts of opponents coming at you and fight as one turtle over and over again improving you score. It’s very fun and the mode I keep going back to when I pick up and play.

The music and the voice acting are spot on. I just wish there was more of it. The game starts out with the song from the first Turtles movie TMNT Power and the whole song can be listened to when watching the credits. That brings up an obvious love for the Turtles history from Red Fly. They stick in a ton of references to Turtles history . It’s this love that carries this title through some of its rough edges and makes it a must play for any hard-core Ninja Turtles fan.

The game is not without faults and there are many. As I mentioned earlier the game starts off slow with the abilities that your Turtle has and that can be overwhelming. You also may feel you are moving slow especially for using Raphael or Donatello.
The game is also very glitchy. You will fall through buildings, random oponnants will get stuck in the air, dialogue will start out when it shouldn’t. These things and definitely become annoying sometimes. This is not a pick up and play sort of game you need to put in some time. I think this is part of the reason that so many reviewers are giving it a low score because they didn’t play enough of the game to get the upgraded and enjoy the best aspects of the game.

There is also an online multiplayer where you can play with random people or your friends and complete the story the story mode over and over again and unlock new abilities. The game is very packed full of content for the price point. Red Fly did an extremely great job of packing so many references and love for the TMNT name. This game serves as a great demo or starting point for a major company to fund Red Fly to make a new game for the next generation systems. I feel if they keep going in the direction that they’re going this franchise could be the best beat them up style adventure game out there in the market.

7 out of 10

Not perfect and tough for pickup and play but a lot of hidden gems in this cheap title to keep you wanting to play more. All ninja Turtles fans should play this game.

The new Nickelodeon Ninja Turtles show is able to combine a sense of seriousness in story telling that was sometimes missing in the 87 Series with the humor that was lacking in the 03 Series. But what exactly makes this program so good?

Visual Style

The animation style may put some older fans off at first. It’s in a CG style and when I saw early images I almost immediately wrote the series off. But 20 minutes into the watching the Pilot this became a non issue and I think it fits this universe well. Aside from some of their mutant foes I’ve grown to enjoy the art style a great deal and has opened me up to a whole new world of animation.

But what takes the cake visually is the Shredder who is more frightening and formidable than ever. I also love the re-imagining of Splinter with more human features. It truly makes him more a mix of human and rat than ever before.

The action of each episode is broken up with comic book style stills. This enhances the feeling of the ongoing story. The eyes of the Turtles also change depending on their mood. You will see internal emotions depicted in their expressions. This is done in a very cartoon/anime way and I love it.

Story

I’m not going to spoil much about the story of Season 1. So to keep it really simple. Shredder and Splinter had a blood grudge for years and they re-encounter each other after a while to face off in a war. But juxtaposed is the return of Krang! Well, not exactly like you remembered but I love the reboot of the character and how it plays into the orgin of the Turtles and Splinter. It’s a nod to both the 03 and 87 series while being unique at the same time.

Each episode is stand alone in a way, but there is an overall story arc to the Season. So it’s better to watch episodes in chronological order if possible. At minimum, definitely start with the one hour pilot “Rise of the Turtles.” This episode is the perfect introduction into the the world.

Characters

This is where this show really shines. I find these version of the Turtles to be the most well rounded and fleshed out ever depicted on screen. This is due to the excellence of the writers and voice actors.

Leonardo, voiced by Jason Biggs, is the perfect leader. Clearly the one who studies Ninjutsu the most and definitely cocky about this to his brothers. But he’s not as perfect as Leo has been depicted in the past. He has a quirky character trait of religiously watching an in show series called Space Heroes. (Pretty much Star trek)
He quotes the show using cheesy one liners when the Ninjas are in action to the amusement and frustration of his brothers.

Raphael voiced by a Hobbit named Rudy (Sean Austin). He is as bruiting as you would expect, but not as over done as it was in the 2007 TMNT film. He also is very short tempered and in general an ass. But Raph truly loves and protects his brothers more than any of the others Turtles. He’s the toughest, but clearly he is not a leader. On a personal note, Sean Austin get out of all my favorite movies and shows!

Donatello voiced by The Great Rob Paulsen (who voices Raphael in the 87 series) is great at showing his genius and is clearly the least talented fighter. He’s not just a background token “nerdy” character this time. More than any other Turtle he has been neglected in the recent past and relegated with Mikey into the background. Here Donny is obsessed with his research and is always in his head. It’s those internalized calculations that hinders him as a Ninja. Donny also has an incredibly funny crush on April to the amusement of everyone.

Michelangelo voiced by Greg Cipes is hilarious, and also has the innocence of a child. He is not that bright but not an idiot. He also likes to name their enemies and Donny’s inventions. He doesn’t take too much serious and hits all those Mikey notes one would expect. But at times you can see a switch inside of him that he has the potential to be an even greater Ninja than any of his brothers.

The relationship between the Turtles feels real and all of the actors bring a serious energy and depth to their roles. This makes them a believable family of brothers dealing with the dangers of being mutant superheroes.

It’s all brought together by Splinter voiced by Hoon Lee, who is a true father and General. Not to mention he is more badass of a fighter and Sensei than ever before. You really feel for his story and and relate to his pain. It makes the love he has found with the his new sons all the more emotional.

Shredder is menacing without being too goofy. A real threat.

April was chosen to be depicted as a young teenager and I like that for a couple reasons. One, I understand this series is aimed at kids and to have the main human character someone their age will help relate the audience to the world.

My other reason is I hope when they introduce Casey Jones he will be like the 87 series. Basically more of an irrational animal then sexy vigilante love interest for April. Please save me from the April and Casey romance yet again.

There are also many one off characters and more reoccurring ones I did not name. There are some that I love and other not so much. I’m also not too found of decisions made with certain villains in the story, but that’s personal opinion. There’s a rich array of mutants and humans that we bump into within every episode and the good outweighs the not so good.

Love for the past

This show is a true love letter to fans of Ninja Turtle history. Some nods are wrapped inside the plot while others are just passing references. The show maintains its own universe while taking a bow to the past.

It’s not a nostalgic piece like Turtles Forever but it knows what the franchise is capable of and isn’t afraid to use all it has in its bag for full effect. The writers and producers obviously have a huge love for the source material.

In the end

A lot of people including myself were very quick to dismiss The new Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series as a kids show and put it the box with New Mutation that says “do not open.” I did not like the early images, trailers, and in general prefer traditional animation to CGI. I decided to watch it anyway and gave it a shot and now it’s one of my favorite shows on TV. True greatness is transcendent of medium and this series hits on so many notes.

The show is not perfect and some stand alone episodes are not quite as captivating as others. There are a few of the animations on the main adversary mutants that looks a bit silly and few story choices I may of liked to turn out differently. But those are just nitpicks. The series has already been renewed for not just a Season 2 but a Season 3 too so it’s here to stay for a while.

Older fans, If you feel strange turning on Nickelodeon borrow someones kid or get you own and watch it with them. This show is funny for TMNT fans all ages.

9.6 of 10 (For Season 1)

Watch the dam show and enjoy the ride!