Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up is best described as Super Smash Bros. but with Ninja Turtles characters. It feels like a stripped down version of Smash overall, but it was enjoyable to play.
Hit the break to find out more on the multiplayer and some details on the single-player.
The environment and characters are in 3D and fighting happens on a 2D plain, just like in the Smash games. Only seven characters were available for us to try out, which were the four Ninja Turtles, Shredder, Splinter and April O'Neil (for whatever crazy reason). More characters are planned and this game shouldn't even bother coming out without Casey Jones.
Smash-Up is only planned for the Wii at the moment and players can use either the Wiimote or Wiimote plus Nunchuk combo to play. I used just the Wiimote and you'll need to hold it NES style to play the game. The one and two buttons on the Wiimote are light and heavy attacks, pressing both one and two together will perform a grab, up (or right technically) on the D-pad jumps, "left" and "right" on the pad moves your character and holding the directional buttons when pressing one and two will perform different types of attacks.
Levels vary from huge to small sizes, there are environmental hazards and multilayered sections to some of the levels. On one of the levels we played, we managed to break the ground and fall down to a platform above some water. A crocodile would then come out at random, eat whoever gets in its way and instantly kill the player.
I only played one match and it's hard to say weather I like this yet or not. The fights are frantic just as they are in Smash, but the visuals were a little disappointing. Still, it's TMNT and it's hard to not like anything TMNT.
The story wasn't being talked about yet, but we were told to expect something really good as it's being written by TMNT co-creator Peter Laird. Expect various modes, mini-games and online play as well.
The game, by the way, isn't based off any past TMNT comic or TV show. It's all fresh, which is great as the new cartoon is garbage.
Hamza Aziz, Destructoid's Community Director, has been here since day one. He was born when a tiger coughed up a hairball into a pool of ooze. He was one of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before budget cuts. Hamza works as a previews editor and manages a team in San Francisco. To date he has given away tens of thousands of dollars in prizes to readers. What a dick. Actually, Hamza is as kind as he is hairy.
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I thought you were talking about the 2003 show. I've only seen one episode of Back to the Sewers. Just from that the only issue I have is the goofy and unnecessary redesigns for the characters.
I don't like the 2003-present show. megaStryke knows: http://www.destructoid.com/e3-09-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-smash-up-trailer-134563.phtml
On another note, I don't really care that one of the original creators is writing the script. The most memorable versions of the Turtles (80's show,early 90's movies (minus III) had little creative input from them.
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Contest:
1:00 AM on 06.04.2009
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megaStryke: Back to the Sewers?
Maybe he's unlockable--there are way too many characters in the TMNT universe the game developers simply can't even pretend to ignore.
I thought you were talking about the 2003 show. I've only seen one episode of Back to the Sewers. Just from that the only issue I have is the goofy and unnecessary redesigns for the characters.
On another note, I don't really care that one of the original creators is writing the script. The most memorable versions of the Turtles (80's show,early 90's movies (minus III) had little creative input from them.
The Boss.
Check out teenage mutant ninja turtles smash up for wii