We won't look down on you if Tecmo's announcement for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword was the first time you'd ever heard of ninjas sneaking onto a handheld console. The stealthy assasins carry out their orders so efficiently and silently, most people aren't even aware of a ninja's presence until they see their own blood on the wall sprayed from an expert slash across their necks.
Modojo has a lengthy feature tracking portable appearances by ninjas like Shinobi and Goemon, following their shuriken-throwing adventures from the Game Boy all the way up to the Nintendo DS. Our favorite game from the bunch is Ninja Five-O, a Bionic Commando-esque side scroller that was released for the GBA. If there's one thing terrorists fear, it's ninja cops swinging through their defenses!
Posts with tag teenagemutantninjaturtles
The golden age of ninjas
DS Daily: Now you're playing with Turtle Power
At the height of their popularity, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise could do no wrong. With a hit television series, two movie blockbusters, and an extremely profitable line of toys, it's no surprise that their success continued with their video games. Who can ever forget fighting over the pizza in the arcade game's second stage? As the novelty of crime-fighting reptiles faded with the early 90s, however, so did the quality of their licensed games.
After spending over a decade on the fringes of relevance, the green crusaders are poised to finally make a comeback with a new film premiering today and video game releases for nearly every platform. And while the Nintendo DS tie-in hasn't won many hearts with its 3D rhythm-game-on-rails concept, the GBA title is picking up a fair amount of buzz as an old-school, 2D brawler. Some are calling it the last great game for the GBA, while many others are comparing it to River City Ransom's classic gameplay.
So is it time to break out the old action figures and the Technodrome set again? Do you have any plans to check out the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles GBA game or see the new, computer-animated film? Are you cool, but rude; or are you a party dude? Please, do let us know ...
Metareview: TMNT
Many of us undoubtedly grew up with these turtles. We probably had their comics, loved to watch the cartoon and maybe even owned the sewer playset with all of the figures (Rat King was our favorite villain to fight in there). With such a massive following years ago, the turtles now look to return and capture a brand new audience.And, with the new movie that aims to do this, there are undoubtedly going to be game tie-ins. With Ubisoft at the helm, we thought the game would be in good hands and get the justice it deserved, perhaps allowing us to relive, if only for a few hours, those wonderful days we enjoyed in our adolescence. Looks like that won't be happening, according to the critics:
- IGN (55/100) says the game needs improvements: "It's certainly not terrible and the rhythmic jumping action has some fun and energy, but the fact remains that the game just ends up feeling inconsistent due to sloppy storytelling and, more importantly, an absolutely awful fighting engine."
- Nintendo Power (55/100) thinks the game isn't worth the effort: "Success gives you a feeling of accomplishment, but the path is paved with frustration." [Apr 2007, p.87]
- Video Game Talk (50/100) finds the game a waste of time: "The single player campaign is incredibly short and offers little replay value due to its relative ease. The multi-card multiplayer mode is an average extra, but I doubt folks will sit around to compete for the best times on those odd, jump-laden levels. This is a decent DS title once it hits the $10 bargain bin, but leave it on the retail shelf for now."
TMNT parties at Nintendo World Store
For all of you who enjoy the freebies (who doesn't?!), Ubisoft is celebrating the release of the latest line-up of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, titled TMNT after the movie that releases tomorrow. As you can see above, the party starts Saturday and those who purchase a copy of the game will be given a special gift. What kind of gift? You got us, they do not say; if any of you fine readers out there attend the event, be sure to take pictures and let us know how it was.
[Thanks, Andrew!]
Turtles emerging from manholes in March
Ubisoft, who've got the rights to the upcoming CG movie about some teenage turtles with both mutant, and ninja, tendencies, says the games based on these sewer-dwelling, rat-led turtles will release along side the film in March 2007. That means every port of the game, including DS and Wii, will be released at the same time.
Not much else is known about the game, but for the curious, Eurogamer has a behind-the-scenes look at the game here.
[Note: Behind-the-scenes video focuses on the console versions of the game.]
