Review: TMNT on Xbox 360

The 2007 CGI movie “TMNT” was a surprisingly good adaptation of the Ninja Turtle franchise that satisfied fans both old and new. Predictably a movie game was put in the works and I got my hands on the Xbox 360 version to see what it was all about. Now it is no surprise to anyone that movie license games usually aren’t too good, and most are downright awful, but this one is not bad at all, in fact it is a pretty decent game.
The story of the game practically follows the story of the movie and it is told in by the turtles after the fact, they are reminiscing about the story. The game uses a comic book to show the action as the turtles introduce each new level and situation. Then the turtles chatter can be heard sometimes in the level itself. At the beginning of the game you play as one turtle at a time, mirroring the separation that is seen in the movie. But then as the levels progress you get to switch between characters on the fly and utilize “family attacks” where you call on another turtle to help you do a special move.
Throughout the game you will encounter numerous purple dragons, foot ninja, and few other enemies, all from the movie. You have two attacks but you will usually only use one. The character’s main attack uses their specific ninja weapon and the more you press the button the more of a combo that develops. Each turtle also has another special move that isn’t an attack; Leo can pass through certain walls because of a medallion he obtained in the jungles in South America; Mikey can use his nunchuks as a helicopter blade for a short time; Don can pole vault with his staff, traveling a long distance while staying low; Raphael can use his sais to climb certain walls. These special moves help add variety and some minor strategy to the game.
The game leans heavily on its platformer element and some parts are genuinely hard (like Donatello’s romp through the sewers) but for the most part it is a simple formula; climb/jump over obstacles, fight, then repeat. You are given a grade for your performance in a level and it depends on how fast you did the level, how quickly you defeated your enemies, and how many tokens you picked up along the way. Then when the “family moves” are instituted they add an extra grade for that. You will gain a lot of achievement points for this game on Xbox, if you beat it you will get, in total, 1000 gamer points, so it’s an easy way to boost your gamer score.
TMNT is a solid movie game but could have been better; the other three turtles should have been on the screen as NPC’s throughout (why is this so uncommon in turtles games?) the platformer elements got a little annoying at points, the fighting got a little repetitive, and the auto camera really didn’t get the angles that were necessary at all times (ie you couldn’t see where you were going because of the location of the camera) But overall it is a decent game that will satisfy turtles fans and, in the end, it is a child’s game.
Gameplay: 6.5
Story: 8
Replay Value: 6
Graphics: 7
Overall: 6.9

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Update

As you all know I am anxiously awaiting the release of Ghostbusters: The Video Game on June 16th and since I wrote up my preview of the Ghostbusters game a lot has changed so I figured I would post a status update to keep you all up to speed. A few new pieces of media and some new interviews have surfaced that delve deeper into the multiplayer details and some new stuff about the story.
Just a few days ago Atari released a teaser trailer where they revealed that Alyssa Milano would be the female lead and the new love interest for Venkman. Milano plays Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn, the guest curator of the museum’s “World of Gozer” exhibit. The trailer can be found at gametrailers.com in HD, there are some behind the scenes shots and some new cinematics so check that out when you get the chance. Here’s the link
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47004.html
Another new development are some “leaked” videos that have showed up on Game Cinema HD , the first is about a 2 ½ minute compilation of gameplay and cutscenes, most of which are new, set to Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters.” The second video is part of the training level of the game where the rookie is taught how to catch slimer by Peter Venkman himself. Both videos can be found at this link
http://www.gamecinemahd.com/game/ghostbusters_the_video_game/videos/18712/
If that’s not enough there are a few new interviews that have some great footage of the multiplayer and some more information about the development of the game.
This first video has a lot of footage of multiplayer (it starts out in Dutch but the interview is in English) including a look at some pink “mood slime” from the second movie.
http://www.psonly.nl/videos/2679/Ghostbusters:_The_Video_Game/
This second video has an interview with Brendan Goss and Drew Haworth talking about multiplayer, possible downloadable content, and it features a very brief shot of the interior of the firehouse.
http://www.incgamers.com/Videos/490/IncGamers-Ghostbusters-Developer-Interview
There is also a new interview with Brendan Goss and Drew Haworth done at the Game Developer’s Conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-oJwgPceKg
As the game draws closer to release I’m sure we will learn more but hopefully not too much, I don’t want the story to be spoiled before I play it. Check back for more video game news and a new review I will be posting soon.

Is "Causal Gaming" Ruining Gaming?

Sorry for the delay, Spring Break and laziness kicked in. In this opinion piece I am going to give my thoughts on so called “casual gaming” and what it is doing to the gaming industry as a whole. These are my opinions and should be taken as such; I would also love to hear what you have to say so feel free to leave a comment.
Okay let’s get started, in 2006 Nintendo released their Wii console and it quickly became a huge hit, dominating the console market and leaving Xbox and Playstation in the dust. The Wii is a completely interactive console that uses a “Wii Remote” and “Nun chuck” to allow for motion control. The console is marketed as more of a “family” gaming console with a lower price tag (at least at first, now the Xbox 360 Arcade is actually cheaper) and more games that target a younger audience and that parent’s can play with their children. This massive surge in sales meant that some people who weren’t buying game consoles before were buying the Wii and gaming was entering more households. With this new wave of gamers came the phenomena that many now call “casual gaming.” This is the term that long time gamers called the people who simply bought a Wii or only played music games like Guitar Hero. These “casual” gamers became a huge market and soon Playstation and Xbox began to make more games catered to these gamers. This has been generally negatively received by the “hardcore” gamers who play more adult games and have been playing for longer. Many say that this trend is ruining gaming but I couldn’t disagree more.
While it is true that this “casual” gaming has taken the industry by storm it has only helped to make gaming more universally accepted. Plus many of these players get into gaming and “graduate” to the more adult consoles. Plus games like Guitar Hero are actually really fun; it’s a nice change of pace from the flood of first and third person shooters on the market today. “Hardcore” gamers still have plenty to look forward to; Gears of War, Resident Evil, Halo, Call of Duty, and other franchises will continue to churn out games along with new games that may turn into franchises themselves (crossing my fingers for a Ghostbusters franchise)
It is my opinion that the Wii will eventually turn out to be simply a fad, it will be loved by those who have it but they probably won’t want to buy a “Wii 2” or whatever Nintendo release next. These “casual” games will simply help to make gaming more mainstream and hopefully that will lead to the growth of the industry, either way gamers can choose and the more adult titles will continue to come out so “hardcore” gamers will have nothing to worry about.
If you noticed I put parenthesis around casual and hardcore gamers because I really don’t believe this is a real distinction, there are simply different markets; the 13-30 year olds who play the T and M rated games and the 0-12 year olds and their parents who play the more family friendly games. I don’t think the amount of time you spend playing video games or the more you know about them should really be a basis for grouping people, we all play video games for our own reasons and on our own schedules.
So in conclusion, this “casual gaming” trend is nothing to worry about in fact give some of the games a try, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how fun and addicting they can be.