Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (Video Game Review)

Growing up, I spent countless hours watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) cartoons and playing the games on Nintendo. It was one of the few games that my brother and I could play that helped us stop fighting for two seconds and enjoy some time together. I was always fond of playing Leonardo while my brother relentlessly stepped into the orange bandana of Michelangelo. The characters you choose in a video game can often depict a part of your own personality, and I was always the leader rather in a group of friends or at home among my siblings. And well...Michelangelo pretty much wrapped up a lot of what my brother was with his happy-go-lucky attitude and corny jokes. To say that we bonded with the TMNT characters would be an understatement, we loved them and they were a integral part of our childhood. Rather we were dressing up as the legendary turtles on Halloween or enjoying hours of arcade fun--the TMNT have been a happy and memorable part of my life.

Now over 20 some-odd years later, we now have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (TMNT: OOTS) from developer Red Fly Studio, and fans have been anxiously awaiting the new title and the new adventures it will bring. From the get go, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is an entertainingly addictive arcade game that does a lot of things right from the music to the gameplay. The new title manages to stay true to the TMNT franchise by utilizing aspects of the original content from the early eighties. Basically, you will get a blast from the past with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows alongside updated graphics and all the modern age of technology has to offer. You have to applaud Red Fly Studios and Activision for the amazing job here in pleasing the lifelong TMNT fan.



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a third-person game full of beat 'em up bliss. Every character in the game has their own personality and abilities. Leonardo is the balanced one of the group, Michelangelo is fast, Raphael brings the brutality and Donny has amazing range. Each player will experience the game differently depending on the character they play as. The Turtles have a variety of skills and moves to master which adds a great deal of fun and replayability. The best way to describe the fighting mechanics is to compare them to Batman: Arkham City where they are almost identical in nature. Players will string together combos (there are tons to master) in order to take out a wide range of enemies which includes the notorious Foot Clan, the memorable Kraang and best of all the robotic Mousers. Mousers were probably the best thing to kill in the original NES game and the enjoyment is still there all these years later.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows offers a complex combat system which is surprising for any game featured on Xbox Live Arcade. Players can level up their characters by utilizing the mechanics of the skill tree in order to unlock new moves or add to your turtle's stats. When it comes to the game's boss battles, let's say those are extremely difficult too. Of course the hardest one has to be Shredder, who you take on in his mysterious hideout, and could be one of the most difficult boss battles of all time. No joke!

The visuals in TMNT: OOTS are intricately detailed and have a great deal of realism to them. And what would a Turtles game be without a kick-ass soundtrack? TMNT:OOTS has a fantastic score that deeply immerses you into its gameplay and environments. The turtles manage to accurately stay true to the characters we grew up loving and what would a game be without Ralph teasing Mikey, Donnie throwing out facts and Mikey making jokes throughout the entire campaign. And then you have the noble Leo holding them all together and the wise Splinter giving his amazing advice. Really, it almost brings a tear to my eye. The best part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is their ability to work together during battles and use their classic tag team moves. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows graphics are extremely polished with the character art being spot on. While graphics aren't as amazing as they could be (it is an XBLA/PSN title) they still are pretty darn breathtaking. Players can play offline with friends in co-op matches by utilizing split screen or go online to experience the multiplayer portion at its best. Gamers can use the drop-in/drop-out co-op system with ease to play online with up to 4 other players. TMNT:OOTS really shines when it comes to its online multiplayer sessions which is extremely addictive and fun.



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows offered a great overall experience but there were a few glitches that staggered gameplay. There were times that enemies would remain even after being defeated which would have you scratching your head rather to keep hitting them or move on. Also, characters and items could glitch up and get stuck which would force you to restart the level or even an entire boss fight. Yeah..that was really annoying. But again, you can't expect a masterpiece with any arcade title such as this. I think the game would have been more enjoyable as a full-fledge retail release but that is just me.

All-in-all, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows offers a pleasant ride down memory lane with many of the same components you enjoyed from the original NES release plus tons of new enhancements and features. TMNT:OOTS offers you the chance to team up with your friends to once again take down the foot clan and all those that stand in the way for an overall worthwhile experience. If you are a huge TMNT fan like me, then pick up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows today because you won't regret it.



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is now available for the MSRP of $14.99 on Xbox Live Arcade and PC with a September 24th release date for PlayStation Network. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is rated T for Teen. To learn more, visit the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Facebook page.


Game Features:

Single Player

Four-Player Co-op

Online Leaderboards

DLC Support

Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Red Fly Studio
Publisher: Activision
Rating: T for Teen
Platforms: PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 (reviewed)
Release Date: August 28, 2013; September 24th for PS3

Score: 8.5 out of 10