Let's Talk About: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles BRAWL

Hey there, it is a new year, and I figure I should actually start using this blog (ugh, that word sounds so uncool) once again.

Let's talk about a recent "bombshell" revealed in January's Nintendo Power, the new multiplayer fighting game using the TMNT license. Appropriately titled TMNT (like that title doesn't have any baggage) is a freshly (relatively) announced multiplayer brawler akin to Nintendo's famous Super Smash Bros. series. Being developed by Game Arts, a team that just so happens to have within its ranks former Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Team Ninja members (awesome gameplay and awesome breast physics? How can I lose?), and published by Ubisoft, TMNT is sort-of looking to provide the 4-player mayhem the TMNT games based off the movie sorely lacked.

From the screenshots floating around the internet and the article featured in the newest Nintendo Power, the art-direction for the game is heavily inspired (or taken from, COME ON) by the recent TMNT movie. It may be the nostalgia glasses on my eyes talking, but I would have felt more comfortable in the percieved integrity of the project if they had instead decided to go with a different art-direction.

A few lines I read in the preview certainly caused my blood to raise a degree after reading it: "And we were instantly relieved to see that this isn't meant to be just a kids' game. The visuals are dark and edgy for a TMNT title, and we were guaranteed that our ears wouldn't have to suffer through endless loops of Turtles quips like 'slice and dice!' during the action."

COME ON NOW, seriously? When has DARK AND EDGY (refered to herefore as "grimdark") ever been a quantifyable measure on theoretical enjoyment to be had in a game? The Smash Bros. series has never been grimdark, and it will likely continue to find itself being played on my Wii until the day a fourth Smash Bros. is ever created to replace it. And what is with that "just a kids' game" crack? That's low, Nintendo Power preview writer Chris Late. Real low. There are plenty of media out there that were meant for children but offer a plethora of entertainment for those not in that age group.

But I digress, aside from the art style, a small tidbit I noticed from the few screenshots available in the article is that in two of the levels shown thus far, they both have a "final" area where an alagator (or crocodile, I have no idea, it could be either) occasionally bursts out of the background to bite at unsuspecting players. Hopefully this is not a recurring theme and is strictly reigned into those two levels, or this could easily be one of TMNT's "no items, Fox only, Final Destination" type options "real gamers" turn off immediately.

All that being said, I still heavily anticipate this new TMNT game. Since the developers dually claim that it is not particularly based off a single TMNT license (aside from the obvious art-style inspiration) and that they will not be lifting any gameplay ideas from the Konami-developed games (so no throwing into the screen then?), the game may end up having favorite characters spanning from the 80's Turtles cartoon to the recent TMNT cartoon, to the original Eastman and Laird comic books.

Let's hope the nine months until the planned release provide only good news.