TMNT: Smash Up Hands ON

With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters as the only game worth remembering as a licensed fighting game, in the TMNT universe or otherwise. TMNT: Smash-Up aims to change just that.

If that’s the case, it has a long way to go.

The game was on hand at PAX offering a roster of popular favorites like Splinter, the four green reptiles and Shredder. It was promised that popular and lesser known characters from the entire TMNT universe could possibly make it into the game.

Aside from the expansive roster, the game plays on a 2D plane with up to four players akin to Super Smash Brothers. Our level had us in a junkyard type stage with just a level plane and cars being dropped on top of us.

The turtles control in some sort of way. Two buttons make attacks, one button has them jump and the other guard. The game is complete chaos and more times than one, we’ve had problems controlling them to figure something out.

As for the environment, it was a simple plane with no platforms to jump on and just four people sharing a small space. Cars drop with a bit of warning of debris falling but you really don’t have enough time to get out of the way.

The graphics are akin to the CGI Turtles movie, with updates for characters who didn’t appear. They don’t really look bad, but as far as Wii Standards are-they aren’t up to snuff.

Even if it’s a game supposedly used to copy Super Smash Brothers, it really isn’t doing a good job since Smash Brothers is critically acclaimed. The weak level design (just a flat open space) and weird controls has us scratching our head on this one.