tnmt gba

content/games/gba/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-battle-nexus-double-pack.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+title: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Battle Nexus Double Pack"
+date: 2024-05-01T21:20:00+02:00
+score: 2
+series: "Turtles"
+howlongtobeat_id: 9649
+howlongtobeat_hrs: 3
+game_name: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus '
+game_genre: "Beat em up"
+tags:
+  - turtles
+  - beat em up
+game_release_year: 2004
+game_developer: 'Konami'
+---
+
+In a _Franchise & Lows_ video by Retronaut Stuart Gipp [about TNMT on Nintendo Handhelds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhohfEh88i8), I learned about the 2004 [beat 'em ups](/tags/beat-em-up) on the Game Boy Advance that was also conveniently packaged as one of Konami's _Double Packs_, perhaps better known from the _Castlevania_ one. The eBay prices were reasonable, so the only reasonable thing for me to do was to follow Stuart's advice and give them a go.
+
+The games are _weird_. I don't know. Some sections I like a lot, such as the stage variety in terms of gameplay twists (e.g. from beat 'em up to shoot 'em up), but other sections I dislike, such as the juvenile chatter in-between stages or the fact that the turtles are sluggish to control and require a bit of fiddling to adjust to. I suppose the pack is worth checking out if you are in dire need of _Heroes in a Half Shell_ action on the Advance, since the best games came from the nineties original Game Boy era (e.g. see [Turtles III](/games/gameboy/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-iii-radical-rescue)).
+
+![](drive-fly.jpg "Is this Turtles or is this a shoot 'em up? Am I driving a tank in a sewer here? Yup!")
+
+The 2006 TNMT and the _Battle Nexus_ sequel are watered-down versions from 3D TNMT console versions that were, as one might expect from that era, adequately average. It is indeed perhaps surprising then, that these 2D handheld variants are a slight notch above average---depending on your fanboyism level towards these green dudes. 
+
+In easy and normal mode, you'll breeze through the first and second game in less than 4 hours combined. There isn't a whole lot of enemy variety, but compared to their ancient 4-shades-of-gray turtle-in-a-cart predecessors, there's one big twist: you first have to find your weapon of choice, _before_ the Mutant Action can begin. That means most stages start out as _Metal Gear Solid_-like ones, where hiding in the shadows is the preferred option, especially since triggering an alarm can easily swarm and very quickly kill you.
+
+I don't like crawling around in the dark, especially when I'm a Turtle. When I'm a Turtle, I'm _supposed_ to have my katanas and sais at the ready, and I'm supposed to run and jam `A` or `B`---while here, I'm first forced to press `UP` to crawl into a crevice and let the guard pass by. Yet at the same time, it breaks up the action and could be called a refreshing change of pace. Once you _do_ get to your weapons, it's show time, of course.
+
+![](maze-heytherebro.jpg "The small talk in-between stages isn't very interesting to read/look at.")
+
+Additionally, many stages are designed as multi-screen bland gray-ish industrial looking mazes, where everything starts to look the same. High chances of missing that one guard who needed a stab in the chest to release their key card. At this point, I'd rather replay a nineties TNMT instead. Nice try, though. 
+
+But perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh, as the shoot 'em up sections where Donatello kites through the New York night---with some kind of laser gun, shooting down even bigger rockets flying towards you?---are actually great fun and do spice up things a bit. The question is, though, is that spicing up needed if the core gameplay loop would have been more qualitative? I don't know. 
+
+It's very difficult for me to rate this game: today I'd give it a 2, but tomorrow I might change it to 3. Why? [This Gamespot review](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-review/1900-6112329/) summarizes it well:
+
+>  On the whole, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus is a good game that does the license proud. If you go into it expecting a traditional side-scrolling beat-'em-up, you're liable to be disappointed. However, if you can handle a puzzle-oriented adventure game that's peppered with boss fights and shooter levels, you should come away satisfied. 
+
+Given my track record with the older TNMT GB games, it seems that I simply expected the wrong kind of game. If you're open to a more maze-oriented approach, the impressive 2D sprite work and fluent animations will not let you down. And I didn't even mention that each turtle gets his own unique route with 5 levels each. 
+
+The first game is less puzzle-prone but requires less than an hour to beat, making the nowadays second-hand prices a tough sell. You're better off putting your money into the contemporary _Cowabunga Collection_.