It won't have you screaming Cowabunga, but Turtles in Time is still worth checking out.
THE GOOD
-Fun multiplayer
-Four turtles with unique attributes
-Superb graphics
THE BAD
-Special moves aren't beneficial
OVERVIEW
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV was ported over to the SNES from the popular arcade game. There are some slight differences but it's pretty much the same beat'em up type game that fans of the series have grown to love. The story is even less detailed than the previous games for NES but you're not playing these games for the story, right? Anyways, at the beginning of the game Krane flies into one of April O'Neil's news broadcast and steals the Statue of Liberty. The turtles all happen to be watching the program and see the incident take place when suddenly the Shredder comes on the air and basically laughs at the four turtles. The distraught teenagers spring into action as they defeat the Footclan on their way to the Technodrome. Just when the turtles think they have everything under control the Shredder banishes our four green friends in time. Now the ninjas have to fight the Footclan through the past and future in order to stop Shredder and return safely to the present.
GAMEPLAY
Turtles in Time is a simple side scrolling beat'em type game. From the main menu you have the option to play through the story mode, time trial or versus. The main story lets you and a friend fight your way through ten unique levels (past, present and future). Playing by yourself is fun but I would highly recommend going through this game with a friend to watch your back because it makes for good camaraderie. Majority of the stages have you running around bashing the Footclan to a pulp but there are a couple bonus stages that let you ride a surf board. The main story is probably where you'll spend most of your time and all in all it's quite fun.
In time trial you play through portions of the story mode stages with the goal of trying to defeat the enemies in record time. This mode is decent but you probably won't spend too much time here. The same goes for versus mode. In versus, you and a friend can duke it out in turtle to turtle combat. It's a best of three grudge match to see who the better fighter is.
Each turtle has unique attributes that fall under four categories: strength (attack damage), defense (how many hit you can take), range (fighting distance) and speed (weapon/movement quickness). Leonardo wields two katana blades and is the well rounded character. Donatello has the best range but lacks speed. Michelangelo, surprisingly, is the strongest but like Donatello he also lacks in the quickness department. Raphael is lightning fast with his dual sais but lacks the strength to take down enemies with a single blow. It's great that this game splits up each character based on strengths and weaknesses because it gives individuality to the characters.
Control-wise the layout is simple: attack, jump and special move. There are a few dash attacks and throws put in to spice things up but I was actually kind of disappointed that there weren't more moves that you could perform; I mean there are six buttons on the controller and you barely use half of them. Moving your character around on the screen works just fine but the special moves are completely useless in my opinion. Each turtle has a unique special move if you sacrifice some of your health. This is all well and good but it'll cost you up to 3 life blocks in your meter. Plus, the special moves aren't too effective so the risk isn't beneficial at all.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Although this is a port from the arcade game, the graphics are surprisingly sharp. The character design and animations are fun to look at while the background visuals keep up with the theme of each stage. The level design is decent but isn't nearly as good as the third game in the series, The Manhattan Project.
The sound effects are decent with a notable going to the gratifying arm slam; this is where you grab an enemy by the arm and smash them back and forth on the ground. Other than that the rest of the audio works just fine. The soundtrack has a few bits of nostalgia thrown in and works well to fit each level while you beating up Foot Soldiers.
CONCLUSION
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time is good beat'em up type game. It may not live up to the glory of its predecessors but it is still a game worth playing. Fans of the Ninja Turtles will enjoy playing this game and I would recommend it to them and other fans of beat'em up games. Being that it's on the SNES I expected a little more but the content that's offered isn't bad. Now it's up to you to help the four famed Ninja Turtles defeat the Shredder and the Footclan in the past, present and future. Cowabunga dude!