TMNT: Smash-Up Review Now on Kombo

At long last, following numerous interruptions, distractions, and other things getting in the way, my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up for the Wii is now available on Kombo.com.

And boy, is it a doozy. I think it would have been better served had it been broken up across two pages, as some other sites’ reviews are. And to think, one of the things that got in my way was writer’s block. You’d never know it by looking, would you?

What’s more, I could have gone on for longer. Quite a bit, actually.

All said, it’s really not a bad game, though I’m not sure if it’s worth the price of admission. The 30 bucks Amazon.com had it for yesterday in their Gold Box deal seems reasonable, though, especially given its superior online play when stacked next to Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

But unfortunately, whereas Brawl is almost like a love letter to Nintendo’s fans and its history, Smash-Up feels like anything but. As I noted in the review, the Ninja Turtles is perhaps one of the few franchises that could have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Nintendo’s video game history, at least enough to fill out a game of Brawl‘s size, but it simply does not.

I don’t want to waste your time telling you things here that you can find out in the review, but if you like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Smash Bros., then it’s definitely worth a look. But don’t expect to see the sort of love the latter has, particularly when it feels as though co-creator Peter Laird phoned in his part in the project before signing the green teens over to Nickelodeon.

Anyway, it was a tough review to write. I really do like the game, but a constant concern was that it wouldn’t come through in the review. I can pick out things that are wrong or could be improved all day, but it is a solid product in the end.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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