Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
System: NES
Release Date: December 1990
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Ultra Games
Genre: Beat ‘em Up
Everyone’s four favorite super heroes have to save the day once again in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game! Shredder is back and has put a price on the turtles’ heads. On top of that a fire has broken out in April’s apartment, but what’s this? A bunch of Foot Soldiers! Better kick some shell and get our girl out of there.
Being a port of the arcade game, this is a title where you want a second player. Your life will be made much easier, trust me. Choose your favorite turtle from Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello, each with their signature weapon. When it’s time to kick the Foot’s butt, you can attack with that weapon using the B Button. Jumping is handled with the A Button, and you’re going to have to jump a lot! If you press the A and B Buttons simultaneously, you give a special jumping attack. And if you press to attack while in the air, you do a jump kick. The jump kick is going to be your best friend.
Foot soldiers come on screen up to three at a time and they will flicker. They need to be hit twice before they are destroyed. You can’t just bum rush them, however, as they enjoy some invincibility after being hit. This requires you to adopt hit and run tactics if you want to survive. Other enemies may take more hits to destroy and have different patterns of movement. Every enemy you kill adds to your point total. After killing 200 enemies, you get an extra life. This is welcome, as you’ll get killed a lot as you learn to play. You also have a health bar that drains as you’re hit, but can be replenished when you find the occasional pizza.
Levels are right out of the arcade and optimized and even expanded for the NES. There are also two bonus levels present for your enjoyment through a snowy New York and a Shogun temple. The environments of each level are varied and even the layout doesn’t follow a strict left to right pattern all of the time. Each level (except the highway) ends in a boss fight. These all revolve around figuring out how the boss will counter your attack and staying away from it. With a second player, you can get a few extra hits in out of the non-targeted player.
Over the course of the game, you have to save both April and Splinter. You also have to see unending advertisements for Pizza Hut. Seriously, they’re everywhere. The end battle is against three bosses in a row. The first is one of the Rockmen from Dimension X, then Krang, and finally Shredder. Shredder is ultra cheap, as he spawns a shadow clone and can shoot anti-mutagen lightning bolts, which will transform you back to a little turtle instantly if you touch them. If you have the endurance, or the 9 lives code, you can blow up the Technodrome and beat ol’ Shred Head once again.
Graphics: 3.5
Everything looks really good, with smooth animations, neat effects, and color. The only knock is that sprites flicker a lot during the action.
Sound: 3.5
Konami’s sound font does not disappoint here. They made a lot of cool tunes that set the mood for each level.
Gameplay: 3.5
The turtles control great and the jump kick will get you through most of the game. A little more variety from Foot Soldiers would have been nice.
Difficulty: 3.5
You get three lives and three continues. If you play smart, you can beat it in that allowance, though the bosses will hit you even if you’re playing perfect.
Fun Factor: 4.0
This is a great time from a great game. Better with two people, but still playable with one.
Overall Rating: 3.6
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game earns an A-. If you haven’t, go out of your way and play this one. Grab your favorite slice and dig in. Cowabunga!