Activision/Platinum Games
When it comes to videos games, the Turtles have have a hit-or-miss record. On one hand you’ll have the classic cabinet arcade games and their equally successful console adaptations like TURTLES IN TIME. On the other, you have the near-impossible original NES side-scroller and the more recent disappointment that was the visually-stunning but glitchy as hell OUT OF THE SHADOWS for Xbox Arcade. Hopefully, Activision (creators of the awesome SPIDER-MAN 2 game adaptation) and Platinum Games (of BAYONETTA fame) will strike the right balance for a “hit” with the next installment TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANTS IN MANHATTAN:
One check in the positive column for me: the art style. It looks like the developers are taking visual influence from the most recent comic book incarnation of the franchise from IDW Publishing (characters look like they have been lifted right off of pages sketched by one of TMNT’s newest artists Mateus Santolouco):
Artwork By Mateus Santolouco
But pretty packaging can mean next to nothing if the gameplay is a chore (or a bore). Hopefully, the combat system is way better than OUT OF THE SHADOWS’ lame attempt to copy the ARKHAM series. I also hope that the visuals aren’t the only thing carried over as the IDW series is proving to be a more-accessible version of the original Mirage Comics’ darkness. We’ve had plenty of wacky TMNT games. Give us a gritty story with with terrifying mutants and some awesome ninja beat ’em up action!
Don’t let me down, MUTANTS OF MANHATTAN…
TMNT: MUTANTS OF MANHATTAN launches sometime in Summer 2016 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, XBox One and PC!
