It always seems to be the case that I invest more time than any sane person would playing mediocre games. TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan is no exception. The game is indeed quite mediocre, if not downright dreadful at times.
It has actually been some time since I've played the game, ranking up somewhere around level 43 -- a pretty damn high level compared to the other players I have grouped up with online. I had been farming battle points to upgrade my special moves to MAX level. Play through the final level against Shredder solo takes 9 minutes; naturally you gain levels quickly this way. The other motivation to replay levels is to unlock the secret bosses cutscenes whose requirements are based on performance (but mostly luck).
Here are my takeaways from the game:
- The game was designed for co-op play (which I loath). The game is extremely taxing solo, and downright impossible on Very Hard. This is because the AI of your teammates will fail you. Co-op players that die get sent back to the "lair", to button-mash their way back into the game by eating pizza. Playing solo, the AI takes far too long, leaving you at extreme risk to stay alive long enough so teammates can get back into the action (if all turtles die and end up back at the lair, it's game over).
- Gameplay itself consists of doing menial and irritating tasks before getting to the main course
(the boss fights). You defuse a bomb, you hack a computer, escort something to a waypoint; all these things you are supposed to do while the footclan interrupt you. There is nothing more aggravating than being interrupted while doing a task with dumb AI. (The Wingnut level with the random lightning extremely frustrating; and if I ever came close to smashing a controller to the ground, this was it) Basically, the gameplay itself is a test of your patience and offers no reward.
(Give credit to the AI, they will prioritize reviving you ASAP.)
- Boss fights are okay. If I were to give you my opinion of them after playing through them for the first time, I would have felt less indifferent. But because the game is meant to be replayed, and in doing so, the appeal of them has worn thin. Credit to them for varying them as much as they can.
The special moves are pretty cool but only a few of them I used regularly since they were most effective. At the end of the day, the game is bad and I would rank TMNT: Out of the Shadows slightly higher. The cutscenes in this game were the only highlight -- the animations, voices, characters, and dialogue they got down nicely and I have no complaints here. At $50 I can't recommend this game, not even at a discount bargain bin price. Rent it for a day or two if you feel compelled to experience it. I thought PlatinumGames would deliver this franchise wrapped with a nice bow. But I feel in the end the quality of the game is detriment to the PlatinumGames brand. I had always counted on them to make flashy, engaging games -- this one just fell flat and uninspired (it's not even 60fps), summed up in a single word: aggravating.
Review Score Rating: 2 out of 10.
Spent over 20 hours easily on the game. I purchased the copy of the game myself. PS4 version.
TIPS:
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· Playing the last level against Shredder on Normal difficulty solo takes you around 9 minutes and gives you lots of battle points to upgrade your special moves. Moves have 5 levels, 5th level being the MAX, each level lowers the cooldown time you need to wait to use it again.
· I used these special moves: Homerun Swing, Colossus, Beam Cannon, Shredder Lightning Attack (forgot the name). When using Colossus, the best combo is: light attack, light attack, heavy attack (repeat this twice).
· Secret bosses are activated by grade ranking of the missions for that level (try to beat it as fast as possible with S ranks, at high difficulties). It also seems to help to damage the boss as much as you can, as quickly as you can, to trigger the secret boss.
· Learn to turtle dash/spin, especially against boss attacks. It makes you invincible, but you need to keep an eye out on the stamina meter or else you'll dizzy, and become vulnerable. I see new players online die repeatedly to bosses because they don't know this.
· The turtle vision will direct you to the next objective: pay attention to where the pulse emanates from. That will help you locate the objective.
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