Ninja Turtles Game Done in the Style of Smash Bros

[BreakABone]

This comes from nintendo power, and the team working on it consists of members of the Brawl team as well as former Team Ninja members (Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden)

-published by Ubisoft
-official development started Jan. 2008
-concept started Oct. 2007
-to be released in Sept. 2009
-2.5D Fighter
-Interactive Stages
-4 player versus
-Story Mode
-Battle Royal
-Tournament
-Winner Stays
-Loser Stays
-Practice
-Unlockable Characters
-Unlockable Stages
-Online aspects said to be better than Brawl implementation
-Each character is color coded with glowing effect to make 4-player battles easy to follow

“While this is a licensed game, it’s not tied to any movie or TV show…for this game to succeed on its own it needs to be a great game.” - Ubisoft producer

[GameMaster]

I hope it has over 50 characters. And the movement needs to be fast like Melee.

[Angrist]

The only thing that interests me is that the online aspect is better than Brawl's.

It's such a shame that SSBB has poor online play. :( It's still very fun, but so limited...

[BreakABone]

http://i43.tinypic.com/2ia3gk7.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/34qse9d.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/1j7srp.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2u8ied1.jpg

The glowing effect is a little weird.

We wouldn’t have believed it if we hadn’t seen it, but there we were in late November at Ubisofts San Francisco offices, watching turtle-versus-turtle combat. Ubisoft- who will publish the game- had been looking for an opportunity to work with Games Arts, part of the all-star team that developed Brawl under the direction of Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai. The studio became available just as it was time for Ubi to start a new Turtles project to be release in 2009 - the 25th anniversary of TMNT. And then former members of Team Ninja joined the production to officially make this the craziest story we ever heard.

The version of the game that we got to see is very early - it’s been in development for just over a year - but it already looks impressive (Ubisoft is aiming for a September ‘09 release). In fact, the visuals may even surpass the bar set by Brawl; for example, a rooftopd level features a city skyline that is much more detailed then most brawl stages. And we were instantly relieved to see that this isn’t meant to be just a kids’ game. The visuals are dark and edgy for a TMNT title, and we were guaranteed that our ears wouldn’t have to suffer through endless loops of Turtles quips like “slice and dice!” during the action. Further, the team wisely avoided tying the game in with any particular iteration of TMNT- it doesn’t look exactly like any of the comics, cartoons, or toys.

As you can probably gather from these screens, the game is quite similar to Brawl in look and feel. There are some differences in the gameplay that we’ll get into in qa moment - and some other features that will set TMNT apart that Ubisoft isn’t ready to reveal yet - but the action should feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s put time into a Super Smash Bros.-style fighting game.

Up to four players can fight at once, and since competing turtles can be tough to distinguish between when the camera is far away, each character is color-coded with a glowing effect. The fighting is what you’d expect: regular moves, special moves, throws and combos. There are also attacks that use the environment, such as flying kicks off of walls, or attacks while hanging from ledges. In true ninja style, you can run short distances up walls, and some stages have poles that you can grab and swing on for higher jumps and more-punishing jump-kicks.

There will be multiple control schemes to choose from; we can confirm both Wii-remote and -nunchuck and remote only options. No word yet on whether a Gamecube controller will work, but a new control scheme is said to be in development for advanced players. Motion controls will be used, but not extensively- don’t expect to be swinging your remote constantly for common attacks. We can also report that taunts are in the game (we saw Leonardo mock his opponents by spinning his swords in the air) and that items will play a role in the fighting (although the only one we were able to catch a glimpse of was a health restoring pizza).

Players each have a life meter that depletes when they take damage, and it’s possible to be KO’ed instantly by falling off the screen (plus match rules can be customized). the game will have a generous roster of characters pulled from the turtles’ long history (we’ve been told Mirage Studios, which owns the TMNT brand, has been involved with the character-selection process), but so far we’ve been able to peek at only the turtles themselves and Splinter, their rat sensei.

Among the game’s various modes and match types (most of which are still a closely guarded secret) is a story mode. All we could get out of Ubi is that it won’t be a side-scoller like Brawl’s Subspace Emmisarry, and that Peter Laird- co-creator of TMNT- worked on the story. Four-player online battles are also planned, and the developers are working hard to deliver a smooth experience free of the issues that hindered brawl. They also want to add something unique to the mix, so expect a new twist or two.

Finally, we were really impressed by the games stages. We got to check out two of them, and they both looked as though they could hang with the best Brawl had to offer, thanks to lots of environmental interaction and plenty of visual detail. The first stage we saw was a gorgeous rooftop battle against a detailed city skyline, featuring a water tower that could be busted open to send water gushing out at opponents, an electric sign that zapped whoever got knocked into it, lots of long falls between the buildings, and poles to swing on for sky-high acrobatics. The next battle took place in the sewers and started in a small, confined area with water flowing along the ground. But when someone beat on a giant hatch on the left side of the room, it broke open and unleashed a tidal wave that pushed everyone into the stage’s second area, a vertical chamber with slippery platforms and a crocodile that popped out at random to chomp on unsuspecting victims.

We haven’t been this excited about the turtles in years. If the developers can deliver on the promise of what we’ve seen so far, fighting fans will have something pretty special to look forward to in the back half of ‘09. Ubisoft tells us the development team is determined to set a new standard for the genre, and that the fighting may end up being even deeper then Brawl’s. If they can pull that off, the whoa- cowabunga, dude.

[GameMaster]

Beware of the crocodile and hornet nest?

Oh boy, that's lame.

[Typhoid]

I'm not going to hide my excitement anymore.
I love TMNT. So very very much.
Always have.
I'll probably walk on fire to get this game.

[BreakABone]

I'm not going to hide my excitement anymore.
I love TMNT. So very very much.
Always have.
I'll probably walk on fire to get this game.

Why would you hide your excitement?
Who doesn't love Ninja Turtles?
And who doesn't love Smash Bros.

[BreakABone]

Here are some new shots and some better quality ones from magazine.

http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/9979/1775_0001.jpg
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/9979/1775_0002.jpg
http://item.slide.com/r/1/237/i/QOr8a9Y1vz_tKhDvTYBwCLrUwB1xCSq1/
http://item.slide.com/r/1/155/i/pLQJlCd2yD_HmOIH0i2b9Su79P8rqT1a/
http://item.slide.com/r/1/94/i/jVcw_OqZ6D8IZZLg7LXdiDAEkQZh3DLW/
http://item.slide.com/r/1/23/i/z4uE0_P55T_bAOTb_XWMFZxBFnTOBH_x/
http://item.slide.com/r/1/219/i/0HaaDKZf4j8lRXGUmAUq8YUZ8Dtelfb5/

[Typhoid]

Cannot wait.

[GameMaster]

I wonder Splinter Master is playable?

[Angrist]

Probably. Although I have no idea what a Splinter Master is. I assume they'll make as much as possible playable.

[BreakABone]

http://wii.ign.com/dor/objects/14305526/tmnt-fighters/videos/tmnt_trailer_020409.html

First trailer though offers no gameplay besides character select.

[Swan]

The fighting in that trailer was very uneventful and boring

[Angrist]

Turtles Smash-Up? They're playing the lame name game.

[BreakABone]

<embed src='http://videomedia.ign.com/ev/ev.swf' flashvars='object_ID=14305526&downloadURL=http://wiimovies.ign.com/wii/video/article/983/983616/tmnt_trl_intensefight_51509_flvlow.flv&allownetworking="all%"' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='433' height='360'></embed><div style='width:433;'><a href='http://wii.ign.com/objects/143/14305526.html'>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up at IGN.com</a></div>

First actual you know gameplay footage.

[Angrist]

Meh.

[Typhoid]

Sean is excited.

[TheSlyMoogle]

meh looked kinda lame

[Typhoid]

meh looked kinda lame

Sp this is lame, but the same thing with Nintendo characters = sweet?

[Angrist]

It looks a bit static. Just standing there on one level. In SSB you're always jumping around, attacking from all sides. This looks a bit boring to me.

[Bube]

I think it looks almost identical to SSB in action. The pace, the animation, even the moves look similar. It's like the only thing they changed were the characters :)

[TheSlyMoogle]

Sp this is lame, but the same thing with Nintendo characters = sweet?

No I think Brawl is hella lame.

[BreakABone]

<div class="gametrailers_embed_container>"<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" width="480" height="392"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=50526"/><param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=50526" swLiveConnect="true" name="gtembed" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="392"></embed> </object><div style="font-size: 10px; font-family: Verdana; text-align: center; width: 480px; padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px; background-color: black; height: 32px;"><div><a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com" title="GameTrailers.com">Video Games</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/game/10819.html" title="TMNT: Smash-Up">TMNT: Smash-Up</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/player/50526.html" title="E3 09: Four Player Mayem Gameplay (Cam)">E3 09: Four Player Mayem Gameplay (Cam)</a></div><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/platformlist/xb360/index.html" title="XBox 360">XBox 360</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/platformlist/ps3/index.html" title="PS3">Playstation 3</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/platformlist/wii/index.html" title="Wii">Nintendo Wii</a></div></div>

Ahh some footage of a full match, and this screams Smash Bros in all ways.
Even have a giant sea creature that tries to attack you.
So getting this.

[manasecret]

Are there characters beyond the four turtles, splinter, and what's his face bad dude?

[BreakABone]

Are there characters beyond the four turtles, splinter, and what's his face bad dude?

Right now we know the 4 Turtles, Shredder, Splinter and April.

I would assume at a minimum we would also get Casey, which would make 8.

But there are so many more characters they could and should add.

[Angrist]

The gameplay really doesn't interest me. The characters even less. And the graphics... the glowing effect looks stupid.
Just not for me.

[BreakABone]

<embed src='http://videomedia.ign.com/ev/ev.swf' flashvars='object_ID=14305526&downloadURL=http://wiimovies.ign.com/wii/video/article/997/997538/tmntsmashwii_trli_vignette1_62409_flvlowwide.flv&allownetworking="all%"' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='433' height='360'></embed><div style='width:433;'><a href='http://wii.ign.com/objects/143/14305526.html'>More Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up News & Previews</a></div>

3 new characters:
Casey
Foot Ninja
Ultrautrium

Mostly from the 2003 show.

[Typhoid]

After wiki-reading up on this game, I'm super excited.

I do think it will be better than Smash.
And I know I'll get castrated for even suggesting that, because apparently Smash is the holy grail of everything ever made. But let's face it, it's a good game, but all it is is a game that has a lot of characters (some of which are clones) and yet only a handful ever get used, and it's typically the same handful.

I dislike how people are saying it will be bad and comparing it to Smash Bros. Which I agree, is fair in some aspects, considering it's made by the same team who makes Smash Bros., however while Smash revolves around items, assist trophies etc, TMNT revolves around interacting with the environment, which changes - and actually battling your opponent. Not saying their arent items.

And I dislike (in the other forums, really) people who rag on the fact there are only 11 known characters - yet so many more in smash. To this I say " Can you honestly tell me you frequently use every single character in Smash? Last time I checked most people use 2 at most."


Anyways:

The game is a 4-player 2.5D fighting game, similar to Super Smash Bros, and will be the third TMNT fighting video game. During battle, players will attempt to KO opponents by depleting their life bar, knocking them off the stage or into traps. Characters will be color-coded on-screen via a glow effect to help players keep track of their character[7]. Like Super Smash Bros., the game will include many customizable options for battles.

The game stresses interaction with the environment, and stages in the game feature traps, changes to the stage itself, and interactive elements[8]. The game will also feature items, including life-restoring pizza and 'ninja magic' that grant players special abilities like fire breathing and electrical shields[9][10].

Modes confirmed to be in the game include Story, Battle Royale, Tournament, Winner/Loser Out modes, and Practice[11], as well as an online mode for four players and mini-games. UbiSoft has commented that they are "planning several different modes of play designed specifically for single player"[12] Players can collect 'shells' during battles or mini-games and use them to unlock special features[13]

The story of the game will be written by TMNT co-creator Peter Laird[14]. Mirage Studios will make character selections for the game, and the roster is said to include characters "you know well in addition to surprise characters you certainly wouldn't expect."[15]

[Angrist]

It's not just a handful of characters... When I play at my leisure, I switch between as many as 10 characters, just for variation. When I play competitively, I alternate between 5 or 6. I get tired of only using Ike and Link, so I also use Lucario, Luigi, Wolf.

Online, I meet almost every character. Some players are great with chars that I hate. I think there are only 5 or so that I rarely see (Mario, King Dedede, Pit, Jigglypuff, Diddy).

I've grown to love the knock-off playstyle. I wonder how this will work out.

Of course the biggest reason I won't get this is because I've never really liked the Turtles.

[BreakABone]

<embed src='http://videomedia.ign.com/ev/ev.swf' flashvars='object_ID=14305526&downloadURL=http://wiimovies.ign.com/wii/video/article/100/1000831/tmnt_trl_enemybase_70209_flvlow.flv&allownetworking="all%"' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='433' height='360'></embed><div style='width:433;'><a href='http://wii.ign.com/objects/143/14305526.html'>More Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up News & Previews</a></div>

This game has seem to sped up nicely from e3.
And looks fun as hell.

[Typhoid]

Jesus that looks fun.
I also really like the idea of a health bar rather than a percentage that's a huge variable.

[Angrist]

If with fun you guys mean boring, then yeah I agree. ;)

I'm still not convinced, but I guess I'm just weird.

[Typhoid]

Well, what don't you like about the game.

[ZebraRampage]

Jesus that looks fun.
I also really like the idea of a health bar rather than a percentage that's a huge variable.

You just summed up what I realized bothered me about the super smash bros. games. I never knew how long I could last because sometimes you can get KOed with a little bit over 100% damage, and other times you can survive with well over 300% damage. I know that it whether or not you're KOed depends on the type of attacks, items used, etc, but you're right that it was variable. I'd have to agree that the health bar is a good idea.

Though maybe variability could be a good thing if you look at it from a different perspective. Never knowing exactly when you'll be KOed after you get a high enough percentage, that from experience is known to be a possibility for a KO (maybe once you get about 100% or closer to 150%), will keep you even more focused on staying alive.

[Angrist]

Well first of all I never watched the Turtles, so I have no bond with the characters. But I guess the Turtles are better known than most Nintendo chars.
Secondly I love the Knock Off play style. So much fun trying to jump back. Or meteor-smashing people. I never had much fun with SSB's stamina mode.
Thirdly the glowing characters freak me out.
Fourthly... it just looks plain boring when I watch those movies. It's hard to pin down, but I think it might be too slow, and the attacks don't seem to hit very well.

But again, I suppose I'm in a minority here. You'd expect the SSB guys to do a great job at this, so we'll wait for the reviews.

[Typhoid]

Secondly I love the Knock Off play style. So much fun trying to jump back. Or meteor-smashing people. I never had much fun with SSB's stamina mode.
Thirdly the glowing characters freak me out.
Fourthly... it just looks plain boring when I watch those movies. It's hard to pin down, but I think it might be too slow, and the attacks don't seem to hit very well.


Knock off style?
Who says there isn't that in this one?

During battle, players will attempt to KO opponents by depleting their life bar, knocking them off the stage or into traps.

Oh, hey. You can knock them off the stage. Imagine that.


Too slow? Did you not watch the last video Babsy posted? It's as fast as Smash Bros is.


And I hope you can turn the glow off, although it's not going to make me not play the game.

[BreakABone]

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Rabbids are in the game!

Doesn't really fit the Turtles, but pretty cool nonetheless.

[Angrist]

Sure, you can knock players out, but (I assume) they don't fly farther the weaker they are. And we both know it's not the main focus of the game. And it's the only way to get KOs in SSB.

Again, I guess this can be really exciting if you're into the Turtles... I'm not and maybe that lets me look at this with neutral eyes. Which doesn't mean I want to play it before really judging it.

[BreakABone]

<div style="width: 480px;"><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" width="480" height="392"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=54286"/><param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=54286" swLiveConnect="true" name="gtembed" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="392"></embed> </object><div style="font-size: 10px; font-family: Verdana; text-align: center; width: 480px; padding-top: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px; background-color: black; height: 32px;"><div><a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com" title="GameTrailers.com">Video Games</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/game/10819.html" title="TMNT: Smash-Up">TMNT: Smash-Up</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/player/54286.html" title="Features Trailer">Features Trailer</a></div><div style="padding-top: 3px;"><a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/platformlist/xb360/index.html" title="XBox 360">XBox 360</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/platformlist/ps3/index.html" title="PS3">Playstation 3</a> | <a style="color:#FFFFFF;" href="http://www.gametrailers.com/platformlist/wii/index.html" title="Wii">Nintendo Wii</a></div></div></div>

Game looks fluid, and rather chaotic, shall be fun.