TMNT: Smash Up
Encyclopedia
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up is a 2009 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
fighting game for the Wii
and PlayStation 2
video game consoles. The game was developed by a Japan
ese game developer, Game Arts
, who had previously worked on Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, and several former members of Team Ninja, who previously worked on Ninja Gaiden II. The full title of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up was announced on January 23, 2009 . The game is not specifically tied to any previous Turtles license, yet bears a similar artistic style to the 2007 CGI movie, TMNT.
fighting game
, similar to the Super Smash Bros. series. During battle, players attempt to KO opponents by depleting their life bar, knocking them off the stage or into traps. Characters are color-coded on-screen via a glow effect to help players keep track of their character (a feature that can be toggled on and off in the options screen). 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. The game also feature items, including life-restoring pizza and ninja skills that grant players special abilities like fire breathing and electrical shields.
The modes for this game are Arcade, Battle Royal, Survival, Tournament, Swap-Out, Practice, and Mission Mode, as well as an online mode for four players and mini-games. Players can collect 'shells' during battles or mini-games and use them to unlock special features, including trophies that other players can win in online tournaments.
Arcade Mode features animated cut scenes illustrated by Mirage Studios
artists. Mirage made character selections for the game, and the roster was said to include characters "you know well in addition to surprise characters you certainly wouldn't expect."
. IGN
rated TMNT: Smash Up 7/10, saying it's "a Smash Bros. clone, but it makes you want to play Smash Bros. instead."
Gamespot
also gave it a 7/10, saying the game "has good combat and solid content, but it lacks the refinement and razzle-dazzle to earn a title shot." Fans reacted negatively to the roster, which is significantly smaller than that of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and contains characters only seen in the 2003 cartoon series, while characters from the 1987 series and films were ignored.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
fighting game for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video game consoles. The game was developed by a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese game developer, Game Arts
Game Arts
is a Japanese video game software developer located in Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1985 as a computer software company, they have since expanded their enterprise to produce for a number of game console and handheld systems...
, who had previously worked on Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, and several former members of Team Ninja, who previously worked on Ninja Gaiden II. The full title of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up was announced on January 23, 2009 . The game is not specifically tied to any previous Turtles license, yet bears a similar artistic style to the 2007 CGI movie, TMNT.
Gameplay
The game is a 4-player 2.5D2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
, similar to the Super Smash Bros. series. During battle, players attempt to KO opponents by depleting their life bar, knocking them off the stage or into traps. Characters are color-coded on-screen via a glow effect to help players keep track of their character (a feature that can be toggled on and off in the options screen). 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. The game also feature items, including life-restoring pizza and ninja skills that grant players special abilities like fire breathing and electrical shields.
The modes for this game are Arcade, Battle Royal, Survival, Tournament, Swap-Out, Practice, and Mission Mode, as well as an online mode for four players and mini-games. Players can collect 'shells' during battles or mini-games and use them to unlock special features, including trophies that other players can win in online tournaments.
Arcade Mode features animated cut scenes illustrated by Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios is an independent American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, based in Northampton, Massachusetts and best known for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series.-History:...
artists. Mirage made character selections for the game, and the roster was said to include characters "you know well in addition to surprise characters you certainly wouldn't expect."
Playable characters
- April O'NeilApril O'NeilApril O'Neil is a fictional character in the Mirage Studios franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In each of the many TMNT continuities, she is a good friend of the Turtles: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo.-Comics:...
- voiced by Veronica TaylorVeronica TaylorVeronica Taylor is an American voice actress. Taylor is best known for her dubbing work in English-language anime adaptations, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum in the English dub of the Japanese anime, Pokémon....
- April O'Neil (2003 TV Series) - Alternate Costume
- Casey Jones - voiced by Marc Thompson
- "Back to the Sewer" Casey Jones - Alternate Costume
- Donatello - voiced by Sam RiegelSam RiegelSamuel Brent Oscar "Sam" Riegel is a voice actor, writer and director who appears in many television cartoons, anime, and video games. He began as a child actor in theater in Virginia, and moved to New York City to perform in Broadway and off-Broadway shows...
- Cyber Donny - Alternate Costume
- Foot NinjaFoot ClanThe Foot Clan is a fictional ninjutsu clan in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe and the Turtles' main antagonists. It is usually led by the Shredder. The Foot Clan was originally a parody of the criminal ninja clan the Hand in the Daredevil comics...
- Cyber Foot NinjaTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) Season 7The seventh season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, titled Back to the Sewer, aired on Saturday mornings on the CW4Kids on CW Network in 2008-2009. With this season, the show moved from Fox's 4Kids TV lineup to the CW...
- Alternate Costume
- Cyber Foot Ninja
- Fugitoid - voiced by Oliver Wyman (Wii-Only)
- KaraiKaraiKarai is a fictional character in several incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, where she is usually a high-ranking member of the Foot Clan. In some incarnations of the character she is also related to The Shredder.-Name:Karai is a Japanese word commonly used to describe...
- voiced by Karen Neil- Gold Karai-Bot (from the episode, "New Blood") - Alternate Costume
- Leonardo - voiced by Michael SinterniklaasMichael SinterniklaasMichael Tremain Sinterniklaas is a Dutch American actor, voice actor, ADR Director and script writer who has worked for Viz Media, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, 4Kids Entertainment, and Tripwire Productions...
- Ninja Leo - Alternate Costume
- Master Splinter - voiced by Darren DunstanDarren DunstanDarren Dunstan is a Canadian born voice actor and an occasional stage actor currently based in New York City. He has provided voice-over and voice direction on several properties of 4Kids Entertainment....
- Master Splinter w/ ornate, blue nagajuban - Alternate Costume
- Michelangelo - voiced by Wayne GraysonWayne GraysonVinnie Penna is an American actor and voice actor who is mostly known for voice over under the name Wayne Grayson and has worked with 4Kids Entertainment, NYAV Post and DuArt Film and Video....
- Hip-Hop Mikey - Alternate Costume
- Nightwatcher - voiced by Frank FranksonFrank FranksonGregory Abbey , also known under the aliases Frank Frankson and John Campbell, is an American voice actor who is known for working with 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media...
- Ninja Rabbid - voiced by Yoann Perier (Wii-Only)
- Raphael - voiced by Frank FranksonFrank FranksonGregory Abbey , also known under the aliases Frank Frankson and John Campbell, is an American voice actor who is known for working with 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media...
- Punk Rocker Raph - Alternate Costume
- Raving Rabbid - voiced by Yoann Perier (Wii-Only)
- Shredder - voiced by Scottie RayScottie RayScottie Ray , sometimes credited as Scott Rayow, is a voice actor who normally voices characters for properties of 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media and NYAV Post...
- Cyber Shredder - Alternate Costume
- Splinter RabbidTom Clancy's Splinter CellTom Clancy's Splinter Cell is an action-adventure stealth game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and built on the Unreal Engine 2. It is the first Splinter Cell game in the series endorsed by author Tom Clancy, and follows the activities of American NSA Black Operation, "Black Ops", agent Sam Fisher....
- voiced by Yoann Perier (Wii-Only) - Utrominator - voiced by Michael SinterniklaasMichael SinterniklaasMichael Tremain Sinterniklaas is a Dutch American actor, voice actor, ADR Director and script writer who has worked for Viz Media, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, 4Kids Entertainment, and Tripwire Productions...
Reception
The game's reception has generally been mixed. While praised for its online mode, it was thought to be too derivative of Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated TMNT: Smash Up 7/10, saying it's "a Smash Bros. clone, but it makes you want to play Smash Bros. instead."
Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
also gave it a 7/10, saying the game "has good combat and solid content, but it lacks the refinement and razzle-dazzle to earn a title shot." Fans reacted negatively to the roster, which is significantly smaller than that of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and contains characters only seen in the 2003 cartoon series, while characters from the 1987 series and films were ignored.