Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus
Four turtles, one health bar, and a galaxy-spanning quest.
In 2004, Konami released this beat 'em up sequel to their earlier TMNT game, drawing from the 2003 animated series. It uses cel-shaded visuals and supports four players. Unlocking the original TMNT arcade game is a bonus feature. The story adapts episodes from the cartoon's second season, including the Feudal Japan arc exploring Oroku Saki's origins, and includes four tournaments of enemy waves.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Konami Computer Entertainment Studios
- Publisher
- Konami
- Director
- Naomi Kaneda
- Designer
- Takayuki Ide; Akihiro Ishihara
- Producer
- Yasushi Kawasaki
- Composer
- Yuichi Tsuchiya; Masanori Akita
- Series
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Released
- October 19, 2004 (NA); November 20, 2004 (PAL) (GBA), PAL, March 11, 2005
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Battle Nexus supports up to four players, unlike the 2003 TMNT game. Each player selects a team consisting of a turtle and an unlockable character that can replace the turtle. Four teams are present; if fewer than four players are playing, one player may select more teams and cycle through them. Each team has specific abilities: Blue Team can attack while dashing and cut through certain obstacles; Red Team can lift and push heavy objects; Orange Team can reflect arrows with their guard; Purple Team can utilize computer consoles. Players share one health bar, so damage to one player reduces health for all. Characters have weak and strong attacks with different combinations. Levels are completed by reaching a designated point, killing all enemies, defeating a boss, surviving until time runs out, or achieving a specific goal. Side goals include collecting artifacts and crystal pieces that increase attack, defense, charge attack, and shuriken throwing abilities.
Plot
The game adapts the second season of the TV series, starting from the first season's finale where the turtles infiltrate the Foot's headquarters to confront the Shredder, getting help from warriors known as the guardians. After defeating Hun and the Shredder, the turtles find their injured master Splinter missing. Their search leads them to the TCRI building, responsible for the ooze that mutated them, and they discover the building is occupied by an alien race called the Utroms. They try to sneak in but are cornered and transported by a warp device to the planet D'Hoonib, ruled by the Federation. There they are caught in a war between the Federation and the Triceratons, both seeking Professor Honeycutt, also known as Fugitoid, who has plans for a teleportation device. The turtles and Fugitoid encounter the mercenary Slashuur, hired by the Triceratons. The Utroms bring them back to Earth, where they reunite with Splinter. The Utroms reveal their history: they were transporting an Utrom criminal who escaped and caused them to crash on Earth a thousand years ago, and their enmity with the Foot clan dates to feudal Japan. After an attack by the Foot led by a still-living Shredder, the turtles help the Utroms and Honeycutt escape to their homeworld and discover Shredder's true identity as the Utrom prisoner.
Reception
According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, the Game Boy Advance and PC versions received mixed reviews, while the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions received generally unfavorable reviews. Test Monkey of GamePro said of the Game Boy Advance version that the incorporation of stealth is the only change worth noting, and other modes are not worth the time. Bones said of the PlayStation 2 version that behind the flashy extras and cool license, the game remains an utterly forgettable example of modern gaming mediocrity.
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