This was really the first and only TMNT scrolling fighter that came out (TMNT Tournament Fighters was a beat-'em-up game) for the Sega Genesis. Shredder is once again the main bad guy and has used the hyperstone to shrink the statue of Liberty and other important New York buildings. Control a turtle and fight against the spate of Rock & Foot soldiers along with spikes & laser rays in you’re way. Overall, the game had a few similarities to their SNES counterpart “Turtles In Time”.
Levels: Scene 1: New York City Boss: Leatherhead
Scene 2: A Mysterious Ghost Ship Boss: Rocksteady(No Bebop?)
Scene 3: Shredder’s Hideout Boss: Tatsu
Scene 4: The Gauntlet Bosses: Leatherhead, Rocksteady, Tatsu & Baxter Stockman
Scene 5: The Final Shell Shock Bosses: Krang and Super Shredder
GRAPHICS: The visuals are especially bright and colourful for a Sega Genesis game, particularly the characters and enemies. The Foot soldiers come in different colours referring to the type of weapons they’re using. Although, some backgrounds like the cave are pretty dull-looking. The opening and ending movie sequences look very cute, but little animation. Rocksteady’s look is a bit inaccurate, but that’s just a small inconsistency. Overall, very good graphics considering it’s a Sega Genesis game. GRAPHICS: 4/5
GAMEPLAY: It’s decent, but there’s a few niggles. The weapon shots are fine, but there’s 3 various different jumping kicks a turtle can do, which is a fact you may not find out for a while. Press the button quickly after jumping and he performs a kick that slows down in mid-air, and just makes you more prone to the enemy attacks. Also, the double button attack involves each turtle’s unique move, however, you lose some life if you hit an enemy with this move. Its rather in the way if you use it even a few times, and could cause you to lose a continue and start back at the beginning of the level. Bearable, but controls could’ve been better. GAMEPLAY: 3/5
SOUND: Not the best. Well, the Sega Genesis wasn’t known for it’s “state-of-the-art” 16-bit sound. There’s the crackling speech of the turtle’s “cowabunga” but that’s all there is of speech. Strong sounds though, including picking up the pizza and hitting sounds. The Foot soldiers getting eliminated just has that deep thud. Hardly sounds like they are spontaneously exploding. SOUND: 3/5
MUSIC: All of the tunes are good, most above average. One area these games don’t fail on. Best tunes are the “Shredder’s Hideout” level, an nice array of Japanese themed music, the boss music, fast and furious, “ The Gauntlet” level’s and the last level which leads to the Krang boss. Super Shredder’s music is mystical & wondrous whereas all the other bosses have the same theme apart from him. Some music can also be heard on TMNT IV on SNES. There’s also one tune used in the cartoon, in the opening movie sequence. MUSIC: 4/5
LONGEVITY: As usual for this type of game, not much. It’s easy to complete once you know the right techniques to beat the bosses. LONGEVITY: 2/5
OVERALL: Decent game but has been done better. A slight fault with the controls, bright colourful graphics, some absorbing music. Now I don’t know if this Genesis game copied some of the SNES “Turtles In Time” levels & music or vice versa, but would’ve been better if it was completely original. Worth the play, shouldn’t take you long to complete on easy mode. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE HYPERSTONE HEIST(SEGA GENESIS) GETS A: 3/5 RATING.
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