From: shihtape@aludra.usc.edu (Shih-ta Peng)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Ninja Turtles : The Hyperstone Heist [Genesis/Mini Review]
Date: 18 Dec 1992 04:23:28 -0800
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu
Keywords: Genesis, Ninja Turtles


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist is the first Konami game
for the Sega Genesis. Frankly, I was very pleasantly surprise. The game is
basically your average move to the right and kill everything platform game.
In fact, this version feels like all the other Ninja Turtle titles in the 
arcade or on the SNES. In retrospect, the game felt a lot like Turtles in
Time. But, all in all, this is at least as good, if not better than Turtle
in Time for the SNES. 
 
Two player simultaneous is allowed. You can choose from the 4 turtles as your
on screen alter ego. Each has his own strengths and weaknesses. Some are faster
while others have better reach in their attack. Although the attack techniques
are different the approach to killing the baddies is still the same.

Graphics: Graphically speaking the game is top notch. The turtles are very well
drawn and very well animated. They have various expressions on different moves
and their reactions to hits are very interesting. Multilayered scrolling is used
in some levels. The pallete of color was very well chosen. The graphic is very
bright and lively. A lot attention to detail is what makes the over all look
of the game very good. I thought it looked better than the SNES turtles.

Sound: The sound is ok. It has digitized voices. But, unfortunately, like most
of the digitized sound for the Genesis there is a lot of noise. The music
is not bad but not great either.

Gameplay: The game play is very good. It feels just like an arcade game. The 
control is very responsive and the movements are crisp. The enemies are varied
and each has his own attack method. The levels are fairly long and there is
always things to do. There are so pizzas and explosives along to way to help
you through your quest. If your looking for a creative or new game play then
Turtle isn't your cup of soup. But if platform hack and slash is what you want
then this is a worthy contender. 

Difficulty: Like the SNES version of turtles, this is where the game suffers
a little. Granted I haven't finished the game, but so far it is not hard,
at least not at the normal level. It is definitely a great game for kids. 
In the one player mode (the only one I played with) you must start over from
the beginning of a stage of the current level if you run out of men/turtles.
This makes the game a little harder. But, a lot traps, once memorized, should
be very easy.

Overall: A very fine effort from Konami. The graphics is sharp. The sound is
not bad. The gameplay, although not terribly different, is very well done.
It is a must buy for those who have kids, especially if they're into TMNT.
It was enough to convince me that the Genesis is still a very capable machine.
In fact, I would probably recommend this game over the SNES Turtle in Time
for those who have both systems.

Score:

Graphics: 9 
Sound:    7
Gameplay: 8
Overall:  8

Shih-ta

********
There is hope for the Genesis after all

Sonic II, Streets of Rage II, World of Illusion, Road Rash II, Ninja Turtles
T2: The Arcade game

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've wanted more games for
my Genesis than my SNES.
Newsgroups: rec.games.video