Smash it up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at their event! In this rock-em, sock-em fightfest, the four super-amphibians are there to mix it up as only they can. The fighters are, of course, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo, as well as Splinter, Shredder and April -- pick your fighter. The TMNTs smack talk their way through the nonstop battles as they show off their ninja stuff. Combine hot gymnastics with extreme weapons, combos and abilities. There are multiple group play modes, but when you're done kicking butt with them, you can enjoy a single-player TMNT Story Mode.

Available: Wii, PS2

Since Konami's kick-shell "Turtles in Time" in the old days of arcade games and Super NES, Fans of the Ninja Turtles have long waited for a genuinely decent and enjoyable offering for any game console. What is the problem, exactly? You have four turtles (for five days in the week), several standard-looking adversaries and a whole lot of weapon-based fighting. It may appear simple, though beyond this amazingly enjoyable game, the most recent TMNT film and a couple more of the tolerable console editions, there really has not been much more than that.

Do you recall the "Tournament Fighters" game for Genesis and Super NES? Are you able to remember it's "love it or hate it" nature that separated the Ninja Turtles fans into two groups? This is the sort of impression I've gotten after having my first hands-on experience with playing the "TMNT Smash-Up" game for Nintendo Wii. Former fans of Nintendo. and devout Turtles fans will enjoy playing this game. However, if you think you're going to get a full-blown Smash Bros. duplicate, you may find yourself reverting to Nintendo's former contribution after engaging in several rounds of TMNT.

So long as you forget the idea that this is a full-blown Smash Bros. duplicate. Smash-out attacks are not used in this game, and life bars replace percentage-based injury; however, there still are many resemblances. To begin with, you have the basic assault with using the "A" button and the heavy assault with the "B" button to use in combat.

From every angle imaginable, each degree is connected to various attacks; the "A" assault will cause your character to inflict smaller, more frequent hits and combos while "B" enables the user to employ greater, more long-winded attacks to give you better results. By double-tapping, you are able to sprint, attack while sprinting, roll, dodge and even block or avoid attacks. By blocking excessively, you will find yourself in a more susceptible condition; thus, as it is with Smash Bros., the game is centered on placement and avoidance, just as with everything else.

When it comes to the turtle characters, each one in TMNT Smash-Up works differently (just like Tournament Fighters) and utilizes distinct combo attacks. This fact is also true for the E3 various playable characters, such as Splinter (more sprightly than Shred-head, though scrawnier), Shredder (incredibly sluggish, yet formidable) and April, the ninja-like combatant (quick with her shots and of proper range). Mike, Leo, Raphael and Don also possess their own traits; along with tangible combos for each combatant, this game is more centered on learning several chief fighters that you like using - and remaining faithful to them.

For the players who want to pick up on the complexities of every character, there is so much more depth in this game than there is in Smash Bros. One simply cannot take any unplanned choice of character, check into their B, up-B and down-B actions, and have them mastered. There is so much more in Smash Bros. including a large selection of special assault tactics and secret combos that resemble the gameplay in DOA or Tekken. Also, you have the dodges and grabs for halting the influence of turtle players (blocking turtles, not the green guys) and spammers, in turn.

Several arenas are provided in the game such as the rooftop, sewers, jungle and dojo level. The dojo itself was relatively simple, while the NYC rooftops comprised of some places for collapsing (pit of death), leaping from wall-to-wall and a swinging bar for performing particular stunt assaults on enemies. The jungle and sewer settings both employed a huge crocodile that leaps from beneath the water at your screen to catch players at ground level, though each one also wields its own special characteristics.

In TMNT Smash-Up the jungle arena, hovering platforms are able to be brought down with attacks, thus causing the lower level to be the only place for fighting while the sewer comprises of a classic "flowing water" mediator. By working against it, you go much slower; if you go with the flow, you work faster.

The sewer arena also boasts an excellent introductory space, forcing all fighters to battle inside of an undersized tunnel. One minute into gameplay brings a hatch on the left side of the screen to open up, shooting out a massive flood of water towards all the combatants and forcing them into the focal fighting region. Seeing everyone getting creamed all at once is really amazing, and it is one of the best level changeovers in fighting games I've seen in a while.

The life meter does provide you with more head-on fighting and less of the whole crazy "am I alive or dead?" moments, although this game also stresses more importance on character conditioning and combo attacks. Having such a sleek and strong blend of animation, along with a suitable extent of fan service, this game appears it will be one the most popular pick amongst TMNT fans.

Finally, for those of you who have heard the rumors of Fugitoid being a playable character in the Smash-Up game, it is true. That makes for an amazing addition to the game. All we need now is Usagi Yojimbo!

If you crave an entertaining, fun, rock-em, sock-em game,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up will make a fantastic addition to your collection.

I'd like to know your thoughts, so after you check it out, stop by and leave me a comment.

Enjoy!