Cert: 12+
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action

In TMNT: Smash Up you take control of one of a range of characters and beat the hell out of every other character in interactive and inventive arenas. It blatantly copies huge chunks of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, making a few tweaks here and there.

The range of characters itself is decent but since the game is meant to tie in to 25 years of TMNT I'd have liked to see someone from the 80's Cartoon like Bepop, Rocksteady or Krang make an appearance instead of the Rabbids from Rayman.

It takes a little longer than I would've liked to unlock the standard characters so you can actually play multiplayer properly but it makes up for that particular flaw in the variety of characters and arenas. They're inventive and constantly keep you on your toes, the power-ups give an edge to every fight and the arena is always looking for a new way to kill you.

I wasn't a big fan of the missions like "Beat five people in a row using just throws", they're bogged down by the restrictions and the difficulty curve is all over the place. The mini-games are simple and are mercifully short ways to pick up 'continues'.
The graphics are solid for the Wii, but the camera isn't your friend, In larger brawls the camera will zoom out so far you can't see anything and when over half the starting characters are green it gets annoying.

The controls are normally good with a few bugs, the wiimote waving to block some moves is poor and standing up takes just a little too long and breaks the flow of the game, plus you'll sometimes stand-up facing the wrong way only to get knocked down again.

The unlocking grind takes a few hours before I could actually play it properly but for all it's faults this is a game that really grew on me. The control problems are frustrating and you will lose fights because a crocodile ate you but you'll keep coming back just so you can smack Shredder in the face with an ice hockey stick on the back of a whale.

Rent or Buy: Buy
Graphics: 3/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replay Value: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Reviewed By: Tony O'Hare