Solid fighting fun
Those lovably violent cartoon ninja turtles have featured in many games over the years in a variety of styles, including scrolling beat 'em ups and platform adventures and of varying quality. Tournament Fighters keeps things simple and throws the heroes in a half shell into a genre which suits them well, the one-on-one fighter, and fortunately manages to do them some justice. This will be familiar to anyone who has played Street Fighter 2 or similar games, and basically consists of a series of bouts where players must knock the living daylights out of their opponent using a variety of kicks, punches, throws and special moves. the first to win two out of three rounds is declared the victor. Of course, a number of characters are available to play as, each with their own unique moves and skills and which present their own challenges when facing off against them. As comic based fighters go, this one isn't bad. The characters are nicely varied, with distinct play styles, and it takes some practice to master them all, which will keep players coming back for a while. The visuals are quite pleasing, with chunky and well animated sprites which capture the likeness of the comic characters well, and with environments packed with background detail. Eveything moves around at a fair old pace too, while the special moves available are fun and require some skill to pull off. While Tournament Fighters lacks the depth and complexity of the best of the genre, for Ninja Turtle and comic book fans, this is a solid piece of entertainment.
