The wait is over – The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been added to Injustice 2 as playable guest characters. While the TMNT have had their fair share of video game releases in their 30+ years of existence, this is one of their few guest spots. As a longtime fan of the characters, I can honestly say this is their most entertaining appearance since the days of the Super Nintendo.

Taking visual cues from the comic books as well as the old school cartoon from my childhood, in addition to some customization options being available from the recent movies, they look amazing. With their recent Batman crossovers being their only appearance in DC’s history prior to now, they do feel as if they are a welcome addition to the roster. While other guest characters including Hellboy, Raiden, and Sub Zero have been added to the title, the TMNT feel more at home than the others.

The Turtles are not just palette swaps for a single character either; each turtle is represented and has their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as unique character abilities. Leonardo can call in the other Turtles for team up attacks, Michelangelo can summon his trademark skateboard for a number of attacks, Raphael will build up a devastating combo that can be unleashed, and Donatello uses his brains to throw down a device that has various effects, such as removing the opponent’s ability to jump or perform super movies. While all of the Turtles use a single super that works as a tag team attack similar to Tri Borg’s in the most recent Mortal Kombat entry, as well as a shared special move where they curl into their shell and hurl themselves across the stage, the comparisons stop there. They have their own special abilities and standard moves based on their weapons of choice.

Sadly, selecting your turtle of choice is a bit of a chore, as you’ll need to set up specific load-outs using whichever turtle’s signature weapon prior to loading a game mode. However, modes that do not allow custom characters give you the option to select the specific turtle on the character select screen. This can create a bit of a conundrum for newcomers, as there are only 3 slots available until the TMNT as a whole are leveled to 10, which means one of the four will sit on the sidelines until you reach that level.

The overall presentation of the Turtles is top notch, featuring their trademark smartass comments representing their personalities at the opening of the battle, as well as pre-clashing with your opponent. Additionally, their losing animations are homages to their early entries, featuring them sitting upright with swirling stars, which will transport older players to the days of their Konami game.

If you’re a fan of the Turtles or Injustice 2, there is absolutely nothing that should stop you from purchasing this add-on, or the other characters for that matter, as they have added even more value to a fighter that is a solid package. If you’d like to see my thoughts on the base game, please visit the review here.

10 out of 10

Pros

• Loads of Fan Service
• The Turtles Look Great
• 4 Characters in 1

Cons

• Setup for Each Turtle is a Bit Cumbersome

Injustice 2 was developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. The game launched on PS4 and X1 on May 16th, 2017 for $59.99. The game was purchased by us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of Injustice 2, check out the official site.

 

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