ninja new york

In this teen/kiddie movie, turtles Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello have defeated their nemesis The Shredder. But they face a more serious threat when industrialist Maximillian Winters (Patrick Stewart) summons a band of Ninjas to capture 13 monsters let loose 3,000 years ago when Winters tried to absorb the powers of 13 stars tha

But the invincibility that the stars should have brought him and his brotherhood backfired, as he became immortal and members of his brotherhood become stones. Fast forward to the present, where the story heats up. Leonardo is in the jungles of Central America, where rat sensei Splinter sent him to become a better leader. Raphael becomes a vigilante, Michelangelo is a clown at kiddie parties and Donatello is a listening ear at a call centre.

No longer a family

The turtles are no longer a family and April Oniel (Gellar) tells Leonardo this when she goes to Central America to retrieve the final statue in Winter's brotherhood. But when Winter's brotherhood is revived things take an eventful twist and the turtles are called upon to rescue New York City.

But,before this can happen they must unite, a quest that will prove difficult. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one the youngsters will enjoy and definitely one that TMNT fans will want in their collection. It has a storyline and the usual turtle humour has been thrown in for good measure. Where it falls down is in the final minutes.

The movie has a good build-up but the end is somewhat anti-climactic. One would have expected a much better fight scene at the end as, after all, kiddie/action/super hero flicks generally have brutal final fight scenes (unless Hollywood wants a sequel). But, in the case of TMNT, the end is a bit tame and one suspects that the directors may be in their CG labs drawing up a sequel. Nevertheless, the movie manages to hold its own and so manages to provide enough entertainment for its fans. For those who enjoy a good movie regardless of the genre, the wait continues.

LONG STORY SHORT: It's a blend of technology with real-life drama and action thrown in for good measure. We're just weeks away from the release of Naruto: Path of the Ninja on DS. In the US, at least. The game is out there on October 23rd. There's no confirmed release date for the UK as yet.

You might have already read our preview of the game, where we were quite impressed with the solid party-based battling and puzzle solving on offer.

There are six character to play as in total, all taken from the cartoon TV series: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, Nejo and Rock Lee. As you progress through the game, you can select from the six, choosing the one you think has the best abilities to defeat the current threat. You can also select individual character stances, from aggressive, neutral and defensive.

All of these options, combined with over 90 jutsu for your ninja team to learn, are making Naruto look like one of the most comprehensive games in the series yet.

You can get an idea of how the game's looking by checking out the latest trailer from D3Publisher. It shows a bit of party puzzle solving with a bad surprise at the end: