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The Scratch Cast Podcast - Episode 13 “Grant Gets Tongued”

The Scratch Cast - Episode 13

“Grant Gets Tongued”

29th December 2020

We recorded this back in November but due to other commitments and technical difficulties, it took longer than usual to get it out. But enough excuses, a new episode of The Scratch Cast is here!

On our singles swap this month we’re discussing “Manhattan Skyline” and “Ain’t No Man With Money” from former Norwegian black metaller Ihsahn and folky-blues artist Van Tastik respectively.

On “submission corner” we tackle “Jigsaw” by Edinburgh singer-songwriter Jack Hinks and “All The World 4 Him” by London’s indie acoustic duo Radiant Heart. If you’ve got something you want us to hear and potentially review then make sure you hit us up at theheadscratcher@outlook.com.

We also review albums from Nova Scotia’s alt-country songstress Norma Macdonald, California’s alt-rock weirdos Eels, English folktronica legends Tunng and New York’s punk rockers I Am The Avalanche.

Sit back, relax and listen as “Grant Gets Tongued”.

https://lnkd.in/dBQKefV

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 12: “Indefatigable Defenders of Good Taste”

The Scratch Cast - Episode 12

“Indefatigable Defenders of Good Taste”

11th November 2020

It feels like ages since we posted an episode but Episode 12 of The Scratch Cast is finally here for your aural delight!

On our singles swap this month we’re discussing the singles “Endarkenment” and “England’s Ending” from British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh and antagonistic grime-punk duo Bob Vylan respectively.

On “submission corner” we tackle “Cellophane” by Leith-based alternative rockers Salt and “Placebo” by Bristol’s modern nu metallers NO:IR. If you’ve got something you want us to hear and potentially review then make sure you hit us up via email at theheadscratcher@outlook.com.

On top of all that we review albums from Ayrshire’s very own genre-spanning three-piece Voldo, Poland’s gloomy, industrial doom merchants Give Up To Failure, Ireland’s indie rock songstresses Pillow Queens and finally Bristol’s divisive post-punk-a-saurus IDLES.

Sit back, relax and listen to the “Indefatigable Defenders of Good Taste”.

https://lnkd.in/dmgguJJ

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 11: “Atomic Kitten Vibes”

The Scratch Cast - Episode 11

“Atomic Kitten Vibes”

26th September 2020

Episode 11 of The Scratch Cast is finally here! On this month’s episode, we discuss last month’s “singles swap�� - “Feeling Fine” by DREGG and “Grey and Blue” by Kestrels.

Our picks for the next episode are “Endarkenment” by Anaal Nathrakh and “England’s Ending” by Bob Vylan.

On “submission corner” we discuss “Lights” by Penny Betts and “Insomnia” by Odd Tsar. If you want us to review your music then hit us up via the contact page, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or via email at theheadscratcher@outlook.com.

And as if that wasn’t enough we also review the self-titled album from Coriky, “Sex, Death and the Infinite Void” by Creeper, “Have You Lost Your Mind yet?” by Fantastic Negrito and finally “Hope Rituals” by Waco.

Sit back and enjoy some “Atomic Kitten VIbes”.

https://lnkd.in/dWcUMVh

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 10: “A Lovely Bit of Wank”

The Scratch Cast - Episode 10

“A Lovely Bit of Wank”

9th August 2020

Episode 10 of The Scratch Cast is finally here and to celebrate reaching this auspicious milestone we’ve added a new feature “submission corner” where you can submit your music direct to us for review on the podcast. Hit us up via the contact page, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or via email at theheadscratcher@outlook.com.

On this exciting episode, we discuss last month’s “singles swap” - “Oceans” by Peter Bibby and “Broadcaster” by Squid.

On the inaugural “submission corner”, we discuss “Into The Abyss” by UsualSuspex and “It Don’t Bring Me Down” by The Moonlands.

This month we also review “Self Surgery” from Mrs Piss (featuring “Chelsea Woof”), “Call In The Crash Team” an incredible spoken word / ambient collaboration by LYR, “Royal Swan” the debut album from the wonderfully weird Phoxjaw and the “5 Songs EP”, the second EP from indie punk band DITZ containing, yep you guessed it, five songs.

Sit back and enjoy “A Lovely Bit of Wank”.

https://lnkd.in/dazSz5U

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 09: “All Bases Covered”

The Scratch Cast - Episode 09

“All Bases Covered”

5th July 2020

Episode 08 was a bit of a disaster but for Episode 09 of The Scratch Cast we had all bases covered and we’ve managed to capture audio and video seamlessly, well as seamlessly as Skype will allow…

On this exciting episode, we discuss the singles “Sand” by Belgian shoegaze punks Brutus and “Martin” by indie outfit Carseat Headrest and we put forward our single swaps for the next episode: “Oceans” by Australian alt. rocker Peter Bibby (a name that Snedds can’t say without laughing) and “Broadcaster” by the hype machine’s next big thing: Squid.

We also review the eponymous debut album from Empty Country, “Couldn’t Give A Rats”, the debut album from Dublin’s The Scratch, “Ronin”, the latest offering from Californian hardcore punks Rotting Out, and a unique compilation project in the form of “Sounds Like Van Spirit: A Collection of Europe’s Pavement Melodies”.

Sit back and enjoy “The Alternative Pop Culture Podcast”.

https://lnkd.in/dqkgqZU

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 08: “Scotland’s Greatest Podcast”

The Scratch Cast - Episode 08

“Scotland’s Greatest Podcast”

17th May 2020

This episode is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster. Due to the lockdown, we had to record it via skype (which we did way back in April) and unfortunately, the majority of Snedds’ audio turned out to be awful.

So… 90% of those parts were re-recorded and edited back in with Grant’s audio (which wasn’t too bad). This process took bloody ages!

On this episode, we discuss the singles “I Only Drink When I’m Drunk” by BC Camplight and “Annabelle” by Creeper and put forward our single swaps for the next episode: “Sand” by Belgian shoegaze punks Brutus and “Martin” by indie rock outfit Carseat Headrest.

We also review The Big Moon’s sophomore album “Walking Like We Do”, the “Common Sense” EP from Scratch Cast favourites Viagra Boys, “Underneath” the fourth studio album from the genre-bending Code Orange and “Everything is A-OK” the oh so nostalgic fifth album from Australian alt. rockers Violent Soho.

Sit back and enjoy “Scotland’s Greatest Podcast”.

https://lnkd.in/eT3CDds

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 07: “Quintent”

The Scratch Cast - Episode 07

“Quintent”

13th March 2020

After last month’s distraction of Our Top 20 Albums of All Time, we’re back to our usual schedule of reviewing (relatively) new music.

This time around we discuss the singles “Underneath” and “Your Light” by Code Orange and The Big Moon and we put forward our swaps for the next episode: “I Only Drink When I’m Drunk” by BC Camplight and “Annabelle” by Creeper.

We also review Pumarosa’s 2019 album “Devastation”, the recent “Junk Food EP” from Easy Life and new albums from Higher Power, Bombay Bicycle Club and Spanish Love Songs.

https://lnkd.in/eXgHH7D

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 06: "Our Top 20 Albums of All Time - Part Two: 10-1"

The Scratch Cast - Episode 06

"Our Top 20 Albums of All Time - Part Two: 10-1"

4th February 2020

Part two of our special episode where Grant and Snedds count down their Top 20 albums of all time. In this episode, we count down numbers 10 through 1.

Make sure you check some of them out and let us know your own favourites.

Don’t forget to check out Part One if you missed it.

https://lnkd.in/erB9R8F

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 05: "Our Top 20 Albums of All Time - Part One: 20-11"

The Scratch Cast - Episode 05

"Our Top 20 Albums of All Time - Part One: 20-11"

6th February 2020

A special episode where Grant and Snedds count down each of their top 20 favourite albums of all time. We had to split this into two parts as it was a bit of an epic undertaking, recorded in a mammoth 5-hour session.

In part one we count down numbers 20 through 11, Part Two will be available soon.

https://lnkd.in/e8QKu4B

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 04: "Wishing People Merriness"

The Scratch Cast - Episode 04

"Wishing People Merriness"

23rd December 2019

We’re a little late with Episode 04 of The Scratch Cast but it’s finally here for your listening pleasure.

On this episode, we do a quick re-cap of Yammerer’s EP since Grant didn’t listen to the whole thing last time and Snedds kept getting the name of the EP wrong…true professionals.

We also review “Shlagenheim”, the debut album from avant-garde prog-rockers “Black Midi” (a band we’d both decided were shit without giving them a proper chance), “Alter Nature”, the third album from sci-fi hardcore outfit “Bats”, “Critical Method”, the debut album from Belgian noise makers “Stake” (or the fifth album from “Stake Number Eight”, depending on how you look at it) and finally “Ghosteen”, the seventeenth album from “Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds”.

Give it a listen below and let us know your favourite albums.

https://lnkd.in/eY6W_Nd

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 03: "I Don’t Know What To Say"

The Scratch Cast - Episode 03

"I Don’t Know What To Say"

15th November 2019

Welcome one and all to Episode 03 of The Scratch Cast where the dynamic duo discusses EPs from Girl in Red and Yammerer, albums from Fontaines DC, Viagra Boys, Amyl and The Sniffers and Microwave, and generally have a good old chinwag about music.

Audio clips are featured as a taster only and remain the property of the individual artists.

At nearly 2 hours this is our longest podcast yet. Enjoy.

https://lnkd.in/ePiniRf

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast - Episode 02: "The Black Edition"

The Scratch Cast - Episode 02

"The Black Edition"

13th October 2019

Episode 02 of The Scratch Cast is finally here.

Snedds and Grant are back, this time talking only about albums from 2019 with a black theme. It’s a diverse collection of albums from Pixies, Black Futures, Black Mountain, Weezer and Black Dresses.

Audio clips are featured as a taster only and remain the property of the individual artists.

https://lnkd.in/e9P_XRU

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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The Scratch Cast Podcast - Episode 01: "A Solid 5/10"

The Scratch Cast - Episode 01

"A Solid 5/10"

15th September 2019

The Head Scratcher is two years old this month so to celebrate we’re launching a new podcast: The Scratch Cast.

There will be at least one episode per month covering alternative music and hopefully, in the future, we’ll expand to cover film, TV, gaming and more.

In the first episode, Snedds and Grant discuss the latest albums from Dinosaur Pile-Up, Jamie Lenman, Gender Roles and Press Club.

https://lnkd.in/e4fD7bg

#podcast #music #podcasts #entertainment #musicindustry #podcasting #thescratchcast #theheadscratcher #alternativemusic #musicreviews #musiccommentary

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Movie Review: The Art Of Self Defense (2019)

Movie Review: The Art Of Self Defense (2019)

The Art of Self Defense is a black comedy I saw while attending the Edinburgh International Film Festival back in June of this year. Due to a fairly uninspiring premise, Jesse Eisenberg learns Karate, I nearly didn’t bother with it at all, but sometimes, it pays to take a chance, and to my surprise, The Art of Self Defense turned out to be one of the best films I saw at this year's festival.

My simple explanation of the film’s premise, whilst accurate, doesn’t give it the justice it deserves; so lets flesh it out a little. Jesse Eisenberg, whom I once heard described as a poor man’s Michael Cera (harsh?), plays Casey Davies, a timid accountant living in a sleepy American town. He doesn’t fit in with his alpha male work colleagues and seemingly has no friends other than his beloved dachshund and over-friendly boss. We watch him during a typical day as his dull and embarrassing everyday life plays out, learning of his love of France and his hope to one day travel there, before following him on a routine evening trip to the grocery store to pick up dog food. Unfortunately for Casey, on his way home, he’s followed, chased down and brutally assaulted by a motorcycle gang which leaves him physically and emotionally scarred.

Following the assault, he takes some time off from work and stumbles upon a self-defence class led by a charismatic sensei played by Alessandro Nivola. During his extended work sabbatical, Casey is trained by Sensei in Karate but most importantly he’s taught how to be a “real” man. Forget learning French, that’s for pussies - German is a proper man’s language. What about music? Extreme Metal or nothing. Pets? A German Shepherd of course. Throughout the training Sensei teaches Casey to stand up for himself, believe in himself and assert his dominance over others and eventually, he is invited to attend the coveted “night class” where the story takes a darker turn…

Eisenberg, with his solid track record of playing awkward dorks (Zombieland) and confident nerds (The Social Network), is excellent in his role as the weedy introvert transitioning into an assertive dominant male. Nivola as the toxically masculine Sensei steals the show, however, putting in a terrifically over the top yet straight-faced performance. I was also delighted to discover that his filmography includes Pollux Troy in Face/Off - one of the greatest action films of all time. Unfortunately, he also played Billy Brennan in Jurassic Park III...enough said.

There’s also a solid supporting cast: Casey’s bro colleagues are memorable douchebags, there’s a colourful cast of eager black belt hopefuls and you can’t help but feel sorry for Casey’s overly accommodating boss. Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) stands out in particular as Anna, the only female trainee, bitter that her progress through the ranks has stalled, and David Zellner puts in a memorable performance as Henry, Casey’s first friend at the dojo, eager for a chance to join the mysterious “night class”.

The Art of Self Defense is a very funny film poking fun at the most ridiculous aspects of masculinity and what it supposedly means to be a man. There are ludicrous scenes, for example, where Casey “invents” a casual coloured belt that can be worn at any time so members of the dojo can always wear their colours. You know, a black belt you can wear any time you want… This ridiculousness is ramped up by the straight-faced performances of the entire cast. The characters all take themselves way too seriously in spite of what’s happening or what’s said on screen and it’s a big part of why the film succeeds where a zanier alternative take might have failed.

It’s not all hilarity, though. There are plenty of extreme twists and turns that keep things engaging with the film taking an especially dark turn through the second and third acts. There are some incredibly bleak scenes - one, in particular, will be too much for some - and several serious beatings both in and out of the dojo. They’re very graphic and, if you’ll forgive the pun, don’t pull any punches.

Overall it’s an intense ride that’s equally as uncomfortable and distressing as it is fun and hilarious and as a result, The Art of Self Defense has considerably more depth than you’d expect from just a “Jesse Eisenberg learns Karate” film. Oh, and there’s nothing quite like sitting in a cinema where an unsuspecting audience is forced to listen to bursts of Full of Hell. A future cult classic.

Currently, there is no UK release date for The Art of Self Defence, which is a real shame, but perhaps also a blessing. Films that aren’t based on a Marvel / Disney property or don’t feature scary dolls or clowns, typically bomb in theatres. Keep a close eye on streaming services for this one.

Peace.

[the-head-scratcher]

Game Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Out Of The Shadows (2013)

Introduction - dive into this sewer, familiar or not!

Welcome to New York, a place where four legendary heroes call home. No, not the Fantastic 4. They dwell deep within the sewers. Hidden in secret. Shadows to the outside world. Trained as ninjas in martial arts from childhood. Still not with me? Ok, simply put, they're four oversized teenage turtles raised by a giant rat. Together they battle their ultimate nemesis, Shredder, and his ever-loyal Foot-clan, who try to rule the city with a steel grip. Still with me? Tubular!

Now let's drop through the manhole, into the sewer and see what’s what…

Overview - plenty of pizza toppings! 

TMNT: Out of The Shadows (not to be confused with the Michael Bay movie abomination of the same name) is based on the 2012 Nickelodeon show, a CGI cartoon based on the original comic book stories created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird way back in 1984.

The game was released on 28th August 2013 by Red Fly Studios and features a hack and slash gameplay style like the Batman Arkham series of games.

It was available on Steam, Xbox 360 and PS3 but is no longer available digitally due to Activision not renewing the licence back in 2017. It is possible to find PC copies via the internet so there’s still some hope if you're interested.

The game has the following features:

Story - an adventure over four chapters.

Survival - fight and survive rounds of enemies until all four Turtles are defeated

Battle - choose your Turtle and battle foes in a four-round match

Arcade Mode - side-scrolling beat-em-up style mode for up to four players

Dojo - a training area to learn all the moves

Donnie's Workshop - unlock special weapons for each character

True Ninja Mode - attack indicators are turned off (for the true Ninja Turtle only!)

On release, you could play online with four players and two-player split-screen but these modes are a bit unpolished, to put it mildly. Multiplayer matches are very rare nowadays.

 Story - pretty standard but a nice distraction.

Taking a stroll around town, our testudinate heroes: Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello, spot a group of thugs known as the Purple Dragons stealing some serious tech. But to what end? Of course, the Turtles investigate and inevitably the Foot clan and Shredder are involved.  

In general, it's a story about some dudes who are up to no good, which becomes more than first meets the eye, leading to a final showdown with a familiar villain.

It's straight forward but you'll get a few hours of enjoyment from it and the humour is quite fun. There are some great one-liners from Mikey which will raise a smirk or two for the die-hard fans but may irritate others.

There are also plenty of collectables to be found which may see you coming back from time to time.

Replayability - where’s it at?

Whilst the story won't keep you coming back too often, the Battle & Survival modes are where it's at for replay value.

Completing objectives grants you points to spend on the Turtles and how you use those points affects how each character plays. Your choices can't be undone so choose wisely!  

I've played through these modes countless times to find the skill set I prefer for each character but there could be more depth of customisation for each Turtle.

 Graphics - better on PC (once adjusted), but on consoles, you’re out of luck.

In general, the subtle background touches to the scenery, buildings and the weather effects create a satisfying version of the Turtles' New York. I found myself stopping now and again to admire the detail on the buildings and to look down at the busy city below whilst jumping across the rooftops.

If like me, you love taking screenshots of the action, you'll get some cracking ones, believe me (I took all the shots shown in this review)!

The lighting can be a bit too bright so you'll probably find yourself dropping the brightness down to get that more mysterious ninja feel.

The Turtles look more like the original 1990 film than they do their 2012 versions which is a nice choice in my opinion. The animation detail is great, with different styles of movement for each character and the way they navigate their surroundings and engage in combat is well executed and their fighting styles are impressive to look at. The first time you see Mikey doing taunt dancing while talking about his first nunchuck related black eye is also highly amusing.

There are limited customisation options but on PC at least you can go into the config file to remove the awful motion blur, which I did. I hate when games apply this effect as it often destroys the experience. Cranking up the anti-aliasing doesn't hurt either. Sadly consoles don't get that option - bummer!

Voice acting/characters - pretty good but beware the Kari!

I don't recognise who any of the voice actors are but I thought they were all pretty good and the Turtles all fit their personalities, even if the jokes begin to wear thin after a while.

Shredder sounds gruff and not too silly like the old ‘90s cartoon and when he mocks you it actually gives you the drive to beat his ass.

Splinter's voice was interesting but not quite as satisfying as I'd hoped - the original voice actor of Kevin Clash would have made for a nice treat.

The Foot soldiers are all mostly silent ninjas but it's funny when they try to sound tough and the same goes for the Purple Dragons - did these guys all train at the same place as the Batman games’ thugs did?

 My only gripes, in particular, are April and Kari. I just didn't care for April's character in the entire story and she could easily have been removed from the story without making any difference. Kari’s repeated "come find me Turtles, dance Turtles" taunt as she darts around dropping smoke bombs is a steady incline of annoyance to the point you'll crack and be like "let's just kick the bejesus out of her to keep her quiet!".

 Gameplay - this Arkham City clone needs some polish…

The main fighting mechanic is quite similar to the Batman Arkham series. There's a block meter for parrying attacks and a special bar that lets you unleash some awesome attacking power. Each Turtle fights differently and has their own specific perks and you'll soon have your own favourite.

On console, the frame rate maxes out at 30 fps which can affect the fluidity of fights but this increases to 60 fps on PC, a big improvement.

Whilst navigation in the game is somewhat open, there is still typically a set route which makes the game fairly linear.

 The option to sneak around and stealth KO a foe or run in and administer a fatal dose of Turtle Power is a nice touch during the campaign but in other situations, you have no option but to stand and fight.

 The first chapter of the story mode works as an on the fly training session to learn attacks, countering and the gnarly jumps and flips - you can practice more in the Dojo.

As far as the controls themselves go, the combination of keyboard and mouse is horrendous as the keys are so far apart. Thankfully you can connect up your favourite gamepad (I used my Xbox 360 controller) so it’s the same layout as console and easy to catch on.

The controller at times feels a bit delayed and if your inputs are too fast during combat your character may start doing random things like attacking an enemy then attacking thin air in the wrong direction. Sometimes trying to use your special will end up in it happening twice, ending your combo and suffering a blow from an enemy - shell shock!

 AI - unfair enemies, glitched brothers, weird camera - consider it Shredded!

*facepalm and sigh* Alright, my biggest gripe about the whole game, is the AI. Red Fly have laid the basic groundwork but there are issues like only being able to counter two enemies at a time and being completely open to attack while the animation plays out so a loose enemy can leave you on your butt. Enraged.

Sure there’s colour coding to show imminent attacks but that doesn't stop the game from disrupting your experience by ignoring your commands at the most inappropriate of times. I want to quick evade! No! Controller! Don't make Leo jump sideways into that thug's club… dammit!!!

At other times your brothers in green will just stand motionless after you switch between them quickly. In an intense battle, uppercutting a guy into the air, switching to Raph and smashing them to the ground just to see the previous Turtle taking a pummeling and not defending himself is seriously frustrating! You're just like, what the hell dude? Counter! You have to quickly switch back just to rescue his stupid ass from a beating.

Camera control can be quite wonky but from what I’ve played, most of the time it stays with the action, and believe me, I’ve played this game to death. On rare occasion, when executing a complex array of moves, the camera will jump completely off-screen to an empty void then suddenly snap back to the battle. I've only had this happen a few times but it’s jarring and you'll be panicking about getting hit.

Teamwork - when the AI works it can be radical.

Even though the AI enrages me, there are times with your Turtle brethren where they actually do come to your aid and aren't completely stupid. Sometimes they will even ask for a "little help!?" when holding an enemy at bay, a Krang for example, and you can join them for a tandem attack on the comedy mascot!

When you want to use a stealthier approach, they will listen to commands, so you can ask them to wait until it’s safe to proceed or get them to take out a foot soldier while you tackle the other. Knowing that the second the guy sees your green, baldy face, your bros are busy sending him for a snooze is quite. The stealth AI seems a little smarter which is a nice surprise and it seems Red Fly did a good job here.

 Nice tributes give a little nostalgia.

The game contains some nice Easter eggs. You can unlock the red bandanas, there's a classic black and white mode, tributes to the original 1984 turtles and Eastman and Laird's pictures are hanging in a pizzeria in the first chapter. Even some of the conversations the Turtles have pay tribute to their TV show and voice actors in a funny, knowing wink to fans. Loading screen tips often have references to things like "second time around" the shop where April lived in the comics and the 1990 movie. True fans will pick up on many of these details.

 Pros - pizza delivery!!

The combat is decent, the Turtles look and act as they should, the weapons for each Turtle are upgradeable, the skill advancement system is good, visually the game looks beautiful and the story mode is fun to battle through.

The physics are great, you can knock weapons away from foes and there is a good variety of enemies with different difficulty levels. The maps are challenging, there's the Dojo to hone your abilities and the True Ninja mode to really put your skills to the test. Arcade mode is a fun local multiplayer option to compete with your friends.

 Cons - you’ve been Shell-Shocked!!

The AI is lousy for both the Turtles and the enemies and needs work to improve the combat overall.

The motion blur and weird camera angles are disappointing and some of the dialogue is repeated ad nauseam.

Split-screen and online multiplayer is a nightmare and needs more testing and work done.

 Room for improvement?

Some TLC and more time spent on testing would have helped the end result. They could have been more ambitious too but back in 2013 where GTA and other more popular titles were ruling the market, I can see why they played it safe.

Changing the game to be a bit more open world with the ability to go underground or run around the rooftops more (think Batman / Spiderman on PS4) would have boosted playability tenfold and added the option for side quests (stopping crimes in the shadows for example).

As long as they don't make the same mistakes Platinum Games did with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan" - check it out - it’s one of the worst open-world/action games I have ever come across. It makes my eyes bleed.

 Final verdict - heroes or zeros in a half-shell?

Despite all its flaws and glitches and the frustration it leaves me with, I still have a lot of LOVE for this game. I'd say if you can get a copy, like, I mean anywhere, then you should give it a shot.

As a big TMNT fan, I highly recommend Out of the Shadows. There's loads of replayability in the battle mode and it even made me better at games like Arkham City - I know I've compared them a lot but they are similar in how they feel and play.

There are some major letdowns and it had the potential to be so much more, but I still keep coming back to this game over and over again and in all fairness, there isn't another TMNT game that fits the bill in terms of combat.

For Turtle fans, I’d give this a solid 8 out of 10 but for non-fans maybe a 7 is more appropriate as some of the shortcomings are frustrating. Give it a shot, though, and maybe you can forgive those flaws as much as I did, make it through to the final battle and give Shredder the Ninja Bro Shellbuster!

So, I'd say that's a wrap…Cowabunga?! Too cliched? Nah.

COWABUNGA!!!!!

Big thanks to James for writing this review. He’s an old best friend who does a bit of gaming and comedy. This is his first review and hopefully he’ll continue with some more: Oddworld New and Tasty perhaps?. His other work is the BCP podcast, youtube gameplay videos and cosplay, photoshoots and charity work at comic conventions under the name of the Spider of Moray. Links to all his other stuff are in this bio here.

[the-head-scratcher]

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