TMNT: Out of the Shadows introduces its fearless leader

Leonardo is the field leader of the team and a master of the katana.

The oldest brother, Leonardo is the leader of the four Turtles – an accomplished tactician possessing a discipline and focus as sharp as his blades. His selfless sense of responsibility for the family sometimes puts him at odds with the headstrong Raphael, who too often only thinks of himself.

With a katana in each hand, Leo is the most well-rounded fighter in the Turtle roster, balanced by an unwavering dedication to his training. He is without a standout strength or glaring weakness, defined by a general aptitude for speed, reach, damage, and reactiveness, making him the easiest for novice players to pick up and play.

For his unique weapon upgrade, Leo joins his twin katanas together at the hilt, forming a twisting Blade Staff.

Activision and Red Fly Studio look like they’re putting together quite the Ninja Turtle title here with Out of the Shadows. Classic characters going way back to their super-violent and black & white hewed indie days, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been through a massive number of reboots over the last decade or so and their gaming careers have really fallen on hard times.

The excellent side-scrollers and arcade action titles of yesterday have given way to a so-so field of 3D beat ’em ups that really haven’t delivered to fans. That might be a story that’s changing though since Red Fly Studio’s TMNT: Out of the Shadows has some serious good looks and feels like a great mix of the ’80s/’90s cartoon series (that pretty much everybody loved) and the harder edged conics.

You can expect to see TMNT: Out of the Shadows appearing on Xbox Live, the PSN and the PC in late Summer (the Xbox version will be a part of the annual Summer of Arcade promotion). If you’re itching for some turtley goodness right now though, you can hop onto Xbox Live and snag yourself a picture pack featuring the fab four and the villainous Shredder for the sum total of 80 MS points.