It's so nice when companies get it right. When they seem to wear that mask just right and tell you that they understand, every once in a while it's nice that their lies actually make something valid. Putting together a Konami collection of Ninja Turtle games was a definite step in the right direction. This is right up there with the Capcom fighting collections, you've got yourself a winning bunch. This is an entire generation of childhoods we're talking about. If there's one one thing that can nostalgia punch on the level of Ghostbusters 2009 for PS3, it's TMNT for the arcade, plus Turtles in Time!
That's right, dear reader, TMNT IV looks pretty damn good, whether it be for SNES or the arcade. We're loving it either way. Just going through these levels and rediscovering the fights against the machines, against Shredder and going across time to different settings fit like an old jacket that I haven't worn in ages. Shredder's Revenge was awesome in its own right, but there's something about playing the originals that get you really engaged.
It doesn't stop at the awesome classics, though. TMNT III is awesome to revisit from the old childhood, but what about the games that were missed in our childhoods? I know some of you out there have had Turtles 2 for the Gameboy, but wow, this is a different sort of game to its very core. Still, even with the clunky gameplay and the very narrow point of view that you get from the limited scope of the handheld, it's just 90's nostalgia all wrapped in a bow.
There's no way around it, you need to get good at these games just to get past the third level. It's not impossible but it is a very daunting task when you run out of continues. That's the great thing about all of the arcade ports in this collection. All of them go by a coin system and if you can just push a button to gain more continues, then you can basically beat the game. In the old Gameboy/Nintendo mentality, you have probably 3 continues and then you start at the very beginning of the game.
Well, now with some current gaming trends of actually having a SAVE FEATURE, you can bypass this little detail. In all 13 titles of the Cowabunga Collection, you are allowed to save whenever you wish. This allows you to refine your gameplay and start to catch onto the controls for each game. While we're not going to go into great detail on every single title, as there are many, we are going to take a look at some noteable Turtles games. Some of them I've either never mentioned on this Planet Virtua or others that I've mentioned many times.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
Even as a kid, I really did not like this title. I had already played TMNT II for the NES and the arcade by the time I had gotten to this title and it was obvious why I really did not favor it. The dull side view platformer angle did not work for the turtles at all. You need to get Donny in order to get a good weapon with a long range, and that alone is not really a good selling point. There's a reason I love Mikey and part of it is his unique design and his personality. I also prefer the nunchaku over the bo staff when it comes to beating down some Foots.
The platforming itself is already boring and tasteless, but then they bring in the mechanic of when you need to go into the overhead view and vehicles can come out of nowhere. All of the sudden, you've lost a life because some jerk on the street decides they want to run you over! We haven't even gotten into the water level with the electric seaweeds! There were just too many variables throughout the game. Not all of it is terrible, but a great deal of it is and those are also the most memorable parts. They're memorable for all of the wrong reasons.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (NES)
There has been some talk around the block about this game being a wholly inferior experience to the TMNT arcade port. Obviously, to some degree, this would be the case, but is it really enough to consider it inferior in every sense? No, really, it's not. When it comes to controls, this port is functionally just as good as the arcade port. The graphics are a downgrade, but still hold up as some of the peak in the NES library. This is also because they added to everything. They even added Tora! Not that he was the most memorable villain in the roster, but still! It's just really cool to see them needing to keep with limitations while also generating a very positive experience with the NES port. So, calling this a wholly inferior experience is very disingenuous and it's important to keep the record straight. Any kid in the 90's was proud to have this added to their collection.
Fall of the Foot Clan (Gameboy)
This game... is annoying. Let's be real here, they did not put their best foot forward. Ha! Foot!... I'll see myself out... but seriously! They put the camera so close to you that it's very difficult to see what is right in front of you and react accordingly. The controls are very, very stiff and it's hard to keep a good pattern going when you need to deal with the Gameboy's shortcomings. If this weren't bad enough, Splinter keeps coming up to you for bonuses with his "Guess what number I'm thinking of! You have this many chances!" And it feels like a kid going, "Dad! I'm fighting the Foot Clan! Can we do this later, please?!?"
It's not always rocky sailing, but even when you're getting good with it, this title tends to drag. It does get pretty boring. This is not entirely its fault, as the Gameboy was made back when handheld gaming had ridiculous amounts of limitations and we were lucky to get what we had. Still, now it's just more of a relic with no nostalgic ties and it is a snooze fest. Then it starts to throw so many things at you from both sides and your progress becomes slow as a result. It's not overly difficult but it's also not a very pleasant or fun experience. I clocked out after beating the Shredder fight. The time and effort that took was not worth it.
Radical Rescue and the other Gameboy titles are more or less the same experience as this one. While some of them have a few extra gimmicks like being able to helicopter your weapon or something to that nature, they are still the bland and boring beat'em ups that gameboy had to offer.
TMNT Tournament Fighters (SNES and Genesis)
Fighting games have been a dubious genre when it comes to our favorite green heroes. These titles were pretty big on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo but they never really caught any traction in the franchise as a whole. Sure, they've had appearances like they did with Injustice: Gods Among Us, but TMNT has never flourished as such. Tournament Fighters is something of an indication as to why. This is not a terrible game by any means, but it's just not an especially good mix. This is strange, though, you would think that with the translation from comic to TV Show to Beat'em up, Fighting games would be a knockout.
No, honestly, the game is excellent in its own right, even as a fighting game outside of the franchise. The problem was that it just wasn't any sort of standout in the genre against Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. TMNT was seen more as a cartoon and a silly Saturday morning chuck partnered with a bowl of cereal. The fighting games did not offer anything new or innovative, so as good as the controls are and as cool as the game mechanics were, they did not pursue this genre any further.
Another big problem is that they jammed it full of characters you don't even know. I have no ties to these weird dinosaur-like things, nor do I care about this storyline being jammed between fights. They could have brought in tons of the TMNT rogues gallery but they didn't. Instead of fighting memorable villains like the Bebop or Leatherhead, you're fighting monster things from the Archie comics. It was a decent effort and not a terrible game, but fans didn't latch onto it all that much and it didn't really have an appearance in arcades. Good for a play or two, though.
TMNT Tournament Fighters (NES)
Wait, there was an NES port?!
Whether there be Hyperstone Heist or the Manhattan project, this collection is more than worth it to at least try these games you missed as well as play the incredible games you remember. Turtles in Time still stands as one of the favorites, even when my personal favorite has always been the original TMNT for the arcade. It really doesn't matter which one is your favorite, this collection's got it. Playing the old games and discovering some other, perhaps stranger ones is just all part of a fun package for not a terrible price, even on launch. If you're a turtle head, then give this collection a try and take a bite out of Shredder.
