Unfortunately, Konami doesn’t seem interested in video games these days, other than possibly milking Bomberman in every way possible. That’s why I’m moderately interested in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, especially since I have a good memory of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder, even though it’s a collection developed by the retro experts at Digital Eclipse.
On offer is a full load of content from classic Turtles games of the past, all released in arcades and NES, Mega Drive, Super Nintendo and Game Boy. There are 13 games in total, certainly not all of which I would describe as old classics – but the number of them is surprising. They also span genres such as the NES’ various and notoriously super-hard Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and 1993’s Street Fighter II Challenger Championship fighter. The latter is also included in three different editions, the NES, Mega Drive and Super Nintendo – interesting for those who want a reminder of the different formats of the game in the comparison.
For the purposes of this collection, I’m not going to review the games individually, but the inclusions are as follows:
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- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Arcade Game (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Manhattan Project (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Warrior (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: The Turtles in Time (Super Nintendo)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Warrior (Super Nintendo)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Stone Heist (Sega Genesis)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Warriors (Sega Genesis)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot (Game Boy)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Return of the Sewers (Game Boy)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (Game Boy)
Let me start by stating that despite the high difficulty level, I actually managed to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES when I was young. In fact, I’ve done it a few times. When I played it today, I was struck by the fact that it actually stood the test of time pretty well. Sure, the hitbox is absolutely disgusting at the water level, but I still think the difficulty is a bit overrated, and even the old (45! Jonas Mäki can go a long way without too much Damn. Plus, there’s a watch mode here, so you can check when your computer is playing, and jump in when you like, which helps with the scariest passages.
The biggest draw for most people is probably the 1992 Super Nintendo hit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Teenage Mutant in Time, which is certainly a phenomenal game, throwing infantry on the screen still magically. interesting. That said, it’s clear that the movie is decades behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Shredder. The faster, smoother Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (basically the same game, but with better flow and pacing, but with some cuts) instead Makes me think today is a more interesting option.
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Sure, Game Boy games in this series feel very original when you play them on a huge flat-screen TV, but even these games are much better than I expected and are actually surprisingly enjoyable. Plus, there’s a lot of nostalgia here.
The biggest surprise for me was the Super Nintendo version, Turtles Tournament Fighters. It’s almost as tenable as Street Fighter II, and doesn’t feel dated anywhere. From the game controls to the graphics, this classic is almost impressive and certainly worth playing – preferably with other games, as well-designed online support ensures you won’t find anyone else to play with.
What really makes this collection stand out is the well-done museum selection. Digital Eclipse has really stepped out and provided us with a treasure trove of quality. So you can sit back and browse old game boxes (and their manuals!) and other goodies in game development. There’s also material from comic books and TV shows to keep you busy for long periods of time. For me, it really ticks the right nostalgia box, and if you grew up with Turtles and old consoles, I think you’ll feel the same way.
In the end, this is an absolutely top-notch series that puts almost everything else to shame. Typically, sets come with fewer titles and have more demos, or many games and basically no demos. Here, the opposite is true. Lots of games and top-notch demos. The only thing holding back the collection is that there may be four or five more games in the end that are actually worth the time rather than a quick nostalgia trip. However, if you want to relive Turtles nostalgia and classic games, I can’t recommend it enough.