Leaping onto the entertainment scene in the 1980s, and reaching immense popularity forkids growing up in the 1990s, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshave been the stars of comic book series, cartoon shows, blockbuster movies and video games. Just the nature of the franchise itself make these heroes in half shells perfect for gaming; from the emphasis on martial arts, kooky sci-fi storylines, and colorfully outlandish characters.
The Turtles have been around for such a long time in media that the franchise has been featured on practically every generation of gaming throughout the years. WithTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengebeing announced, there are a bevy of older installments available on everything from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the PlayStation 3, which are sure to delight TMNT fans and beat ‘em up enthusiasts alike.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
Originally released in the arcades in the early 1990’s, the game was later ported to the NES for TMNT fans to enjoy from the comfort of home. Aside from obvious graphical downgrades, this version of the arcade hit mostly remained intact for the NES port: Featuring a solid variety of levels and tons of fan service andEaster eggs within the gamefor fans of TMNT.
Most important (as is the case with other entries), aTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgame is best enjoyed with a buddy. Since the game allowed fortwo player co-op, friends could team up to slice and dice the Shredder’s evil Foot clan to pieces in simple, but satisfying gameplay that remains enjoyable to this day.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
Upping the ante by a considerable degree, thanks to the more advanced technology in the Super Nintendo,Turtles in Timeset the benchmark not only forhome console beat ‘em upsat the time, but also all games based on the franchise in the future.
Turtles in Timelives up to its name, with the Ninja Turtles travelling through a series of diverse and fun locations throughout history, from the old west to the time dinosaurs walked the earth. The added buttons on the Super Nintendo controller always made it possible to expand the turtle’s move set, a welcome addition considering thegame’s level of difficulty.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
WhileTurtles in Timemay have been exclusive to Super Nintendo owners, owners of the Sega Genesis weren’t left out, with its own original TMNT release for the system.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heistwas every bit as exhilarating to play, taking advantage ofSega games being faster than SNES titlesto enhance the speed of the combat.
The Hyperstone Heistmay not have had as many levels as the SNES alternative, but the levels that were available were much longer and more detailed, sure to delight anyTMNTfan ready for a good fight. The soundtrack also featured some killer tunes to top it all off.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)
Inspired by the early 2000’s cartoon series, thisTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgame graced the sixth generation of consoles, shifting the traditional beat ‘em up from2D to 3D gameplay. From a side scroller to a birds eye view, players experienced a newTMNTperspective across a variety of cel-shaded locations.
Once again, multiplayer was an encouraged feature for friends to enjoy, considering how much the Turtles depend on each other as a team. Especially on the GameCube, with the four available controller slots that allowed each player to take control of a Turtle, once again proved why theTMNT work so well with co-opgaming.
Injustice 2
While not technically aTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgame, a DLC pack for this DC comics fighting game featured the Turtles as guest combatants with radical results. TheTMNT being featured in Injustice 2brings these martial arts reptiles toe to toe with some of DC’s most notable superheroes, like Batman and Superman.
Taking full advantage of the IP, developer NetherRealm tapped into what makes the Turtles so endearing to fans and implemented the soul of the series perfectly into theInjustice 2universe. The character models were stunning and combat moves expertly mapped out, with an added emphasis on theTMNT’s teamwork based fighting skillsbeing woven into the combat system.
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