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Video Games

As if TMNT hasn’t made a big enough splash on TV and the silver screen, our lovable Turtle siblings have also starred in several video games. In 1989, an action/adventure over world/side-scrolling hybrid game (think Grand Theft Auto-type gameplay, but in pre-3D days of 8-bit gaming) was released on the NES. The same year also saw the release of a an arcade side-scrolling fighting game, which followed gameplay made popular by the Double Dragon series. 25 years later, we have been graced with several TMNT video games that span multiple platforms. Some of the more popular of which have been Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan.

While most of the early games were based on the 1987 TV series, many of the subsequent TMNT games would be based on the 2003 series. 2013 saw the release of TMNT: Out of the Shadows (many people found the following review helpful). The upcoming TMNT movie will likely inspire more TMNT video games, which we will be sure to review.

Konami’s Influence on the History of TMNT Games

by Justin W October 19, 2015

written by Justin W

When it comes to games about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, most fans will tell you that the best of the bunch were the arcade games crafted by Konami. The first arcade game was released in 1989 and it quickly became the standard for TMNT games from that point on. During the same year, another Ninja Turtles game was released on the NES, serving as the very first console game featuring our beloved heroes in a half shell. The game was simply entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and it was produced by a small company known as Ultra Games – or was it?

Thank goodness this particular aspect of level design didn’t catch on!

What if I told you that Ultra Games was actually a subsidiary company for Konami of America designed to help them get around the strict licensing requirements of Nintendo? That’s right, both the arcade games and the first console game were actually produced by Konami. No matter how you look at it, they literally shaped the face of TMNT games, and that face was pretty awesome. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to keep the license for the franchise and we haven’t really seen anything on the same level since then.

The NES game was noted for it’s difficulty level and musical soundtrack. When you take the publisher into consideration, the difficulty level makes a little more sense. After all, Konami was well known for publishing punishing games and their Ultra label was actually used to introduce one of their most popular franchises, Metal Gear. The biggest issue with the game was probably the lack of recognizable characters. Although we did get to see notable faces like Bebop and Rocksteady, there were a lot of smaller enemies that simply didn’t make sense within the context of the TMNT franchise.

That being said, it’s worth noting that Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles console game was actually somewhat enjoyable. The game sold so well that it eventually made its way to a variety of other platforms that some of you may remember. Unfortunately, the game was never quite as impressive on any other platform, but you don’t have to take my word for that – just check out this video. Gaming History Source has released an interesting comparison video which takes a look at almost every different iteration of the game. While some are pretty good, others fail at re-creating the iconic music or even basic gameplay elements.

It’s crazy to look back at the history of this important TMNT game and see so many incredibly different variants on display. I’m sure a lot of fans prefer the arcade game over this one, but with over 4 million units sold, it’s safe to say that this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game left an indelible mark on the franchise during that era of video games. Shortly after releasing both titles, Konami decided to bring a representation of their arcade game to the NES under the title “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game.” Despite the popularity of their first NES title, it was clear that the fans preferred an arcade experience over a console beat-em up.

Oh look, giant balls of death!

Konami went on to release a few more console games in the TMNT franchise, but most of them followed the success of the arcade game. It’s easy to imagine that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the rockbed foundation for every TMNT game that followed, because it contains so many of the essential elements that made the arcade games so popular. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that the NES game actually got released a few months before the arcade game, so there might be something to that theory.

Whatever the case may be, it’s easy to see that Konami’s work with the franchise was incredibly influential. Many of the TMNT games that were released after that era were also beat-em ups which contained several elements from the early Konami games (pizza power-ups, anyone?). It’s sad to think that we may never see another TMNT Konami game, but at least they gave us the standard. Without them, who knows what kind of video games we might have seen? Considering how other similarly popular cartoon/comic franchises fared in the video game market, I almost shudder to think of the possibilities.

Let’s just take a moment to thank Konami for their work on these early Ninja Turtles games. What’s your favorite Konami TMNT game? Let us know in the comments below!

October 19, 2015 0 comment

Totally Turtle Games –Back from the Sewers (Game Boy)

by Zach Gasior October 27, 2014

written by Zach Gasior

When it came to video games, there wasn’t a single available platform that didn’t try to benefit from the overwhelming popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. From the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the Sega Genesis, the turtles were everywhere, and fans couldn’t get enough. That’s why it was even better for everyone when the turtles could go anywhere a player wanted, right in the palm of their hands. After the release of Fall of the Foot Clan in 1990, Konami made a comeback the very next year with another handheld adventure in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers.

Like all other turtle games, this iteration allowed the player to emulate any one of the heroes in green, but could also switch between them before tackling each level. That meant that the player always had the option of picking exactly what turtle was right for each level. This was a marked differentiation from other games (most notably the original video game), where the player could only be one turtle at a time until that character “died” or was captured.

Attacks available for each turtle were representative of what they could do. Donatello’s bo staff offered long-range attacks, but is unfortunately slow. Raphael has the opposite problem – fast but not very powerful. Michelangelo and Leonardo have more balanced attacks, offering the player characters that can do damage, but also have some mobility. If any character is defeated, then he is captured, and can be rescued at the end of each stage.

Unlike some of its predecessors, this game featured more boss battles with many characters from the 1987 animated series. Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang, Shredder, Baxter Stockman, General Traag, and the Super Shredder were just some of the villains that the player had to take down. However, like its predecessors saving April O’Neil was the number one (and only) priority. Dodging falling boulders underground, cruising on skateboards, and climbing air lifts created a 2D environment that went well beyond anything that had been done with the franchise before, giving this handheld a fairly open world for the turtles to play in. But at the end of it all there were still Foot soldiers to beat down and a friend to save.

Like the previous Game boy iteration, this game was nothing special. For the time and the technology, it was a marked improvement over its predecessor and offered much more game play. But it was still just a simple beat-em-up that allowed fans to have fun. In 1991, GamePro gave the game a 5 out of 5, showing that it was everything that could have been expected of the time, and then some. The game play was simple, and the character selection wasn’t what it could have been, but it was still a great way for fans to have some fun on the go with their favorite ninja turtles.

Back from the Sewers came at a time when the turtles were porting their popularity to every outlet known to fans. Comics, TV, and video games all had the faces of the brothers plastered on them, and it was a dream come true. While it may not have been the best game that was ever made (or even the best TMNT game of its era), this handheld adventure offered fans exactly what they needed to become their favorite hero. It was exciting, had a much needed extended game, and showed that the medium itself was heading in the right direction. Games that came later would add other benefits that weren’t present here, just as this one grew from what came before. But it was still an adventure worth playing, with plenty of butt worth kicking.

October 27, 2014 1 comment

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Totally Turtle Games – TMNT Tournament Fighters

by Zach Gasior August 25, 2014

written by Zach Gasior

Between 1993 and 1994, the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on television was starting to fade. The 1987 animated series had lost its luster, and was soon to end. Video games were in full swing, and multiple systems were available that fractured any former allegiance, giving players and fans access to any number of options for their entertainment needs. To capitalize on this new market, Konami used its rights to the TMNT franchise to publish a game that could reach fans on all three major systems, essentially guaranteeing that not a single potential customer would be left untapped. So, taking into account the growing popularity of fighting games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters was released for the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis systems.

The NES version was the simplest, featuring a short story mode that had the player battling as a turtle against his brothers, followed by bouts with Casey Jones and the dragon warrior Hothead before taking on the Shredder. There was also a versus mode for battling with a friend. The SNES game featured a bit more in-depth story, in which Karai kidnapped April O’Neil and Splinter. The turtles then traveled across the country to face warriors like Chrome Dome, Wingnut, and Rat King to get them back. Like all fighting games, it also included a versus mode to battle with friends. The Genesis version varied even more, with Splinter being captured by Krang, and the turtles and their friends traversing the galaxy to get him back (and of course fighting a Triceraton, Krang’s android body, and Karai along the way).

With each system’s power, the game got progressively longer and more involved. Fighting game standards were in place for all three, including a best two-of-three-match win requirement, and the controllers featured standard kick, punch, and jump buttons. With the SNES and Sega versions, however, the enhanced systems made it possible to unleash super attacks and desperation attacks, depending on the health of the player’s character. The Genesis version also allowed more options of playable character in story mode, including Casey Jones, April, Ray Fillet, and Sisyphus.

Unlike its predecessors, Tournament Fighters didn’t receive much in the way of praise. It was very clearly the end of an era (as evidenced by its title as the last third-party game ever released for the NES in North America), and a last-ditch effort to capitalize on the franchise. While none of the TMNT games prior had been terrible deep in terms of story and game play, they were still some of the best games ever for what they did manage to bring to the table. Though it was surprising, and laudable that the game brought in Karai twice as the master villain (when she’d never appeared outside the comics at that point), Tournament Fighters was simply a very forgettable game.

The only unique aspect offered by the title was in the SNES version. One of the characters introduced was unique to that game, and inspired by Mitsu from the third TMNT feature film. Aska was a kunoichi looking to open her own dojo when she got caught up in turtles’ quest to find their friend and father. She never appeared again, but because of her uniqueness, she made Electronic Gaming Monthly’s “Top Ten Female Fighters” list in 1993 at number four.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters didn’t have the same draws as its predecessors, but for simple beat-em-up action, it got the job done. The only trouble it had as a part of that genre was that it wasn’t terribly well-developed. The story mode was passable (as most fighting games have next to no story because that’s not their draw), but there weren’t enough characters available to even draw on the many preferences of its niche fan base, let alone compete with some of the bigger titles that were available at the time. Unfortunately, this game will likely be lost to the annals of turtle time, and be forgotten as better games live on in fans’ minds.

August 25, 2014 2 comments

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Showcase: PlatinumFungi Returns with Another Turtlely Awesome Custom NES

by Zach Gasior August 18, 2014

written by Zach Gasior

“Since TMNT is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year… now seemed like the perfect time to…create another TMNT tribute.” –Ryan Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. PlantiumFungi

With the 30^th anniversary of TMNT upon us, fan support has hit new highs. Those with special talents have been hard at work creating their best tributes to the turtles through a variety of media, and have been able to share those labors of love with the world. In January, we shared one such endeavor with TMNT fans, when Ryan Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. PlatinumFungi created a custom backlit NES complete with a paint job that resembled the featured heroes-in-a-half-shell. Now, he’s hard at work again with a brand new NES that any fan would be happy to have in his or her collection.

After receiving immeasurably positive feedback on his last system, Ryan partnered with EPIC Party Guy Jared Guynes to design the ultimate special edition Nintendo system. Several months of mockups, 500+ emails, and a lot of love brought to life a concept that perfectly blends the original comics with the ‘80s cartoon. “I think exponentially, people are more familiar with the cartoons and video games so we both wanted to do something that felt somewhat familiar yet would make people stop and do a double take,” Ryan said.

The system itself features a minimal black-and-white color scheme, with a single red band around the vents (representative of the original red bandana worn by all four turtles), and a 30^th anniversary custom logo running down the side. Featured prominently on the front is a cutout – done painstakingly by hand – of all four turtles in their ‘80s video game style with the paint job of their original Mirage counterparts. The cutout is backlit in PlantiumFungi’s signature style, and the system comes with four controllers – each customized for one of turtles. Sharing how time-consuming and detailed the work was, Ryan shared that “All defects from the original 1985 molding process were block sanded out, all rough texture was sanded smooth, all scratches/gouges carefully inspected and sanded smooth, original bottom labels carefully preserved.”As always, the professional paint job comes courtesy of Custom NES Guy using automotive clear coat underneath custom metallic colors to give it the perfect retro look. “The clear coat was color sanded and buffed just like you would do on a show car! Estimated 17 hours of work just for the painting, sanding, and buffing (that had to be done by hand).”

As if the system needed anything else to make it awesome, Ryan managed to collect a few special signatures to really customize this endeavor. Already signed by Andre Meadows of “Black Nerd Comedy” and Richard Usher of “Partners in Kryme” (the group that performed the “Turtle Power” song in the original motion picture), this NES will soon also feature the signature of Mr. Kevin Eastman, making it a truly unique piece of turtle memorabilia.

If that weren’t enough, Ryan is currently involved in another NES project he’s always wanted to attempt, and it uses a classic toy for its foundation. Taking an original NES and stripping it bare, PlatinumFungi has installed the components into the Turtle Party Wagon. The result: a fully functional Nintendo Entertainment System that looks just like the timeless party wagon, complete with controllers painted by Custom NES Guy to match the classic yellow, green, and orange paint job of the vehicle.

“I grew up with the original TMNT and I feel that with all the changes currently taking place in the TMNT universe, having a good blast of nostalgia was needed.” Ryan’s hard work has created even more sensational products that TMNT fans can be proud of, and anyone lucky enough to get their hands on one of his systems should consider him- or herself a very fortunate fan. This latest creation has much more exciting press coming its way in the future, and Ryan’s success with it and his other projects will most certainly take him far. What will he create next? Only he knows, but there’s no doubt it’ll be another masterpiece. Be sure to check out all his pictures below, and the full galleries here and here!

August 18, 2014 4 comments

Blog Video Games

Totally Turtle Games – The Hyperstone Heist (Sega Genesis)

by Zach Gasior August 13, 2014

written by Zach Gasior

With Nintendo now facing serious competition in their quest to remain on top of the console heap, it was only a matter of time before franchises started branching out to reach a larger consumer base. So when the Sega Genesis came on the scene, plenty of long-running titles made the jump to another platform. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was no different, so in 1992 Konami put Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist on the Genesis for the first time.

Taking its game play and level design from Turtles in Time, The Hyperstone Heist begins with April O’Neil reporting live, when all of a sudden the entirety of Manhattan Island shrinks and Shredder comes on the air. Demonstrating the power of the Hyperstone from Dimension X, he vows to conquer the world, leaving the turtles with no choice but to stop him again. The battle begins in NYC and its sewers, where the boys must defeat Leatherhead before heading to a ghost ship and cave to battle Rocksteady (in his only game appearance without Bebop right nearby). Finally arriving at Shredder’s hideout, the turtles must defeat Tatsu and then make their way to another cave to take on all three former bosses, as well as Baxter Stockman. Once they’ve defeated all the minor enemies, the turtles face off against Krang and Shredder inside the Technodrome to save the city once again.

Game play for The Hyperstone Heist was essentially lifted straight from Turtles in Time and retooled slightly to make it a different game. Most of the attacks were kept the same, with the only notable addition being a button that actually enables running (versus having to tap the D-pad in the right direction in Turtles in Time), and the notable subtraction being that the Foot Soldiers couldn’t be thrown around anymore. Otherwise, the mechanics were left intact, giving anyone who played the SNES counterpart a very familiar experience.

Likewise, the levels for Hyperstone were basically an amalgam of the time traveling adventures. The ghost ship level cut together the pirate, prehistoric, and “sewer surfin’” levels of Turtles in Time, while the Technodrome level put together the space adventure and final Technodrome battles. Because of this, the game itself was very short, and the number of different villains faced was reduced significantly from other TMNT games. However, it still received some favorable criticism from across the gaming world.

Compared to Turtles in Time, Hyperstone Heist was missing a lot of the levels and special effects, and its sound was a little too raspy for the game. However, Hyperstone had more background layers, creating a greater depth of field for the game, as well as faster animation and game play. While Turtles in Time had more levels to play, the few levels in Hyperstone were generally considered more difficult, since the enemy AI got a nice boost. When taking all this together, critics have given the game mixed reviews: The Video Game Critic only gave it a “C”, whereas the IGN reader average was 8.3/10, and Screwattack named it one of their top 20 Sega Genesis games of all time. Ultimately, while the game itself was nothing truly unique, being a near copy of Turtles in Time certainly helped its overall reception.

While The Hyperstone Heist may not have received the same critical acclaim that some of its predecessors did, the game itself was still a very solid experience. Not only did it incorporate what fans loved most about the last console game that was released, but it did so on a brand new system, expanding its accessibility for those who didn’t have a Nintendo system. The Hyperstone Heist never had a remake, or a second release on some of the newer consoles, but that doesn’t mean it’ll ever be forgotten. It still has its place in the annals of turtle lore, and will stay there always.

August 13, 2014 1 comment

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