In case you haven't heard, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in The Cowabunga Collection, a comprehensive compilation that packages together all of the Turtle's console and arcade outings from the 1980s and 90s. I'm talking about 13 games spanning the 8-bit NES, the Game Boy, Sega's Genesis, the Super NES and more. All this nostalgia for Turtles in Time and The Manhattan Project got me thinking: What is the best reviewed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly to find out. We're going to use the Review Crew's actual words to countdown the best and worst TMNT games. Will your favorite game come out on top? Find out now in this episode of EGM Ranks the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle
Nexus (PS2, GCN & Xbox)
#13
"Note to developers: If you're going to make a sequel to a bad game, please make it better. You'd think that goes without saying, but apparently someone should have yelled it through the hallways at Konami. To be fair, the three biggest factors that brought down last year's TMNT misadventure -- lack of four-player support, repetitive phrases and frustrating difficulty -- have all been fixed. Unfortunately, a zoomed-out camera corrupts any real sense of control, and it's too easy, aside from some horrendous jumping puzzles." (3 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers (GB)
#12
"Cowajunka! If I were a turtle, I'd be hiding in my shell right now. The graphics and animation are cheesy and the game play is a big step down from the first Turtles Game Boy cart. The music and sound effects are very good, but cool tunes do not make a good game. Sorry Splinter." (5 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (GBA)
#11
"As if the Turtles license here wasn't enough to suck you into a time warp, wait until you play the game. This side-scrolling, button-smacking 2D brawler looks and plays like a Super NES title Konami has been sitting on since 1992. Levels work thusly: You traipse through sewers/laboratories/alleys and whomp ninja/robot/punks with your katana/nunchaku/staff. Clear an area and you move on to the next --- unless you fall asleep first. Vehicle levels break up the monotony but aren't that exciting, either. Surely GBA can do more than this?" (5.3 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Genesis)
#10
"On no! What happened to this one? The Super NES version was excellent, but this one isn't even close. There aren't many moves and the fighters are unappealing. The game also has a darker look and feel." (5.4 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
#9
"The controls in TMNT are too jerky and it quickly becomes difficult to control your characters. The scrolling also hinders the game by placing you in vulnerable positions. The intermissions are cool, but the rest of this cart is a disappointment. Not a true Konami game." (5.75 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
(PS2, GCN & Xbox)
#8
"If you've been around long enough to remember the classic Turtles games, then you'll feel right at home here. Why? Because it plays just like 'em. Now, does that make it a pleasant throwback to simpler times or a boring, repetitive relic of a dark age? That's on you -- I find it sharp, fast and stylish, which is just what this kind of game needs to be. Just keep the volume low -- these Turtles be talking too damn much." (6.2 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES)
#7
"Well, it wasn't exactly essential to do a version of this game for 8-bit, but on the smaller platform, TMNT: Tournament Fighters does pretty well. Even with just two buttons, there are plenty of special moves, but a lot of break-up and flicker." (6.75 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES)
#6
"The Turtles are back for their third NES cart. Graphics and sounds are improved a bit and the game play has a few new techniques, like the special attack and ability to throw the enemies over your shoulder. The game play is extremely repetitive and really has nothing innovative. I'm not too thrilled with this cart." (7.5 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Genesis)
#5
"There are quite a few things missing from this version that made the Super NES version so good. You can't hurl the enemies towards the screen and the game play has less to offer in terms of moves. Don't get me wrong, this is still one of the better Genesis carts around. The game is also far too easy in the two-player mode." (7.75 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan (GB)
#4
"Fall of the Foot Clan falls in that exclusive class of Game Boy games that, while borrowing from the most successful game themes, delivers an honestly enjoyable adventure. The game is on the easy side and is way too short, but as far as execution is concerned, Turtles gets thumbs up!" (8.25 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II:
The Arcade Game (NES)
#3
"Konami is pushing the NES to its limit, with this hero in a half megabyte. Excellent graphics with smoothly animated characters and detailed backgrounds straight out of the arcades. Fun as 2 player if you put up with flicker." (8.25 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
Tournament Fighters (SNES)
#2
"It takes a company as good as Konami to bring out a game that could literally take on Street Fighter 2! Tournament Fighters is a perfect blend of the best game play elements from Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat with the added bonus of using your favorite TMNT characters. The game play is great and all the little details, such as combos, included. Adjustable speed, Versus mode and excellent graphics are just the beginning." (8.75 out of 10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV:
Turtles in Time (SNES)
#1
"The Turtles are back with style that won't quit. The game play is awesome. More moves and techniques than ever before grace the superb play control. Excellent graphics and jamming music make this one of the best looking, best sounding SNES carts around. Great two-player action with no slowdown. Too easy." (9 out of 10)
