Few franchises have quite a rich gaming history as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After the 1987 animated series became a hit, we’ve seen more than 20 games, along with guest appearances in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, injustice 2, and many Nickelodeon titles. Konamis TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection focuses on the series’ oldest video game adaptations, including classic arcade beat ’em ups, a few mediocre action games, and some novelties that are surprisingly still fun. While the overall game quality is inconsistent, developer Digital Eclipse has put a lot of thought and care into this collection, making it a must-have for fans of the half-shell heroes.
In terms of both nostalgia and quality, the main draw of The Cowabunga Collection are Konami’s two arcade classics: 1989’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and from 1991 Turtles in time. These are two of the best beat ’em ups ever made and they still hold up thanks to a fantastic presentation, satisfying fighting gameplay and colorful visuals. They may not have the depth of the recently released Shredder’s Revengebut they’re just as great as in the arcades, except now you won’t go broke because you don’t have to spend a quarter every time you die.
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These are the real gems here, but they’re quite short and not nearly as hard as they both go on indefinitely. However, they are still very replayable with friends thanks to the online options and as these games are old, it’s no revelation that they are on the short side.
Besides beat ’em ups, there are also quite a few side-scrolling action games to potentially enjoy. The most popular of these is the divisive NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which features some of the most difficult and dated gameplay. The trio of Game Boy titles (Fall of the Foot Clan, Back from the sewerand Radical rescue) are the most surprising. The first two are fairly simple action games; think the original Castlevania with just a few steps. However, Radical rescue is a highlight because it looks more like metro and you must use the unique abilities of the Turtles (Michelangelo has a sick hover with his nunchucks) to clear the game. Neither will match the best of the Game Boy library, but these are interesting novelties with solid sprite work that look surprisingly good on the big screen.
Of course, many of the games in the collection are inferior versions of the games you would actually like to play. This detracts from the overall quality of the package, but it’s better to include them than to leave them out; it’s good to remember the lows of a series as well. For example, the Genesis and NES versions of tournament fighters are greatly simplified and lack the depth of the superior SNES version (the only one of the three with online play). Besides, there’s little reason to miss the NES version of the classic TMNT arcade game or the reinventions of Turtles in time several times.
Despite nine of the included games, including multiplayer elements locally, only four can be played online. This shouldn’t be seen as a huge disappointment, as they’re all games you’d actually want to play with friends or strangers: the arcade original, Turtles in timethe SNES tournament fighters (which is a simple but surprisingly fun fighter for a licensed 1993 title), and the Genesis’ The Hyper Stone Robbery (a reinvention of Turtles in time). The real online works well, although four-player romps can get quite slow if a player joins with a bad connection. However, if you’re playing with well-connected friends rather than random players, it’s a pretty smooth experience. All four games have lobbies only, so don’t expect ranked games for tournament fighters or a lot in terms of online options. However, it has the essence, that’s all that matters.
While there are several games that are worth checking out, it’s really the bonus content and great options that help The Cowabunga Collection really stands out from smaller collections like Pac-Man Museum+. Digital Eclipse and Konami have done an admirable job of incorporating design documents and concept art that are not only slick art, but also have incredible historical value. These can even be searched by tags, so if you want to see all instances of Krang in the archives, you can do just that. Furthermore, there are strategy guides that provide tips or cool features (and even glitches) that make the experience more fun, in addition to plenty of bonus options such as cheats, easier modes and a way for players to enable or disable delay. All this extra effort goes a long way and is exactly the kind of care a beloved franchise should receive.
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With a mix of true classics and some intriguing historical novelties, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is a great bundle intended for those who want to dive deep into the history of TMNT video games. Not all TMNT game published by Konami ended up here (the DOS platformer Manhattan Missions and Konami’s post-2000 output are missing), but the titles that created memories of fun and frustration (that awful waterdam level in the original NES game is just as bad now as it was then) are all there and completely intact. Digital Eclipse deserves credit for making this a really great full featured compilation rather than a mediocre one with just a few standout games. History deserves to be fully respected and this collection does just that.
SCORE: 8.5/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8.5 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means the art succeeds in its goal and leaves a memorable impression.
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