More than just a gimmick, this mechanic proved to be a vital part of some of the game’s new and remixed boss fights.
Throwing Enemies at the Screen in Turtles in Time Was a Definitive SNES ExperienceĪmong the many improvements that the SNES version of Turtles in Time made to the original game was the ability to throw enemies directly at the screen at will so that it looked like they hit your television. It may have led to more than a few fights at the time, but those moments are one of those things that are so easy to look back on fondly at a time when the concept of couch co-op play isn’t nearly the juggernaut it once was. Because each turtle offered their own weapons and skillsets, we could suddenly point to tangible evidence that supported our argument for which turtle was truly the best of them all.Įven better than the arguments were the battles over who got to be which turtle when you were playing with friends or siblings. The TMNT games were a big part of that debate. The TMNT Games Were Vital Evidence In Our Debates Over The Best TurtleĮven though we all know that Donatello is the best turtle, it was still fun to argue with friends over which member of the group was most powerful or simply the coolest. In that spirit, few moments capture a specific period so clearly as the time we opened our new copy of TMNT 2 and found out that we suddenly had a pretty great excuse to ask to go to Pizza Hut. The original TMNT game for NES wasn’t necessarily awful ( even if it was absurdly difficult), but its generally uninspired design, strange omissions and additions, and generally lacking gameplay represented so many of the lesser adaptations gamers of that era came to know and dread. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game Helped Us Believe in Adaptations
They were, in their own ways, an essential part of the ’90s gaming experience defined by these features and moments that will live on forever. After all, they were more than just good TMNT video games expertly delivered at a time when so many of us were obsessed with an admittedly strange pop culture phenomenon. Yet, no matter how good the game could be, it may be unfair to judge it on the basis of how it recaptures that exact feeling many of us conjure whenever we think about those original titles. Given the resumes of the teams working on this project (which include some of the talent responsible for Streets of Rage 4and the brilliant Scott Pilgrim game), it’s surprisingly easy to be confident in their ability to craft a modern TMNT beat ’em up that feels worthy of the surprisingly enduring TMNT franchise and the best TMNT video games.