So far in my adventures through the TMNT games of yesteryear, I haven’t really found much to get excited about. Sure, there were some good games to be found so far, but nothing that is gonna make me want to come back to one of these games over and over again in the future, especially with the original NES title. So I figured, since I did just recently play through a bad Spider-Man game and a bad Simpsons game, I want to play through a GOOD licensed game for a change. Yeah, I may be skipping a couple of other games when making this decision, but who cares, we can always come back to them later, and then we can properly give them the ripping that they deserve. For now though, I have decided to revisit what many consider to be one, if not THE best TMNT game of all time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.
If you have heard anyone singing any praise about any TMNT game, chances are that it is either this one or Shredder’s Revenge, which did take most of its inspiration and ideas from this game. I myself have played through the SNES version before back in the day, and yeah, I remember loving it back when I did, thinking it was one of the best beat-’em-up games I had ever played at that time. It has been a while since that original playthrough though, so I figured that I should give it another shot, and yes, I am sticking with the SNES version of the game, because that is the best version of the two despite not looking as good. So, after playing through it again, I would say it is still pretty great to this day. It may not be that unique from other TMNT games, or other beat-’em-ups, but it makes up for it with its fun and satisfying gameplay that I didn’t get sick of at any point.
The story is about as simple as a TMNT story can get, about them needing to get the Statue of Liberty back from Shredder, which is about as goofy and ridiculous as you would want one of these plots to be, the graphics are pretty great, definitely being the best looking TMNT game so far, and while it doesn’t look as good as the arcade version, the SNES version still looks pretty good for a port, the music is FANTASTIC, being without a doubt the best soundtrack in any TMNT game, having some incredible tracks throughout the entire game, and not a single dud I can think of, the control is simple yet satisfying, with there being a good impact present for whenever you beat up anybody, and there are no problems with the general setup to speak about, and the gameplay is familiar, yet still satisfying to run through, especially with a friend to join you along the way.
The game is your typical Ninja Turtles beat-’em-up, where you take control of one of the four Ninja Turtles, take on a set of stages from your home in New York City, or throughout multiple points in time, even including 2020 (looks a lot different then what we ended up getting), beat up every single Foot Clan member, robot, and Pizza Monster that get in your way throughout the game, gather plenty of pizzas and special invincibility boxes along the way to give you an advantage over your foes, and take on plenty of familiar foes to come from the TMNT from either the classic cartoon or the movies of the time. As is expected, it is pretty much what you would expect from your typical beat-’em-up of the early 90s, with not much else going on to make it stand out from the crowd, but there is one aspect of the game that I have to admire over everything else: it does everything it sets out to do, while also not fumbling the ball at any point.
This is, in my opinion, the quintessential TMNT game. Sure, the other games had some positive qualities about them, and there would be future games that would also reach the same level of quality as this, but when it comes to some good ol’ classic Ninja Turtle action from the 90s, you can’t get any better than Turtles in Time. Everything about the gameplay feels extremely fun and satisfying, from beating up your foes, to the different types of stages that you can play through, to the rockin’ tunes that go through your head whenever you do play it, and of course, fighting for the pizzas against your friend so you can be the ultimate jerk. There aren’t many other experiences like this. And not to mention, when it came to the SNES version of the game, it did add more to experience and enjoy, such as with new bosses, new types of stages that take advantage of the console’s Mode 7 capabilities, as well as the ability to throw enemies directly at the screen, which is the main gimmick for one of the bosses. Granted, it does take away some other elements, like the lack of four-player co-op, but aside from that, it is still the great game you experienced in the arcades.
With that being said, if you aren’t into TMNT or even into beat-’em-ups, then I can’t really say that you can find much to love about this game. Like I mentioned, there isn’t much else that this game does differently when it comes to others like it, so if you are looking for anything new and unique from a beat-’em-up, you won’t get that here. Not to mention, there are some elements that, while they don’t bother me personally, they may bother others. First off, when it comes to the SNES version, just like other Konami games, they lock the true ending behind the hardest difficulty, but thankfully, they don’t lock any content behind the difficulties, so it really only matters if you really care about some text boxes. In addition to this, those annoying-ass instant kill attacks from the original TMNT arcade game make a return in this game, and while they aren’t that big of an issue this time around, it does still suck whenever they are thrown at you. But then again, I could always just get better, so whatever.
Overall, despite a lack of originality and some bullshit moments here and there, this is, without a doubt, the best TMNT game so far, and one of the best beat-’em-ups of the 90s that I have ever played. I would definitely recommend it for fans of the Ninja Turtles, as well as fans of beat-’em-ups in general, because while it may not become one of your favorites of the genre, I can guarantee that it will be a good time with a good buddy to play it with. Anyway, now with all that out of the way, how do I end this review? Uh… maybe by making a snide comment towards the remake of this game, but I never played that one. So, uh… ooh, remake bad, ah, they ruined my childhood, ugh, Konami should throw themselves into a pachinko machine and never come back out.
Game #393
If you have heard anyone singing any praise about any TMNT game, chances are that it is either this one or Shredder’s Revenge, which did take most of its inspiration and ideas from this game. I myself have played through the SNES version before back in the day, and yeah, I remember loving it back when I did, thinking it was one of the best beat-’em-up games I had ever played at that time. It has been a while since that original playthrough though, so I figured that I should give it another shot, and yes, I am sticking with the SNES version of the game, because that is the best version of the two despite not looking as good. So, after playing through it again, I would say it is still pretty great to this day. It may not be that unique from other TMNT games, or other beat-’em-ups, but it makes up for it with its fun and satisfying gameplay that I didn’t get sick of at any point.
The story is about as simple as a TMNT story can get, about them needing to get the Statue of Liberty back from Shredder, which is about as goofy and ridiculous as you would want one of these plots to be, the graphics are pretty great, definitely being the best looking TMNT game so far, and while it doesn’t look as good as the arcade version, the SNES version still looks pretty good for a port, the music is FANTASTIC, being without a doubt the best soundtrack in any TMNT game, having some incredible tracks throughout the entire game, and not a single dud I can think of, the control is simple yet satisfying, with there being a good impact present for whenever you beat up anybody, and there are no problems with the general setup to speak about, and the gameplay is familiar, yet still satisfying to run through, especially with a friend to join you along the way.
The game is your typical Ninja Turtles beat-’em-up, where you take control of one of the four Ninja Turtles, take on a set of stages from your home in New York City, or throughout multiple points in time, even including 2020 (looks a lot different then what we ended up getting), beat up every single Foot Clan member, robot, and Pizza Monster that get in your way throughout the game, gather plenty of pizzas and special invincibility boxes along the way to give you an advantage over your foes, and take on plenty of familiar foes to come from the TMNT from either the classic cartoon or the movies of the time. As is expected, it is pretty much what you would expect from your typical beat-’em-up of the early 90s, with not much else going on to make it stand out from the crowd, but there is one aspect of the game that I have to admire over everything else: it does everything it sets out to do, while also not fumbling the ball at any point.
This is, in my opinion, the quintessential TMNT game. Sure, the other games had some positive qualities about them, and there would be future games that would also reach the same level of quality as this, but when it comes to some good ol’ classic Ninja Turtle action from the 90s, you can’t get any better than Turtles in Time. Everything about the gameplay feels extremely fun and satisfying, from beating up your foes, to the different types of stages that you can play through, to the rockin’ tunes that go through your head whenever you do play it, and of course, fighting for the pizzas against your friend so you can be the ultimate jerk. There aren’t many other experiences like this. And not to mention, when it came to the SNES version of the game, it did add more to experience and enjoy, such as with new bosses, new types of stages that take advantage of the console’s Mode 7 capabilities, as well as the ability to throw enemies directly at the screen, which is the main gimmick for one of the bosses. Granted, it does take away some other elements, like the lack of four-player co-op, but aside from that, it is still the great game you experienced in the arcades.
With that being said, if you aren’t into TMNT or even into beat-’em-ups, then I can’t really say that you can find much to love about this game. Like I mentioned, there isn’t much else that this game does differently when it comes to others like it, so if you are looking for anything new and unique from a beat-’em-up, you won’t get that here. Not to mention, there are some elements that, while they don’t bother me personally, they may bother others. First off, when it comes to the SNES version, just like other Konami games, they lock the true ending behind the hardest difficulty, but thankfully, they don’t lock any content behind the difficulties, so it really only matters if you really care about some text boxes. In addition to this, those annoying-ass instant kill attacks from the original TMNT arcade game make a return in this game, and while they aren’t that big of an issue this time around, it does still suck whenever they are thrown at you. But then again, I could always just get better, so whatever.
Overall, despite a lack of originality and some bullshit moments here and there, this is, without a doubt, the best TMNT game so far, and one of the best beat-’em-ups of the 90s that I have ever played. I would definitely recommend it for fans of the Ninja Turtles, as well as fans of beat-’em-ups in general, because while it may not become one of your favorites of the genre, I can guarantee that it will be a good time with a good buddy to play it with. Anyway, now with all that out of the way, how do I end this review? Uh… maybe by making a snide comment towards the remake of this game, but I never played that one. So, uh… ooh, remake bad, ah, they ruined my childhood, ugh, Konami should throw themselves into a pachinko machine and never come back out.
Game #393
Alex's Cowabunga Collection Marathon, Pt. 13 of 13
...did he just call us "Slimballs"?
This is it. Finishing the Cowabunga Collection on a high note! Turtles in Time was the second TMNT game I ever tried as a kid, after the original arcade game. Like plenty of 90s kids, I've had that "BIG APPLE, 3 AM" embedded in my brain for as long as I can remember. This is the game I think of when I think of 16-bit co-op. And for good reason! It's not just cool because it's got the Turtles in it, it's a well-paced, varied, and flat-out fun beat-em-up! But MAN is it short!
When I was a kid and was terrible at everything, I only played it sporadically at friends' or cousins' houses, so I never even made it to the point when you go back in time. In my head, there was no telling how vast this adventure was! Now it's about 25 years later, and my wife and I just beat this game start-to-finish in 40 minutes.
Turtles in Time is solid, but I feel like it's put up on a bit of a pedestal because of nostalgia more than the rest of these older Ninja Turtles games. I was definitely more impressed by The Manhattan Project than its SNES sequel, but I can't deny that Turtles In Time is a classic for a reason.
Konami did a great job translating the arcade title to the home console, and there are some cool new inclusions in the campaign like a Mode-7 level and extra bosses, while the extra modes like Time Trials and Versus are actually pretty neat. If you were a kid with a SNES in 1992, this would have been a must-have cartridge. As it stands today, It's worth playing for 40 minutes, but I can't see myself coming back to it over the 4-player arcade version.
...did he just call us "Slimballs"?
This is it. Finishing the Cowabunga Collection on a high note! Turtles in Time was the second TMNT game I ever tried as a kid, after the original arcade game. Like plenty of 90s kids, I've had that "BIG APPLE, 3 AM" embedded in my brain for as long as I can remember. This is the game I think of when I think of 16-bit co-op. And for good reason! It's not just cool because it's got the Turtles in it, it's a well-paced, varied, and flat-out fun beat-em-up! But MAN is it short!
When I was a kid and was terrible at everything, I only played it sporadically at friends' or cousins' houses, so I never even made it to the point when you go back in time. In my head, there was no telling how vast this adventure was! Now it's about 25 years later, and my wife and I just beat this game start-to-finish in 40 minutes.
Turtles in Time is solid, but I feel like it's put up on a bit of a pedestal because of nostalgia more than the rest of these older Ninja Turtles games. I was definitely more impressed by The Manhattan Project than its SNES sequel, but I can't deny that Turtles In Time is a classic for a reason.
Konami did a great job translating the arcade title to the home console, and there are some cool new inclusions in the campaign like a Mode-7 level and extra bosses, while the extra modes like Time Trials and Versus are actually pretty neat. If you were a kid with a SNES in 1992, this would have been a must-have cartridge. As it stands today, It's worth playing for 40 minutes, but I can't see myself coming back to it over the 4-player arcade version.
I was told by Jenny to put 'Cowabingus' in my review.
Com certeza o beat'em up que eu mais joguei na vida, cheguei várias vezes na penúltima fase quando criança mas nunca tinha terminado.
É bem difícil como esperado pra jogos no estilo arcade da época, mas de todos que joguei no SNES é o mais justo. Não abusa de mecânicas baratas, só te enche de inimigos pra você se virar. Bem divertido, extremamente bonito e com ótimas músicas. Em especial as animações dos turtles são maravilhosas, desde eles caindo em buracos até pisando em espinhos ou tábuas soltas que batem na cara deles. Tudo bem cartunesco e divertido. A variedade de sprites de inimigos é bem sofrida, a maior parte é só recolor de um mesmo inimigo, mas pelo menos as diferentes cores significam inimigos bem diferentes com movesets e armas que pedem que você lide de formas bem variadas.
Também acho que o jogo tem uma ótima duração em contraste com os dois Batmans e Power Rangers que eu joguei, que todos parecem um pouquinho maiores do que precisava.
É bem difícil como esperado pra jogos no estilo arcade da época, mas de todos que joguei no SNES é o mais justo. Não abusa de mecânicas baratas, só te enche de inimigos pra você se virar. Bem divertido, extremamente bonito e com ótimas músicas. Em especial as animações dos turtles são maravilhosas, desde eles caindo em buracos até pisando em espinhos ou tábuas soltas que batem na cara deles. Tudo bem cartunesco e divertido. A variedade de sprites de inimigos é bem sofrida, a maior parte é só recolor de um mesmo inimigo, mas pelo menos as diferentes cores significam inimigos bem diferentes com movesets e armas que pedem que você lide de formas bem variadas.
Também acho que o jogo tem uma ótima duração em contraste com os dois Batmans e Power Rangers que eu joguei, que todos parecem um pouquinho maiores do que precisava.
How? How did it take until Shredder's Revenge for a TMNT game to surpass this one? Only God (and maybe Konami) knows! What a good game man seriously play this one. Or, at least listen to that soundtrack. That soundtrack is pure ear candy.
Bem melhor que a versão de arcade, o sentimento de impacto tá bem mais presente e você tem mais controle sobre os inimigos, trazendo mais oportunidades de interação que tornam o combate bem mais engajante, e sinto que jogar essa versão de 2 players com menos inimigos me fez gostar ainda mais do jogo por achar melhor cadenciado e entender um pouco melhor o funcionamento de cada inimigo e ataque, além disso, tem ótimas adições/mudanças de bosses e levels, trazendo ainda mais variedade pro jogo.
Really goddamn fun. I'm totally no good at beat em ups, and usually by the end I'm glad to have them over with, but this was an exception, being one of the easiest and definitely the most fun I've come across thus far. That's not even mentioning how great it looks, sounds, and plays. Genuinely feels several years more recent than it really is. I think I'd be hard pressed to find another crown jewel of the beat em up genre like this one.
(played as Donatello stages 1-5, Raphael stages 6-10)
(played as Donatello stages 1-5, Raphael stages 6-10)
Equal measures style and substance, this is not only the best classic TMNT game by a far margin but also one of the best 90s beat 'em ups in general. Lightning in a bottle.
Impressionante o quão bem envelheceu esse jogo, uma surpresa e tanto , um jogo que continua muito bonito e fluido até hoje, com uma ótima gameplay e acompanhada de uma trilha sonora magnifica que da aquela nostalgia de quando assistia as tartarugas ninjas quando criança.
One of if not the best beat em' up ever. It's just a super fun game.
It may be the best casual beat em up of all time. It certainly is the best Turtles game to date.
Here it is, the pinnacle of the TMNT series. This is the game that really got me into the TMNT games back in the day, and the SNES version here is the best of the best.
As stated before in my Turtles in Time arcade review, this is the better game out of all the TMNT games, yes the animations are missing in spot versus the Arcade version and there's little of the voices, but this game controls almost flawlessly, the dash seems to activate on it's own at times or just doesn't when needed to. The music is at it's best, I know it's the same tracks from the arcade, but there's a difference when the sound is trying to come from speakers like the arcade was going for so it sounded a bit too bassy, while the SNES version does the channels directly from the sound chip and it's amazing.
It's really hard to say too much about the game, since everyone knows it amazing, and it's just the Arcade version done much better, also love that you can pick the comic book animation for the turtles.
As stated before in my Turtles in Time arcade review, this is the better game out of all the TMNT games, yes the animations are missing in spot versus the Arcade version and there's little of the voices, but this game controls almost flawlessly, the dash seems to activate on it's own at times or just doesn't when needed to. The music is at it's best, I know it's the same tracks from the arcade, but there's a difference when the sound is trying to come from speakers like the arcade was going for so it sounded a bit too bassy, while the SNES version does the channels directly from the sound chip and it's amazing.
It's really hard to say too much about the game, since everyone knows it amazing, and it's just the Arcade version done much better, also love that you can pick the comic book animation for the turtles.
5 star beat em up with a 10 star OST
better than arcade
Gostei muito, tanto quanto o novo. Mas achei sacanagem ter que finalizar no hard pra ver o final, ainda bem que o jogo é curto pra fazer de volta. No hard é bem difícil.
Konami beat-em-ups SUCK - they're impactless quarter-munchers that coast on their copious amounts of IP fanservice. Turtles 1 in arcade, Simpsons, Vendetta, X-Men, - can't stomach even a little bit of them without losing my mind, and their place in retro culture permanently contimated beatemups' reputation as a mindless button-masher genre.
But Turtles in Time on SNES? It's good. The action hits hard and fast, the stage design is timelessly iconic, the bosses are solid, most of Konami's long-running issues with hitbox and enemy design feel so much cleaner here - and DAMN, the TUNES.
Why this is the one good Konami joint? Who knows. My guess is, with Final Fight and Streets of Rage making waves, the bar was getting set high and they had to clean up their act. It's not too uncommon for console versions of brawlers to reign in the arcade jank, either.
It's still too repetitive tho - even with the occasional golem and robot enemies, it's hard to stay invested in beating up faceless foot clan dudes for 9 whole stages. The I-frames suck and lead to one too many deaths caused by collateral enemy charges. They give you so many continues and lives that there's basically no way to game over, but you still have to restart a stage after losing all your lives anyway - like c'mon man, you gave me the keys to the kingdom, get rid of the potholes while you're at it.
It's still a Konami beatemup, but it like, fires enough really striking neurons for that to be okay.
But Turtles in Time on SNES? It's good. The action hits hard and fast, the stage design is timelessly iconic, the bosses are solid, most of Konami's long-running issues with hitbox and enemy design feel so much cleaner here - and DAMN, the TUNES.
Why this is the one good Konami joint? Who knows. My guess is, with Final Fight and Streets of Rage making waves, the bar was getting set high and they had to clean up their act. It's not too uncommon for console versions of brawlers to reign in the arcade jank, either.
It's still too repetitive tho - even with the occasional golem and robot enemies, it's hard to stay invested in beating up faceless foot clan dudes for 9 whole stages. The I-frames suck and lead to one too many deaths caused by collateral enemy charges. They give you so many continues and lives that there's basically no way to game over, but you still have to restart a stage after losing all your lives anyway - like c'mon man, you gave me the keys to the kingdom, get rid of the potholes while you're at it.
It's still a Konami beatemup, but it like, fires enough really striking neurons for that to be okay.
Ótima jogabilidade, principalmente pra época em que foi lançado. Com apenas três botões (pulo, ataque e corrida) é possível desencadear uma variedade de golpes com a sua tartaruga, sejam golpes no mano-a-mano, correndo ou voadoras. Os chefes não exigem grandes estratégias, e jogando com um amigo o game fica ainda mais legal.
(Satisfatório o golpe de jogar o inimigo na tela da televisão, como se estivesse vindo em nossa direção.)
(Satisfatório o golpe de jogar o inimigo na tela da televisão, como se estivesse vindo em nossa direção.)
I've never watched the show, but just from this game I can tell how much personality is there. Such a vibrant, fun game. Not the best feeling beat-em-up I've played, but a damn great one.
Minor Introduction
And we are here! Welcome to the seventh review of the marathon, courtesy of the cowabunga collection! Next on the list is a game I have been so SO excited to check out: the SNES version of turtles in time. Considered by many to be the best TMNT game and one of the best beat’em’ups ever, it certainly has a lot to live up too, especially since I consider the arcade version to be pretty great already. So what does this game do that makes it better than the arcade version…and most importantly, does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out!
First Impressions
Ok yea it does live up to the hype, it is the best TMNT game. Would I call it one of the best beat’em’ups ever? Mmmm probably all things considered. The SNES version takes the arcade version, faithfully ports 85% of it, while changing or adding 15% FOR THE BETTER in every way, including new bosses, level changes, difficulty changes and even a new level entirely!
Gameplay
My praises about the gameplay and combat remain largely the same as what I gave to the arcade version…which is a good thing, cuz it means the snes version remains faithful to the arcade version in that regard. It maintains the great controls that are better than previous games, maintains the new satisfying moves and combos (like the run and iconic “throwing enemies at the screen” moves), the bosses are great, the difficulty is fair, the pacing is better and the environmental variety for the levels are at their best. The turtle stats are more distinguishable now and the enemy variety has increased, while remaining fair. I basically just copy pasted my thoughts from the arcade version, so let’s talk about the changes and additions. Firstly, two levels have been changed in terms of play: those being the sewer level with the uhhh…pizza xenomorphs and the night riders future level. The sewer level is expanded even further, with the pizza xenomorphs section being turned into a bonus level to gain lives, ending with a brand-new boss fight against Rat King that is also a very good one. The night riders future level is also now a bonus level, with one more cool trick…it utilizes the mode-7 from SNES, meaning the level is now semi-3D as opposed to side-scrolling, which makes it so SO much more fun and distinct…it also still ends with the same Krang boss. There are also boss fight changes, with Bebop and Rocksteady being the bosses of the pirate level, also sporting their very own drippy pirate attires, and this is honestly a great change in my eyes. Slash is also a boss in the prehistoric level, as opposed to Cement Man, with his boss being significantly tougher and more satisfying to beat than Cement Man…AKA it’s another good change, but easily the best change has to be the final shredder fight being Super Shredder in SNES version, who ends up being a much MUCH fairer and still well-done fight than the crackhead of the arcade version. The final and most noticeable additions come in the form of the new technodrome stage and its new shredder boss fight. Due to story changes, the turtles don’t time travel as soon as the sewer, but instead tackle the technodrome before the time travel. The new technodrome level is a great addition, with the new shredder boss being amongst my favourites in the game, specifically cuz it utilizes the “throw enemies at the screen” gimmick, which makes it so much more fun to me, since I love using that move. There are also two new gameplay modes: time trial and versus, with time trial being just that…a time trial of four levels from the game, and versus being a 1v1 mode. They’re mostly there as distraction gamemodes, but they’re still fun and a cool distraction. Overall, basically all the additions and changes are better than its arcade version, which combined with how faithfully the strong aspects of said version have been ported, make for a stupidly fun and “improved across the board” playthrough, even in solo.
Story
The story remains the same as the arcade counterpart…which happens to have the best tmnt plot of the games so far. The story has seen a very minor rewrite to accommodate the new technodrome lev and new shredder boss, but the rest remains the same. Shredder interrupts april’s broadcast (he seriously needs to stop this, he has to realize by now how doing that has been detrimental in the long-run, just conquer the world from the shadows damn), steals the fucking statue of liberty and the turtle have to beat his ass…with time-travel thrown in. The time-travel aspect makes the plot progression so much more fun and unique, allowing for its best environments for the levels in a TMNT game. It basically feels like one of the better specials, as opposed to “another episode”. The SNES version also has a brand new opening compared to arcade, and it still kicks ass! The cutscenes and VAing have also been ported, but they sound worse cuz of course they do…but i’ll be damned if that crusty voice sound doesn’t add to the charm and cheesy vibe of it.
Presentation
The game looks beautiful on the SNES and its presentation is very faithful to the arcade. Great artstyle, great character sprites and animation (each turtle having distinct animations is a big plus), great background work. This is the game with THE tmnt soundtrack and holy shit it slaps HARD. So many of the iconic tmnt videogame tracks are present here in their 16-bit ported glory! The sound design is also great! It all combines for a very energetic and vibrant vibe to the game that I absolutely dig, while remaining at a consistent smooth framerate. It’s amazing presentation work that manages to remain faithful to the arcade, while adding its own charms with the 16-bit soundtrack and sound design.
Negatives
…do I even have any? The complaints in my arcade review were about the inconsistent difficulty design and Shredder final boss, but they’ve been rectified for the most part here. Krang still remains a relative joke before the Super Shredder fight, and I guess the Stone Warriors and Pizza Xenomorphs can still be mildly annoying, but they have changes in them that make it more tolerable. The coin-munching cheap tricks have also been severely reduced…but there are some minor cases here and there, where they’re still present. Uhhhh yea I can’t think much beyond that, I’m sorry lol. Maybe Slash is too much of a pain sometimes? Yup I have nothing besides those.
Final Thoughts
Best TMNT game, bar fucking none, I absolutely adore SNES Turtles In Time. Taking what already worked from the arcade game and just piling even more quality on top of it and you have a recipe for a damn good time! This is an absolute must-play of the SNES library IN GENERAL, let alone a beat’em’up or a TMNT game! Please do yourself a favor and check it out, please PLEASE! Final verdict: 9/10 both solo and with friends! With that, this marks my venture with the two best TMNT games ever, next time i’ll check out…probably the most experimental trilogy of TMNT games…which happen to be on the gameboy of all platforms. See ya there!
And we are here! Welcome to the seventh review of the marathon, courtesy of the cowabunga collection! Next on the list is a game I have been so SO excited to check out: the SNES version of turtles in time. Considered by many to be the best TMNT game and one of the best beat’em’ups ever, it certainly has a lot to live up too, especially since I consider the arcade version to be pretty great already. So what does this game do that makes it better than the arcade version…and most importantly, does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out!
First Impressions
Ok yea it does live up to the hype, it is the best TMNT game. Would I call it one of the best beat’em’ups ever? Mmmm probably all things considered. The SNES version takes the arcade version, faithfully ports 85% of it, while changing or adding 15% FOR THE BETTER in every way, including new bosses, level changes, difficulty changes and even a new level entirely!
Gameplay
My praises about the gameplay and combat remain largely the same as what I gave to the arcade version…which is a good thing, cuz it means the snes version remains faithful to the arcade version in that regard. It maintains the great controls that are better than previous games, maintains the new satisfying moves and combos (like the run and iconic “throwing enemies at the screen” moves), the bosses are great, the difficulty is fair, the pacing is better and the environmental variety for the levels are at their best. The turtle stats are more distinguishable now and the enemy variety has increased, while remaining fair. I basically just copy pasted my thoughts from the arcade version, so let’s talk about the changes and additions. Firstly, two levels have been changed in terms of play: those being the sewer level with the uhhh…pizza xenomorphs and the night riders future level. The sewer level is expanded even further, with the pizza xenomorphs section being turned into a bonus level to gain lives, ending with a brand-new boss fight against Rat King that is also a very good one. The night riders future level is also now a bonus level, with one more cool trick…it utilizes the mode-7 from SNES, meaning the level is now semi-3D as opposed to side-scrolling, which makes it so SO much more fun and distinct…it also still ends with the same Krang boss. There are also boss fight changes, with Bebop and Rocksteady being the bosses of the pirate level, also sporting their very own drippy pirate attires, and this is honestly a great change in my eyes. Slash is also a boss in the prehistoric level, as opposed to Cement Man, with his boss being significantly tougher and more satisfying to beat than Cement Man…AKA it’s another good change, but easily the best change has to be the final shredder fight being Super Shredder in SNES version, who ends up being a much MUCH fairer and still well-done fight than the crackhead of the arcade version. The final and most noticeable additions come in the form of the new technodrome stage and its new shredder boss fight. Due to story changes, the turtles don’t time travel as soon as the sewer, but instead tackle the technodrome before the time travel. The new technodrome level is a great addition, with the new shredder boss being amongst my favourites in the game, specifically cuz it utilizes the “throw enemies at the screen” gimmick, which makes it so much more fun to me, since I love using that move. There are also two new gameplay modes: time trial and versus, with time trial being just that…a time trial of four levels from the game, and versus being a 1v1 mode. They’re mostly there as distraction gamemodes, but they’re still fun and a cool distraction. Overall, basically all the additions and changes are better than its arcade version, which combined with how faithfully the strong aspects of said version have been ported, make for a stupidly fun and “improved across the board” playthrough, even in solo.
Story
The story remains the same as the arcade counterpart…which happens to have the best tmnt plot of the games so far. The story has seen a very minor rewrite to accommodate the new technodrome lev and new shredder boss, but the rest remains the same. Shredder interrupts april’s broadcast (he seriously needs to stop this, he has to realize by now how doing that has been detrimental in the long-run, just conquer the world from the shadows damn), steals the fucking statue of liberty and the turtle have to beat his ass…with time-travel thrown in. The time-travel aspect makes the plot progression so much more fun and unique, allowing for its best environments for the levels in a TMNT game. It basically feels like one of the better specials, as opposed to “another episode”. The SNES version also has a brand new opening compared to arcade, and it still kicks ass! The cutscenes and VAing have also been ported, but they sound worse cuz of course they do…but i’ll be damned if that crusty voice sound doesn’t add to the charm and cheesy vibe of it.
Presentation
The game looks beautiful on the SNES and its presentation is very faithful to the arcade. Great artstyle, great character sprites and animation (each turtle having distinct animations is a big plus), great background work. This is the game with THE tmnt soundtrack and holy shit it slaps HARD. So many of the iconic tmnt videogame tracks are present here in their 16-bit ported glory! The sound design is also great! It all combines for a very energetic and vibrant vibe to the game that I absolutely dig, while remaining at a consistent smooth framerate. It’s amazing presentation work that manages to remain faithful to the arcade, while adding its own charms with the 16-bit soundtrack and sound design.
Negatives
…do I even have any? The complaints in my arcade review were about the inconsistent difficulty design and Shredder final boss, but they’ve been rectified for the most part here. Krang still remains a relative joke before the Super Shredder fight, and I guess the Stone Warriors and Pizza Xenomorphs can still be mildly annoying, but they have changes in them that make it more tolerable. The coin-munching cheap tricks have also been severely reduced…but there are some minor cases here and there, where they’re still present. Uhhhh yea I can’t think much beyond that, I’m sorry lol. Maybe Slash is too much of a pain sometimes? Yup I have nothing besides those.
Final Thoughts
Best TMNT game, bar fucking none, I absolutely adore SNES Turtles In Time. Taking what already worked from the arcade game and just piling even more quality on top of it and you have a recipe for a damn good time! This is an absolute must-play of the SNES library IN GENERAL, let alone a beat’em’up or a TMNT game! Please do yourself a favor and check it out, please PLEASE! Final verdict: 9/10 both solo and with friends! With that, this marks my venture with the two best TMNT games ever, next time i’ll check out…probably the most experimental trilogy of TMNT games…which happen to be on the gameboy of all platforms. See ya there!
Turtles in Time de SNES é um jogo que muda coisas pontuais em relação ao de Arcade, mas dá substancia ao jogo em si, fases diferentes, o game feel funciona, o combate tem um moveset mais claro
mas desculpa, não irei zerar no difícil pra ter uma cena extra no final, eu to pouco me fudendo pra estatua da liberdade, foda-se o estados unidos, o destruidor mitou nessa.
mas desculpa, não irei zerar no difícil pra ter uma cena extra no final, eu to pouco me fudendo pra estatua da liberdade, foda-se o estados unidos, o destruidor mitou nessa.
Porradaria com viagem no tempo, jogabilidade simples mas satisfatória, trilha sonora foda, gráficos coloridos e lindos ate hj e as tartarugas mais maneiras da história.
É só jogar e se divertir (e de 2 é melhor ainda).
É só jogar e se divertir (e de 2 é melhor ainda).
Rather than do a straight port of the arcade game, Konami actually put a lot of time into adding to it and refining it, creating a kind of fully-realized version. It feels a lot more whole here. Impressive effort! Still not mind-blowing, but definitely has a real edge over the original.
Dare I say, far superior to the arcade version. I still think Shredder’s Revenge is the TMNT game by far but Turtles in Time on SNES is nothing short of immaculate. The new stages and bosses are welcome, the music is just as good, if not better, than before, the mode 7 bonus game was awesome, and best of all, this game is far more balanced in difficulty compared to the arcade games. Sure, some enemies hit way too hard for their own good but the significantly shrunk the amount of enemies on screen at once and now you have set lives and continues instead of just pumping in quarters constantly. On top of that, special moves have been balanced out, enemies and bosses are now far more manageable thanks to the better stun locking, and the level layouts I honestly prefer here. You’ll rarely ever find a TMNT game better than this.
One of the best beat em up games ever.
My dad and I still joke about "MY TOE! MY TOE!" to this day. I haven't played it since I was a literal child, but I remember having a ton of fun with it.
This game thought the year 2020 was going to be SO COOL
o pico dos videogames
Version: TMNT the Cowabunga Collection
Just how I remember from back in the day. This time I played it fully in Co-op and actually beat it! (Because of the new features). Really love it and all levels are super memorable. The game is short, but that does add to is charm.
My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+- Gameplay;
Solid gameplay. The variation in attacks is a bit limited, but fine enough to keep you engaged till the end. I like that every level has a boss and they're all unique enough to differ from each other.
++ Music;
Easily the best part of the game. Really can't get enough of the whole OST. Even love the Voiceclips they use!
+ Graphics;
I like all the themes they have for each level. It really makes them all unique and rememberable. Looks solid.
+- Story/Characters;
Every level has a different boss, which they didn't have to do but very much appreciate. There isn't really a story to mention and they even forgot to bring back the statue at the end I think.
Recommend?
I'd rather recommend shredder's revenge. If you like that game, then get the collection for sure!
Just how I remember from back in the day. This time I played it fully in Co-op and actually beat it! (Because of the new features). Really love it and all levels are super memorable. The game is short, but that does add to is charm.
My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+- Gameplay;
Solid gameplay. The variation in attacks is a bit limited, but fine enough to keep you engaged till the end. I like that every level has a boss and they're all unique enough to differ from each other.
++ Music;
Easily the best part of the game. Really can't get enough of the whole OST. Even love the Voiceclips they use!
+ Graphics;
I like all the themes they have for each level. It really makes them all unique and rememberable. Looks solid.
+- Story/Characters;
Every level has a different boss, which they didn't have to do but very much appreciate. There isn't really a story to mention and they even forgot to bring back the statue at the end I think.
Recommend?
I'd rather recommend shredder's revenge. If you like that game, then get the collection for sure!
solid beat em up
Both Shredder fights are terrible but other than that it's worth at least one run through, if only 2020 was actually f-zero