Timed exclusivity really sucks, you know what I mean? Like, you have this brand new game that is coming out, it looks so cool and fun, and you can’t wait to get your hands on it to play it for yourself… but then you find out it is exclusive to a console that you don’t have, and you have to wait even longer for them to release it to the console that you actually have. It is a real kick in the nads to be sure, and what’s crazy about this is that this has been a practice that has been a part of the industry for quite a while. For example, back in the days of the NES and SNES, Nintendo had a strict grip on their titles from third-party developers, requiring them to be exclusive to their systems for a year or so before they can be ported over to any other system (yeah, bet you thought they were only shitty towards their customers, didn’t ya?). However, there have been several cases over the years when developers have managed to find loopholes around this rule, managing to bring their games over to other systems while altering them just enough to where they won’t be upsetting the big N, such as the case with today’s game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist.
For those of you who are aware of this game, then you would also know that this game is, in the most technical sense, the Genesis version of Turtles in Time. A lot of the game looks and plays exactly how that game does, but again, due to Nintendo being the spoiled child of the video game industry, Konami had to change A LOT of the game around, which in turn pretty much made it its own completely original game. Because of this, I had debated for a long time whether or not I should actually play the game for myself, because if it was essentially just another version of Turtles In Time, then why would I even bother? However, I looked into it more extensively, realized how different the game is from the original, and figured I would go ahead and give it a shot anyways, and I’m glad I did, as I thought it was pretty good for the most part. Is it better than Turtles In Time? HELL NO, but on its own, it is still a really good TMNT game that was fun to run through, and as an alternative for those who couldn’t get Turtles In Time back in the day, it does a great job at bringing the feel of that game over to this system.
The story is somewhat altered from the original game, where this time, instead of just the Statue of Liberty being taken away by the Shredder, the entirety of Manhattan is taken away, and the Shredder himself looks JACKED AS FUCK, so it is up to the turtles to set out once again, take down the Shredder and other foes, and save Manhattan, which is just about as ridiculous of a set up as the original game, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The graphics are pretty good, looking just about on par with the original game in terms of the general visuals, animations, and character designs, making it still very pleasing to look at, the music is great, with plenty of great tunes to be heard throughout, but a lot of the tracks are pretty much just lower quality versions of the original game’s tracks, so needless to say, I would much rather be listening to this over this, and the gameplay/control is what you would expect from a TMNT game as before, being just as action packed, fluid, and fun as ever, even if you have less options then before in a multitude of areas.
The game is your typical arcade style beat-’em-up, where you take control of one of the four Ninja Turtles, go through a set of five different levels themed around many different locations you would expect from this kind of game, cut your way through many different enemies such as Foot Soldiers, Pizza Monsters, The Thing from Marvel (obviously), and so on, using whatever ninja skills and tools that you have at your disposal, gather plenty of different pizzas that can not only heal you whenever you need it most, but it can also give you a temporary special attack so you can show those foot soldiers what’s what, and take on plenty of familiar faces as bosses, who can give you a hard time unless you have played Turtles In Time as much as I have, in which case, they aren’t exactly much of a threat. You know the drill by now, it is your typical TMNT experience, where you beat up dudes, eat the cheesy good stuff, and make the Shredder cry for his mommy, it comes with the territory, but it still manages to be fun regardless, and somewhat refreshing for those who were much more familiar with the original game.
Let me tell you, as someone who has been playing Turtles In Time for years up to this point, it was WEIRD going into this game, because despite how similar it is to that original game, it changes things up dramatically in several ways. Rather than focusing on a bunch of short, yet fast levels, the game only has about 4 and a half really long levels, which is an interesting change, as it not only excludes several levels from the original version, but it also combines several levels together from that game and the previous TMNT arcade game, which was neat to see. Not to mention, with these new levels comes with new bosses, with some obviously returning from the original game, but then you got new ones like a human version of Baxter Stockman, and even Tatsu from the live-action TMNT movies, both of which are… slightly annoying to fight, but it was cool to take these guys on regardless. Oh yeah, and you can also switch between different styles for the turtles themselves, which is a neat little feature, for those of you who care about that kind of shit.
But regardless, the game is still a TMNT beat-’em-up, which means you know exactly what to expect, which can cause those who are getting tired of these TMNT beat-’em-ups to groan and move onto something else, but it is perfectly fine for the rest of us. The game still manages to have satisfying combat, a good sense of speed with how you move about and take down your foes, and with a friend to join you by your side, you will be able to have a great time with this as you would with any other version of the game. It does kinda suck that some things did have to be omitted from this version, such as the fact that you can’t throw enemies at the screen, but hey, even with all that was lost in this version, what was left over and added onto it still makes for an experience that is well worth going through.
However, not everything about this game managed to live up to the original game, as there was one level of the game that I did not enjoy at all, which would be the fourth level of the game, The Gauntlet. Not only is the level itself really short, but it is also really boring, not having too much going on, and instead, it just leads you right into a boss rush, which not only feels completely unnecessary for a game as short as this, but also manages to piss me off specifically, as the guy who hates most boss rushes with a burning passion. Yeah, there is the Baxter Stockman boss at the end of it all, which is fine and all, but that doesn’t make up for most of this level being a repetitive slog that acts as a stain on an otherwise perfectly fine revision of a beloved arcade classic.
Overall though, despite The Gauntlet needing to go fuck itself, The Hyperstone Heist will never quite outshine Turtles In Time in terms of overall quality, but it still manages to be a really fun and very well done version of the game regardless, bringing you the same fast and fun gameplay of the original, new features and stages that were neat to see in action, and a great co-op experience if you have the right buddy to go on the journey with ya. I would recommend it for those who are big fans of Turtles In Time, as well as those who are big fans of beat-’em-ups in general, because while it may not blow you away, it still manages to be an entertaining romp through and through, and isn’t that what really matters at the end of the day? I’m just glad that I finally managed to play this game after so long, so I can get that demon off of my back for the foreseeable future. Although, now that I think about it, since I did play through this now, I suppose now I’m gonna have to play TMNT Re-Shelled at some point, aren’t I?......................... uhhhhhhhh………… don’t worry, I’ll think of some way to get out of playing it, just give me some time…
Game #582
For those of you who are aware of this game, then you would also know that this game is, in the most technical sense, the Genesis version of Turtles in Time. A lot of the game looks and plays exactly how that game does, but again, due to Nintendo being the spoiled child of the video game industry, Konami had to change A LOT of the game around, which in turn pretty much made it its own completely original game. Because of this, I had debated for a long time whether or not I should actually play the game for myself, because if it was essentially just another version of Turtles In Time, then why would I even bother? However, I looked into it more extensively, realized how different the game is from the original, and figured I would go ahead and give it a shot anyways, and I’m glad I did, as I thought it was pretty good for the most part. Is it better than Turtles In Time? HELL NO, but on its own, it is still a really good TMNT game that was fun to run through, and as an alternative for those who couldn’t get Turtles In Time back in the day, it does a great job at bringing the feel of that game over to this system.
The story is somewhat altered from the original game, where this time, instead of just the Statue of Liberty being taken away by the Shredder, the entirety of Manhattan is taken away, and the Shredder himself looks JACKED AS FUCK, so it is up to the turtles to set out once again, take down the Shredder and other foes, and save Manhattan, which is just about as ridiculous of a set up as the original game, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The graphics are pretty good, looking just about on par with the original game in terms of the general visuals, animations, and character designs, making it still very pleasing to look at, the music is great, with plenty of great tunes to be heard throughout, but a lot of the tracks are pretty much just lower quality versions of the original game’s tracks, so needless to say, I would much rather be listening to this over this, and the gameplay/control is what you would expect from a TMNT game as before, being just as action packed, fluid, and fun as ever, even if you have less options then before in a multitude of areas.
The game is your typical arcade style beat-’em-up, where you take control of one of the four Ninja Turtles, go through a set of five different levels themed around many different locations you would expect from this kind of game, cut your way through many different enemies such as Foot Soldiers, Pizza Monsters, The Thing from Marvel (obviously), and so on, using whatever ninja skills and tools that you have at your disposal, gather plenty of different pizzas that can not only heal you whenever you need it most, but it can also give you a temporary special attack so you can show those foot soldiers what’s what, and take on plenty of familiar faces as bosses, who can give you a hard time unless you have played Turtles In Time as much as I have, in which case, they aren’t exactly much of a threat. You know the drill by now, it is your typical TMNT experience, where you beat up dudes, eat the cheesy good stuff, and make the Shredder cry for his mommy, it comes with the territory, but it still manages to be fun regardless, and somewhat refreshing for those who were much more familiar with the original game.
Let me tell you, as someone who has been playing Turtles In Time for years up to this point, it was WEIRD going into this game, because despite how similar it is to that original game, it changes things up dramatically in several ways. Rather than focusing on a bunch of short, yet fast levels, the game only has about 4 and a half really long levels, which is an interesting change, as it not only excludes several levels from the original version, but it also combines several levels together from that game and the previous TMNT arcade game, which was neat to see. Not to mention, with these new levels comes with new bosses, with some obviously returning from the original game, but then you got new ones like a human version of Baxter Stockman, and even Tatsu from the live-action TMNT movies, both of which are… slightly annoying to fight, but it was cool to take these guys on regardless. Oh yeah, and you can also switch between different styles for the turtles themselves, which is a neat little feature, for those of you who care about that kind of shit.
But regardless, the game is still a TMNT beat-’em-up, which means you know exactly what to expect, which can cause those who are getting tired of these TMNT beat-’em-ups to groan and move onto something else, but it is perfectly fine for the rest of us. The game still manages to have satisfying combat, a good sense of speed with how you move about and take down your foes, and with a friend to join you by your side, you will be able to have a great time with this as you would with any other version of the game. It does kinda suck that some things did have to be omitted from this version, such as the fact that you can’t throw enemies at the screen, but hey, even with all that was lost in this version, what was left over and added onto it still makes for an experience that is well worth going through.
However, not everything about this game managed to live up to the original game, as there was one level of the game that I did not enjoy at all, which would be the fourth level of the game, The Gauntlet. Not only is the level itself really short, but it is also really boring, not having too much going on, and instead, it just leads you right into a boss rush, which not only feels completely unnecessary for a game as short as this, but also manages to piss me off specifically, as the guy who hates most boss rushes with a burning passion. Yeah, there is the Baxter Stockman boss at the end of it all, which is fine and all, but that doesn’t make up for most of this level being a repetitive slog that acts as a stain on an otherwise perfectly fine revision of a beloved arcade classic.
Overall though, despite The Gauntlet needing to go fuck itself, The Hyperstone Heist will never quite outshine Turtles In Time in terms of overall quality, but it still manages to be a really fun and very well done version of the game regardless, bringing you the same fast and fun gameplay of the original, new features and stages that were neat to see in action, and a great co-op experience if you have the right buddy to go on the journey with ya. I would recommend it for those who are big fans of Turtles In Time, as well as those who are big fans of beat-’em-ups in general, because while it may not blow you away, it still manages to be an entertaining romp through and through, and isn’t that what really matters at the end of the day? I’m just glad that I finally managed to play this game after so long, so I can get that demon off of my back for the foreseeable future. Although, now that I think about it, since I did play through this now, I suppose now I’m gonna have to play TMNT Re-Shelled at some point, aren’t I?......................... uhhhhhhhh………… don’t worry, I’ll think of some way to get out of playing it, just give me some time…
Game #582
Hyperstone Heist is a weird case. It's not exactly another port of Turtles in Time, but it uses a large amount of its assets, and ultimately just makes things a bit confusing. I don't exactly know the reason for this. I'm sure Turtles in Time could have been ported over to the Genesis with very minimal sacrifices, though I'm no expert on the hardware.
Whatever the reason may be, the Genesis got this instead, which is basically the same but with five different, longer levels instead of the original's ten. It also looks a bit murkier as a whole and has an option to make the turtles an uglier shade of green.
This one is damn solid on its own, but really it just makes me wish I was playing its SNES counterpart. I have no idea about the arcade original, I feel like there's a good chance this is an improvement over that if Konami's other arcade beatemups are anything to go by.
Whatever the reason may be, the Genesis got this instead, which is basically the same but with five different, longer levels instead of the original's ten. It also looks a bit murkier as a whole and has an option to make the turtles an uglier shade of green.
This one is damn solid on its own, but really it just makes me wish I was playing its SNES counterpart. I have no idea about the arcade original, I feel like there's a good chance this is an improvement over that if Konami's other arcade beatemups are anything to go by.
Replayed this not only on The Cowabunga Collection but again on a reproduction cart, because my brain is SMOOTH as SHIT for HYPERSTONE HEIST
Modern multiplatform games share a certain sense of unity between versions, often differentiated by performance rather than features. In the 16-bit era, having the "same" game on different consoles usually meant jumping into a radically different experience depending on your preferred platform. Tournament Fighters (which I've reviewed every version of) is an excellent example of this, but so too is TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist, which is ostensibly the Genesis' own version of Turtles in Time. Except it's not. Although it sort of it, but not really, but sometimes it's like it but it's also it's own thing. That kind sounds a little stupid, I mean I think, it's also cool though. Like, it's Turtles in Time but there's a Hyperstone, you know what I mean?
The Hyperstone Heist reuses a lot of elements from Turtles in Time, including some bosses, levels, and just the general design of everything from the Foot soldiers to the Turtles themselves. However, rather than settling for a deeply compromised yet otherwise faithful port of that game, Konami took those elements and went for something more akin to a remix. Take Sewer Surfin. Rather than going through this level on hoverboards, you're on foot, and it's now the first level instead of the third. Or the pirate ship from Turtles in Time, now a ghost ship the Foot have control of, which you board after a hoverboard section on the ocean (similar to the surfing level in Manhattan Project leading the player to the submarine.)
That's not to say The Hyperstone Heist is without anything bespoke, you get to fight Tatsu during a visit to the Foot Clan's dojo among other things, but it's like they used the super baby method to make these things and Hyperstone got all the recessive genes.
It's an anecdotal observation, but back in the earlier days of console gaming, you were either a Nintendo household, or Sega. It was rare for anyone to have the luxury of enjoying both. We had a Sega Genesis, so I had to hang out at a friend's house if I wanted to play Super Nintendo games. It's not like I didn't play my fair share of the SNES version of Turtles in Time, but if I was playing a Ninja Turtles game in the comfort of my own room, it was The Hyperstone Heist. I have just as much nostalgia for this as I do the other Turtles beat-em-ups, but it's also a very different kind of nostalgia, because even then I recognized that it was this chimera of other things that I liked, yet it had a very unique identity despite that. I've always liked that about it. It's why instead of trying to get a SNES and a copy of Turtles in Time I bought a repro of Hyperstone to play on my CRT, because that is what I'm more nostalgic for.
Maybe that bias is playing a factor, but I think The Hyperstone Heist stands up pretty well next to Turtles in Time, an opinion that's been reenforced after replaying all of these games back-to-back twice within the last two years. It feels just as good, the soundtrack remains excellent and in some places benefits from the more grungy sound of the Yamaha YM2612, and though the colors pallets are all around darker, it still exudes the same style and charm of the other Turtles games. Yeah it might be a bit shorter at only five levels (though each level is much longer than what's typical for these games), and one of them features a boss rush (the bosses thankfully aren't that hard), but it's still a really fun game, and easily one of my favorite beat-em-ups. I don't care what anyone thinks, I'll go up to the plate for Hyperstone Heist every single time.
Modern multiplatform games share a certain sense of unity between versions, often differentiated by performance rather than features. In the 16-bit era, having the "same" game on different consoles usually meant jumping into a radically different experience depending on your preferred platform. Tournament Fighters (which I've reviewed every version of) is an excellent example of this, but so too is TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist, which is ostensibly the Genesis' own version of Turtles in Time. Except it's not. Although it sort of it, but not really, but sometimes it's like it but it's also it's own thing. That kind sounds a little stupid, I mean I think, it's also cool though. Like, it's Turtles in Time but there's a Hyperstone, you know what I mean?
The Hyperstone Heist reuses a lot of elements from Turtles in Time, including some bosses, levels, and just the general design of everything from the Foot soldiers to the Turtles themselves. However, rather than settling for a deeply compromised yet otherwise faithful port of that game, Konami took those elements and went for something more akin to a remix. Take Sewer Surfin. Rather than going through this level on hoverboards, you're on foot, and it's now the first level instead of the third. Or the pirate ship from Turtles in Time, now a ghost ship the Foot have control of, which you board after a hoverboard section on the ocean (similar to the surfing level in Manhattan Project leading the player to the submarine.)
That's not to say The Hyperstone Heist is without anything bespoke, you get to fight Tatsu during a visit to the Foot Clan's dojo among other things, but it's like they used the super baby method to make these things and Hyperstone got all the recessive genes.
It's an anecdotal observation, but back in the earlier days of console gaming, you were either a Nintendo household, or Sega. It was rare for anyone to have the luxury of enjoying both. We had a Sega Genesis, so I had to hang out at a friend's house if I wanted to play Super Nintendo games. It's not like I didn't play my fair share of the SNES version of Turtles in Time, but if I was playing a Ninja Turtles game in the comfort of my own room, it was The Hyperstone Heist. I have just as much nostalgia for this as I do the other Turtles beat-em-ups, but it's also a very different kind of nostalgia, because even then I recognized that it was this chimera of other things that I liked, yet it had a very unique identity despite that. I've always liked that about it. It's why instead of trying to get a SNES and a copy of Turtles in Time I bought a repro of Hyperstone to play on my CRT, because that is what I'm more nostalgic for.
Maybe that bias is playing a factor, but I think The Hyperstone Heist stands up pretty well next to Turtles in Time, an opinion that's been reenforced after replaying all of these games back-to-back twice within the last two years. It feels just as good, the soundtrack remains excellent and in some places benefits from the more grungy sound of the Yamaha YM2612, and though the colors pallets are all around darker, it still exudes the same style and charm of the other Turtles games. Yeah it might be a bit shorter at only five levels (though each level is much longer than what's typical for these games), and one of them features a boss rush (the bosses thankfully aren't that hard), but it's still a really fun game, and easily one of my favorite beat-em-ups. I don't care what anyone thinks, I'll go up to the plate for Hyperstone Heist every single time.
Was fun to re-visit this after Turtles in Time. Unabashedly a truncated, cheaper version of the original, but thankfully nothing has damaged the core gameplay loop.
Re-assigning dash to its own button rocks, it made the body slam and slide attacks so much easier to chain off of combos. Felt really satisfying to just slide my thumb over C-B-A for a bullet of hurt.
This version's music gets shat on sometimes and I genuinely cannot see it. There's less punch, but the FM patches are closer to their respective instruments and have a fuller, more organic sound. Very good use of slap bass, arpeggios and guitars. The two original tracks made for the original stage are great too.
Speaking of, stages are the bulk of what makes and breaks this version. TMNT:HH does the same thing as Sunset Riders MD and cuts the stage count in half, but makes each stage several mini-acts ala Sonic. This should be the better way to do it - get you through more scenic areas more frequently, - but the stage selection within is really paltry. My favorite levels from Turtles in Time were cut (Big Apple 3AM, Bury my Shell at Wounded Knee, Neon Night Riders), and a lot of what's left are bland sewer and cave stages. This also impacts the boss selection - there's only six, plus a boss rush in stage 4. Stockman from the original arcade game is here and sucks, and the new Tatsu fight is a pretty lame 'fight my minions then attack me' affair.
At least you don't have to beat Hard mode for an ending anymore, thank god.
I definitely feel this is the worse version overall; TMNT is really basic and repititious in the brawler sphere, so it needs that stage variety and setpiece design as window dressing for everything else. Without it, you have a game that's less gimmicky and MAYBE a bit better for raw action, but not as aesthetically interesting.
Re-assigning dash to its own button rocks, it made the body slam and slide attacks so much easier to chain off of combos. Felt really satisfying to just slide my thumb over C-B-A for a bullet of hurt.
This version's music gets shat on sometimes and I genuinely cannot see it. There's less punch, but the FM patches are closer to their respective instruments and have a fuller, more organic sound. Very good use of slap bass, arpeggios and guitars. The two original tracks made for the original stage are great too.
Speaking of, stages are the bulk of what makes and breaks this version. TMNT:HH does the same thing as Sunset Riders MD and cuts the stage count in half, but makes each stage several mini-acts ala Sonic. This should be the better way to do it - get you through more scenic areas more frequently, - but the stage selection within is really paltry. My favorite levels from Turtles in Time were cut (Big Apple 3AM, Bury my Shell at Wounded Knee, Neon Night Riders), and a lot of what's left are bland sewer and cave stages. This also impacts the boss selection - there's only six, plus a boss rush in stage 4. Stockman from the original arcade game is here and sucks, and the new Tatsu fight is a pretty lame 'fight my minions then attack me' affair.
At least you don't have to beat Hard mode for an ending anymore, thank god.
I definitely feel this is the worse version overall; TMNT is really basic and repititious in the brawler sphere, so it needs that stage variety and setpiece design as window dressing for everything else. Without it, you have a game that's less gimmicky and MAYBE a bit better for raw action, but not as aesthetically interesting.
It's a good beat em up and I actually think the gameplay of this one is better than Turtles in Time, too bad it's a rather weak version of Turtles in Time itself.
I really enjoyed how fast paced and direct this TMNT beat 'em up was. I sat down to play it after running through Shredder's Revenge and it was the perfect end-cap to my day that I was able to get through it in one sitting.
The combat is simple, but that just means that timings and spacing are more important. Most of the bosses just aren't memorable in their design or attack patterns, and as such barely register as a challenge. It was, admittedly, incredibly difficult to lose lives until the last 2-3 stages due to the low level of difficulty.
If you're looking for a challenge you probably won't find it here. But I wasn't. So I had a really nice time.
The combat is simple, but that just means that timings and spacing are more important. Most of the bosses just aren't memorable in their design or attack patterns, and as such barely register as a challenge. It was, admittedly, incredibly difficult to lose lives until the last 2-3 stages due to the low level of difficulty.
If you're looking for a challenge you probably won't find it here. But I wasn't. So I had a really nice time.
If I played through this whole game blind and someone told me it's one of those bootleg games stuffed into cartridges that were sold across Spain or some shit, the only thing that'd stop me from believing them is the amount of polish this game has. What I mean by this, is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The HyperStone Heist is a watered down, poor substitute for Turtles In Time on SNES.
The core gameplay is fine, albeit feels a bit less precise than said SNES game. That alone is what separates this from that bizarre Mario bootleg derived from the "Super Mario 9" or the "Speedy Gonzalez: Los Gatos Bandidos" hack that replaced his character sprites with Sonic. Because the presentation of this game is awful. I'm willing to bet production for this was heavily rushed, as much of the environment was considerably drab, almost lifeless (when that wasn't the point).
There's so few bosses as well, the only one that wasn't a recycling of an older TMNT game being Tatsu. Yeah, remember Tatsu? The master of the foot clan in the first film, who was known for his expertise in hand-to-hand combat? Well, in this game, his only form of attacking is shooting arrows. He literally has no melee attacks. It's just really bizarre and kinda tells me the developers involved had no funds nor time to actually create anything new for this demake of Turtles In Time SNES.
I don't really understand why this game came out so ugly, when I know the Genesis was capable of great visuals that easily rivaled SNES classics most of the time. Again, might've just been a budget issue. I'm sure back in 1992, this game sufficed for people that only had a Sega Genesis. But in this modern age of being able to emulate SNES or Genesis with a paperclip's worth of technology, there's no real reason to play through this game.
The core gameplay is fine, albeit feels a bit less precise than said SNES game. That alone is what separates this from that bizarre Mario bootleg derived from the "Super Mario 9" or the "Speedy Gonzalez: Los Gatos Bandidos" hack that replaced his character sprites with Sonic. Because the presentation of this game is awful. I'm willing to bet production for this was heavily rushed, as much of the environment was considerably drab, almost lifeless (when that wasn't the point).
There's so few bosses as well, the only one that wasn't a recycling of an older TMNT game being Tatsu. Yeah, remember Tatsu? The master of the foot clan in the first film, who was known for his expertise in hand-to-hand combat? Well, in this game, his only form of attacking is shooting arrows. He literally has no melee attacks. It's just really bizarre and kinda tells me the developers involved had no funds nor time to actually create anything new for this demake of Turtles In Time SNES.
I don't really understand why this game came out so ugly, when I know the Genesis was capable of great visuals that easily rivaled SNES classics most of the time. Again, might've just been a budget issue. I'm sure back in 1992, this game sufficed for people that only had a Sega Genesis. But in this modern age of being able to emulate SNES or Genesis with a paperclip's worth of technology, there's no real reason to play through this game.
Uma bela alternativa para quem jogou Turtles in Time e busca mais um TMNT qualidade igual, curioso que eram games que lançaram para apenas a plataforma do outro lado.
Beat em Up clássico, OST muito boa e 4/5 fases são ótimas. Uma ressalva vai para a fase de BOSS RUSH (Scene 4), ISSO É HORRÍVEL PAREM.
Achei os bosses bem fáceis também, o Destruidor (Scene 5) no final chega a ser rídiculo, sofri mais no Tatsu (Scene 3) por ser um chefe que exige ficar derrotando seus minions enquanto lança flechas e se movimenta.
Beat em Up clássico, OST muito boa e 4/5 fases são ótimas. Uma ressalva vai para a fase de BOSS RUSH (Scene 4), ISSO É HORRÍVEL PAREM.
Achei os bosses bem fáceis também, o Destruidor (Scene 5) no final chega a ser rídiculo, sofri mais no Tatsu (Scene 3) por ser um chefe que exige ficar derrotando seus minions enquanto lança flechas e se movimenta.
it great until it repetitive
It's a cool game, but nothing special, comparisons with Turtles in Time are inevitable because they have several sprites, music and even some recycled bosses and a very similar gameplay, but there is one thing that Hyperstone Heist does better than the SNES game, the addition of a dash button is very welcome, it makes the gameplay a little more dynamic and the enemies that defend themselves are much less annoying to deal with compared to Turtles in Time which had an automatic or a manual dash with double tap, unfortunately, the rest leaves a lot to be desired, the game has 5 stages, which are divided into 3 acts each, and they are quite uninspired (one of them being just a generic boss rush), the variety of weapons and colors that the enemies are a lot smaller, there are fewer bosses and they are pretty basic, with most only containing 2 patterns at most that keep repeating over and over until you kill them. It's still a decent game, I recommend it for Beat 'em ups and TMNT fans who want more levels with the same gameplay style as Turtles in Time, just don't expect something very memorable.
It's short length is honestly great if you're doing a solo run, it doesn't slog down alone at all.
I never played this one. But its great! Its not exactly original, its just a remix of Turtles in Time in a lot of ways. But Turtles in Time is a great game. So more of anything similar is awesome.
I remember reading about this game years ago and what I took from it was this was just Turtles in Time IV but for the Genesis. This couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, it's running on the same type of engine and some elements are similar, but this actually is a different game.
The graphics are where the differences start, the stages are mostly different or the path from stage to stage is different. The sprites are VERY detailed I was actually a tad bit shocked how much better it looked. All the bosses, enemies, levels and even the turtles had extra details as well as some of the animations from the arcade are present.
The controls are just as shocking, I'm someone who played TMNT4 a lot growing up, and I always through it was a fast paced brawler, but actually HyperStone Heist plays faster and smoother with the stage animations and the characters frame-by-frame movement. The only issue i had with the controls was...while TMNT4 I had said that the dashing felt a bit inconsistent but everything else was fine, well in HyperStone Heist the dashing is perfect with no issue, but the slam and throw attacks don't active as cleanly as TMNT4, sometimes it just doesn't do it no matter how close or stunned the enemy and sometimes it just happens.
The music actually sounds pretty good, it has tinny spots here and there, but nothing that sounds bad, in fact it was odd hearing some songs in different spots but still fitting due to the setting.
This was actually a really good game and I consider it to be an alternate tale to TMNT4, I kinda feel like whichever one you played first, the other is just a different telling of another story, I would actually like to see TMNT 4 and HyperStone Heist combined into one game and see what that would be like.
The graphics are where the differences start, the stages are mostly different or the path from stage to stage is different. The sprites are VERY detailed I was actually a tad bit shocked how much better it looked. All the bosses, enemies, levels and even the turtles had extra details as well as some of the animations from the arcade are present.
The controls are just as shocking, I'm someone who played TMNT4 a lot growing up, and I always through it was a fast paced brawler, but actually HyperStone Heist plays faster and smoother with the stage animations and the characters frame-by-frame movement. The only issue i had with the controls was...while TMNT4 I had said that the dashing felt a bit inconsistent but everything else was fine, well in HyperStone Heist the dashing is perfect with no issue, but the slam and throw attacks don't active as cleanly as TMNT4, sometimes it just doesn't do it no matter how close or stunned the enemy and sometimes it just happens.
The music actually sounds pretty good, it has tinny spots here and there, but nothing that sounds bad, in fact it was odd hearing some songs in different spots but still fitting due to the setting.
This was actually a really good game and I consider it to be an alternate tale to TMNT4, I kinda feel like whichever one you played first, the other is just a different telling of another story, I would actually like to see TMNT 4 and HyperStone Heist combined into one game and see what that would be like.
Hyperstone Heist is the second time Konami has brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle arcade machine to a home console, this time the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive if you grew up in Europe). At first glance, it also feels like an identical game. However, the gameplay differs a bit and level-wise it's very different from its SNES brother. In this version, the time travel gimmick is completely missing, which results in the levels not being as varied. Instead, you fight your way through the alleys of New York, across the sea and into a cave to the hideout of our arch-enemies. Unfortunately, the diversity and richness of detail of the levels fall flat due to the always grey caves and sewers. The very first level and the last one look like a rehash, if not identical. The enemies in Hyperstone Heist are much more aggressive, for example, especially in the last half of the game, Foot Soldiers jump into the picture again and again with their feet outstretched or Rock Soldiers rush in so that you hardly have a chance to dodge or counterattack. The roster of opponents is basically identical between the games. Some bosses also feel identical, while others are completely new. In any case, you also feel more aggression here when they suddenly charge or lash out without warning after a few of our attacks. Nevertheless, they are still manageable and well-designed, even if the charm seen in Turtles in Time is somewhat lacking. As far as the gameplay goes, the controls and movement feel a bit more snappy. Here, too, we dash swiftly through the stages, kicking and punching everything that hasn't fled out of the screen on the count of three. In this version, running is even on a dedicated button, which makes everything feel more controlled. Instead, the fantastic feature of throwing Fool Soldier into the camera is missing. The game is basically just as much fun as the SNES game but doesn't feel as good because of the simpler level designs. Those who want more Turtles action are welcome to pick it up. But in general, it's enough to play Turtles in Time.
This is great game it had less stages than the others but the stages were also longer in this I still think it could have been 1 or 2 more stages longer still a great game though.
The HyperStone Heist is a bit of a weird game to me. It's pretty obviously it's own version of Turtles in Time with distinct changes to try and differentiate it from the game it's based on but feels like a watered down version. It's still a fun game to play through but at the end of the day if you're going to play a Turtles beat 'em up from the 90's, it's going to be Turtles in Time not HyperStone Heist.
The combat is as simple as all the games were then, jump, attack, special. That's pretty much it, no real combos at least knowingly, no AOE attacks etc. It's simple fun to just beat through enemies I recognize from my childhood to great music. The visuals are fine and have deeper vibrant colours but at the same time the Mega Drive can do better. A lot of the backgrounds are a little bland.
On the flipside the game is extremely short, maybe 5 levels? and one of those is essentially an awful boss rush of the last four bosses including the one you only beat 5 minutes prior at the end of the last level. This game just feels rushed in how short it is, the filler, the rough visuals, lack of modes and bland bosses. Not too surprised as it came out only a few months after Turtles in Time and frankly it shows.
To be honest I don't have much to add to this. It's a fun little game but in this day and age where all these retro games are easy to play, then just play the SNES Turtles in Time instead or for a more modern version of Turtles in beat 'em ups play Shredders Revenge.
+ Simple easy to play combat.
+ Some good music.
- Very short.
- The Gauntlet level is just terrible filler.
- Feels rushed.
The combat is as simple as all the games were then, jump, attack, special. That's pretty much it, no real combos at least knowingly, no AOE attacks etc. It's simple fun to just beat through enemies I recognize from my childhood to great music. The visuals are fine and have deeper vibrant colours but at the same time the Mega Drive can do better. A lot of the backgrounds are a little bland.
On the flipside the game is extremely short, maybe 5 levels? and one of those is essentially an awful boss rush of the last four bosses including the one you only beat 5 minutes prior at the end of the last level. This game just feels rushed in how short it is, the filler, the rough visuals, lack of modes and bland bosses. Not too surprised as it came out only a few months after Turtles in Time and frankly it shows.
To be honest I don't have much to add to this. It's a fun little game but in this day and age where all these retro games are easy to play, then just play the SNES Turtles in Time instead or for a more modern version of Turtles in beat 'em ups play Shredders Revenge.
+ Simple easy to play combat.
+ Some good music.
- Very short.
- The Gauntlet level is just terrible filler.
- Feels rushed.
Alex's Cowabunga Collection Marathon, Pt. 9 of 13
"I'VE BEEN BEATEN BY A BUNCH OF TEENAGE TURTLES." - Leatherhead
Why is the dialogue weird here? Feels like it may have been written by a native Japanese speaker, while the other games have felt more natural, "Milk Shake" epilogue aside. It's definitely not a bad thing, the bizarre way the characters speak here is one of the most charming things about the game!
The HyperStone Heist is based off of Turtles in Time, so it's automatically better than most TMNT games. It's not a direct adaptation though, there are far fewer bosses and levels (though the levels seemed longer to me in HyperStone), but the combat is arguably better here, and there's a dedicated run button.
There's a button-combo attack here that really confused me. I noticed that if you hit Jump and Attack at the exact same time, you do a slightly more powerful swing. I started mashing that constantly, but soon noticed that every time you perform this attack, you lose HP. The move isn't remarkably strong, it might be the same as two regular swings. So why the massive drawback? Seems like there's no reason to ever use it.
HyperStone Heist is different enough from Turtles in Time to justify playing both, they're both excellent brawlers despite their short length. You'll encounter some of the same enemies and locations, but... come on. It's a 90s TMNT game. They all draw from the same well.
"I'VE BEEN BEATEN BY A BUNCH OF TEENAGE TURTLES." - Leatherhead
Why is the dialogue weird here? Feels like it may have been written by a native Japanese speaker, while the other games have felt more natural, "Milk Shake" epilogue aside. It's definitely not a bad thing, the bizarre way the characters speak here is one of the most charming things about the game!
The HyperStone Heist is based off of Turtles in Time, so it's automatically better than most TMNT games. It's not a direct adaptation though, there are far fewer bosses and levels (though the levels seemed longer to me in HyperStone), but the combat is arguably better here, and there's a dedicated run button.
There's a button-combo attack here that really confused me. I noticed that if you hit Jump and Attack at the exact same time, you do a slightly more powerful swing. I started mashing that constantly, but soon noticed that every time you perform this attack, you lose HP. The move isn't remarkably strong, it might be the same as two regular swings. So why the massive drawback? Seems like there's no reason to ever use it.
HyperStone Heist is different enough from Turtles in Time to justify playing both, they're both excellent brawlers despite their short length. You'll encounter some of the same enemies and locations, but... come on. It's a 90s TMNT game. They all draw from the same well.
Minor Introduction
Finally, I am now here. I am ready to tackle the two highest acclaimed TMNT games of all time and I am so fucking excited! First for the list, it’s the sega genesis game: The Hyperstone Heist. Welcome to the sixth review of the marathon, courtesy of the cowabunga collection. Let’s get this shit started, cuz I am so hyped!
First Impressions
Oooooh yea baby, that’s what I’m talking about! This is pure quality right here! What we have is a partial reskin of turtles in time, one with many changed aspects and honestly…I think it is great! It has very very minor shortcomings, but it is a damn good time throughout and i’m genuinely so happy we’re back to the turtles in time formula, and it’s executed so well in this semi-port on the genesis!
Gameplay
The combat is exactly like turtles in time and oh my god it feels so goooood!! It is fast, it is fluid, it has more fun and satisfying combos than NES, combining for a gameplay loop that feels so much better to go through than previous games! The special attacks are nerfed a lot in terms of usefulness, but I don’t personally mind. There are also other factors that contribute to the fun gameplay, like the fair enemy designs and the energetic presentation! The bosses are the best so far (even if they’re mostly rehashed from turtles in time) with clear patterns, fair attacks and understandable attack windows that doesn’t feel at any point like the game cheaps out on killing you. The biggest QoL addition has gotta be a health bar system for the bosses, making it so much easier to keep track of how close you are to finishing the boss and plan out your moves. The level variety remains largely the same as other tmnt games, with a surfing level, two sewer levels, two cave levels, a level on the streets and the technodrome, but there are some highlights due to the omission of time travel from the story, such as a ghost ship level and shredder’s hideout, which serve as welcome additions and are visually very distinct from previous level designs in the series. The number of levels is reduced from turtles in time, but the present levels are extended just enough that they never feel like they drag at any point, which is a fair compromise. Plus they all look good on genesis hardware.
Story
The story concept is a lot of fun. Once again, Strangely More Muscular Than Usual Shredder interrupts April’s broadcast, except instead of kidnapping April…he decides to shrink Manhattan as a weird flex of the hyperstone that he possesses. The turtles have to show him why constantly interrupting april’s broadcasts may not be such a good business and world domination choice in the long-run and beat him to save manhattan and the world. The presence of cutscenes and “text cards” for intermissions is still welcome and the story and its usual progression allows for the two interesting environments I mentioned above (the ghost ship and shredder’s hideout). It’s yet another standard tmnt plot that is a very enjoyable addition.
Presentation
The presentation in general is top-notch and surprisingly faithful to the arcade (specifically in spritework and animation), but with a slightly darker artstyle to fit with the genesis market that still looks great. The spritework and animation for the characters and enemies is amazing, the backgrounds are great, the sound effects are kickass and the soundtrack is also what you would expect from a genesis game: freaking awesome! It combines for one of the best looking TMNT games and it still looks great even today, with smooth performance to boot! Long live 16-bit sprites I suppose.
Negatives
My only complaints are that the game is amongst the easiest of all tmnt games, even on its hardest difficulty…basically the entire way through. It’s in large part due to the predictable patterns of the bosses and the small number in enemies. It tries to compensate by making them hit like trucks whenever they strike you…but it also happens that I wasn’t hit as often. The game is also strangely shorter than I expected, as I managed to clock in 45-50 minutes to beat it (most of the others took me 1 hour or above to beat). I don’t personally mind it, since it makes it highly replayable to me, but something to keep in mind. But those are my sole complaints.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I absolutely fucking loved my time with this game! It’s a great “remix” of turtles in times that makes itself just distinct enough that it is worth experiencing on its own. It’s better than the manhattan project, but falls slightly lower to snes turtles in time. Still, this comes highly recommended, it is just so much fun for the many reasons I mentioned above! Final rating: 8.5/10, please check it out!
Finally, I am now here. I am ready to tackle the two highest acclaimed TMNT games of all time and I am so fucking excited! First for the list, it’s the sega genesis game: The Hyperstone Heist. Welcome to the sixth review of the marathon, courtesy of the cowabunga collection. Let’s get this shit started, cuz I am so hyped!
First Impressions
Oooooh yea baby, that’s what I’m talking about! This is pure quality right here! What we have is a partial reskin of turtles in time, one with many changed aspects and honestly…I think it is great! It has very very minor shortcomings, but it is a damn good time throughout and i’m genuinely so happy we’re back to the turtles in time formula, and it’s executed so well in this semi-port on the genesis!
Gameplay
The combat is exactly like turtles in time and oh my god it feels so goooood!! It is fast, it is fluid, it has more fun and satisfying combos than NES, combining for a gameplay loop that feels so much better to go through than previous games! The special attacks are nerfed a lot in terms of usefulness, but I don’t personally mind. There are also other factors that contribute to the fun gameplay, like the fair enemy designs and the energetic presentation! The bosses are the best so far (even if they’re mostly rehashed from turtles in time) with clear patterns, fair attacks and understandable attack windows that doesn’t feel at any point like the game cheaps out on killing you. The biggest QoL addition has gotta be a health bar system for the bosses, making it so much easier to keep track of how close you are to finishing the boss and plan out your moves. The level variety remains largely the same as other tmnt games, with a surfing level, two sewer levels, two cave levels, a level on the streets and the technodrome, but there are some highlights due to the omission of time travel from the story, such as a ghost ship level and shredder’s hideout, which serve as welcome additions and are visually very distinct from previous level designs in the series. The number of levels is reduced from turtles in time, but the present levels are extended just enough that they never feel like they drag at any point, which is a fair compromise. Plus they all look good on genesis hardware.
Story
The story concept is a lot of fun. Once again, Strangely More Muscular Than Usual Shredder interrupts April’s broadcast, except instead of kidnapping April…he decides to shrink Manhattan as a weird flex of the hyperstone that he possesses. The turtles have to show him why constantly interrupting april’s broadcasts may not be such a good business and world domination choice in the long-run and beat him to save manhattan and the world. The presence of cutscenes and “text cards” for intermissions is still welcome and the story and its usual progression allows for the two interesting environments I mentioned above (the ghost ship and shredder’s hideout). It’s yet another standard tmnt plot that is a very enjoyable addition.
Presentation
The presentation in general is top-notch and surprisingly faithful to the arcade (specifically in spritework and animation), but with a slightly darker artstyle to fit with the genesis market that still looks great. The spritework and animation for the characters and enemies is amazing, the backgrounds are great, the sound effects are kickass and the soundtrack is also what you would expect from a genesis game: freaking awesome! It combines for one of the best looking TMNT games and it still looks great even today, with smooth performance to boot! Long live 16-bit sprites I suppose.
Negatives
My only complaints are that the game is amongst the easiest of all tmnt games, even on its hardest difficulty…basically the entire way through. It’s in large part due to the predictable patterns of the bosses and the small number in enemies. It tries to compensate by making them hit like trucks whenever they strike you…but it also happens that I wasn’t hit as often. The game is also strangely shorter than I expected, as I managed to clock in 45-50 minutes to beat it (most of the others took me 1 hour or above to beat). I don’t personally mind it, since it makes it highly replayable to me, but something to keep in mind. But those are my sole complaints.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I absolutely fucking loved my time with this game! It’s a great “remix” of turtles in times that makes itself just distinct enough that it is worth experiencing on its own. It’s better than the manhattan project, but falls slightly lower to snes turtles in time. Still, this comes highly recommended, it is just so much fun for the many reasons I mentioned above! Final rating: 8.5/10, please check it out!
Another iteration of TURTLES IN TIME, but unlike the SNES game, this is kind of a remix of its elements instead of a real upgrade. The only new bits aren't that impactful and a lot is missing or less effectively deployed than in the other console version. Still a fun beat 'em up.
A bit of a lower effort version of Turtles in Time, but I kinda fuck with this game more presentation wise? I think that's just my genesis bias coming through. I can't in good conscience say it's better than the SNES one though.
I genuinely believe this could have been the best classic TMNT game. It's core design is fantastic but it's just so short, a real let down.
What is here feels very polished, with generous hitstop, varied locations and a fair difficulty curve that will seem significantly easier and approachable than prior TMNT games, especially if you played the NES games. Unfortunately, it biggest drawback is that there are only 5 levels, one of which is just a repeat of the boss fights with no changes. I really wish it was just a bit longer, I think even just one more stage would have gone a long way to make it feel like a substantial entry, rather than a footnote in TMNT game history.
What is here feels very polished, with generous hitstop, varied locations and a fair difficulty curve that will seem significantly easier and approachable than prior TMNT games, especially if you played the NES games. Unfortunately, it biggest drawback is that there are only 5 levels, one of which is just a repeat of the boss fights with no changes. I really wish it was just a bit longer, I think even just one more stage would have gone a long way to make it feel like a substantial entry, rather than a footnote in TMNT game history.
Classic Turtles Arcade action. I loved playing this with my girlfriend on a lazy afternoon. The Super Nintendo version is slightly superior (more levels and more moves), but it’s a great time all the same.
Preferi não comentar sobre este jogo e porque ele ser tão inferior ao Turtles in Time.
Fine, but not as good as Turtles in Time. Whereas that game really leaned into its premise, I feel like this one could have done a lot with the idea that Shredder can shrink anything he wants. And what do we have for bosses? Non-fly Baxter Stockman, Rocksteady, Leatherhead, and... Tatsu? Who the shit is that? And then you have to fight them all once again? They could have come up with a better roster for sure. Come on guys, stop pretending that Muckman and Joe Eyeball don’t exist in your universe
Sega bias tells me this game is only better than Turtles in Time on SNES because soundchip
It's like the SNES version, but now it's on Genesis and has worse music.
This is a good beat 'em up, but it's too short. Turtles in Time on SNES is definitely better, since you're getting significantly more content, if nothing else.
you've played one tmnt game, you've played em all. its a beatemup where you fight a pride rally of foot soldiers as one of the 4 turtles either solo or up to 4 player co-op. maybe there will be a hoverboard section thats just kind of the same as regular sections only enemies die in one hit and sometimes theres an obstacle to jump over. maybe there will be a moment in a sewer level where pizza monsters jump from out of the water, or maybe there will be mousers that are really annoying to hit. there might even be some weird unicycle robots with electric lassos. and then you fight bosses such as bebop and/or rocksteady, some alligator, white baxter stockman, etc before the penultimate boss, krang and final boss shredder (who will no doubt have be super shredder if the tmnt game came out around the second tmnt movie). you got your sewer levels, your city streets levels, your ocean hoverboard levels, your cave levels, your techno drome levels, same as any other tmnt game
its the same game as most that came before it
that said, this feels the most polished version of all that came before it. its the easiest tmnt game as well, there was rarely a moment where the game felt outright cheap or bullshit. even the final boss was weirdly easy compared to the other games. the bosses in this game have a relatively easy to learn pattern, and once you learn it, the boss is basically over, with super shredder being no exception. i was legit surprised when there was no second phase to the fight. tmnt hsh doesnt have the shear spectacle of say, turtles in time, despite largely feeling like the same game, but i will say its the one i had the most fun with despite just being virtually the same as every beatemup that came prior. legit if you only play one tmnt game, just make it this one
its the same game as most that came before it
that said, this feels the most polished version of all that came before it. its the easiest tmnt game as well, there was rarely a moment where the game felt outright cheap or bullshit. even the final boss was weirdly easy compared to the other games. the bosses in this game have a relatively easy to learn pattern, and once you learn it, the boss is basically over, with super shredder being no exception. i was legit surprised when there was no second phase to the fight. tmnt hsh doesnt have the shear spectacle of say, turtles in time, despite largely feeling like the same game, but i will say its the one i had the most fun with despite just being virtually the same as every beatemup that came prior. legit if you only play one tmnt game, just make it this one
I've always poked at this game but never put in a full playthrough of it - who knew it's such a short and sweet beat 'em up! Really feasible to get through, amazing music and just enough changed from Turtles in Time to have the enjoyment of that but feel like a breathe of fresh air on its own.
I get why people like SNES Turtles in Time more, but I think this is probably my favorite iteration to come back to.
I get why people like SNES Turtles in Time more, but I think this is probably my favorite iteration to come back to.
A good conversion that is totally justified alongside the SNES port, but just use MAME to play the original tbh