Difference between revisions of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (video game)"

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'''''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''''' is an action adventure platformer game developed by [[Konami]] and published by [[Ultra]] on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] on 1989-05-12 and later ported to eight home computer platforms. The game was released around the same time as the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (arcade game)|arcade game]], and, between the two of them, they are the first games set in the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (universe)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe]]. The game actually has a lot of elements of a [[Metroidvania]].
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[[Image:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - NES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|The NES box art.]]
  
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My step-brother introduced me to this game. I didn't get to play it much, but I watched him and my older brother take turns playing it. Being a fan of the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (cartoon)|cartoon]], I remember being excited to see the game, but even at a young age, I was confused at all the weird unrelated crap I saw in the game. Looking back at now as an adult, I find the game to have serious flaws.
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'''''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''''' is an action adventure platformer game developed by [[Konami]] and published by [[Ultra (company)|Ultra]] on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] on 1989-05-12 and later ported to eight home computer platforms. The game was released around the same time as the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (arcade game)|arcade game]], and, between the two of them, they are the first games set in the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (universe)|''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' universe]]. The game actually has a lot of elements of a [[Metroidvania]].
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 +
My step-brother introduced me to this game. I didn't get to play it much, but I watched him and my older brother take turns playing it. Being a fan of the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|cartoon]], I remember being excited to see the game, but even at a young age, I was confused at all the weird unrelated crap I saw in the game. Looking back at now as an adult, the game has a lot of charm, but serious flaws. I watched my brother and step-brother make it to stage 4, but I never got that far myself. Later, after hacking the game to be invincible, I played it through to completion and discovered just how insane it gets near the end.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
Line 7: Line 9:
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
−
* '''Overall:''' 3/10
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* '''Overall:''' 4/10
 
* '''Best Version:''' NES
 
* '''Best Version:''' NES
 +
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
 
* The game features a lot of characters from the cartoon, including heroes and villains alike.
 
* The game features a lot of characters from the cartoon, including heroes and villains alike.
−
* The graphics are pretty well-drawn.
+
* The graphics are well-drawn and [[Jun Funahashi]]'s music is great.
−
* The music is great.
 
 
* The game kind of plays like a comic. There are different locations for each act, each separated with a cut scenes, and the whole game plays out like a story.
 
* The game kind of plays like a comic. There are different locations for each act, each separated with a cut scenes, and the whole game plays out like a story.
 +
* I like the mechanic of being able to switch between turtles to have more energy and heal them as needed.
 
* I like the shift between top-down street view and side-view indoors view.
 
* I like the shift between top-down street view and side-view indoors view.
 +
* The manual is well-written.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
−
* The enemies constantly respawn the moment you leave the screen. While this isn't too unusual for an NES game, it's still pretty annoying and silly.
+
* The enemies constantly respawn the moment you leave the screen, and cease to exist the moment they leave the screen. While this isn't too unusual for an NES game, it's still pretty annoying and silly.
−
* While I like the idea of having minibosses, I just wish they were something other than stronger versions of regular enemies.
+
* While I like the idea of having minibosses throughout the stages, I just wish they were something other than stronger versions of regular enemies.
−
* Even those few enemies that are part of the cartoon don't look like they're supposed to. The first time I saw a Mouser, I thought it was a giant ant.
+
* The majority of the enemies in the game have nothing to do with the cartoon and even those few that do don't look like they're supposed to. The first time I saw a Mouser, I thought it was a giant ant.
 +
* Your secondary weapon is replaced automatically if you touch another one, even accidentally. This is frustrating when shruikens replace your boomerangs, but game-ending when they replace 99 kiai!
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 +
* Throughout the game, there are several annoyingly difficult jumps that have to be timed perfectly and seem to have been added just to piss the player off.
 
* In the last couple levels the game becomes insanely difficult. Far too hard for the average child.
 
* In the last couple levels the game becomes insanely difficult. Far too hard for the average child.
−
* Throughout the game, there are several annoyingly difficult jumps that have to be timed perfectly and seem to have been added just to piss the player off.
+
* To stand a chance late in the game against the fast-moving extremely powerful enemies, you're expected to farm Kiai scrolls for each turtle. This is a long and boring process.
−
* The majority of the enemies in the game have nothing to do with the cartoon.
+
* The DOS port has an impossible jump in area 3 which makes the game unwinnable without cheating.
  
 
==Media==
 
==Media==
 
===Boxes===
 
===Boxes===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - NES - Japan.jpg|The Japanese Famicom box is just a crude drawing of the turtles. Lame.
 +
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - NES - USA.jpg|This art was used for all US releases as well as the NES European releases (although they used "Hero" instead of "Ninja"). This is my favorite art because the turtles are in wonderful action poses, but it uses an older style when the turtles all used red. I wished they altered it to their later colors.
 +
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - C64 - UK.jpg|This box was used for all European home computer releases. It uses the lame "Hero Turtles" name and gives them a friendly cartoon style. Lame.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
===Documentation===
 
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - NES - Manual.pdf|Manual - NES.
 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - NES - Manual.pdf|Manual - NES.
 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - DOS - Manual.pdf|Manual (UK) - Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum.
 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - DOS - Manual.pdf|Manual (UK) - Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum.
 +
Ultra - Ad - 1988-02.jpg|Early ad.
 +
Ultra - Ad 1988-06.jpg|Ad.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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===Videos===
 
===Videos===
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjUz8IT0CYg youtube.com/watch?v=XjUz8IT0CYg] - Angry Video Game Nerd.
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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_vb8tu5bQ youtube.com/watch?v=Jn_vb8tu5bQ] - Longplay, Amiga
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiIKUFjw6KA youtube.com/watch?v=JiIKUFjw6KA] - Longplay, Commodore 64.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRg-yK-O1t0 youtube.com/watch?v=LRg-yK-O1t0] - Longplay, NES.
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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxMvIUf_rPU youtube.com/watch?v=gxMvIUf_rPU] - Longplay ZX Spectrum.
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 +
==Titles==
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{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English (Europe) || Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles || ||
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|-
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| English (North America) || Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles || ||
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|-
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| French || Les Tortues Ninja || || Ninja Turtles
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|-
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| Japanese || 激龟忍者传 || Gekikame Ninja Den || Turtle Ninja
 +
|-
 +
| Spanish || Tortugas Ninja || || Ninja Turtles
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|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
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* [https://www.mobygames.com/game/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles mobygames.com/game/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles] - MobyGames.
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{{Link|MobyGames|https://www.mobygames.com/game/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles}}
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(NES_video_game) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(NES_video_game)] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(NES_video_game)}}
 +
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles}}
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{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(NES)}}
 +
{{Link|NESHacker|2=http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles}}
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{{Link|TVTropes|https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles}}
  
  
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
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[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Tie-In]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
 
[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
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[[Category: Super Hero]]
 
[[Category: Super Hero]]
 
[[Category: Science Fiction]]
 
[[Category: Science Fiction]]
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[[Category: Ninja]]
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[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
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[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]

Revision as of 12:38, 24 September 2019

The NES box art.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an action adventure platformer game developed by Konami and published by Ultra on the Nintendo Entertainment System on 1989-05-12 and later ported to eight home computer platforms. The game was released around the same time as the arcade game, and, between the two of them, they are the first games set in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. The game actually has a lot of elements of a Metroidvania.

My step-brother introduced me to this game. I didn't get to play it much, but I watched him and my older brother take turns playing it. Being a fan of the cartoon, I remember being excited to see the game, but even at a young age, I was confused at all the weird unrelated crap I saw in the game. Looking back at now as an adult, the game has a lot of charm, but serious flaws. I watched my brother and step-brother make it to stage 4, but I never got that far myself. Later, after hacking the game to be invincible, I played it through to completion and discovered just how insane it gets near the end.

Status

I own this game on the NES, but I have not beaten it.

Review

  • Overall: 4/10
  • Best Version: NES

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The game features a lot of characters from the cartoon, including heroes and villains alike.
  • The graphics are well-drawn and Jun Funahashi's music is great.
  • The game kind of plays like a comic. There are different locations for each act, each separated with a cut scenes, and the whole game plays out like a story.
  • I like the mechanic of being able to switch between turtles to have more energy and heal them as needed.
  • I like the shift between top-down street view and side-view indoors view.
  • The manual is well-written.

Bad

  • The enemies constantly respawn the moment you leave the screen, and cease to exist the moment they leave the screen. While this isn't too unusual for an NES game, it's still pretty annoying and silly.
  • While I like the idea of having minibosses throughout the stages, I just wish they were something other than stronger versions of regular enemies.
  • The majority of the enemies in the game have nothing to do with the cartoon and even those few that do don't look like they're supposed to. The first time I saw a Mouser, I thought it was a giant ant.
  • Your secondary weapon is replaced automatically if you touch another one, even accidentally. This is frustrating when shruikens replace your boomerangs, but game-ending when they replace 99 kiai!

Ugly

  • Throughout the game, there are several annoyingly difficult jumps that have to be timed perfectly and seem to have been added just to piss the player off.
  • In the last couple levels the game becomes insanely difficult. Far too hard for the average child.
  • To stand a chance late in the game against the fast-moving extremely powerful enemies, you're expected to farm Kiai scrolls for each turtle. This is a long and boring process.
  • The DOS port has an impossible jump in area 3 which makes the game unwinnable without cheating.

Media

Boxes

  • The Japanese Famicom box is just a crude drawing of the turtles. Lame.

  • This art was used for all US releases as well as the NES European releases (although they used "Hero" instead of "Ninja"). This is my favorite art because the turtles are in wonderful action poses, but it uses an older style when the turtles all used red. I wished they altered it to their later colors.

  • This box was used for all European home computer releases. It uses the lame "Hero Turtles" name and gives them a friendly cartoon style. Lame.

Documentation

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - NES - Manual.pdf

    Manual - NES.

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - DOS - Manual.pdf

    Manual (UK) - Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum.

  • Early ad.

  • Ad.

Maps

  • Area 1 - Fifth Avenue / Greenwich Village.

  • Area 2 - Hudson River near the Holland Tunnel.

  • Area 3 - Wall Street.

  • Area 4 - J.F.K. International Airport.

  • Area 5 - Shredder's Base inside the South Bronx.

  • Area 6 - The Technodrome.

Videos

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English (Europe) Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
English (North America) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
French Les Tortues Ninja Ninja Turtles
Japanese 激龟忍者传 Gekikame Ninja Den Turtle Ninja
Spanish Tortugas Ninja Ninja Turtles

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-VGMPF.png  64x64px  Link-TCRF.png  Link-TVTropes.png 

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