TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
Here it is, the TMNT game that sets the bar for all TMNT games, in my opinion even to this day. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time for the Super Nintendo.
‘Nuff said
The game still incorporates the basic graphical look of the TMNT Arcade game (Turtles in Time was also an arcade game itself), but this was the first time those graphics translated accurately to a home console game. The graphics hold up pretty well today and the animations are smooth. The hit detection is spot on and the different abilities are just fun.
Totally tubular, dude.
You have essentially two buttons – jump & attack – but you can do a diving jump kick, a jumping kick that takes you across the screen, an upwards kick, a special attack, running shoulder block, or a running somersault into a sliding kick. You can also stun the enemies and slam them back and forth on the floor or throw them at the screen. When enemies are in front of you, you attack like normal but if they’re behind you, you can attack with a rear attack as well.
This is one of the most interesting fights in the game
The turtles aren’t too terribly different so you can really choose who you want, but there’s a bit of difference between them. Donatello has the longest reach, of course while Raph has the shortest but Raph certainly attacks fastest. Mike has a good speed, though his first attack is slow. Leo is the, of course, the most rounded as he tends to be made for the games. I had difficulty managing with Michelangelo’s play style when I revisited the game and I liked Raph a lot, though I felt his animations had some weirdness to them (his head looks really big sometimes). Leo was the one I managed best with. The game is much easier, or at least more approachable, than previous entries largely because you’ve got unlimited continues. To balance that a bit, you do have to beat the game on the hard difficulty to get the actual ending.
The game is honestly a lot of fun and being able to keep at the levels that beat you make it fun enough to stick with it and keep trying. At the same time, the enemies can get positioned around you to make it tough to get away, though taking out a number of enemies left and right does give you a real “bad ass ninja” feel as you fight your way through them with your favorite ninja turtle.
TMNT: Turtles in Time proved popular enough that it warranted a re-vamped release on the PS3 and X-Box 360, called “Re-Shelled.” The graphics were updated to a new style and though the game had luke-warm reception, the face that it was remade at all is proof of the popularity of the game over the years.
While I will admit, I’ve never had the opportunity to play TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist on Sega Genesis, as it currently stands I have to give Turtles in Time the reigning championship as the best turtles game on consoles to date. It only takes about 30 minutes to beat on normal, though again, you need to go for hard if you want the real ending!
That first taste of video game victory was so sweet.
NinjaFox Games & Geekery 