Paramount Pictures’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hit theaters this week, and it’s a radical time on the movie show. After watching the wonderful animated film, I had the itch to revisit some TMNT video games and stay out my turtle energy desires. There have been a wealth of choices accessible to me, from ones that I grew up with to titles that I’ve loved extra lately. I’m certain I gained’t be alone in that feeling, so permit me to move alongside a number of the nice video games starring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles you could dive into after seeing the film.
This isn’t only a checklist of the retro classics. I combined in video games from all eras, from the early arcade sport that set the precedent for future TMNT titles to more moderen crossovers and impressive titles. Regardless of which you select (or have entry to in any respect), you’re certain to have a good time enjoying any of those TMNT titles.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Dotemu
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge from 2022 is perhaps one of the best TMNT sport ever made. It’s a beat ’em up by Dotemu, the writer of Streets of Rage 4, and Tribute Games, whose founders additionally labored on the shockingly stable 2007 TMNT sport for Game Boy Advance. As an enormous fan of the style, I like how Shredder’s Revenge hits the entire proper notes required of a implausible brawler. It has fluid fight with numerous combo potential, glorious pixel artwork, and actually gratifying co-op. Shredder’s Revenge can be full of references for TMNT followers from all eras.
If you have been nonetheless one way or the other doubting its high quality, it’s additionally one of many few video games to ever get a five-star evaluation from Digital Trends. If you play one sport on this checklist, make it this. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is out there now on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android through Netflix. It’s a part of the Xbox Game Pass catalog too, so there’s no motive to not examine this sport out.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Konami
While Shredder’s Revenge perfected the concept of a TMNT beat ’em up, it isn’t the sport that kicked off that development. Credit for that goes to Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which hit arcades in 1989. Although it’s attainable to beat the sport in below an hour, and its gameplay feels slightly dated in comparison with a number of the different titles on this checklist, it nonetheless gives some gratifying, button-mashing arcade enjoyable. Its historic significance to TMNT video games can’t be understated, and that’s what makes me recognize it probably the most.
Almost each TMNT sport that has come afterward, particularly the 2D ones, owes one thing to this sport that set the usual for the way enthralling TMNT beat ’em up video games might be. If you need to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles these days, you’ll want to purchase its $700 Arcade1Up cupboard or play it as a part of Digital Eclipse’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, which is out there now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan
Activision
The most controversial choose for this checklist from me is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan. This sport didn’t get nice evaluations at launch, nevertheless it’s laborious to disregard a TMNT sport made by the builders of Bayonetta and Nier Automata. Is this licensed sport printed by Activision one in all PlatinumGames’ lesser titles? Sure, however I’ve discovered that even a mediocre PlatinumGames launch continues to be a fairly stable and enjoyable motion sport. Its cel-shaded artwork fashion impressed by the basic exhibits and comics has aged surprisingly effectively, making this the sport that appears probably the most like Mutant Mayhem.
Mutants in Manhattan’s mission design is sort of repetitive and filled with hit-sponge enemies, nevertheless it nonetheless retains a few of PlatinumGames’ satisfying signature motion aptitude. It’s the closest factor to a contemporary 3D AAA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sport that at the moment exists; hopefully, that isn’t the case for for much longer. In 2016, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan launched on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Sadly, it’s considerably troublesome to get ahold of these days as a result of Activision delisted the sport in January 2017, lower than a yr after its launch. You’ll want to trace down a bodily copy of this sport to play it, however you would possibly truly discover that Mutants in Manhattan is a bit higher than you keep in mind in case you accomplish that.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
Konami
Before Shredder’s Revenge, this was the crown jewel of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games. Regardless of whether or not you play the arcade or SNES model, Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time is an especially good time and among the best beat ’em up video games ever made. I adore it for lots of the identical causes as Shredder’s Revenge: enthralling fight, stable pixel artwork, and many clear adoration for the IP it’s primarily based on. It was extraordinarily influential, not simply on the beat ’em up style, however on all future TMNT video games; the builders of virtually each different sport on this checklist labored laborious to try to match the bar of high quality Turtles in Time set.
If you’re trying to play one basic TMNT sport after seeing Mutant Mayhem, I extremely suggest choosing this one. Currently, each the arcade and SNES variations of Turtles in Time are a part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, which is out there throughout PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. Just don’t play Ubisoft’s horrible 2009 remake of the sport.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus
LongplayArchive / Konami
I’ve by no means performed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus earlier than, nevertheless it comes extremely advisable by Digital Trends Gaming Section Lead Giovanni Colantonio. He has fond reminiscences of enjoying Battle Nexus on the GameDice, having fun with its 3D tackle the beat ’em up system that the majority TMNT video games adopted, and he thinks the sport gives a super co-op expertise. As an outsider to the sport, I can see that its cel-shaded artwork fashion additionally nonetheless holds up pretty effectively as we speak. As an added bonus, the aforementioned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade sport is playable inside Battle Nexus.
Unfortunately, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus will not be one of many video games included in The Cowabunga Collection. If you need to play this sport, you’ll want to trace down a GameDice, PS2, Windows, or Xbox copy of the sport from 2004. Hopefully, Konami and Digital Eclipse will get round to remastering and rereleasing Konami’s 2000s-era TMNT video games someday quickly.
Injustice 2
WB Games
OK, Injustice 2 isn’t a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sport. It’s a preventing sport primarily based on a DC Comics world the place Superman is evil. But the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got here to this sport as DLC fighters, and it’s my private favourite cameo look by them in one other sport. All 4 turtles are playable; they share many assaults, however every has some particular strikes and character powers. Who you combat as modifications relying on which weapon is supplied within the character customization menu, making the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles one of the vital complicated but satisfying characters to be taught in the whole sport.
While there are some TMNT preventing video games, none are as polished as this one from NeatherRealm Studios and WB Games, which is out there throughout PC, PS4, and Xbox One. If you’re searching for one other fashionable preventing sport that includes TMNT characters, I like to recommend testing Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl or its upcoming sequel for some Super Smash Bros.-like preventing sport enjoyable.
TMNT Splintered Fate
Super Evil Megacorp
The most up-to-date TMNT sport is an Apple Arcade unique for iOS, and it’s a surprisingly good time. TMNT Splintered Fate is an isometric,story-driven roguelite clearly impressed by the likes of Hades, and it incorporates a story co-written by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comedian author Tom Waltz. It’s a a lot deeper motion sport than you’d anticipate for a cellular title, and the roguelite construction makes Splintered Fate immensely replayable. It’s additionally one of many extra narrative-driven TMNT video games, which enhances Mutant Mayhem’s compelling and surprisingly emotional story fairly effectively.
The solely different sport accessible on cellular on this checklist is Shredder’s Revenge, and also you want a Netflix subscription to strive that, so Splintered Fate is a good TMNT sport selection for iPhone customers who need one thing to play as quickly as they depart the theater. TMNT Splintered Fate is out there to play now on iOS units by Apple Arcade. Hopefully, it’ll make the soar to different platforms ultimately like another Apple Arcade titles.
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