TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection PS4 Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! (TMNT) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Heroes in a half-shell! Turtle power!

Who doesn’t know this song today? Even if you didn’t grow up on the classic 1980’s cartoon? It’s as much a piece of pop culture as the turtles themselves. Indeed, who knew that a comic book about mutant turtles would so ingrain itself in pop culture and our childhoods some 30’s year’s later, going on to be adapted into just about every part of the entertainment medium along the way. Comic books, toys (action figure for those of you who want to be picky, even though we know what they really are, don’t we?), cartoons, movies, table top roleplaying games, pinball machines and videogames. What a wild ride it’s been for this group of teenage heroes since their birth in 1983.

Now developers Digital Eclipse along with Konami have released the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series Machines. This collection contains thirteen, that’s right, thirteen games from 1989 to 1993 which were produced under Konami. The collection covers games released in the Arcade, on the NES, SNES, Mega Drive (Sega Genesis) and the Gameboy. And with thirteen games, there’s something for everyone.

Heroes in a half-shell!

So let’s take a look at what you’re getting in this latest retro collection:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1989 NES.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1989 Arcade.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game – 1990 NES.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of The Foot Clan – 1990 Gameboy.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time – 1991 Arcade.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers – 1991 Gameboy.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project – 1991 NES.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time – 1992 SNES.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist – 1992 Mega Drive.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue – 1993 Gameboy.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters – 1993 SNES.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters – 1993 Mega Drive.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters – 1993 NES.

For many, the draw cards here will be the two arcade games, 1989’s four player Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 1991 four player follow up, Turtles in Time. These two games set the standard for what a Turtles game should be and the bulk of the games follow its design to the letter. It’s a formula that still stands up well today, with even the recent Shredder’s Revenge taking all of its cues – and even some of its level design – from these arcade titans.

That’s not to say that all of the games follow this formula. The 1981 NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game splits its’ time between a top down view and traditional side scrolling, platforming action. The three Gameboy titles; Fall of The Foot Clan, Back From The Sewers and Radical Rescue are all 2D side scrolling action games with platform elements in them. They are also the only four games here that are single player only.

Then we head back to the consoles waters and the design setup by the arcade games with some original games plus arcade home conversions. 1990’s NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game and 1992’s SNES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time are the arcade experiences brought home with some limitations, which include different enemy placement, extra levels and the reduction to only two player co-op. 1991’s NES The Manhattan Project and 1992’s Mega Drive (Genesis) The Hyperstone Heist also wade in the side scrolling beat-em up waters though The Hyperstone Heist is based upon the Turtles in Time arcade game, with enough variation and new levels to make it its own game, even when spotting the similarities.

Finally we have Konami’s last entry in the Turtles gaming franchise in this era with the three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters games released in 1993 for NES, SNES and Mega Drive. These three are 2D fighters, with each been a different game per platform. The SNES version of the game is possibly the most recognisable and easiest to get into as it plays like Street Fighter. Despite the name, you’ve got three very different fighting games to sink your teeth into.

Now while that’s a pretty stacked list, a retro compilation today wouldn’t be complete without additional extras, both for quality of life and material for enthusiasts.

The World’s Most Fearsome Fighting Team!

First up we have co-op multiplayer for the games that support it, including online play. So yes, you can get three other people to help you out with the arcade games. Couch co-op play exists as well, as it should, and let’s be honest, diving into these games with a friend is the best way to play them. Sadly, I couldn’t test out the online play component with my review copy.

You’ve also got save states, rewind functionality and button mapping. You can further tailor the playing experience by game such as enabling GOD mode or disabling specific effects and even level selection. As you would also expect, there are different screen sizes such as widescreen or original along with filters you can throw up for that authentic CRT experience. And for those who enjoy it, you’ve got both western and Japanese roms for all but two of the titles.

The coup de’ grace is definitely the collections gallery feature located in the Turtles Lair. There’s an exhaustive wealth of material for fans to comb through here. You can listen to each of the games soundtracks, check out the original game boxes and their manuals, and take a gander at stills from the various cartoon shows starting off with the iconic 1987 show up to the more recent Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

There are original magazine ads, catalogs and media kits to look at along with a selection of comic covers to peruse. Finally for those who want some behind the scenes extras, there are scene sketches, animation documents and game design documents to give you an idea of the amount of work that went into making these games. This is the kind of extras that every retro collection should have, and that should be saved digitally for future generations.

With every retro collection that comes out, you have to ask yourself how the games have aged and whether or not it’s just nostalgia that’s knocking at your door. Thankfully, with The Cowabunga Collection it isn’t just nostalgia been thrown at you, though that is definitely there, but a collection of games, most of which are just as playable today as they were on release. Your mileage will vary per title, as expected, but the core games will bring you back to them time and again. Just remember to bring a friend along for the ride and not to forget the pizza.

Developer: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows

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