Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection Reviews
Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is worth the price of admission. Some are duds, but most of them are excellent beatem-ups and a classic NES game that a lot of gamers grew up with. It’s nostalgia bait, but nostalgia is a valid feeling and can be cathartic- especially when it involves overcoming a game that used to crush you as a child.
As something of a scrub myself, I found that just a short time with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters for NES helped enormously with both my own sense of confidence and my understanding of some of the genre fundamentals. And while I’m under no illusions that I’m now in a suitable position to jump online in one of today’s fighting games and come anywhere even remotely close to participating on a competitive level, I feel like I’ve definitely improved. And that’s got to be worth something.
Unfortunately, none of this gets us away from the fact that this game just doesn’t feel like a Turtles game — and even taken on its own merits, it’s neither satisfying nor fun, particularly for the solo player. It is, of course, a welcome inclusion in the Cowabunga Collection because it’s just as important a part of Turtles history as the more well-loved titles in the franchise — but it’s probably not one you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time with unless you’re particularly determined to find the fun buried somewhere within.
That said, for the solo player, there’s definitely fun to be had in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters for SNES — and a fair bit of it, too, what with all the different playable characters, gameplay modes and difficulty levels to challenge. It’s a game worth playing, even if you are, like me, not typically a fighting game sort of person. Who knows? This might even end up being the game that actually gets you into the genre properly!
For those looking at the Cowabunga Collection as a complete package, though, I suspect The Hyperstone Heist may well end up as a bit more of a fun novelty than one of the main games you spend your time with in the compilation.
Although inconsistent in game quality, if you are looking for the ultimate TMNT package, it's here. Excellent games with a host of enhancements to improve the experience as well as a well thought out, well researched slice of pizza in it's extras section. Online only adds to the brilliance allowing that arcade experience from the comfort of your own sewer. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection has all the T.U.R.T.L.E Power that is ever needed. Cowabunga!
The Cowabunga Collection is a definite example of how a compilation should be, both with the number of games it contains and features and extra content it offers. Obviously, Digital Eclipse acted with great respect for both its work and the history of the series. For fans of the series, it's a dreamlike time machine that takes you back to the golden days of Ninja Turtles.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
It’s great to preserve the original arcade experiences as much as possible, of course — particularly with real arcades being a dying breed, and physical arcade machines often sadly ending up discarded and unloved — but Turtles in Time shows us that there’s still a great deal of value in a game originally designed for the arcade being significantly reimagined for its home release.
The arcade version of Turtles in Time is definitely worth playing, then — but, as we’ve previously noted, a lot of people actually hold the SNES version in even higher esteem than its source material. So we’ll take a look at that next time, and see if that’s an attitude still worth holding in 2022, now we have easy access to both versions via the Cowabunga Collection.
The Cowabunga Collection becomes a new gold standard for this type of retro collections. It is loaded with games, bonus content and new features. There are some minor issues, and price tag is one of them, but it's still a must for every fan.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
I’m genuinely impressed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project. It represents a solid evolution of the Turtles beat ’em up formula, and is a prime example of a late-era NES game that looks, sounds and plays great. If you, like me, have previously ignored it in favour of the arcade game on the basis that an 8-bit console game couldn’t possibly be as good, then take a bit of time to educate yourself. You will almost certainly be very pleasantly surprised.
TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection is an enjoyable reunion which have gathered 13 classic games of the series. That being said, it's a little bit overpriced and I suggest you wait for it to go on sale and then you can purchase is with a more reasonable price
Review in Persian | Read full review
The important thing to note is that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game shouldn’t be written off just because it’s an NES port of a technically superior arcade game. Rather, it should be looked upon as a distinct experience that has its own value — and plenty of enjoyment to offer, even for a modern audience.
So in answer to the question in the headline, yes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES is eminently worth playing today — just maybe consider playing it as part of the Cowabunga Collection rather than on an original NES, and you’ll probably find yourself having a much better time than you might expect!
Break out the personal pan pizzas - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is the best way to experience these heroes in a half shell. This is more than just a collection; it’s a tribute of the highest order.
For now, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game remains a noteworthy game from a historical perspective, and is definitely still worth playing today. Just be ready for the things it does a bit differently from the norm — and aware that some of its follow-ups provide an arguably superior experience, particularly if you’re playing alone.
Anyway, I think I’ve made my point for now. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection is a prime example of how video game history should be preserved and celebrated. With the wealth of additional material bundled in alongside the games — plus the solid recreations of the games themselves — this is the closest you’re going to get to an interactive “textbook” on the history of Konami’s Turtles games, and I sincerely hope we see more releases of this astonishingly high quality from Digital Eclipse in the future.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection serves up ample old-school gameplay nostalgia, though it's appeal it limited.
TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection includes 13 great classic games with improvements and options that optimize the game experience. Besides having a good selection of titles, it includes a very complete gallery that works as a virtual museum. This nostalgia-packed collection is a great option to play with friends and is one of the best collections of the last few years.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is an example of nostalgia done right. It is packed with good games, with numerous improvements and new options to make the experience even more fun for both longtime fans and new players looking to experience the classics for the first time.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review