Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection Reviews
Now THIS is how you do a classic collection.
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.
The Cowabunga Collection shows a Konami more friendly with their IPs. Not only feels great (even after the excellent Shredder's Revenge) but is also great to have the chance of playing this games in the newest consoles. Whether it is on-the-go for Switch or in the comfort of your house (PS and Xbox).
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
A perfect slice of 90s pizza pie
Everything came together in a great playing package, with tons of bonuses, enhancements, quality of life, and 13 fun games to enjoy, and for that, I am definitely proud to declare myself a turtle fan now… At least, of the video game variety.
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!
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.
TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection certainly deserves its title as a collection that’s as awesome as the franchise itself. From classic games to nostalgic side content, this is a dream come true for longtime fans. Konami has gone above and beyond to make this package worth it, filling up the Turtle’s Lair virtual museum with enough material to justify calling itself a museum. Concept art, advertisements, guides, and even retail boxes are here for players to enjoy. A collection like this will mostly appeal to fans such as myself, but objectively speaking, the value in the collection is immense. While newcomers may find the games dated, TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection can easily offer hours of mindless fun for everyone.
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.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is a wonderful collection of video games from the late 80s and 90s. It is sure to evoke nostalgia. The extra additions such as online multiplayer, intermediate saving and being able to rewind provide a lot of convenience. If you have to whine, it is at most about the price. At forty euros, it is quite an expensive collection.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga Collection is a trophy to bury for hours for someone like me who is a fan of old series and games.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
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
Not every game is worth playing, and the online component requires a serious overhaul, but for Turtles aficionados focused on solo and couch co-op play, this collection is like a pepperoni pie from Antonio's, the turtles' favorite pizza joint — a must-have.
Overall, The Cowabunga Collection is a near-perfect representation of what a fan wants out of the package. 13 great games, an incredible amount of bonus content, and adding optional enhancements make The Cowabunga Collection well worth the $39.99 asking price.
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.
By itself, this The Cowabunga Collection is already a great compilation of retro video games of these characters. If we also include all the added value to the titles themselves brought by Digital Eclipse's exquisite treatment of the legacy of these characters, it is little less than an essential acquisition for those of us who grew up with the Ninja Turtles.
Review in Spanish | Read full review