The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has a long history with gaming. From our earliest memories of avoiding electrified seaweed and cheesing Donatello’s bō during boss fights to our more recent unfortunate journeys through games that accompanied the TV shows and films, these heroes in a half shell have been ever-present within the gaming landscape.
Over the course of the multitude of titles that have released under the TMNT moniker, we’ve seen some truly fantastic titles. Unfortunately, for every awesome TMNT game, there have been multiple mediocre or awful releases. If you’re looking to sink your teeth into the TMNT games on offer, here are the ones you should stick to.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist (Genesis)
Hyperstone Heist is often forgotten when it comes to lists of the most beloved games starring the Turtles, thanks in large part to how close to Turtles in Time on SNES its release fell. Not only was it visually similar to Turtles in Time, but it even takes full sections of that game. Still, the gameplay is sound, and Hyperstone Heist served as a strong Turtles in Time alternative for those who only owned a Genesis.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (SNES)
Tournament Fighters was a strange addition to the TMNT library when it released between 1993 and 1994 across the NES, SNES, and Genesis, but it proved to be a fun fighting game that borrowed some key elements from the Street Fighter franchise. The NES version is markedly worse than either the SNES or Genesis versions, but each version was unique. The SNES edition is widely considered to be the best, however, as it combined better graphics with a stronger and more balanced character roster, as well as better controls thanks to the four face-button layout of the SNES controller.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan (Game Boy)
Taking the Turtles on the go via Nintendo’s first handheld, Fall of the Foot Clan was full of smart level design and brought with it an A-list cast of adversaries. From Bebop and Rocksteady to Krang and Shredder, fighting through the biggest and baddest foes the Turtles know as any of the four brothers is a lot of fun, especially when you consider the technical limitations of the Game Boy the game overcame. Though it hasn’t aged as well as the other games on this list thanks to the platform it’s on, it’s worth a look for players who are truly looking to dig into the best the TMNT game franchise has to offer.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES)
The Manhattan Project brought NES players some of the best two-player co-op to ever appear on the platform. In addition to that, it was a great side-scrolling beat-‘em-up for those who hadn’t yet upgraded to the SNES. With great tie-ins to the film that had just released, The Secret of the Ooze, The Manhattan Project struck a strong balance between great gameplay and fan service.
On the next page, we look at our two favorite Ninja Turtle games, as well as the ones you should avoid at all costs.