When it comes to most of the TMNT games at this point in time, they usually stuck to two different genres for the gameplay. The games could either be a typical beat-’em-up full of plenty of familiar faces and fast action, or they could be a typical 2D platformer that doesn’t necessarily offer anything new, but they would still manage to satisfy die-hard TMNT fans all the same. It makes sense why they would stick to these two formulas so often, as they were both some of the most popular genres in the video game scene at the time, and it would usually work out, as most of these games ranged from being alright to really goddamn good. But of course, Konami wasn’t a two-trick pony with this IP, and they did manage to take this universe and these characters out of their comfort zone every so often, inserting them into other genres to see how they would fit in them. Take today’s game for example, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters.

As you could probably guess from the title, this is a fighting game, the first and only one fully centered around the TMNT franchise, which was always interesting to me. I have known about this game for quite a while, and I was always curious about how one would make a fighting game based off TMNT, or even if it would be any good. I dunno, it just seemed like the kinda thing that would be suited for that genre, but doesn’t have enough material to fully become a fighter. Clearly though, I must be wrong, because there are actually quite a few TMNT fighting games out there, so I figured I may as well go ahead and check out the first one to see how it is. So, after playing through it, I gotta say…….. this sure is a TMNT fighting game alright. It isn’t bad at all, and it gets the job done, but really, there isn’t much else going for it that plenty of other fighters at the time could give you instead.

The story is one you have seen a million times from TMNT, where April O’ Neil and Splinter end up getting kidnapped by a foe named Karai, so it is up to the Ninja Turtles to locate them and rescue them before it is too late, which is generic as all hell, but it’s a fighting game, so who really cares, the graphics are pretty great, having that distinct style seen in plenty of the other TMNT games from Konami, and the animations and locations seen throughout the game look great as well, the music is wonderful, of course, having that same style as past TMNT games, and being appropriately fast and fun to listen to while punching Shredder in the face, the control is typical of a fighting game, so nothing to add to that, and the gameplay is pretty average for a game from this genre, but then again, that is as to be expected with this title.

The game is your typical 2D fighting game, where you take control of 1 of 10 different fighters, each either being regulars of the franchise or alterations of original characters, take on plenty of other fighters in plenty of different locations, throw out plenty of kicks, punches, grabs and throws against your opponent to deplete their health bit by bit, use different special techniques to get an advantage over your foe, and be the last man (or turtle) standing to reign supreme over all the others. It is your typical fighting game affair, coated with that TMNT aesthetic that any fan of the series would greatly appreciate, which does make it work out in that favor, but aside from all that, there isn’t much else going on here.

With that being said though, the game does offer plenty for you to do so you won’t get bored too easily. Of course, there is the main tournament mode, where you take control of one of the characters, fight against every other opponent, and come out the last fighter standing amongst the rest. It works well enough for what it is, and it can be a good amount of fun, testing out all of the different characters and what they can do. In addition to this, there is also the standard vs mode, where you fight against another player, so nothing more to mention about that, and then there is the main attraction that this game has to offer (at least to me), the Story Mode. This is essentially the same as Tournament Mode, except now there are cutscenes that play in-between matches that detail the plot (or at least what little there is), and you can only play as the Ninja Turtles in this mode. That kinda sucks, but then again, it makes sense, so it isn’t that big of a deal, and for being one of the only dedicated story modes of a fighting game I have played, it works pretty well. Mix all that with the option to change around the game’s difficulty, speed, and continues, and you got yourself a complete package for a fighting game here, and I am sure any TMNT fanatic could get behind this and have a great time with it.

For regular TMNT fans though… I’m not sure about that. As a whole, this game isn’t necessarily anything all too unique or original for a fighting game, as it plays things pretty safe as a whole, adding nothing new or interesting for the genre. There isn’t anything wrong with that, and as a licensed TMNT game, it works pretty well, but it is not gonna be able to compete with other fighting juggernauts of the time, such as Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat II. Not to mention, it also has that standard fighting game syndrome you have come to expect, so if you are a fan of getting your ass kicked by the computer for ten minutes, then this game is for you. Then again, I could say that about any fighting game out there, unless you are an absolute legend at these games. And finally, for one last complaint, you aren’t able to use the big special attacks in the Story Mode, which is pretty dumb, if you ask me. Doesn’t really seem like there’s any reason why you would wanna leave that out, so that kinda sucks.

Overall, despite its generic nature and fighting game syndrome, TMNT Tournament Fighters is still a good fighting game, one that manages to successfully take the turtles and put them in this genre, while also providing a decent amount of fun along the way, alone or with friends. I would recommend it for those who are big fans of the other Konami TMNT games, as well as those who are fighting game fanatics as a whole, but other then that, there are plenty of other options that you can choose over this. Then again, what other fighting game out there can you play that has you fighting a mutant bat as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?........... wait, what? There are several others? Man… fighting games are WEIRD.

Game #493

Gameplay - ★
Roster - ★★
Graphics - ★★
Sound - ★★

Honestly, there is nothing great to say about EITHER versions of this game. I played both the super Famicom and Sega Genesis versions through and yet still I cannot fathom how absolutely abhorrent this game truly is.

I can give a few things a pass on this - graphics is probably the high point of this game on both versions, but better on the genesis. The controls are, weird to say the least on the SNES, with light and heavy punches and kicks respectively. No command list, but it seems they have taken a leaf out of street fighter's book for this one.

The SNES version of the game plays weirdly. Almost as if every special outside of projectiles are very Bison esque, with ways to travel across the screen, and even less ways to punish it, with Raphael's AI continually doing his version of a Psycho crusher, leaving you open to a grab, something which isn't too dissimilar to SF2 Bison, where there is no way to tech grabs in this. Annoying, but not completely out of options.

The roster is a bit of a strange one, with War swapping out for Ray, and Casey replacing Shredder, as well as some random other character being swapped with April.

Overall, the aesthetic, roster, and feel go to the Genesis version, but neither perform well, and both feel painful to play. No way of training or labbing without going against an AI that can read your inputs as was common for the day, no way of knowing what characters have charge inputs and what ones follow Shoto rules, and no real feedback when attacking either. The only thing that the game had going for it was that if you closed your eyes, you could sort of imagine that you were playing street fighter. Well, that would be if the god awful sound design didn't destroy your immersion.

The sound on this game is terrible. The game in general is terrible. There are very few redeeming factors to this game, and I spent way too long trying to come up with arguments for it. The only thing I can possibly let it off for was sprite work and stages as honestly, the gritty look of the Genesis version really does look decent for the time. Other than that, I don't think I'll be picking this one up again any time soon. I think one or two arcade runs are good enough for this to leave it well alone.