Platform: Nintendo Switch

Developer: Digital Eclipse

Publisher: Konami

Release Date (NA): August 30, 2022

Genre: Compilation, Beat ‘Em Up

Nerd Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry

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Few anthropomorphic animals dominated ’80s/’90s pop culture the way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did. From arcade games, at-home games, comic books, TV shows, movies, toys, cereal, etc., you’d be hard-pressed to roam the aisles of any store without finding a bodacious Turtle somewhere. I vividly remember having a standing rule on any given summer day: my dad was required to find me wherever I was to inform me it’s time to watch my favorite adolescent ninja reptiles. He did not fail to deliver, and nothing was more important. Although the Turtles may have lost some of that steam in the late ’90s and onward, there’s no denying the special place it holds in many 80s/90s kids’ hearts. Fortunately for you, me, and retro gaming fans the world over, Konami recognizes that love and adoration, bringing fans joy with The Cowabunga Collection.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is, simply put, a collection of TMNT video games from 1989 to 1994, across multiple platforms. But in reality, it is SO much more than that. I’ll get into what makes it so deep and special in the next paragraph, but I just want to quickly sum up the collection. The Cowabunga Collection features a staggering 13 classic TMNT games from Arcade, to NES, to SNES, to Game Boy, but it also is host to a robust collection of box art, magazine clippings, unreleased development notes and sketches, game-by-game soundtrack selections, comic book art, and so much more.

NES TITLES

TMNT – 1989

TMNT II: The Arcade Game – 1990

TMNT III: The Manhattan Project – 1992

TMNT: Tournament Fighters – 1994

GAME BOY TITLES

TMNT: Fall of the Foot Clan – 1990

TMNT II: Back from the Sewers – 1991

TMNT III: Radical Rescue – 1993

ARCADE TITLES

TMNT – 1989

TMNT: Turtles in Time – 1991

SNES TITLES

TMNT IV: Turtles in Time – 1992

TMNT: Tournament Fighters – 1993

GENESIS TITLES

TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist – 1992

TMNT: Tournament Fighters – 1993

The Cowabunga Collection provides an immersive experience for users unlike any collection I’ve ever seen before. While it is certainly not the first of its kind, it undoubtedly perfects the concept, setting the benchmark for all to follow. The user-interface is an absolute joy to look at and deal with, providing easy navigation and fun visuals. Gameplay + quality-of-life improvements abound with select online functionality, couch co-op choices, and save features, rewind features, and more. The game selection and faithful porting / emulation is tight as nails giving the gamers a flawlessly exciting experience! If you’re looking for a trip down memory lane to play some old TMNT games from your childhood, look no further.

But for those looking for something a little more, you will not be disappointed. I think I’ve spent more time digging through the game’s collection of old magazine articles, pictures, soundtracks, box-art, and manuals than actually playing the games. Not trying to brag, but I own all the major home titles: TMNT 1 through 3 on NES, Hyperstone Heist on Genesis, and Turtles in Time on SNES. But the ease of access here, not to mention that I don’t have to use an upscaler to play these on my modern TV, was the deciding factor. And that’s coming from a guy who is painstakingly authentic in retrogaming.

I never did get around to playing any of the Tournament Fighters games until I got this compilation in the mail. I was pleasantly surprised, and I look forward to doing some side-by-side comparisons between the SNES and Genesis versions. While the OG TMNT titles from the NES and Arcade kicked the series off, TMNT IV: Turtles in Time and The Hyperstone Heist took it to all new heights. The improved hardware of gaming’s 4th generation provided monumental improvements in graphics, processing, color, and controls, and Konami took full advantage with these two titles especially.

CONCLUSION

The Cowabunga Collection is more than just a perfectly curated list of awesome titles, it’s a modern testament to Konami’s monumental talents during this era. Konami repeatedly delivered banger after banger, making them a premiere third-party developer and publisher, one of the most renowned of its time. Seriously, this company rarely missed the mark (actually… maybe they never did). And here we sit, 30+ years after TMNT dominated arcades and eventually home televisions, fondly looking back. This collection is proof that the TMNT games are more than just a trip down memory lane for the sake of nostalgia. Just pick up the joy-cons and play any one of the thirteen games and you’ll see that these games are STILL pure fun. The Cowabunga Collection is worthy of your time and energy. Worthy of your hard-earned dollars. And sincerely, worthy of your love. I hope you enjoy the trip back to your youth the way I did. Cheers.

Nerd Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry