Not Forgotten: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)
Turtle Power Go! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a classic staple for children of all ages and us adults who love to swim in the nostalgic sewers of the TMNT fandom. Back in 2003, almost two decades ago, there was a little-known Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game by Konami, with that very same title. It was a 3D Beat-Em-Up with multiplayer options where you would play as a turtle of your choice with a friend as you beat up thugs, robots, and Shredder's various goons through the city of New York.
The style of the game was right out of a cheesy comic book with KaPows! and Blams! popping up every time you hit an enemy, with funny sound effects to match. The graphics were actually respectable for the time, and looking back on it now, they aren’t totally hideous. The sound effects could get repetitive but it was a kid's game, and they also did the voice acting justice which helped make up for repetitive sound. The combat mechanics were actually somewhat satisfying for the age range it was targeted to. For me as a kid, what mattered was to have fun beating up goons as the turtles with my brother.
For those of you who enjoy checking out the hidden gems that aren’t quite diamonds but still deserve to be remembered, Konami’s 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is something for the nostalgia hounds or just those of us who enjoy a good cheesy comic and cartoon-inspired game. Also for those interested, you can check out our article about Dotemu and their upcoming game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge that we have previously covered here.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is available on GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC, Game Boy Advance, and Xbox.