Product ReviewsTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nintendo NES, 1989)

The very first TMNT NES game is a must have for TMNT or NES fans!

This was the first of three TMNT games released for the NES. Whereas the two sequels were both strictly 2D side scrolling beat 'em up style games, this one featured an explorable overworld which the player navigated through to get from stage to stage. This gave the game more of an 'adventure' feel, although the meat of the game's action is in its 2D platformer style stages.

The game is one player only. You begin as Leonardo on an overhead view of the streets of New York City. Entering a building or manhole takes you into one of many 2D platformer style stage. At any time you can pause the game and switch between any of the four Turtles [Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael]. Each Turtle has a his own life bar which carries over from stage to stage and on the overworld. When one Turtle's life bar is depleted, he is 'captured' and can no longer be used in the game.

The game itself was hugely popular upon its release [as were most things Ninja Turtles during that time]. Its easy enough to play at first, but gets quite difficult as you get further into it. The graphics, music, and controls are all solid for an NES game. One might argue that completing the game is a bit too difficult for the average gamer, but that would be the game's only drawback.

Overall this game rules! Turtle power!Read full review...

Great TMNT experience from the past!

Product was not functional at first (as most game cartridges are that are of this age). I cleaned the connectors and the game started right up. As one of the first TMNT games available on the market, it is fun to pay and also compare to all the next gen games that followed it. It is fun to play. My rating of the graphics are for a game of its time (it was good for 8 bit graphics).

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Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: fancyso97

A fair game for what it is.

This is an old school TMNT game that appeared on the NES before the beat'em up versions. It isn't a horrible game, but it must be approached the right way and by the right kind of person. A person who enjoys the difficulty of Contra is much more likely to enjoy this than a person who enjoys the difficulty of Mario. And just like Contra, once you figure it out, it turns from an impossible game to an easy game.

Once you get used to the quirks, TMNT on the NES is quite enjoyable. You have to realize a few things first though.
1. Donatello generally makes progressing much quicker
2. Boomerangs make your life much easier.
3. Items make the other turtles much more useful.
4. Trying to kill every enemy is much more likely to get you killed than accomplish anything.Read full review...

It's not easy being green...

I used to play this game all the time as a kid. I loved Ninja Turtles, so naturally when the game came out, I bugged my parents until they got it for me.
Some people think it's a classic, others (the Angry Video Game Nerd comes to mind) hate it with a passion, but personally, I always found the game to be at least adequate.
There are two main action segments in this game. The first is the bird's eye view used to navigate the city on foot (or in the turtle van, depending on the level). The second is traditional side-scrolling. While the control isn't as tight as Mario, it isn't as horrible as Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu or Solar Jetman. The ability to switch between turtles (each with his own health bar) via pause screen helps with the difficulty as well.
It is a difficult game as well, particularly the underwater level, which has you defusing TNT charges while avoiding various obstacles while under a tight time limit.
This isn't a perfect game(certianly not as good as those that followed), but it's not horrendously bad either. Pick it up if you like Ninja turtles or if you'd like a good challenge.Read full review...

To beat a game...

...do not buy this game if you're looking to beat a game from NES in a few hours. No, I still haven't seen the ending to this game, and likely never will. Its a great game with retro music, scene by scene production with an RPG taste, and a 4 tag-team turtle squad.
These opinions could be yours too, so read hehe.
What I like about the game
1. Underwater song where turtles dismantle timebombs
2. driving vehicle in RPG mode
3. changing out character before they die and knowing where to find Pizza to heal the wounded.
4. being able to kill enemies through the floorboards
Dislikes
1. Having enemies appear at a blink of eye after you kill them once. Shouldn't they stay dead?
2. Doesn't take much to die.
3. takes too long to complete a world
4. Need all turtles for sure to beat the boss so don't let any die
5. (Personal problem) with the drink in the sewer for couldn't make it to platform because of low wall you have to clear while jumping. If you fail to make it, you get swept away by the current, surviving, but end up back outside the building, a big loss for it would take 10 min or so to get back to that same place to make the same error again. I think I made it once, but fell in the drink anyway from an enemy flying into picture while jumping platforms. Boy, what a headache.
As others can probably testify that same problemed area deep near the end of the game.Read full review...

Easily in the top 10 best NES games ever, a must have for classic gamers

This is right up there as one of my most favorite NES games ever made. From the corny top down "map" view to the side scrolling action to the ever aggravating swimming level I was hooked on this game as a kid, and still am today as well. You can switch between the 4 turtles depending on your needs (Don & Leo have the best weapons IMO) or the turtles health, and if you're about to die just look in the sewers for a pizza pie. I remember as a kid there was a rumor that if you made the turtles eat too much pizza they'd throw up, but to this day still beleive this to be false. Hands down if you're in to classic gaming this is a must have.Read full review...

Radical!

With games that are over 30 years old, you never know how good they'll work. But both of these games are in fantastic shape, even the cartridges themselves show no real signs of wear and tear.
>Very happy to have these games back in my life after a few decades! And it's still so much fun to play!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: blakestergat88

Tubular

Because I used to play it when I was a little kid and it brought back memories glad my son can enjoy game that I used to play when I was his age

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: jjgames

Classic and Tough

This was never a great game, but it was good enough, very challenging, and a prominent part of my childhood. Just broken enough to exploit a couple of glitches for kicks. As Ultra (Konami) games go, the music is is on point. Great memories and still a good one to play.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: bluesunrobot

Old school gameplay

Not necessarily a fair game, but more fair than many NES titles. Innovative in the top-down/side-scrolling format as well as switching character on the fly. Great nostalgia factor!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: joseywaffen