Fans of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle games were beyond excited when Sony's State of Play showcase revealed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. The collection of thirteen classic titles from arcades (as well as some brand new content), the NES, the SNES, the Sega Genesis, and Game Boy is soon to be the best way retro gamers can legally get their hands on many of these games to enjoy today.

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The status of these titles can be considered legendary by retro gamers, so those new to them may not know which of the games are the best so they can try them out first. While each of the thirteen choices has something positive to offer for fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle series, there are some that undoubtedly stand out above the rest.

Updated on September 14th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: This original article included all thirteen games and game a brief synopsis of why the game could be considered good or bad. When gamers pick up thirteen games in a single package, they're likely going to be wondering which game is for them. To assist with this decision-making, a few bullets have been added in each section to clarify the pros and cons of each title. The still leaves the reader with the "official" rankings list yet helps them decide which of these games might be higher or lower on a list made based on their own personal preferences.

13 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Sega Genesis)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters Sega Genesis
  • Pros: Fans of the Genesis will revisit their childhood
  • Cons: Worse than the other two Tournament Fighter games included

Fighting games simply aren't good when they have sluggish controls and this, unfortunately, plagues the Sega Genesis release of Tournament Fighters. It's also unfortunate that the three bosses in the game were originally going to be playable (as discovered by YouTuber Junanagou) but the feature was ultimately removed. If the game had managed to have all eleven playable characters, it may have had a way to stand out despite its control issues.

12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES
  • Pros: Can be beaten with hard work and practice, useful for bragging rights
  • Cons: Difficulty is tough to the point of unfair and often past that point, losing means starting over

The NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is considered to be one of the hardest games of all time. Unlike other versions of the game, it required incredibly pinpoint precision, had respawning enemies which increased difficulty, and had points where it was impossible to avoid taking damage. This isn't a good one for players to start on unless they are beat-em-up experts wanting to push their skills to the limit.

11 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game (NES)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 The Arcade Game NES
  • Pros: It brings players back to a time when they'd go to physical arcades and play with their friends, iconic boss fights, solid enemy variety, good story
  • Cons: All turtles are the same, gameplay involves only a few moves, sacrifices made to get the game onto home consoles

It may seem strange to think that a direct port of the extremely successful Arcade version ranks so low, but reviewers of the game seemed mixed about the quality of the port. While Famitsu only gave it an average rating, GamePro gave it an extremely positive review. Since it's extremely similar to the main arcade version, it's better to simply play its counterpart first and come back to the NES game for the fun of comparisons.

10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters NES
  • Pros: Better controls than the Genesis version, amazing quality is hard to believe for the NES
  • Cons: The version came out on the SNES with better graphics and more buttons

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters was the last game that Konami would ever release on the NES, and it's easy to say they went out on a high note. There weren't many games on the console despite the massive popularity of the fighting genre at the time either making it a must-have.

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The game would eventually be brought to newer consoles with several improvements, but it's still fun taking a look at the first version. It's a historic moment in Konami history and still holds up reasonably well to this day. Particularly clever players can even force a fight between two versions of Hothead despite it making the game have some graphics issues trying to render both giant characters.

9 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers

Sewers
  • Pros: Platforming is unique and fun, style works well, the music fuses classic and new styles well
  • Cons: Combat is slow, the game can be beaten very quickly by amateur gamers

Gamers looking for a beat-em-up on the Game Boy could easily pick up Back from the Sewers and be happy. While it didn't change things up much from the original game with the turtles on the console, it did have unique elements not often seen in the genre like players needing to use skateboards. For those who want their villain-bashing action to be kept straight and to the point, this one isn't the perfect choice. Fans who want to try something a bit different however may find this the perfect option

8 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (SNES)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters SNES
  • Pros: Great selection of fighters, all are fun to play, complexity is on par with modern fighting games
  • Cons: Not much replayability without friends who also play

The SNES version of Tournament Fighters was one of the best-selling games on the console the year it was released and that comes as no surprise. A character in the game named Aska was also given particular praise for being one of the best female fighting game characters of the era.

With the game having a wide selection of characters and extremely crisp controls, it's as much a joy to play today as it was back when it came out in 1993 and fans will love being able to play as the human allies of the turtles.

7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan

Fall of the Foot Clan
  • Pros: Complex gameplay is advanced for the Game Boy, controls are crisp, challenge is perfectly balanced
  • Cons: Extremely short, mainstream gamers will beat this after a few tries in about an hour

Fall of the Foot Clan was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' first outing on the Game Boy. Fans of the 1987 television series will particularly enjoy how many moments of the game took inspiration from it. The game is a straightforward beat-em-up in the best of ways and is perfect for anyone wanting to relive a bit of nostalgia for the genre and look back on simpler times.

6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade
  • Pros: It's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 without any compromises made, four-player participation, colorful style has never quite been duplicated
  • Cons: As with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, the number of attacks is limited and the turtles play the same

The one that started it all. There is a reason it has been included as a hidden bonus game in various other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle titles over the years and has been made available to purchase via emulation across a wide variety of consoles.

Demand for the arcade machines was so high during their original heyday that Konami had to get manufacturing help to meet demand. There is a reason it was the most commercially successful arcade game of the era in every country it reached. Gamers today are still wishing the games borrowed more from the cartoons, like this title did.

5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist

Hyperstone Heist
  • Pros: Story is among the best in the series, Genesis controls complement the gameplay instead of hampering it
  • Cons: Plays like an unpolished version of Turtles in Time

The Hyperstone Heist is considered to be one of the best games ever released on the Sega Genesis despite it being somewhat of a clone of Turtles in Time with a handful of differences. It did feature several differences in level length and special effects in the game among many other things.

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The unique controls making it easier to dash may make this one a bit appealing to some, but it's hard to argue that Turtles in Time may be one of the best beat-em-up games ever created, and making changes to it didn't necessarily make the game better.

4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Radical Rescue

Radical Rescue
  • Pros: Epic boss fights, lots of replayability, borrows the best elements from Mega Man and Metroid.
  • Cons: Easy to get lost, will take lots of practice to beat

Radical Rescue brought some exciting new developments to the Game Boy games that were incredibly fresh. Each turtle was necessary to win the game, with their various abilities needing to be used to beat the game in a way similar to that of the Metroid games. Considering how similar many of the games can be, something a bit different is nice to see.

3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade)

Turtles In Time Arcade
  • Pros: Colorful art style works perfectly for combat, loads of new animations, more personality from the turtles
  • Cons: Attacks happening off of the edge of the screen factor too much into the gameplay, combat gets redundant

It was the best-selling arcade cabinet Konami ever sold which is a testament to the quality gameplay. It was an incredible improvement on the original arcade title, which was already great, so it's not hard to see why it's so much fun to play. While its 3D remake Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled got mixed reviews, it shouldn't stop gamers from trying the original to see all it has to offer. This has inspired trivia games and fun facts that are still relevant today.

2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (SNES)

Turtles In Time SNES
  • Pros: More attack variety than the arcade version, more content, levels reworked to function more smoothly
  • Cons: Limited to two players, colors aren't as bright

If the arcade version of Turtles in Time is amazing, it's hard to argue that the SNES version isn't even better with the changes from its counterpart. With added content, new bosses to fight, and levels reworked graphically to perform better with special features the console could offer, it's basically the arcade version with the speakers turned up to eleven. Add in time trials and the versus mode and it's hard to not see why it's the best game in the collection.

1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III The Manhattan Project 
  • Pros: Everything great about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 but improved, including unique turtles and more attack variety
  • Cons: Steep learning curve, some turtles do less damage against bosses without explanation

As this title was made purely with the NES in mind, it was a far better sequel than the previously attempted arcade port. The Komani Code being available in the western release to unlock the options screen would look like the better option, but the version created for the Famicom included a stage selection code as well as a code for extra continues to help with the game's difficulty.

It's a solid title no matter what but be prepared for a game that won't go easy on players. But when it comes to the best games in this series, there are still fans that recognize this game as the zenith of the experience.

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