Hardcore Gaming 101 article on TMNT

[pannoni1]

I like how all the articles are organized as put together, it reads like a book that may be titled, "The complete history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games". Sure, there are a few minor errors, but I like how it uses comparisons of different versions of the same game by having photos side-by-side, along with some musical downloads. In the end, the games that were released reflected which universe was most popular at the moment and gives a good judgement on the definitive version of each title, and given that wikis tend to just list each version individually, the ability to compare better and having some nice multimedia touches makes this the definitive source currently for information on the TMNT video games.

[oldmanwinters]

Hey, Audi, do you have scans of the Japanese TMNT1 NES manual? I'd be curious to see how it sets up the alternate version of the TMNT universe.

Originally Posted by Xav

How do you know that? All I know is that Peter did a Rhino Mutant rough sketch at one point.

I really wish I had bookmarked some of those threads where is question got hashed out. But here's one I did find:
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=33000

Also, here is Wise's Facebook claim that he should be credited with the creation of the characters (I genuinely respect the guy's talent and commitment to his job, but that kind of attitude over a Wikipedia page seems kinda petty to me):
http://imgur.com/PTeLA

[Audi]

Bear with me if I make any mistakes. The amount of info from development to character bios is pretty heavy, especially in combination of my own memory, various sources on the internet and corrections from other forums that contradict (though my own judgement would lead me to trust you guys being a specific TMNT community). I'll get more corrections up shortly, as I been going through pages 1-9 since yesterday and made many corrections.

Winters: I got the manual, I will upload it for you.

About Bebop and Rocksteady, I spoke with no less than 3 individual from Mirage (I'll leave them unnamed due to the fact there is apparently some disagreements) and 1 said he was unsure, while the 2 others said Laird and Eastman. So I really don't know the entire deal about their creation. I'll see if Wise is interested in talking to me again and see if I can get him to elaborate on it.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Audi

Bear with me if I make any mistakes. The amount of info from development to character bios is pretty heavy, especially in combination of my own memory, various sources on the internet and corrections from other forums that contradict (though my own judgement would lead me to trust you guys being a specific TMNT community). I'll get more corrections up shortly, as I been going through pages 1-9 since yesterday and made many corrections.

About Bebop and Rocksteady, I spoke with no less than 3 individual from Mirage (I'll leave them unnamed due to the fact there is apparently some disagreements) and 1 said he was unsure, while the 2 others said Laird and Eastman. So I really don't know the entire deal about their creation. I'll see if Wise is interested in talking to me again and see if I can get him to elaborate on it.

That's interesting info regarding your interviews with key TMNT people.

Isn't there is also some disagreement between David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane as to who ought to be considered the "creator" of the Venom character in Spider-man comics? Perhaps the mysterious he-said, they-said accounts of Bebop and Rocksteady will occupy a similar point of contention amongst TMNT fans.

Originally Posted by Audi

Winters: I got the manual, I will upload it for you.

Sha-weet!

[Ninjinister]

I guess it'd be too much to ask to credit all three men, no? I mean, Pete and Kevin penciled out a concept, and David developed them into characters. Seems fair for all three to get the share to me.

[Audi]

Oh absolutely not, I just haven't gotten around to editing those pages yet cause I been fixing the last few pages.

LCD games and Pinball is now added:
http://hardcoregaming101.net/tmnt/tmntlcd.htm

Here is the manual, Winters:





Eastman emailed me today and said he loved the article and read through all of it, so I'm very happy about that! I only had a few exchanges with Laird during writing, so I sent along the link to him, so hopefully he'll enjoy it as well.

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by Audi

Oh absolutely not, I just haven't gotten around to editing those pages yet cause I been fixing the last few pages.

I meant in general. Good to know, though.

[oldmanwinters]

Audi, I love the addition of the LCD section! I think the first TMNT Konami handheld might just be the greatest game in the genre. Did you know that it was so innovative at the time that it even received its own patent?

As far as gameplay goes, I never quite figured out how one is supposed set the bombs properly in order in order to break April's containment tube. The instructions seem vague and I just press the directional buttons hoping I get lucky.

[Audi]

I read the patent, but many of the Konami LCD games received patents back then, so I didn't see it exclusively relevant enough to go into detail about that specific point. I genuinely enjoy the first LCD game however. The rest, not so much.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Audi

I read the patent, but many of the Konami LCD games received patents back then, so I didn't see it exclusively relevant enough to go into detail about that specific point. I genuinely enjoy the first LCD game however. The rest, not so much.

Interesting! I had no idea all those games were patent-worthy. Nowadays stuff like that just seems like lazy cash-ins on popular franchises. And I agree that some of the follow-up TMNT LCD games I've played pale in comparison to the original.

[Xav]

Originally Posted by Audi

LCD games and Pinball is now added:
http://hardcoregaming101.net/tmnt/tmntlcd.htm

I have a question about your part on the third game, who the heck are Metaligore and Rotagilla? No characters by that name are in the game.

[Audi]

Originally Posted by Xav

I have a question about your part on the third game, who the heck are Metaligore and Rotagilla? No characters by that name are in the game.

They are listed in the manual, and I believe they are even spoken of on the TMNT site? I don't actually own that game, and only spoke to an individual over at the handheld museum site who owns it for some impressions, I am guessing that they might have renamed certain characters on the packaging, like they included Shredder only in name.

EDIT: Indeed they are: http://www.ninjaturtles.com/html/handheld.htm

[Konchadunga]

A very thorough article, but I could have done without all the hyperbolic digs at Fast Forward. I may be all alone in my appreciation of that season, but I wish the world would at least stop rubbing my nose in that. I also noticed quite a lot of grammatical errors, but I cut them a lot of slack for those, as they had a long task ahead of them.

I remember being very disappointed at Smash Up as well, but more than its lack of characters, its being too similar to SSB for comfort, or any of the other problems the article described, what turned me off of it were the 2007 movie designs for every character applicable. I've actually praised many parts of that movie's visuals; the turtles look great and so do their environments, and the scene where Leonardo and Raphael fight on the rooftops, with many long shots of New York and close-ups of raindrops splashing on their scaly skin, was just amazing. However, all of the human characters aside from the villain look awful to me; they're too cartoonish for a film that strives for realism elsewhere, and their skinny appearance is ugly on any terms. I didn't lose all interest in it, but I didn't buy it and from what I learned since, I'm glad that I didn't. Had I bought it and learned the Rabbids were in it, I would have thrown the worst fit since buying Rayman Raving Rabbids for the Wii expecting the platformer that Michel Ancel origially intended it as, only to find a gaggle of wretched Wiitard minigames. Sorry about my prolonged rant; I just really hate the Rabbids.

[Audi]

Originally Posted by Konchadunga

A very thorough article, but I could have done without all the hyperbolic digs at Fast Forward. I may be all alone in my appreciation of that season, but I wish the world would at least stop rubbing my nose in that. I also noticed quite a lot of grammatical errors, but I cut them a lot of slack for those, as they had a long task ahead of them.

Someone has been watching the Argentinian TMNT adult film

Thanks for reading through. I am aware of the grammatical errors and going through each page systematically and uploading a fixed version over the next few days, as I have been doing so far. Like you noted, juggling this large article next to everything else in daily life and writing results in oversights and brainfarts.

I actually watched Fast Forward (along with every episode of 1987 and 2k3) in preparation to writing this piece, and I would have to say that it's probably some of the worst television I have seen in my life, and one of the hardest things to get through, be it playing through the titles or watching content to review and note.

[Konchadunga]

Why? Just because it's different?

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by Audi

I actually watched Fast Forward (along with every episode of 1987 and 2k3) in preparation to writing this piece, and I would have to say that it's probably some of the worst television I have seen in my life, and one of the hardest things to get through, be it playing through the titles or watching content to review and note.

Really? Even the later part of the season where plot, tone, and writing bumped up a few notches? Even then... you must not watch a lot of TV I've seen far, far worse on TV than even the worst episodes of anything with Turtles in it.

[Xav]

Originally Posted by Audi

They are listed in the manual, and I believe they are even spoken of on the TMNT site? I don't actually own that game, and only spoke to an individual over at the handheld museum site who owns it for some impressions, I am guessing that they might have renamed certain characters on the packaging, like they included Shredder only in name

A few things about the game your to the left of the screen not the center. You actually fight the bosses twice on each level once in the middle and at the end. At the last level you fight all the bosses again. I don't think in the later levels you face more enemies on screen or that they get faster or stronger. Though later levels add a new enemy a Stone Warrior who can take multiple hits.

[oldmanwinters]

Audi, I think the last paragraph on the first LCD game may be incomplete. I can only read the last sentence until "Real life" and then it just ends.

Also, regarding the Slam Dunk Donatello action figure, what did you mean by "This figure also received a white redesign exclusively sold at Wal-Mart" ? I couldn't figure out if that was a joke I didn't get or some bizarre variant I've never seen before.

EDIT AGAIN:
On the entry for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X Assault" you identify the cover art as the work of Ken Mitchroney. If my eye is correct, only the back package art is by Mitchroney. The front cover art appears to be a rarely seen (in America anyway) piece by Chris Allan.

EDIT ad nauseum:
Got any info on the "cancelled PSX game"? I've never read anything about that! The closest thing to 32-bit TMNT I've ever seen was some left-over TMNT sprites hidden on one of Sega's 32X cartridges.

EDIT "I can't help myself"
You mention that the Genesis Hyperstone Heist game lacks the "Mode 7 powered screen toss" of the SNES Turtles in Time, but I don't think that particular feature utilized Mode 7 at all. I believe the screen throw animation was just a few extra sprites resized for effect.

[Xav]

I noticed on the page for Tournament Fighters for the SNES you say the Foot kidnap April and Splinter when it is actually Karai and the Shredder Elite.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Xav

I noticed on the page for Tournament Fighters for the SNES you say the Foot kidnap April and Splinter when it is actually Karai and the Shredder Elite.

Eh... close enough, right?