First memories of playing TMNT Arcade?

[Johnny Cutt]

Do you remember the first time you saw this cab? Did you have a favorite spot to play this gem?

I'll start... Many years ago, my dad's bank would hold company events at a local bowling alley. He would always take me and my older brother along, though bowling was never on our agenda. They had the TMNT Arcade game there, and it completely enthralled me.

At that age, I never got very far. But at one point, I remember watching a few older kids make it all the way through to the Technodrome. Pretty awesome at the time - I had never actually seen the later stages.

What about you?

[Toonami Tom]

Yes, I remember around the first time I saw the 1989 TMNT arcade game. As a kid, I was overjoyed that there was a turtles arcade game. I remember playing it at an arcade in Florida when I was on vacation. At the time, it was a big deal to reach the Rocksteady boss battle. I don't remember getting past the second level in the arcade.

That is a great memory you told us about, and I like the topic.

I play TMNT arcade on XBox 360 now. It would be nice if XBox would put it back on the marketplace so more people can play it.

[pannoni1]

I first saw it in 1991 the summer after the NES version was released, and I remember playing four quarters work and only making it to Rocksteady. It was tricky compared to the NES version in that you only have about 10 HP compared to about 50 for NES, though I remember being impressed with the graphics and wished that I had a good allowance at the time, since my mom didn't have a job meaning that play was limited (I was more of a ticket redemption game person). I don't recall seeing the arcade version of Turtles in Time.

[Jester]

They had it at the local Chuckie Cheese's and when my pals or I would have birthday parties there, we'd go 4 players on the cabinet. Thankfully we all had different favorite Turtles.

[FoxZerro]

I was on vacation and they had it in the arcade at the resort. It always had someone playing it, which I remember as awesome. I just remember always being able to play with four turtles and just having a blast doing it. I also remember this girl going on a lengthy explanation of the final stage and how it started. I know now that she was just making things up but we were young so it was cool to see her so excited. Man I haven't thought about that in about 20 years... I must have been about 5 at the time. CRAZY... Thanks for asking and allowing me to relive the memory

[gobo]

Out of a room full of kids, I was playing the game all by myself, wasting all my quarters, until I got to the technodrome. Then, everyone was fighting over who gets to join in.

[plasticturtle]

I heard about the game long before I played it. My friend David told me that his cousin from out of state ( or someone like that ) told him about a new TMNT game that started with you fighting through a burning building. I thought he was full of it. David was known for telling tall tales and since the game wasn't in our local arcade I figured he was just making it up.
I first saw the game during a trip to Indianapolis. We went to the mall there and one of the stores had it. I plopped in my quarter and started playing. I was soon joined by some other kid and we made it all the way to Rocksteady. The kid beside me was really getting into it. When Rocksteady said "Say your prayers Turtles" the kid shouted at the top of his lungs "No, say yours". I was so into the game I didn't say a word the whole time. I was in awe.
The local arcade finally got it in and I remember pumping hundreds of tokens into it. It remains one of only two games I ever beat in the arcade. The other being The Simpsons.

[Refractive Reflections]

Some of my first memories of it was at the Chuck E. Cheese's and Major Magic's with the 1989 Arcade Game. Of course they programmed the game to have only 2 lives instead of the usual 3 lives per token/quarter since the game was SO popular. Sometimes there were actually lines to play it, and people crowded when players would make it to the freeway stage or farther.

What was more hilarious was that I caught some parents playing the TMNT arcade game at Chuck E. Cheese's/Major Magic's even when their own kids DIDN'T want to play it anymore. LOL

I played the game but I could never get past the Sewer Stage. I had just as much fun watching others play because it was like watching an OT cartoon movie (which sadly never happened).

[jasonorme666]

I was must of been 3 when my Dad lifted me up to reach the control panel one holiday in Wales.

It was a 2 player cabinet as I had never come across the 4 player version in any arcade.

I was of course Mikey, my favourite turtle at the time and next to me was my brother who was 2 years older playing as Donatello.

It was a stunning visual, watching the intro as the turtles jump off the building, we would always laugh when Mikey well on his arse.
It was like we were watching the cartoon, everything was so perfect to the show. It was as if i'd never seen a game look as good as that did at the time.

We would make our way through the burning apartment complex, getting grabbed by foot soldiers and frantically pounding the buttons. We would reach Rocksteady but always die and watch the counter start to count from 20.. I think my parents were happy that we didn't know you could continue.

I remember one time my brother went to the arcade without me for some reason, and he came back bragging that he got Rocksteady to flash red. I called him a liar of course.

On the last day of the holiday it was tradition to go to the arcade a night, and blow all the rest of our holiday money. So we got a lengthy session of tmnt action.

On the way home I remember asking my Mom, "when i'm older can I have one of them", to which she said (just to shut me up) "you're not allowed to have them in your house, its illegal".

The furthest we got one year was to the skateboarding level, but we were obliteration by the foot in their choppers.

In about 1997 it had been a long time since i'd seen the turtles arcade machine anywhere.
But as soon as I saw the machine it all flooded back, and I was hooked.
On the last day just as it was tradition I spent all my money on that machine and managed to reach the gun turrets just before Granitor.

I couldn't wait to go back there next year just for the tmnt game.

Sadly, in 1998 the arcade was closed down, my parents drove all over the place to find a ninja turtles machine. But we never did.

I then went on a mission, when I got home I phoned up loads of different places (keep in mind I was about 11-12 years old at the time) inquiring if they have any tmnt arcade machines in stock. We also just had the internet so I was looking into that. I found a place that had one for £450.
I told them it could be my Christmas and Birthday present, for the rest of my life.

Well.. it took some persuading but I came home from school one day and it was there, all lit up in the garage.

13 years later I still have it, but now in my own house with my wife.
While I hardly play it anymore, its massive part of my childhood and has massive sentimental value to me.

Anyway, I trailed off abit, sorry if I bored you.

[Johnny Cutt]

That was a great recap, jasonorme. It was a great story to hear, thanks for sharing.

I don't have the cabinets yet, but I picked up both the TMNT arcade and the Turtles In Time PCBs over the last few years in preparation of getting a cab eventually.

It will definitely be a fixture in the man cave.

[Garfield]

In the very early ninties or it could have been 1989, at a CHuck E Cheese. didn't know what the hell I was doing because I was so young. I remember it was the first stage because of the fire.

[SoundBlaster7]

'87 cartoon reruns aired on TV at the time.
A new generation of kids were introduced to TMNT and were blown away by the awesomeness. I was 6 or 7, so it was in '97/'98.

I just got a Sega Genesis and TMNT Arcade was the first game I played on it.
So many great memories! I used to play it with friends and my brother. I remember Tora and the robot samurai annoying me, 'cause I had no idea who they were I don't think I've ever beaten it, though. I got to the Technodrome once, but I didn't make it to Krang and Shredder.

I still have the console and cartridges somewhere in the garage.

[jasonorme666]

I think you mean a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).

[zodiac brave]

it was 89 or 90. i was about 6 or 7 and it had to have been at a movie theater. it was probably while watching star trek 5, as thats one of the first movies i ever remember watching and i distinctly remember seeing the game for the first time while waiting in a cinema lobby for a movie to start. after that it was usually at a chuck e. cheese, pistol pete's or showbiz pizza. also, i remember playing it a lot in a corner store in my dad's neighborhood, but those play sessions were split up because that store also had a simpsons arcade machine!

years later (and about 7 years ago now) i played it on an almost daily basis at this comic shop i hung out at where i got in good with the owner and he'd set it on free play mode for me.

dang...ima go play the nes version now...nostalgia trip, lol!

[Candy Kappa]

I have never played TMNT in an Arcade Machine, at least no memories of it.

[SoundBlaster7]

Originally Posted by jasonorme666

I think you mean a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).

It was actually a NES version of the game, but I played it on Sega Genesis or Mega Drive for us in Europe.

[plasticturtle]

I'm fairly certain the second time I played it was at a movie theatre while waiting for Back To The Future 3 to start. I'm also fairly certain I had my Raphael action figure in my pocket both times.

[DonatelloDomeHead31]

Boy...I very "foggly" remember the Arcade game in the malls. See I remember the animation on the side, but I don't really remember playing the Arcade game machine.

My best Arcade gameplay came when Turtles in Time was out.

The arcade game...I played the most on the NES.

[ctt4lfecw]

Yes I do. When I was a young lad, I played at a Pizza Hut that was near my house, but now is recently been closed sucks too, because now I have to drive for a bit to get to the next closest Pizza Hut lol Anyway, I remember playing with my sister and the other kids waiting for our food to come. Chowed down on bread sticks while I did it.

[tmntpower1988]

I first remember playing it when I was a kid in a bowling alley, I really loved the game, I used to try and convince my parents to take me there every year for the summer but then eventually they took the game away I came across the game again a few years later at one of those indoor amusement parks. I was hooked on the game, I remember putting a lot of money into the machine Kept dying a lot in the game, I wouldn't like to imagine how much I would of spent on that machine just to finish the game

Originally Posted by Toonami Tom

I play TMNT arcade on XBox 360 now. It would be nice if XBox would put it back on the marketplace so more people can play it.

I wish the same thing, I hope my Xbox 360 doesn't break down any time soon, would be gutted if that were to happen. Would be better if they released the games on disc though, I just don't trust digital downloads.