But first, Crayon Poetry Corner #14! I actually wrote this a really long time ago and completely forgot about it — I think I was planning to accompany it with a voice recording. Anyway, I was about to post another poem when I stumbled upon it instead, so I figured I’d get this thing up. Seeing as how the poem was partly inspired by Frogger, the image to the right of the poem is taken from the SNES version. Yep.
That said, the star of today’s update is this in-depth review of the MS-DOS versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I and II. Much like the PC port of Street Fighter II that we reviewed a year ago, these computer incarnations manage to be inexplicably different from the original versions in marked ways. I’m admittedly a bit fond of some of the graphical modifications to the first game (the Turtles look interesting and Shredder looks great, but I don’t like what they did to April at all), but the changes to the gameplay of both titles are pretty hard to overlook. You’ll read more about it in the actual article, but I will continue to argue that TMNT I is impossible to beat without cheating until someone out there proves me wrong. So get to it!
So in case you’re up for taking the challenge or simply giving these games a try, here is a helpful tutorial on Abandonia for configuring DOSBox and getting games up and running. I personally recommend using a frontend like D-Fend to simplify the process, though.
That said, in case you’ve got absolutely no desire to play these broken games, here are some YouTube recordings that I made of the final battles and ending sequences. I’ve been going crazy with YT as of late. 🙂
Aaaand while we’re at it, here are a few more videos that I posted to YouTube of the movie game. Two are boss battles with the Generals (one each); the other is an extended battle with the Shredder and his clones, which is what happens if you don’t target the genuine article. It’s too bad the Turtles don’t gain EXP or coins for every defeated enemy — that battle would be solid gold for leveling up and making money.
All for now, then. Seeya next time, minna-san! 😛
Wow…I didn’t even know they ported those over to PC.
I got TMNT on the virtual console, and I can’t even get past that first water level. In fact, that’s as far as I got when I rented it as a kid, too. That’s a hard-assed game. Meanwhile, TMNTII: The Arcade Game was one of my absolute favorites, and I much preferred it to the actual arcade.
Great article, and I really liked the poem too. Funny shit.