Retronauts Episode 479: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection

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Leonardo. Donatello. Michelangelo. Raphael. Fine artists, for sure, but over the past 30 years their names have become synonymous with sewers, pizza, and martial arts. The history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cannot be told without touching upon the many video games they starred in, and we covered their biggest year in games back in episode 230, as well as their most recent game in episode 470.

This week’s episode is different. Rather than cover a single game or even a single year, host Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Digital Eclipse’s Chris Kohler (a voice our listeners should know very well by now) cover the brand-new Cowabunga Collection from Konami which includes 13 8- and 16-bit releases, from the 1989 arcade brawler to the 1994 NES version of Tournament Fighters. 13 games in five years? Yes, the TMNT phenomenon was that big.

The crust of this episode details the exhaustive work that Digital Eclipse put in to bring these games to modern platforms along with organizing thousands of pages of Konami documents so that they could be included in the collection for fans to enjoy; however, we still make time to discuss the actual games, highlighting one in particular that many fans might have missed when it was new. Do take note that Konami sponsored this episode and provided Retronauts with review code of the Cowabunga Collection prior to its retail release.

Description: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is finally here, meaning we now have the chance to officially play over a dozen TMNT games from the eight and 16-bit era—most of which never saw a re-release! But how did this compilation come together, and what are the specific quirks of the many, many turtle-based games it contains? On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Digital Eclipse’s Chris Kohler for an inside look at how the ooze is made.

Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.

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As with all of the episodes Bob produces, this week’s cover art is by Nick Daniel. Check out his Twitter, or patronize his Patreon!

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