The Lesson I Learned From The Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, unlike most intellectual properties that are licensed for games, have had a few bright spots in their video game history. The original Ninja Turtles arcade game as well as Turtles in Time are considered high-points for the franchise, and in my personal opinion, Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighter was alright, too. Those three games were great experiences for me in the late 80s and early 90s.

What I remember most fondly about Ninja Turtles games isn’t what was great about them. Oh no. In fact, the memories I hold near and dear to my heart stem from the original NES Ninja Turtles game.

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Up, Up, Down, Down…

Nothing says “nostalgia” to me quite like Contra on the NES. As far as video games that got me into the medium, Contra is right up there with Super Mario in terms of influence. As an impressionable youngster with an itch for action, big guns and explosions, Contra was right up my alley. The scenario of two guys with big guns saving the world from an alien apocalypse was so appealing to me at the time, especially when I was watching Saturday morning cartoons pre-Ninja Turtles, which were relatively G-rated. Contra at the time seemed edgy and beyond my age. I loved it for that.

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