Another Slice of Turtle Mania

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, you couldn't go anywhere without running into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Though the green machines originated in comic book form thanks to creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it was the 1987 animated show that gave rise to a tsunami of turtle fever that would last for years. Movies, video games, TV specials, cereal and of course, toys. Oh, the toys. It was a time of Turtle Mania and I was so happy to experience it.

But like all good things, sadly, it came to an end.

Although the headday of the Turtles may be behind them, they remain firmly ingrained in pop culture. You can still find these ninjas on clothing, buy toys and for the first time in years, we're getting some very, very good Turtle games, with the most recent one, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, being released last week.

I've done three runs through Shredder's Revenge (one with Leo, Mikey and Raph) and it just might be the best TMNT game. Shredder's Revenge reminded me of all the old TMNT games and brought memories of the cartoon it is based on flooding to the surface. So much with this game just clicks. Wonderfully animated sprite graphics, the sounds of Foot Soliders and Mousers getting smacked around. The stages are not too long or too short. And that absolute BANGER of a soundtrack! I've been jamming out to that sucker for more than a week now. Sooooo goooood!

As if Shredder's Revenge weren't enough, sometime this year, we'll be treated to a plethora of games that helped Turtle Mania maintain dominance during the franchise's peak. I am of course talking about the Cowabunga Collection, my dream anthology that I never thought would come true, but sometimes reality isn't disappointing. All the NES, SNES, Arcade, GB and Genesis games in one shell of a collection. Man, just give me a release date for this game already!!! I needed my old-school Turtle beat downs yesterday!!!

I am so freaking excited about all the TMNT love we're getting for games this year. Recently I bought the 1987 TMNT series on DVD. The plan was to finish Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Teen Titans shows I've been binging but Shredder's Revenge has me on such a high that I had to change my plans. I've already breezed through the first two seasons. Rob Paulsen Raphael might be my favorite version of the character.

I've been meaning to start reading TMNT: The Ultimate Collection, which reprints the original Mirrage Studios comics. I've actually read the first issue of TMNT before as well as the Leonard One-Issue Micro-Series, which is one of my favorite comics that replies heavily on panels without words to showcase the action. In fact I own an original copy of that issue. 

I should probably start collecting some of those hardcovers of the IDW TMNT comics. That's a run I've been wanting to check out as I've heard so many good things about it. 

Back to the 1987 Turtles, we just learned that IDW will be printing a four issue mini series based off off the aforementioned incarnation of the Turtles dubbed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures beginning this September. Makes me wish Archie's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventure comics were collected in a format besides a measly four issues perk book because I really want to read those.

Action figures played a huge part of my childhood during the pinnacle of Turtle Mania. While I was poking around on Amazon, I saw some Turtle figures based off the 1987 caroons as well as the first Playmates figures, which were some of my favorite toys to collect. I'm planning on picking those up for my birthday. 

This really is a great time to be a fan of the TMNT. It's like we're getting another slice of Turtle Mania. It may not be a whole pizza that we got back in the day, but I will gladly take that slice and savor it. Party on, dudes.

SEGA Staying SEGA with Sonic Origins Release

June 23, 2022 will mark Sonic's 31st birthday/anniversary. To Celebrate, SEGA will release, Sonic Origins, a collection that houses wide screen, enhanced versions of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic CD and Sonic 3 and Knuckles. The first three games listed have been on the mobile market for years. It took an eternity, but SEGA has finally decided to bring them to consoles. And true to form for the company, SEGA had to go and mess up a good thing with what should have been a simple compilation release.

The trend of withholding content that should obviously be included from the get go is something SEGA has grown quite attached to. We saw it with Sonic Colors Ultimate, which had the original music from the 2010 Wii game locked behind a DLC paywall unless you sprung for the Digital Deluxe Edition. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania also had a large chunk of extra content placed behind a DLC paywall, and like Sonic Colors Ultimate, one such thing was the original music, something you should not need to fork over additional dough for. But hey, if you got the Digital Deluxe Edition, you got your OG Super Monkey Ball jams. But if you bought the physical version? Welp, you were screwed.

What has SEGA locked behind the Digital Deluxe Edition of Sonic Origins? An island camera, character animations, bonus hard missions, additional music tracks, and a letter boxed background. Features that really aren't worth the extra $5 bucks. The intial reveal of the two versions of Sonic Origins was so confusing that SEGA had to put up a spread sheet to make it make sense. And of course, SEGA's spread sheet was only more mind boggling. 

I would say "How could SEGA screw this up?" but then I remember that they are SEGA. SEGA screwing up is kiiiiiiinda their thing.

If you need further proof that one of the best things SEGA is known for is making dumb decisions, look no further than the mid 1990s. They had so much good going on for them. A rival mascot to Nintendo's Mario with Sonic, and thanks to SEGA of America's aggressive marketing, they took the number one spot from Nintendo. SEGA would continue to rock hard with the Genesis but with the threat of next gen systems looming, SEGA of Japan would make a number of blunders that would be so disastrous that they are still talked about to this day. 

First was the SEGA CD, an expensive add-on for the Genesis with a few great games but ultimately flopped. Then came the 32X, which was home to some great ports but was another add on that required the Genesis to run it. Like the SEGA CD, it was a failure. In hopes to beat Sony to the punch in the 32-bit console war, SEGA released the Saturn early and at a higher price than the PlayStation. This not only steamed retailers but the early release made for some sloppy launch games. Debacle after debacle damaged SEGA's reputation both with retailers and consumers. Two years after launch, the Dreamcast was discontinued and SEGA pulled out of the hardware business.

And that's just the abridged version of some of SEGA's idiocy. They can and have made some stellar games. But they really are and continue to be their own worst enemy. Do you really need some animated cut scenes and a moving camera to get the most out of Sonic Origins? And what extra music is SEGA talking about? If it is anything like Sonic Colors Ultimate and Super Mokey Ball: Banana Mania, it could be a full soundtrack that SEGA chose to make DLC just to nickle and dime us.

Oh and did I mention that Sonic Origins is only a digital release? Yup. SEGA has no plans for a physical release at this time, which is more SEGA stupidity. The mascot of the company is celebrating his birthday with some of his most memorable games and SEGA can't even bother to give the blue boy some physical lovin'. Or maybe they plan to see how many of us will double dip. I've been waiting for Sonic 3 & Knuckcles to get the wide screen treatment and come to the Switch for years. That time has finally come and SEGA had to go and pull a friggin' SEGA. Sonic Origins should have gotten a physical release from the start and if they do plan to release a physical version, then 

My intent of this post was not to dull anyone's excitement for Sonic Origins. If you're stoked for the game and are going to pick it up, by all means, have at it. But SEGA's way of going about this release leaves such a nasty taste in my mouth that I personally don't feel like being so quick to give them my money.