TMNT: Cowabung Collection FINALLY Gets a Release Date

Image: IGN

Remember when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabung Collection was revealed back in early March of this year? Maaaaan, the hype was REAL. And then we waited for Konami to give us a release date. And waited. And waited. And waited. Freaking Bayonetta 3 got a release date before the Cowabunga Collection. Then, yesterday, out of the blue, Konami gave us a release date for this godlike Turtle compilation. IGN was the first to post the video with the release date, which will be August 30th, 2022. 

I've been playing and loving Shredder's Revenge. As a huge Turtles fan, it is a fantastic beat 'em up. But I was going crazy wondering when the Cowabunga Collection was gonna drop. I've had the game on pre-order for months. I've bought more trades of the TMNT Ultimate Collection comics (up to volume 5 now) and I picked up some 1987 inspired Turtle figures for my birthday as well as a Playmates Classic Leonard figure. I got a sick looking Rocksteady figure from BSTANX and The Last Ronin in hardcover. I've been binge watching the show (I'm halfway through season 4). My Turtle Mania fever is running high. I NEED the Cowabunga Collection to help feed my addiction. 

Getting the Cowabunga Collection at the end of August makes me a very happy Turtle fan. I was beginning to wonder if it would be released in November or get pushed back to 2023, but thankfully, that isn't the case. 

A lot of the games in the Cowabunga Collection (the arcade TMNT, TMNT NES, TMNT II: The Arcade Game, TMNT IV: Turtles in Time, the SNES version of Tournament Fighters especially) hold a lot of fond memories for me. I cannot wait to play through these games again and experience them anew with my friends, nieces and nephew. There's an inexpensive arcade stick I've had my eye on for a while now and I just might pick it up in time for the release of this Turtle Anthology. 

I don't think you understand how excited I am for this release. This game has me more excited than a lot of other releases coming down the road this year. Maybe a lot of it is fueled by nostalgia, or my love for the Turtles. Maybe both. This game finally, finally getting a release date was the gaming news for me this week. Like, I'm considering requesting August 30th off work and ordering Pizza Hut. It will make for a pretty gnarly Turtle Tuesday, don'tcha think dudes?

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.

TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection is my DREAM Anthology

Over the past 9-ish or more years, it has been widely accepted that Konami, well, sucks. Pachinko nonsense, practically bowing out of the game developing and publishing business and awful mistreatment of their well established IPs and Castlevania NFT crap has made the once great Konami a company every bit deserving of the hate it gets. 

BUT. Every now and then Konami will do something to remind us that at one point, Konami was a worthwhile company. The best thing Konami has done in recent years is re-release select games in their catalog such as the excellent Castlevani Anniversary Collection, Contra Anniversary Collection and Castlevania Advance Collection. I've given up hope on Konami reclaiming their lost glory but when it comes to retro releases, they've shown that they know how to not screw things up. 

One collection from Konami that I've long wanted to see was a collection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle titles. Konami was the go-to company for games with the green machines in the late '80s to mid '90s. On the NES, SNES, Genesis or the arcade, you were well covered for a slice of turtle action. But since the TMNT is a licensed property, this meant that such a collection was nigh impossible. True, we had seen re-releases of the 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade game the 1990 NES TMNT game but a big collection of Turtle games? No such luck. That all changed during the March 9th Sony State of Play when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection was revealed.

I'm sure you've heard this a million times from every '80s brat either in person or on the internet, but the Turtles were my childhood. The 1987 cartoon series introduced me to the TMNT and made me a life long fan. It is a well known fact that the Turtles were originally conceived with a darker tone and themes in 1984 comic run but it was the '80s cartoon show that bought the franchise the fame it so richly enjoys to this day. 

The Cowabunga Collection focuses on the Turtle games released based off the 1987 series. The 13 games included are both arcade titles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, all three NES games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project, the SNES beat 'em up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, the Genesis Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist the NES, Genesis and SNES versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters, and all three GB games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Footclan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Back to the Sewers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Radical Rescue. Whew! That is a lot of green ninja action and I would not have it any other way.

Like Konami's other retro releases over the past few years, Cowabunga Collection will include artwork, sketches and the like. Save and rewind features are now standard features of retro collections and our supped up Turtle anthology will have them, meaning the Dam level on NES TMNT will be far less painful. I just might see the ending to that game for once.

Cowabunga Collection has no release date yet. All we know is that it is coming out this year. We'll be getting a physical release and the asking price for this collection of 13 TMNT game is just $40. For what we're getting a plethora of beat 'em ups, some brawlers and some action titles, I have no problem with the price of admission. No matter what system you prefer to game on, this collection is coming to everything so everyone can join the party. When this game does drop I'll have the pizza ready.

VG Soundtrack of the Day 063: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game on the NES gained a pretty bad rap in the early 2000s for the Nintendo Hard difficulty it carried. Sure, the game is tough. Real tough. But so were plenty of other games on the system at the time and and many of them are considered good games. The game's tarnished rep is largely attributed to a very early episode of the Angry Video Game Nerd, which he has since come to regret. Anyhoo, if you're looking for some NES rock, this is the game soundtrack for you. The Miniboss and Boss themes are some serious headbangers.

VG Soundtrack of the Day Database

Favorite Tunes #204: The Most Adorable Little Robot

If you came to hear music featuring a sumo wrestler, a diminutive robot, a blue hedgehog and a fox, then you've come to the right place. For this week's Favorite Tunes, we've got kinda a modern and retro vibe going on with songs from the 16-bit era, the sixth console generation and stuff from today.

Chibi-Robo! - Chibi-Robo! (GCN)

Pikmin, Splatoon and now ARMS are often thought to be the only new Nintendo IPs released in the last 16 years. There have actually been more than that, though not all of them have been received anywhere near as well as the aforementioned. One such franchise is the Chibi-Robo series. The first entry hit the GameCube in 2006. Had Zip Lash not been released after started bringing out amiibos, fans probably wouldn't have any sort of merch for tiny robo.

Ghost Town - Sonic Forces (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

Naofumi Hatauya (Sonic CD, Sonic 2 8-bit) is a veteran Sonic music composer so bringing him in as an additional song writer for Sonic Forces was a smart move. Some of Classic Sonic's music tracks are definitely bad (that Green Hill song is atrocious) but then you've got major winners like Ghost Town. With those distinct Genesis claps, drum rolls and that bassline, Ghost Town is a track I listen to regularly on repeat.

Macbeth - Star Fox 2 (SNES)

For the longest time, Star Fox 2 was an unreleased SNES. Oh sure, you could play the dumped ROM or get a reproduction cart but it wasn't unitl Nintendo release the SNES Classic Edition that Star Fox 2 was finally given an official release. I just bought one of those little SNES marvels so I'll be checking out the game myself sometime. From what little of the music I've heard, I enjoy.

Phantasy - Phantasy Star II (GEN)

We gripe about games costing $60 today but in 1989, Phantasy Star II set consumers back a whopping $90! Collector's Editions weren't a thing back then so that was just for the standard game. Many would argue that it was worth every peny as Phantasy Star II is often viewed as one of the best games on the Genesis, thanks in no small part to the outstanding soundtrack. Fun fact: the music is slightly different between the Japanese and American versions.

E. Honda Stage - Street Fighter II (SNES)

Yoko Shimomura did an amazing job composing much of the music from one of the most revered fighting games ever made. Each fighter has a unique stage theme that reflects them and the part of the world they hail from. As much as I enjoy the CPSI and CPSII versions of Street Fighter II's soundtracks, when it comes to certain character themes, I prefer the console versions over the co-op. For me, E. Honda's theme has never sounded better than it does on the SNES.

Boss - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES)

With the reveal that the four famous turtles are joining the roster of Injustice 2, this is as good a time as any for more Turtles music. This port of the arcade game is widely considered to be superior to it's stand up counter part even when you take into account the max number of players is two instead of four. Man, this game needs to be re-released.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #203: Join the Uprising

In this week's Favorite Tunes we've got no longer plumbers, hedgehogs, ninjas, and demon slayers that slay to sick heavy metal. Fun times for everyone!

Spaceport - Sonic Forces (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

Sonic Forces has finally dropped. It isn't great but it hardly drags the series back into the mud as so many critics, YouTubers and fans claim it does. The Avatar stages have vocal tracks and this one been stuck in my head since playing the first custom character stage.

New Donk City: Night 2 - Super Mario Odyssey (NS)

I'll bet you couldn't wait to get to New Donk City, the happiest, most happening place on Earth! When you finally arrive, the city has seen better days. In advertising his wedding, he's taken over the city, infesting it with bugs, tanks and one huge Mecha Wiggler. Along with the nighttime atmosphere and the rain, the music really captures the the sad state New Donk City is in.

Sunrise Blvd. - The Revenge of Shinobi (GEN)

Also known as The Super Shinobi over in Japan, The Revenge of Shinobi is one of those early Genesis titles that still holds up on all fronts. Composed by Yuzo Koshiro, the music is a real treat. The man had a real hand on how to use the Genesis sound chip. To this day, it still blows my mind just how amazing the music is in this game.

Boss - Ninja Gaiden (NES)

They say that suffering builds character. If that's true, then Ninja Gaiden on the NES pumped plenty of character into all who played it. I've touched softer concrete than this game. Even if you can't beat the game (there is no shame in not being able to) you can at least enjoy the soundtrack.

Rip & Tear - Doom (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

In 2016, Doom made a huge comeback. This year, the unthinkable happened: it was announced that Bethesda would be bringing Doom 2016 to the Nintendo Switch. Sure, some sacrifices had to be made to get the game to run on the Switch but 30FPS is a small price to pay to be able to do your demon killing anytime, anywhere. With this track blaring, they don't stand a chance.

New York City - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist (GEN)

SEGA's Shinobi series isn't the only one ninja getting some music love this week. I've always found it interesting how video game music transfers when the same game hits multiple platforms, or at least the same music. Much of the score for Turtles in Time sounds amazing on the Genesis and this is coming from someone who has listened to the SNES score for years.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #192: Hard Road

Favorite Tunes is back to the usual Saturday slot. In time I may switch it to a later day, but for now, Saturday is it's home date. For this week, I've selected music from Rave Racer, ARMS, and Cave Story to name half the list.

Scrapyard (Mechanica's Theme) - ARMS (NS)

As much as I enjoy hearing ARMS Main Theme get arranged many times over, it was quite refreshing to hear some tracks break away from it. Battling in the scrapyard treats you to a funky, dance-tastic beat. If I had to pick a favorite stage theme in ARMS, it would be pretty close between Ribbon Girl and Mechanica.

Wrong Love - Rave Racer (ARC)

Unlike Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution, Rave Racer never received a PS port. Rave Racer's two brand new courses were included in the PSP Ridge Racer 2005 release as well as a few remixed tracks from the game. Sadly, none of the original songs from Rave Racer have ever been included in any Ridge Racer title outside of the original Rave Racer. Sucks because Rave Racer's soundtrack is really freaking good.

Gravity - Cave Story (Multi)

Originally released on PC in 2004, Cave Story later landed on Nintendo platforms starting with the Wii in 2010. The latest release is Cave Story+ for the Switch, a port of the 2011 Steam release with a remade soundtrack by RushJet1. One of the many great things about Cave Story+ is that includes it all of the remade soundtracks as well as Daisuke Amaya's original score.

Scene 2 Stage 3 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC)

Often hailed as one of the best Turtles and licensed games, Konami's beat 'em up  was a shell of a good time (I am not sorry for that). You could partner up with three buddies or three strangers in the arcades to show Shredder what's up. This bad boy finally recieved a home release in 2007 on Xbox Live Arcade but the game was removed years ago, making MAME the only option for anyone wanting to play this arcade classic. Much of the music was 1980s synth goodness, often arranging the main theme of 1987 cartoon show.

Korok Forest (Day) - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U, NS)

Exploring has never felt better in a Zelda game and there a numerous methods of taking out enemies, weapons in hands or not. After going through one of the coolest versions of The Lost Woods, you'll arrive in Korok Forest, home to the Korok race. There are a few arranged themes in Breath of the Wild, but most of the songs are original tracks and I'm all for new music. This just might be my new favorite Lost Woods jam.

Hard Road - Super Hang-On (ARC)

While being different games, Super Hang-On and Out Run do share some similarities. Both games take you around the world and offer an blistering sense of speed thanks to SEGA's Super Scaler technology. Like Out Run, Super Hang-On has a super soundtrack. The game let's you choose from four tunes and each song is quite lengthy. If you're picking the Expert course, which consists of 18 stages total, then you've just gotta have Hard Road as your listening music.

Favorite Tunes #182: It's a Trap!

In this week's Favorite Tunes I actually managed to feature music that is not from a single Zelda or Gradius game! Go me! Instead, there is music from Ridge Racer, Saga Frontier 2, the NES era and stuff from today. Variety is the name of the game here.

Explorers - Ridge Racer 6 (360)

Riiiiiiidge Raceeeeeeeer! You may not be able to tell because this is the internet but I'm saying it like the announcer from the earlier Ridge Racer games and not like Kaz Harai during that E3 20006 debacle. I have always loved Ridge Racer's music, be it the rock, techno or electronica or a fusion of the genres. Ridge Racer is usually brought out to help show off new hardware as Ridge Racer 6 was a launch title for the 360.

The Last Dungeon - Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (PS4, XBO, NS, PC)

The Dragon's Trap is a remake of the 1989 Sega Master System game featuring gorgeous hand drawn artwork.. But if long for the game's older sprite look you can easily switch between the graphical and audio styles with the push of a button. I like the music used in both the modern and SMS version of the game but this arrangement of this opening level them really blew me away. Despite the track's title, this is actually one of the first pieces of music in the game that you hear.

Rex Fury's Secret Base - LEGO City Undercover (Multi)

Originally a Wii U exclusive, LEGO City Undercover is now available on a myriad of platforms including the PS4 and the Switch. If you don't feel like shelling out $60 for the game, the Wii U version is available for a cool $20. You gotta love the groovy spy vibe of this theme.

Overworld 2 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

The first TMNT game on the NES is unquestionably brutal but I don't think the game is awful. Yes, some turtles are better than others and getting no invincibility period when you get hit sucks but this is far and away from being one of the worst games on the NES. The music is super lit and I've always enjoyed the slower more downbeat nature of the second overworld music, which serves as a great contrast from the first overworld theme.

Todesengel - SaGa Frontier 2 (PS)

If you adore Final Fantasy XIII's three soundtracks, you should give the score from SaGa Frontier 2 a listen. It was written by Masashi Hamauzu, who played a huge role in FFXIII's music. All of SaGa Frontier II's tracks have German names. Todesengel means "Angel of Death."

Title Theme - Chip 'N Dale Rescue rangers (NES)

Due to licensing issues, I never thought this game would see a re-release but lo and behold you can now play Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers along with five other Capcom made NES titles on The Disney Afternoon Collection on PS4, XBO and PC. If you know the words to this song, sing along!

Favorite Tunes Database

Licensed Games That Don't Suck Part 2

How's that for a catchy title?

Licensed video games have certainly come a long way. While it is far more common to see some TLC being put into most licensed products these days, there are still stinkers mucking up the video game scene. But we won't be talking about those crappy games here (for the most part, anyway). No, this is all bout the licensed video games that are actually good.

Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers (NES)

Solid Snake may have made using a box to hide in for cover popular but he's hardly a master at using it to defend himself. No, that honor goes to two pint sized rodents, Chip and Dale, members of the Rescue Rangers. Not only can the two titular heroes throw boxes at enemies, but they can hide in the box and approaching enemies will take damage just by touching the boxes they hide under. How does that work? Your guess is as good as mine, but the fact that it does is both cool and fun. Chip & Dale is a pretty easy game and it won't take you long to beat alone or with a friend but it does the cartoon series it is based off of justice and its a good time whole it lasts.

Batman (NES)

What? No HD Batman games are getting a mention here yet? Patience, grasshopper, we'll get there when we get there. Batman on the NES is based off of the 1989 hit Tim Burton Batman film. Like the film, the game is dark and gritty. Batman is also hard, like, really friggin' hard. He may be the world's greatest detective and packing a nifty wall jump skill, but he's gonna more than that to save Gotham from the Joker.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES)

This year's Mutants in Manhattan was another Turtles disappointment, serving to remind fans that the bulk of the good Turtles games were in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was originally in the arcades, but many feel that the SNES port of Turtles in Time one up's the co-op version. Sure, the arcade version has four player support but the SNES version has the Technodrome a fully playable stage, exclusive bosses and some sweet mode 7 effects. This is arguably the best Turtles gaming experience you're gonna get.

GoldenEye 007 (N64)

OK, so GoldenEye may be a bit dated now, but the game is still far and away from being what you'd call bad. I feel the N64's odd controller design really worked in the favor of FPS on the system. Or that could just be a testament to how well designed GoldenEye is. Moving, aiming, strafing, it all felt natural in this in GoldenEye. When you weren't fulfilling mission objectives in the game's single player mode, you were killing your friends in GoldenEye's highly addictive multiplayer mode. Many a night was spent with my friends running around, shooting, nuking and blowing each other up. Online gaming may be large and in charge but local multiplayer should never be counted out.

Favorite Tunes #163: Election Day Eve

How's that for a topical title? I've never been big on politics. Simply discussing it is a quick way to spark arguments with your friends and total strangers. I'm just ready to have this election overwith. This week, we've got tunes ranging from the SNES, Genesis, Game Boy and PS. Enjoy.

Dr. Light Lab 1 - Mega Man IV (GB)

Often labeled incorrectly as ports of the NES games, in Japan Mega Man's GB games went under the title of Rockman World and were far from being mere handheld versions of the console titles. Mega Man IV was notable for introducing shops to the entire series, an adrenaline filled final showdown with Dr. Wily and some nice GB versions of NES tracks from Mega Man 4 and 5 as well as original compositions. I personally prefer this version of Dr. Light Lab over the second.

Temple ~ DK Island Swing - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)

Collect the Kong letters of every stage a world houses and you unlock a Kong level. In a game that already throws everything and five kitchen sinks at you, the K levels will make you want to curl up in a corner and cry. These levels are lengthy and checkpoint starvation is in full effect. On the plus side, each K level has this jazzy remix of DK Island Swing. Gotta hold on to what's left of your sanity somehow.

Sucker Punch - Splatoon (Wii U)

I've really been enjoying Chugga Conroy's LP of Splatoon. He's gotten me to try out weapons I probably wouldn't have touched otherwise. Turns out I actually like the Squiffer. Anyhoo, anyone that's played Splatoon knows the multiplayer jams are the bee's knee. Sucker Punch isn't my favorite (Ink or Sink and Friend List have that honor) but it's still a joy to ears.

Under Pressure - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES)

What it lacked in four player support, it made up for with exclusive bosses, new modes and extra stages. The SNES home conversion of Turtles in Time is often considered to be superior than the arcade original. I think it also benefited from the SNES sound chip. While the title might make you think of a classic song, Under Pressure is an original tune made just for the SNES version of Turtles in Time's Time Attack mode.

Attack the Barbarian - Streets of Rage (GEN)

The SNES may have had Final Fight but it lacked two player support. Streets of Rage didn't have this problem so it was another thing Genesis owners could rub in SNES owner's faces. Another plus for the Genesis crowed was Yuzo Koshiro's killer soundtrack. Am I supposed to beat up the boss or bust a move?

Irene - Street Fighter EX2 Plus (PS)

Just as Street Fighter EX + alpha had new features over it's arcade cousin, Street Fighter EX 2 Plus had some benefits over the stand up version. The PS version had some amazing arranged tracks done up by the same team that worked on the arcade game's music. Really, both soundtracks are gold, but EX2 Plus gets some exclusive music such as this beauty of a theme.

Favorite Tunes Database

Remix of the Week: Sewer Surfin' (80s Synth Remix)

This week's Remix of the Week comes from My New Soundtrack. He's composed a a sick 80s style synth remix of Turtles in Time's Sewer Surfin'. But that's not all! Combed with Sewer Surfin' is Bury My Shell at Wounded Knee. Happy listening.

Favorite Tunes #153: Hot Summer Days

We're well into summer and here in Virginia, it's getting hotter. The only relief from the heat is the rain or the coolness that night brings. Or if you're like me, you're probably staying in doors to avoid the blistering heat. Take my advice, listening to hot beats is infinitely better than dripping sweat.

Clawdaddy Beach - Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

One of my favorite (as well as cutest) games of the current generation is Yoshi's Woolly World. This game is so dang good that it may very well be better than the SNES classic Yoshi's Island. The soundtrack may not be on the same level of Koji Kond's music from said game, but what we do have is some catchy, well composed tunes. I'll be listening to this one the next time I'm on the beach playing Pokemon Go.

Hot Reception - Super Adventure Island (SNES)

Yuzo Koshiro really knows how to write some superb beats. My favorite things about his Streets of Rage music is that so much of it sounds very late 80s early 90s. Super Adventure Island is dripping with 1990s music flair. The music is the highlight of what is a very cruel game.

Inferno ~ Descending - Mega Man X8 (PS2)

After two abysmal X games, Mega Man X8 put the series back on track. We even got to play as the title character from the get go! Huzzah! With a few exceptions, X8 sticks to the series tried and true 2D roots with plenty of bot busting action. The music is on point too, with a hefty supply of rock.

3DS DK Jungle - Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

With its item balancing, compelling single player and online modes, Mario Kart 8 might just be my favorite Mario Kart game. The track designs outshine some of the best from previous entries and the soundtracks is some of the best music I've heard in a video game. Originally a track in Mario Kart 7, DK Jungle got the HD treatment. I thought the song sounded just find on the 3DS but it sounds even better in Mario Kart 8.

Scene 2 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES)

Disappointed with the HD Mutants in Manhattan? Fire up one of the older Turtles games for an infinitely more satisfying experience. You're probably thinking of TMNTII or TMNTIV, but why not give the often overlooked TMNTIII a try? It serves up a good challenge, impressive NES visuals and some sweet chiptunes.

Rock Star Select - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)

2.5D gameplay, and cool weapon combos we sadly haven't seen since this game, Kirby 64 is one of the few Kirby games I've completed 100%. When I picked up Kirby's Dream Collection a few years back, I really sank my teeth into the game and music made a big impression on me especially Rock Star as well as the Select theme for Rock Star.

Favorite Tunes Database

Outstanding Openers Vol. 5

Not every game immediately thrusts you into the gameplay. While its common place to have some kind of introduction scene in games these days, even before the HD era, we had games that took a bit of time to provide some plot before placing you in control. Outstanding Openers centers around intros that managed to grab my attention, make my jaw drop or say, "Wow, that was neat." Just click on the title of the game to see the opening unfold.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

The first console Turtles game gets a bad rap, much of which is undeserved. Sure, the game is hard. Really hard. Like, excruciatingly, rage quite hard. But it isn't as awful as the haters would lead you to believe.

If for some strange reason, you picked up this game and had no idea who the four heroes are, the game introduces you to them. The game even goes a step further and not only tells you the weapon each one posses, but shows you the weapon in action as well, using the in-game sprites. Nice. After the turtles finish giving the demo of their weapons, we cut to April being kidnapped by Shredder. Now, this may lead you to believe that your key goal of the game is rescuing April, but that's only the first mission. The game continues long after she's been saved,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES has an incredible soundtrack and graphics that are impressive to this day. The game is based off of the 1987 cartoon series, but the art style comes from the original 1984 Mirage Studios comic series, giving the game a dark, gritty tone.

Mega Man 7 (SNES)

Something incredible happened when Mega Man defeated Dr. Wily at the end of Mega Man 6. The mad doctor was actually caught! Having gave Mega Man the slip five times now, Mega Man planned ahead and brought a rope with him and acted fast enough to prevent Wily from escaping. With Wily finally behind bars, the world is at peace. Well, for six months, anyway.

Mega Man 7 does a really good job of handling Dr. Wily. He uses Mega Man's all-too-trusting nature to grant Bass and Treble access to Dr. Light's lab later in the game and in the game's opening, we see that Wily is quite the advanced planner. Wily knew he'd eventually get caught and planned for such an scenario. Having the next line of Robot Masters hidden away in his lab, four of them activate since Wily hasn't checked in in months. These robots wreak havoc on the city, looking for Wily, ending half a year of peace.

Tekken 3 (PS)

Namco always went the extra mile when it came to bringing their arcade games over to the PlayStation. New modes, arranged music and sick intros that you wouldn't see in the arcade. 20 years have passed since the previous King of Iron First Tournament. Heihachi is no longer rocking that black hair, Paul is in his mid 40s, Law has a son and we've got some new players stepping into the ling like Eddy Gordo and Jin  Kamaza, the son of Jun Kamaza. I still think Tekken 2's intro is better than 3's but it like the previous game, it was enough to get me hyped.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB)

Storms and boats can't seem to get along. If you're on a boat in any fictional medium, a storm has it out for you and Link is no exception. Link's ship is torn to shreds and his unconscious body rests on an island where Link's next adventure will soon begin.

Favorite Tunes #145: Pokemon Walk into a Club

Four more entries and we'll hit Favorite Tunes #150. I'm still in the process of making my music selections for that one, but I've already got some choices in mind. This week's edition has music from one of gaming's most adorable robots, a jackrabbit, ninja turtles and some heroes from DC's rival. Enjoy!

Boss Theme 1 - Mega Bomberman (GEN)

While we may never get the chance to blow up our friends in a new Bomberman title, at least can reflect on the good times. Mega Bomberman was release in 1994 on the Genesis and is a port of the TG-16 game, Bomberman '94. Jun Chikuma worked wonders composing music for this series over the years and this boss theme translated quite well on the Genesis sound font.

Colonius - Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (PC)

One of the first games I was exposed to when my family got our first PC was Jazz Jackrabbit 2 via demo. It felt a lot like someone gave Sonic the Hedgehog a gun, but the levels were so much fun to run through and the music immediately stood out to me. Why Epic Games hasn't brought this rabbit back is a mystery to me.

Boss Battle - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC)

The Turtles latest game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan releases on May 24, so this seems as good a time as any to show some Turtle love. One of Konami's most popular arcade beat 'em ups, TMNT was based of the 1987 cartoon, even using some of the voices from said TV series. The music took cues from the famous opening theme sound and the original music was fantastic.

Wrestler Boss - The Simpsons (ARC)

What do The Simpsons have in common with Konami, both were once pretty good. In all seriousness, The 1991 Simspons arcade game is often regarded as the family's best video game outing. Using the engine of the 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, players embark on a beat 'em up journey to rescue Maggie. The voices actors from the show lent their talent to this game and as usual, Konami's sound division was on point.

Neos City - Pokken Tournament (Wii U)

Pokemon battles in real time? Now that's different. The idea of Pokemon in a fighting game was enough to catchy my interest but when I found out that the developer behind Pokken Tournament was Bandai Namco, I knew I had to give this game a serious look. Being developed by the same makers of the Tekken series not only ensures that the fighting is fast and fun, but we also get some sick beats to go with it. It's like Pikachu and company just stepped into a club.

Gambit - Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (SNES)

Released during the era where the wall-crawler and everyone's favorite mutants were still getting crappy licensed video games, this one was no different from the rest. It suffered from jarring level design and lots of cheap hits from enemies. Tim and Geoff Folin's music was the only thing the game got right with long, funky, rock inspired themes.

Favorite Tunes Database