Why a New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Is Exciting GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Gaming
Why a New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Is Exciting
Turtle power returns
By Matt Cabral Matt Cabral University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Full time writer and editor with 15-plus years experience covering games, tech, pop culture, and travel for a variety of online and print outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, Apple, Tom's Guide, TechRadar, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 15, 2021 04:16PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Gaming Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Key Takeaways
The reveal of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge was met with a ton of social media enthusiasm. Despite the poor quality of the property's last several games, fans are optimistic about the Turtles’ return to the medium. The franchise's enduring popularity and cross-over potential are among the probable reasons for the overwhelmingly positive response. Viacom International Inc. Last week's reveal of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge set social media abuzz, cementing the enormous staying power of the '80s most popular, animated reptiles. It's no secret reboots and remakes of nostalgia-stinging properties are big business, from the upcoming Dune film to Punky Brewster's return to television. Couple that with the fact that video games are enjoying a surge thanks to COVID-19 forcing everyone to find new ways to entertain themselves at home, and it's the perfect time for Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael to return. "Gaming is the largest form of entertainment, and it's been a long while since the property has made a splash in that market," said Ray Carsillo, co-host of the Geeks Who Like Sports podcast, in an email interview with Lifewire. "But it's also one of those IPs that has lasting appeal. It's ingrained in our pop culture. And it's such a fun, timeless idea that it always resonates with a new audience, whenever it does come back and in whatever form." Nostalgia on the Halve Shell
It was this longing for the Turtles’ glory days of gaming that saw IGN's executive editor of previews, Ryan McCaffrey, take to Twitter with an especially enthusiastic take on their return. Building on McCaffrey's reference to the upcoming game's developers’ previous work, Carsillo also pointed to their pedigree as a reason Shredder's Revenge could be better than more recent efforts, like the critically panned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan. "Shredder's Revenge seems different because it's going back and looking at what worked best in the past for its foundation, namely the side-scrolling beat 'em ups of the early ‘90s, and it's being handled by hardcore fans of the property in Dotemu and Tribute Games." Crossover Potential
Of course, while the Heroes in a Half Shell haven't made much of an impact in the gaming space as of late, they never really left the spotlight. "The comics have seen a resurgence via [comic book publisher] IDW, cartoons are constantly being churned out by Nickelodeon, and the action figures aren't going anywhere," said Carsillo. "There's a lot of overlap in the Venn diagram between TMNT fans and gamers, and it's been ignored for far too long. It's a weird blind spot that needs to be rectified." On top of its cross-over potential, promising pedigree, and the enduring popularity of its stars, Shredder's Revenge has one more ace up its sleeve. It's positioned as a spiritual successor to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, the quarter-munching classic long considered the property's best interactive outing. It remains to be seen if the Foot Clan-crushing foursome's return will live up to the hype, but based on the "Cowabunga!"-rivaling responses following its reveal, there's plenty of fans that can't wait to kick some shell and find out. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Is Super Alexa Mode and How Do You Activate It? The 12 Best Offline Multiplayer Games of 2022 The Best Movies on Apple TV+ Right Now (October 2022) 13 Best Places to Watch Free Documentaries Online How Do I Disable a Device in Device Manager in Windows? Popular Computer Games Supported by NVIDIA 3D Vision How to Limit Rows and Columns in an Excel Worksheet Full List of Xbox Games That Work on Xbox 360 How to Share Games on Steam What Is Ray Tracing? How to Measure on Google Maps The 10 Best Games on Google Play Pass in 2022 Best Online Real Estate Auction Sites How to Enable Chrome Reader Mode The 10 Best Roblox Games of 2022 The 10 Best Offline Games for Kids in 2021 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies