Parents' Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

This is a love letter to those days of '80s and '90s kids crowding around the TMNT machines at the local arcade. With the exception of the dimly lit, overly crowded space and the need to feed the machine quarters like pizza to a Ninja Turtle, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a near perfect re-creation of that classic arcade experience. The game uses a retro art style reminiscent of both the colorful cartoon character designs and the slightly pixelated fidelity of games from that era. The sounds and score seem lifted straight from the cartoon. And in the case of the four turtles, they actually were, thanks to voice-overs provided by the original actors.

While there's no shortage of nostalgia packed into Shredder's Revenge, it wouldn't mean much if the game wasn't fun to play. Thankfully, that's not the case. It's got arcade-authentic controls, full of all the button-mashing combos one could ask for. And even though the controls are the same across the roster, each character still feels distinct from the rest, with unique attacks and animations. The game can be difficult to tackle solo, but it's absolute mayhem in multiplayer. Couch co-op is great fun at parties and other gatherings, but it'll likely mean investing in a few extra controllers. Online play is great, but if you want to party up with friends, everyone will need to have their own copy of the game. Matchmaking with strangers is always an option, but you never quite know what kind of player you'll run into or if they'll even stick around through the stage. The game encourages players to replay stages to accomplish challenges and find hidden secrets, but this makes the game start to feel more repetitive after a while. Even so, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a surefire way to scratch that nostalgic '80s itch and leave fans with that "Cowabunga" vibe.