TMNT 2 Versus TMNT 3 for NES

[Nz17]

I like both Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 and 3 for NES. However there's things that are better about both compared to the other. Which game do you prefer and why?

[celerystalker]

TMNT II all the way for me.

TMNT III is pretty good, but it starts off at a huge disadvantage. TMNT II being based on a coin-op that really captured my imagination was huge, and the fact that it plays so well that it captures even part of that arcade magic is huge. However, the special attack mechanic gives II an edge for me as well. The regular attack in all of the TMNT brawlers feels soft, lacking the solid impact of Capcom's beat 'em ups. The two button attack in II gives a bit more catharsis, giving you a more impactful alternative that doesn't cost health, and is also easy to use. The re-vamped, unique specials in III are tougher to use and cost health, leaving you with a weaker overall feel.

Add to that II's far more iconic soundtrack and recognizable stages/characters, and it isn't a contest for me. I almost never play III, whereas II carries so much nostalgia for me and has cool extra stages that get me to play occasionally in spite of owning the actual arcade game.

I think if a person wasn't around at the height of TMNT popularity may have a tougher choice, but if you lived through it, III came out during the waning days of Turtles' popularity, and was released in the same window as the SNES port of Turtles in Time, which is even more tremendous. It's a really good game, but it's the little brother of giants.

[WulfeLuer]

It's a really good game, but it's the little brother of giants.

That pretty much sums it up. Admittedly, I'm one of those heathens that likes I out of the NES games.

III is actually pretty good, but had the misfortune of bad timing and less 'word on the street/playground' marketing and dissemination; nobody I knew growing up had a copy until I was around 15, and we all had PS1 and late-era SNES stuff to obsess over, including IV. We unburied it and gave it a whirl during this fit of TMNT madness (it was like this really nerdy pub crawl, but with games and movies instead of booze and bedroom floors instead of bar stools) and it acquitted itself rather well for NES, but we all agreed that IV was better (mostly because of the move that flings foot ninjas at the screen).

[jb143]

I'd say it mostly comes down to nostalgia. My wife just had 3 growing up and says it's her favorite. One of her favorite NES games in general. I never played 3 until well afterwards and while it's a fun game, it doesn't have all the childhood memories that 2 has.

[Robocop2]

Honestly even all these years later I've still never played 3. But 2 will always be a favorite just because of how much I loved the arcade game.

[buzz_n64]

I grew up playing II. It was in the arcades and played by all the kids in school who had Nintendos. I didn't know anyone who had III. I never ever heard of III, let alone played it until I found the ROM years later and became curious about it. I knew about the follow up arcade game Turtles in Time, which I played in arcades, and knew about the SNES port. I enjoyed III, but I didn't have any nostalgia for it. I think it was a nice slight upgrade to II for NES, but it didn't have the arcade feel like II did. It didn't try to push the NES like II did by trying to match an arcade port, instead fitting safer within the hardware restraints. It looked polished, but not as ambitious because of the polish. Yes, we all hate flicker, but I don't mind a little flicker if it's in place of slow down or amount of characters on the screen. I even like slow down sometimes so I have more time to dodge attacks from enemies.

[E Nice]

I was late with getting an NES and TMNT III was one of my first NES games. I didn't play TMNT 2 (outside of the actual arcade) until sometime later. While both were fun I found TMNT III to be much more varied. The special attacks were restricted by draining your life, unlike in TMNT II were you could just spam that move infinitely with no penalty. The special attacks were different from each other, giving the turtles an added difference in play style and reason to choose one over another, whereas in TMNT 2 they all handled pretty much the same. I enjoyed the seeing all the new bosses, some of which were never shown on the cartoon but were released as part of the toy line. They even included characters from the TMNT 2 movie; Tokka, Rahzar and Super Shredder. Some bosses had interesting attacks, Leatherhead choking you, Tokka trying to eat you or smashing you into a background neon sign, Krang's android body comically splitting in half to fight you. I would consider TMNT III to be the pinnacle of boss fights in the TMNT video game series. The music was also good and catchy, some were even remixed tunes from the arcade game, which themselves are music themes taken from the first few episodes of the cartoon. TMNT II, while fun in its own right, felt less varied to me than the gameplay experience TMNT III provided.

[jb143]

This weekend I introduced my 6 year old to the NES. We played several games but his favorite by far was TMNT2. He didn't seem to notice or care about the flickering or slowdowns. He also didn't fuss about getting killed or getting game over like in some games he plays(like he did with Rescue Rangers). He just had fun. Because I was so familiar with the game I was able to give him little heads up and warnings (like "stand up here so the snowplow doesn't get you") and to explain the story a bit. I would not have been able to do that with 3. I've played it but I don't know it inside and out like 2. 3 might be the technically superior game but I guess you can't beat nostalgia.

[Greg2600]

II was incredible when it came out. Immediately bought it, and my cousin and I spent many family nights trying to complete it, which we did. I think he may have bought III first, but we immediately could tell it was an improvement. The 2nd was a port of an arcade game, while the 3rd was a true console title, and felt it. Definitely the better game.

[retroman]

I will have to give 2 the nod also. I do like 3 a lot, but it just does not hit that soft spot on me that 2 will always have. I was hooked on this game in the arcade, and can remember seeing that is was coming out for the NES from Nintendo Power the Startropics issue, and was like holy sh.t. No other game even mattered anymore that was on my radar.

[bb_hood]

TMNT II is a better game overall.
TMNT 3 is basically a clone of TMNT 2, but TMNT 3 gets much much harder towards the end.