Welcome to 16-Bit Brawl, a series where we pit two Sega Genesis and Super NES games against one another to see which one comes out on top. This time, we’re coming down with a case of Turtle Power, pitting the immortal Turtles in Time for SNES against the underrated Hyperstone Heist for Genesis. Who had the better game? Let’s find out. 

Beat em ups, brawlers, whatever you call them, they’re in a genre that’s seen a pretty awesome resurgence in recent years. But the one that often still sits at the top of the heap is the brilliant Shredder’s Revenge, (that or Streets of Rage 4) which pays no small amount of homage to the 16-bit era. And when it comes to 16-bit brawlers, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are legends. Their first Arcade outing was a massive success, but the home consoles of the time couldn’t quite handle it. Its sequel, though, landed just in time for the 16-bit machines to do their thing, and made its way into living rooms in fantastic style. But it wasn’t alone. Both the Super NES and Sega Genesis got different, albeit very similar, Turtle based brawlers. Let’s meet the contestants. 

First up, we have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time for Super NES. Widely regarded to this day as one of the best beat em ups ever made, Turtles in Time for SNES is quite frankly, a masterpiece. It’s a beautifully drawn, brilliantly animated, super fun beat 'em up with some awesome effects and a killer soundtrack. It’s arguably even better than the arcade game it’s based on! Pick your favorite turtle, team up with a friend if you so choose, and embark on a fantastic adventure through time to stop Krang and Shredder from… stealing the statue of liberty… for… reasons?

Up next, we have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist. Instead of giving Genesis owners their own port of Turtles in Time, Konami decided to go the extra mile and give them something almost completely different. Reusing many of the assets, Hyperstone Heist looks like a weird sort of remix of Turtles in Time, but with its own set of unique bosses, stages, and songs, it really is its own game, and a darn good one at that! The story makes about as much sense, too. Shredder and Krang have shrunk New York City with the power of the Hyperstone! Why? To what end? Who cares? It’s an excuse for the Turtles to hit the streets and beat the snot out of robotic Foot Soldiers and recognizable baddies! 

Now that we’ve taken a closer look at the combatants, let’s see how they fare. 

BUT FIRST! Just a little bit of housecleaning. In our last episode, I awarded Castlevania Bloodlines a bonus point because there was a tie. And honestly, I really don’t mind the occasional tie. Sometimes two games are just as good as one another. But in the face of these ties, it occurred to me that this grading system is pretty prone to making them happen thanks to it only awarding 4 points total. Therefore, starting with today’s entry, there will be a new category: CONTENT! This category takes a look at how much there is to do in a game. It will be worth one point, and it won’t always necessarily go to the game with the most content. It’s all about quality! 

Okay, for real this time…

Now that we’ve taken a closer look at the combatants, let’s see how they fare. 

Graphics (1 point)

Here we have two games that look very, very similar. Again, that’s because they both quite literally make use of the same assets. That said, there were a handful of changes made for the Genesis game. The Turtles themselves have a few extra frames of animation than their Super NES counterparts, and their sprites appear a little more detailed as well. Normally these things would give the Genesis an edge, but in the case of the TMNT, it’s strangely a bit of a drawback. The Genesis turtles move slightly more fluidly, but it comes at the expense of impact. When you hit enemies in the SNES game, it feels very, well, impactful for lack of a better word. The Genesis game’s hits still have some good punch, but they overall don't come off as hard as their SNES cousins. As for the sprites themselves, that extra detail makes the turtles look a bit darker, and the lack of detail makes them look a lot more like their cartoon counterparts on SNES. 

Then there’s the backgrounds. Not only are the SNES game’s stages more interesting and varied, but the Genesis ones are weirdly stagnant. The SNES’s sewer stage takes place on these weird hoverboards, skimming across the water. The Genesis game reuses the same background for its sewer stage, but it takes place on foot, where the turtles and enemies literally walk around on top of the water. There’s no splash effect around anyone’s feet. It just looks weird. 

And speaking of effects, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the SNES game’s super cool use of Mode 7. The future stage where you’re flying around on those weird hovercraft things looks awesome, but there’s nothing like the iconic “toss a foot soldier at the screen” move, which is completely absent in Hyperstone heist. 

Hyperstone Heist also does this thing where the HUD is displayed over a black bar, while Turtles in Time’s isn’t, making those cool backgrounds all the more visible. 

Anyway, the Genesis game in no way looks bad, but it just doesn’t hold up to Turtles in Time. 

The point goes to the Super NES. 

SNES: I

Genesis: 

Sound (1 point)

Again, we have two very similar sound situations, but this time around the winner is considerably more clear. Both games use much of the same music, but while these particular instruments typically come off as much more effective on the Genesis, the wizards at Konami worked some serious magic and made the SNES soundtrack an absolute banger, as the kids would say. That’s not to say the Genesis renditions are bad, it’s just that they can’t stack up next to Nintendo’s. 

Sound effects have a similar problem. Turtles in Time features these fantastically sharp “Thwap” sounds whenever you hit enemies. The Genesis sounds are just weak by comparison. 

Finally, there’s the voiceovers. Not Only do they sound incredibly crunchy in Hyperstone Heist, but they’re also completely missing from the stage intros. The SNES game has “Big Apple, 3am.” The Genesis game has nothing of the like. 

The point goes to Super Nintendo. 

SNES: II

Genesis: 

Content (1 point)

As far as the base game goes, this one’s a wash. Hyperstone Heist has fewer stages overall, but they’re longer, and both games can be completed in the 45-50 minute timeframe. That said, fewer stages means fewer boss battles. Turtles in Time has Baxter Stockman in Fly form, Metalhead, The Rat King, Tokka and Rahzar, Bebop and Rocksteady, Leatherhead, Krang, and Shredder. Hyperstone Heist has Leatherhead, Shredder, Krang, and adds in human form Baxter from the first Arcade game, Tatsu, and weirdly, a battle against Rocksteady, but no Bebop. While it’s cool to see Tatsu in the world of the cartoon Turtles, the rest of the missing bosses are a real gut punch. 

In terms of game modes, the SNES has a Time Trial mode AND a pretty nifty Vs mode where Splinter plays referee while two turtles battle it out and the other two watch in the background. Neither of which appear on Genesis.  

Again, this one’s not much of a contest. The Super NES has it. 

SNES: III

Genesis: 

Gameplay (2 points)

Once again, both of these games are incredibly similar. They both have auto-scrolling stages on hoverboards, and tons of Foot Soldiers to beat your way through. The only real difference I noticed in their gameplay was how the Genesis game has a dedicated run button, where the SNES game requires you to double tap the D-pad to run. This is completely bonkers because the SNES controller has so many buttons, including shoulder buttons which would have been perfect as it would still leave your thumb available to easily hit jump or attack, but no. That said, the Genesis game’s run button by default is placed at the end, which is ever so slightly awkward to use in conjunction with your regular jumps and attacks, but this can be remapped in the options menu if you want. 

At the end of the day, both of these games are a blast to play, and well worth your time to go through. I’m personally more nostalgic for Turtles in Time, but in terms of pure gameplay, I can’t say one really plays better than the other. They’re both great, and that means this category is a tie. They both get 2 points. 

SNES: IIIII

Genesis: II

Well, there you have it, dudes and dudettes. Major league butt-kicking is back in town in the form of Turtles in Time beating the pizza out of Hyperstone Heist. The SNES game is clear-cut better looking, sounding, and has more worthwhile content. But while this one really wasn’t close, it’s worth noting that Hyperstone Heist is still a killer game. So go grab the Cowabunga Collection on the modern platform of your choice and play them both! If you like beat em ups, you won’t regret it. 

The winner is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

And that’s it for this edition of 16-Bit Brawl. If you have a pair of games you’d like to see us pit against one another, or just genuinely disagree with my assessment here, let us know. See you next time!