TMNT Games Should Take More Cues from the 2003 Cartoon
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was created by comic artists and writers Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and their work was an over-the-top, hyper-violent caricature of superhero comics at the time. Despite the admittedly edgy debut, the ninja turtles became symbolic of family friendly multimedia franchises when the softer 1987 cartoon premiered on television. Toys, video games, and film adaptations would soon follow the show, and to this day the turtles are a staple of North American childhoods.
As of now, there are countless adaptations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, including at least four TV shows. Despite this wide reach, the work with the most influence is by far the cartoon that debuted in the late 1980s. The franchise’s public image is still dictated by meta irreverence and cheesy action sequences. These traits have always been part of the series’ identity, but it lacks some stories' more sincere and gratuitously darker tone. The 2003 Ninja Turtles cartoon is more directly based on the comics, and has those elements. As such, the franchise should strive to emulate it more often.
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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise peaked commercially over three decades ago. In the early 1990s, the beloved cartoon was still airing new episodes, and some of the series’ most recognizable supplementary works, such as the video game Turtles in Time and live-action films, were released around that time. The video games' tones, aesthetics, and characterization were especially dependent on the cartoon for inspiration. To this day, even crossovers like Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl use the designs and personalities from the 1980s cartoon.
The 2003 cartoon represents several things
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