TMNT II: The Arcade Game Two-Player Playthrough (Actual NES Capture)

This is a capture of me and a friend playing through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game on the NES. This is not an emulator. This footage was recorded directly from my front-loading NES using a real TMNT II cartridge. I'm player one (Michelangelo) and Drew is player two (Donatello).

This is another one of my favorite NES games from my childhood. I just love side-scrolling beat-'em-ups, and the Ninja Turtles arcade game certainly tops my list. I used to rent TMNT II as a kid, and the rental store near my house even had the actual arcade machine for a while. So I'm certain I played the actual arcade game before I ever played the NES port.

When I was around 7 my parents took me to Toys R Us for one of my annual birthday trips, and I was allowed to pick out one item from the store. I remember that my decision ultimately boiled down to either the NES Advantage joystick or this game. It was a tough decision since I wanted both (which would give me the ultimate arcade experience at home), but I went with the NES Advantage. Not a bad decision, I suppose, but in the back of my mind I always questioned whether I should have gotten this amazing game instead.

About 10 years later when I was in high school I picked up a complete copy of this game for dirt cheap off eBay. The game was still as fun as I had remembered, but it was incredibly difficult.

I don't think I can beat this game with two people using the default lives and continues, so I entered a cheat code in the beginning which gave Drew and me 9 lives to start with (B, A, B, A, Up, Down, B, A, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start for a two-player game). Sometimes built-in cheat codes can be really handy. I hope you enjoy the new footage.

Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and a composite connection at 60 frames per second. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to upconvert the NES's native 240p signal to 480i so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

I'm using an NES Advantage joystick and Drew is using an NES Max turbo controller.