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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: TURTLES IN TIME RE-SHELLED
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5.5 out of 10
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| The original, 16-bit version of Turtles in Time is one of the most beloved brawlers of not just its era, but of all-time. It was pretty fun by yourself, but the fun intensified during multiplayer gameplay. Now, in the age of online multiplayer, it seemed only natural for Turtles in Time to be brought back so people can experience the joys that were experienced over fifteen years ago when the game was originally released. However, instead of Konami developing the title, this time it’s Ubisoft...And instead of 16-bit sprites, the game has gotten an overhaul with 3D models and vastly improved graphics for HD displays. Sounds like heaven for TMNT fans, right? Unfortunately, it’s not.
Times have changed in those fifteen-plus years since the original Turtles in Time release...And yet Ubisoft left the majority of gameplay the same...Dare I say, they even created inferior gameplay to the original. A bunch of stuff from the original Turtles in Time is missing, most notably, a few bosses...And a few bosses are moved around. Like in Skull and Crossbones...Why would you get rid of Bebop and Rocksteady? Those two are, behind Shredder, probably the most recognizable villians in the TMNT universe...They also took out Slash and replaced him with....Cement Man? Folks who have never played the original and/or didn’t grow up on the ‘Turtles in the 80's, none of these changes will likely bother you...But I wasn’t too pleased upon seeing this stuff. Also missing is an entire level...The first Technodrome level. Needless to say, this is not an exact port of the Super NES Turtles in Time that many were hoping for...Or even the Arcade version, for that matter. It’s kind of its own game....With levels ripped out of those versions...But nothing done quite as well. |
 
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As I stated, various aspects of the game are missing in comparison to the Super NES original...Which just seems unacceptable to me. How can a 16-bit game from fifteen years ago actually have more content and tighter controls than a re-make made this day and age where game design has evolved? It shouldn’t have missing bosses and levels, it should have EXTRA bosses and levels. Granted, there are some extra modes tossed in...But basically, they’re pointless. You can play Survival Mode, in which it’s the exact same game except you only have one life to make it all the way to the end....Rather than make it a separate mode, why didn’t they just make this a ‘very hard’ difficulty or something? It doesn’t make sense to me aside from perhaps Ubisoft wanted players to think that there was more here than there actually is. Another mode in the game is Quickplay mode....This mode is alright. It basically lets you play any single level that you want...So, if you want to fight Shredder without playing through the whole game to get to him, just go to Quickplay mode and you can. It’s nothing special, but it’s an alright mode to have.
The combat itself is a chore, though. Hit detection is very poor in this game...Unless you’re the computer. Ubisoft also added the ability to attack upward and downward in the screen...Which actually does much more harm than good, as it becomes hard at times to actually attack in the direction that you’re trying to attack in. When you’re trying to attack right and your turtle starts attacking in a downward direction, it’s not fun times. The 16-bit version kept it simple, you could move all over, but you could only attack left and right....It seems inferior to having 360 degrees of options to attack from, but for this type of game, simplicity is often best. The majority of frustration from this game will stem from being unable to simply position your attacks correctly...In time, you’ll get used to it and land attacks much more often, but for a game this short (you can easily beat it in half an hour) there’s no reason to have to get used to the controls....They should just be good right from the beginning. Each turtle also has stats here...But none of them really seem to have much effect on the game itself. |
| The graphics look nice and polished...However, I honestly prefer the 16-bit look and feel of the Super NES game over this. That’s not to say that everything doesn’t look nice here, because Ubisoft did very good work with the overall look of the game....I guess I was just kind of hoping for what I got with Marvel vs. Capcom 2 – basically the same, pixelated graphics except with slight upgrades so they look nice and pretty on HD displays. Audio-wise, they game is alright, but none of the audio is anything to get excited over. These aren’t the songs from the SNES version, instead they’re just kind of dull remixes of some sort. None of the music is particularly enjoyable, but it all gets the job done, as they somewhat compliment each level...But you can’t help but feel like it could have been much, much better than what you get. Overall, the cosmetic side of things is alright...I just guess I was hoping for more.
Turtles in Time Re-Shelled is, sadly, a big disappointment. It’s playable, but not passable. There are too many gameplay flaws to really get a lot of enjoyment out of it before you’ve beaten it and/or get bored...And fans of the 16-bit version will likely get angry at all of the changes made, with bosses and an entire level being left out. In the end this feels less like an attempt to make fans of the original happy and more like a way to make some quick cash on unsuspecting TMNT fans. If you really want to see why the 16-bit Turtles in Time was such a beloved brawler, then go pick it up for your Super NES...That fifteen-plus year-old game is much better than this sad attempt to cash in on many gamer’s fond, childhood memories. - Ape |
 
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August 5, 2009