Genre: Action
Developer: Ubisoft Singapore
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1 – 4
Retail Price: 800 Microsoft Points, or $10
Availability: Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network
Ubisoft’s use of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license has been something of a headscratcher. The series has wildly varied in quality (compare the fantastic GBA version of TMNT to its console counterpart for reference) and Ubisoft seems to be unsure about what to do with the property. This identity crisis has never been more apparent than in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled. Ubisoft tried to update the classic arcade brawler for a new generation, but erased much of its charm in the process.
Here's Leo, as the famous phrase goes, kicking shell
Re-Shelled plays in a nearly identical fashion when compared to the original game. Players (up to four of which) will pick one of the four turtles and throwdown with the Foot Clan across eight stages, each set in a different era of time. If you’re bored in the stone age just sit tight — you’ll eventually end up on a pirate ship, or in the future. Unfortunately, the game fails to make use of the varying locations and keeps feeding you the same enemies over and over.
Pallet-swapped ninja warriors may have been acceptable back in the early 90s (here’s to you, Mortal Kombat), but a different colored outfit doesn’t stand out quite as much with the hyper-realistic artstyle. The game eventually mixes stone warriors into the mix, but they do little to add variety since you’ll only see a few each level. Only two stages have unique enemies, and they only show up once, making this missed opportunity a pretty big issue. It doesn’t matter how many times they change the backdrop because you never need to employ new combat techniques, even if there are the occasional environmental hazards.
Also unfortunate aspect of Re-Shelled is the general feeling of sluggishness found in the controls. One wouldn’t expect the turtles to move at lightning speed, but they wouldn’t expect them to move like they’re wading through peanut butter either. It’s not too much to expect a ninja to move with fluidity and grace, at the very least a similarly to how they do in the source material. Also, attacks lack the satisfying “thump” they had in the original game, feeling sort of wimpy and inconsequential instead. Observers will note that the game looks the part, but much like switching the engines of a Ford Focus and a Mustang, it won’t be apparent how wrong things feel until you get behind the wheel.
The planks are one of the most annoying aspects of the game
The biggest mistake Ubisoft made with the remake, however, was changing the artstyle in general. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with 2007′s TMNT-styled turtles, but they feel out of place in a game originally based on the cartoon Turtles, especially for those who can remember playing it in the early 90s. It’s a particularly confusing decision since the game would sell well through use of the ‘nostalgia factor.’ Changing the beloved designs of yesteryear kind of puts the kibosh on that aspect of marketing.
Moreover, the high-definition graphics make stage-specific hazards are much harder to see (see the planks pictured to the right), and become a bigger hazard than they were in the original. It can be the difference between losing a life and getting to a pizza, and it’s unfair for them to blend in so well. Conversely, the animation isn’t bad. It’s also kind of neat to see the bosses get the 3D treatment and a modern makeover. Regardless, this game would have done so much better with a cel-shaded or 2D approach, or at the very least would have benefited by making the original version an unlockable bonus. There’s no questioning 3D is cheaper to produce, but it comes at the cost of any spirit, feeling or character the original possessed as well.
Even with its problems, Re-Shelled is a perfectly playable and servicable brawler. The difficulty is balanced fairly, and the lack of a continue system means that it will take most gamers a few attempts to get through the title (so long as they skip the ‘easy’ setting). It would have been nice if they included the SNES bosses (don’t expect to see Super Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady or Slash) or an original stage or two, but it is a remake of the arcade version, so this decision makes sense. Those without access to the original, or those looking to get a few nostalgic laughs might have a more-than decent time here.
Re-Shelled is like a fan-produced Youtube reproduction of a Michael Jackson dance routine. They do a fine job copying the movements, but it’s clear you’re watching a less talented performer. The game simply lacks the charisma and attention to detail that help the original stand, even today, as one of the best in the genre. Re-Shelled makes its mark as an imitator, best relegated to children’s birthday parties and parade performances instead of the main stage on a stadium tour (and we all remember how that turned out).
