If you ever owned a Super Nintendo more than likely you owned this game, a cartridge that filled little kids with so much excitement they couldn’t handle it, so much 16-bit eye candy that it would make even veterans to the gaming of that time orgasm. When I look back at Turtles in Time I see some of my greatest times spent playing games. With it’s fun and challenging game play(for my age anyways), amazing cooperative play, and the fact that it is a licensed game of the greatest four heroes of all time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time was one for the ages. With all of that in mind, you cannot imagine the way I felt when it was announced that a remake of the game was going to be launched on the Xbox Live Arcade, it was like the god of all things 16-bit and good decided to poop out a turd of gold. I bought this game the second I could at what I thought was a solid price of around $10. I waited patiently for it to download and jumped right in.
The very first thing I noticed was the graphics, and why the graphics you may ask, everyone knows that games are all about the game play, but this is different. They gave the game an visual overhaul including the opening intro that I remember as a kid. All the old enemies and boss make a brightly colored comeback into the new generation and look just like you all remember them. The game does a good job of bringing back what you remember, but adding some oomph to it.
So like I said, graphically, this game has it down. Awesome to look at, but when the final horse comes limping around the last turn like something is stuck up it’s butt, is the game actually fun? Well, not really. The first level of the game is the same as the original, you are on a bridge fighting your way through tons of ninjas to get to a strange boss that flies around with some kinda of gun that can punch you and let me tell you, it’s repetitive. Now maybe the game has not held up well over the years but it just does not feel like last time I put that old cartridge in. I felt bored and as if I could be doing something a little less tedious.
Now I don’t want to say that the game is awful, because quite simply it isn’t. Let me throw out some of the positive qualities about it; You can play of one of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we all love, each with his own special attributes that make him play different, whether it be speed, power, or whatever else. They’ve added some difficulties and features (achievements are always nice) in as well to keep you playing. Four player online cooperative play is a huge bonus as well. Lastly, of course, nostalgia is the greatest quality of the game.
I guess at the end of the day, the game is not what it use to be, but with it’s update graphics and beat’em up gameplay it does play well, whilst bringing back the memories. If you are a nostalgia whore like me, check out the trial version on the Xbox Live Arcade and go from there, otherwise just go play Call of Duty you losers.
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I wonder if the original holds up to today’s standards of “enjoyment”. Games like this are rarely made for today’s generation for a reason. Personally, I don’t hate, but I can see why studios only release titles like this on XBLA or PSN (I don’t actually know if this specific title is on PSN). I can only guess, folks who have played the original and want/need that sense of nostalgia might enjoy this more than the 12yr old who rapes everyone at COD.
Honestly, I don’t think someone who was a part of this era would enjoy the updated title. Really only people part of the SNES time will probably really get into this game.
As to rather the original is still good, it’s really hard for me to look past nostalgia as I’m sure it is with a lot of people but I guess that’s one reason I want to start writing so I can look past things and deeper into subjects.