Recently, I’ve been jonesing for some retro-game action, but with the multitude of games awesome I’ve experienced over the years, I had no idea where I should start. I went to Twitter and was directed at Paperboy and Sonic 2 by @liloart, Punch Out by @SuzieWarCry, Pitfall and Space Invaders by @40Tech, and reminded myself of Zaxxon and Bubsy and a few other greats from the 80’s and early 90’s. I couldn’t choose and, as I was just about to settle in and just some Dragon Age: Origins on PS3, the Playstation Store nabbed me with an ad for the High Definition remaster of TMNT: Turtles in Time – one of the greatest, action-packed, beat-the-crap-out-of-the-bad-guys side-scrollers since Double Dragon – and it was on sale for $4.99.

I have to say, I’m normally not into Playstation Store games, but who can complain about a fully realized 3D version of some original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Not me! Not much anyway. I mean, it would have been cool if the characters were cell-shaded so they looked more cartoony, but aside from that, TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled is just as fun as (if not more than) the original SNES (Super Nintendo)  and Arcade classic.

The game was released for Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network back in August of 2009, and was hit hard by the critics – but mostly because it was grossly overpriced at $9.99 on PSN and 800 Points for Xbox Live. I remember it back then and I, too, laughed at that price. TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled is on sale now, though, for PS3, at the much more reasonable price of $4.99 (sorry Xbox 360 peoples, it’s still 800 points for you, which is around $11-$12). This is a “limited time offer”, though, so jump on it while you can!

Features:

• New graphics and sound
• Attack in full 3D – eight directions
• Play Online with up to 4 Players in Co-Op Mode
• Survival Mode and QuickPlay Mode
• Multiple Difficulty levels
• Achievement/Trophy support for you trophy hounds
• Awesome smart-ass vocals re-recorded by the original cast of the 2003 cartoon!

A Couple of Misses:

For you folks looking to relive the SNES version of TMNT (IV): Turtles in TIme, this game is based off of the original arcade version and so is missing the extra stages and enemy characters you might be used to.

As mentioned earlier, the new graphics are cool, but a little cell shading would have gone a long way to keep the original cartoon feel.

If you’re looking for some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fun, to scratch that nostalgia itch, some low-cost action on your Playstation 3, or all of the above, I highly recommend this game!

At the right price, I think TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled is awesome! What do you think?

rating: 8.0 Awesome Nostalgia -Cheap

4-Player Gameplay vid from Gametrailers.com