The year 2009 has been a good year for you if you were a kid in the '80s. With Ghost Busters, Transformers, and G.I. Joe all making appearances on a console near you, there's been no shortage of blasts from the past to take you on a trip down memory lane. The latest participants in the nostalgia parade are those four lovable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but is this newest ride in the Turtle Van worth the price of admission? It depends on what you're expecting.

Gameplay:

As a TMNT fan and a fan of Turtles In Time, I had high expectations going into my experience with TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled. In the most important way, the gameplay, Re-Shelled feels exactly like Turtles In Time did in 1991 and 1992. Everything is still simple and to-the-point: move to the right, use A to jump, and use X and Y to attack. If you're in trouble, eat a pizza to restore your health (just like in real life) or grab a spinning pizza to clear out a group of enemies. If you get close enough to a Foot Soldier, you can whip him back and forth and clear out other enemies, or throw him face first out of your TV (try not to duck when you see a ninja flying toward your face). It's great that everything feels the same while a new feature, being able to attack in eight directions, was added.

Each one of the fearsome foursome has unique attributes. Leonardo is the most balanced, while Donatello has the best range (obviously). Raphael is the fastest, but Michelangelo has the strongest special attack. These unique attributes contribute nicely to a little tactical diversity, which is nice to see in a game that is so simple to play. Knowing which enemies are within your reach with Don or how quickly you can escape from a sticky situation with Raph will help keep you healthy and ninja-kicking.

Each level introduces new enemies and improves their arsenal, so as the game progresses, you'll go from fighting bare-handed Foot Soldiers to Rock Soldiers with rocket launchers and Foot Soldiers throwing shuriken and kunai. Each level has a unique set of obstacles to avoid, as well, but having a sharp eye and knowing how to play cat-and-mouse with enemies will keep you safe and may even help you use some traps to your advantage.

All of the bosses retain their classic attack patterns from Turtles In Time, so knowing how and when to attack (and retreat) will still help you win each fight. If you're a newcomer, don't worry - you'll be able to figure out each boss pattern after a few attacks. I also feel obligated to inform you that if you read anywhere that a Re-Shelled boss is "cheap," then the writer distinctly sucks at the game. If someone can't figure out why smashing a button and standing in place isn't working, then they aren't good enough as a gamer to be fairly criticizing the game.

Graphics:

The visual upgrade Ubisoft gave to Turtles In Time is absolutely fantastic. The Turtles, their enemies, and every background has been remade in glorious 3D. Everything is soft and smooth with no unsightly, jagged edges, and the environments run the gamut from lush and colorful to dark and moody...or as moody as you can get for a TMNT game, anyway. The visuals appeal to me as a fan of the original because it makes the game more than a simple port, and they fit in with the full range of 3D attack directions, which I can appreciate. The animations are extremely slick and cool (especially Leonardo's "respawn" animation and Leatherhead's boss intro), and really go a long way in showing the detail Ubisoft put into the game. The 2D cut scenes are also awesomely reminiscent of the original game's, and definitely brought a smile to my lips.

Audio:

Like the visuals, the audio received an update as well, but I was less enamored with the background music than the literal background. The music isn't bad and is, in fact, quite serviceable and catchy, but it lacks the intangible "pizzazz" that the original game's soundtrack had. Still, the remixed take on the classic music is a very nice touch that took me back, even if it wasn't exactly how I would've liked it. The voices, however, are fantastic. Even though there is very little dialogue to be spoken, each Turtle has a unique voice actor and sounds spot on - Raphael is a New Yorker and you know it as soon as he opens his mouth. Even the lines spoken by Shredder and Krang sound great, with the latter being as perfectly annoying as I remember.

Longevity:

The biggest fault that Re-Shelled has is the longevity. The game is brief (30 minutes to an hour on Easy or Normal difficulty), and because it is an arcade remake and not an SNES remake (which was beefed up with extra content), it will feel even shorter to fans familiar with the Konami port produced in 1992. There is four player co-op, which is absolutely awesome with your friends, and you can play Story mode, Survival mode, or just select your favorite mission. Even so, if you aren't enjoying good company or enjoying the game enough to keep playing again and again, you'll probably find little to do after the initial run.

Overall:

Those who enjoyed the original and who are looking for a challenge will enjoy the game's additional difficulty setting (Hardcore has been added after Hard), but won't find much personal satisfaction in the achievements. A few of them are rewarding and challenging, but when you can "earn" 5 points by getting squashed by a wrecking ball, you can't expect a great sense of pride to accompany you for unlocking some of these.

If you're looking for a quick beat-'em-up to play with your friends, or you just want to ride the TMNT nostalgia train, Turtles In Time Re-Shelled is a solid buy for 800 Microsoft points ($10.00 / £6.80). Cowabunga, dude!