1993 gave us one of the best beat-em-ups of all time; after 16 years,  it’s about to get a major overhaul.

For those of you who spent your childhood clearing out foot-soldier infested streets, sporadically yelling “cowabunga”, and wondering why pizza in 25,000,000,000 BC looked the same as in 2100 AD, get ready to go back in time once more with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled.

I’m a little shocked that it took this long for a remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time to see the light of day. The original SNES/Arcade release has yet to die; it’s one of the most downloaded SNES roms to date, and it was re-released as an unlockable bonus in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare (GC, Xbox, PS2). I suppose with the remake heavy Capcom dishing out several updated versions of its classics (Megaman: Powered Up, Megaman: Maverick Hunter X, Street Fighter 2 HD, Marvel VS Capcom 2), it was only a matter of time.

From what I’ve seen over at Game Trailers, I look forward to the game’s release this Wednesday on Xbox Live, but I can’t help but wonder how the masses will accept it. I think that most gamers relate to the SNES version of Turtles in Time more than its arcade predecessor, which might be a setback. The 1993 SNES port had a few extra perks that the 1991 arcade didn’t:

The SNES had the exclusive “Technodrome: Let’s Kick Shell” level. This was a 2-part level that took place within the Foot-Soldier fortress. Part 1 was in the typical run-to-the-right-and attack-everything format, while part 2 took place on an elevator platform. The bosses for part 1 are Tokka and Rahzar, and the boss for part 2 is The Shredder, but in 4th-wall format- you throw enemies at the screen in order to damage Shredder’s tank. Once he’s defeated, you warp to the first of the time-travel levels; “25,000,000,000 BC: Prehistoric Turtlesaurus”. The SNES also has extra bosses that weren’t seen in the arcade version, such as Rat King, Slash, and the duo of Bebop and Rocksteady. The arcade version also had Cement Man instead of Slash, and a different final boss.

The music doesn’t capture the same awesome “Ninja Turtles flair” that it’s predecessors had, but I don’t think it’ll be anything to fret about. That said, those who idolize the SNES release might be a little discouraged by this new upgrade, but I think that they’ll enjoy it just as much, especially with the addition of 4-player co-op.

TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled looks like a game that will appeal to those looking to reclaim a part of their gaming past, those who enjoy beat-em-ups, and those who are just avid fans of the TMNT universe. The game releases Wednesday, August 5th on Xbox. Don’t worry PS3 and Wii owners, Turtles in Time Re-Shelled hits your virtual stores later this year.