Lost Classics: Power Rangers the Movie (SNES, Genesis)

With the surge in Voltron articles, I wanted to join in on the fun. However, as I have nothing Voltron related, I figure the next best thing is a Voltron rip-off. Of course, what better rip-off is there than Power Rangers, the live action kids show that not only rips off Voltron, but also borrows liberally from Godzilla’s giant-monster-who-is-really-a-guy-in-a-rubber-suit theme? After Ninja Turtles and before Pokemon, Power Rangers emerged as the premiere kid’s show. It’s goofy monsters, giant robots (called Zords) and cheesy martial arts action made it a hit with school kids, and a nightmare for parents. The obligatory marketing blitz followed, complete with toys, costumes, video games, and even a movie. The movie, released at the height of the franchise’s popularity depicted a non-canon fight against new villain Ivan Ooze. There were also video game tie-in for SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, and Game Gear with Bandai handling the Nintendo versions, and Sega handling the Sega versions. Although they were intended for kids, they were pretty good for games based on movies.

The Sega Genesis version stuck to the movie’s plot, and it added in flashback levels from the series showing how three of the Power Rangers joined the team. It was a Final Fight-style beat-em-up, and you faced villains from the series after beating up waves of putties (the mindless footsoldiers that comprised the private army of whatever villain the rangers were battling against in that particular series). You controlled the Megazords towards the end of the game, and the game’s music was comprised of music from the show, albeit it was in Sega Genesis sound processor form.

The Super Nintendo version on the other hand didn’t follow the movie at all. The only real similarity it had with the movie was the fact that you fought Ivan Ooze. The game seemed more of a sequel to the Power Rangers game that was released the previous year. You had your pick of rangers, and this time a friend could join you for co-op. It was a side scrolling platformer with beat-em-up style gameplay, a’la X_men Mutant Apocalypse. In many of the game’s areas, you can jump vertically between two planes of action, similar to the old-school Fatal Fury games. The game features bright graphics and a catchy soundtrack, as well as a few codes for players who beat the game on expert mode.

Disappointingly, neither version of the game features the ninja suits or the ninjazords that were introduced in the movie, and that was one of its man selling points. Also, as these games were obviously geared toward children, they don’t present much of a challenge. Even on the highest difficulty setting, my brother and I had no problems finishing both games withing a couple of hours. Still though, if you wanted something you could play with your kids or younger siblings, then you could do a lot worse than Power Rangers.