Press Pause 07.23.07: Power Rangers

Posted by Cory Moore on 07.23.2007

Their motion picture may not be one of the highest-grossing films of all time, but the five teenagers with attitude trumped ET: The Extra-Terrestrial when it came to making great video games.



If you ask any gamer what they think of licensed games, 9 times out of 10 you'll get a cringe and an emphatic thumbs down. Other times, they'll just ignore you and pretend you never asked such a silly question. That's because developers have a history of producing less-than-stellar and sometimes downright pitiful translations of popular TV shows and movies. Look at ET for the Atari 2600 or Superman 64 for prime examples of awesome franchises disgraced in gaming form. But every once in a while, a developer wraps its mind around a brand and knows exactly how to highlight its strengths and downplay its weaknesses. So today we're going to travel back in time, 14 years to be exact…

Falling into Place: The Video Game Legacy of the Power Rangers

It's Morphin' Time!
Power Rangers – now in its 15th season on Disney networks – debuted in 1993 and immediately caught fire as the premiere show in children's daytime programming. The show's original concept revolves around a wizard caught in a time warp, Zordon, recruiting a team of superheroes to save the world from Rita Repulsa, an evil sorceress who has escaped from captivity on the moon. In each episode, Rita creates a new monster to try and destroy the Power Rangers. The five teens use their ability to "morph" into specialized battle suits and calling upon enormous machines known as Zords to routinely foil the evil plots.

Naturally, the Power Rangers franchise benefited from marketing possibilities galore. Action figures, playsets, wristwatches, and fuzzy slippers (remember, the yellow and pink Rangers attracted girls, too) were plentiful. Any product donned with the banner was guaranteed to move more than a few copies. In the new video game boom of the ‘90s, the series was a shoe-in for home consoles. But Bandai and Banpresto still shocked gamers when they actually released quite a few quality titles for the SNES and Sega Genesis. So, let's take a look at…

The Games
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (SNES)

The first Power Rangers game released on a home console, MMPR is a side-scrolling adventure that allows you to step into the shoes of Zordon's Power Rangers to combat Rita's putty patrollers and prized henchmen from the first season. This SNES game is notable because like the show, you start off as human forms of the heroes and later transform as you battle your way through many goons. The game incorporates some favorite villains (Gnarly Gnome, EyeGuy) with some lesser known ones (Mutitus and Goldar's zord, Cyclopsis).

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Genesis)

The first Genesis MMPR game is a one-on-one competitive fighter that once again pits the Rangers against Rita's signature villains from the first season of the show (and against each other in the 2-player versus mode). This game is pretty bland compared to the others listed here, but it is noteworthy because it is one of the few games to feature the Green Ranger, Tommy Oliver. Rita's tournament storyline found in the game loosely follows Tommy's transformation into the sorceress' evil servant and the original five Rangers' attempt to turn him back to the good side.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie (Genesis)

In my opinion, this game rivals the first SNES MMPR title as the best video game in the franchise's history. As the name implies, this title coincided with the release of the 1995 motion picture. The game follows the most important scenes from the movie, as well as key plot points from the TV show's second season (such as Rocky, Adam, and Aisha joining the team in "The Power Transfer" and Tommy's return as the White Ranger in "White Light"). Not to be confused with the SNES release of the same name, this beat'em up resembles Streets of Rage and Final Fight in terms of gameplay, including a cooperative 2-player mode.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition (SNES)

Arguably the last of the decent Power Rangers games, MMPR:FE was the SNES answer to the Genesis game from a year earlier. While limited to eight playable characters (4 zords and 4 villains from the second and third seasons of the show), the game's combat system is more complex than its Genesis predecessor. The game's fighting engine has been likened to Gundam Wing: Endless Duel, also produced by Bandai.

Let the Power Protect You
If there is one word to describe Haim Saban's legendary superhero franchise, that word would be "lucky." Power Rangers was a decent idea, but it was the benefactor of several major marketing strategies towards children of the 1990s. First, it was recognized as the new face of children's programming once Ghostbusters and Ninja Turtles had run their courses. Then, there was the cartoon boom of the early ‘90s, so Power Rangers was guaranteed a slot around fresh shows such as X-Men, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, and Batman. Couple those factors with the Nintendo/Sega video game duel that was very attractive to youngsters, and Power Rangers received a boost that made Saban executives' eyes light up with dollar signs.

But as I mentioned before, the past has taught us that an incredible license never guarantees success in the video game world. Early in its lifespan, the Power Rangers worked because Bandai and Banpresto focused and produced games for genres that fit well with the Rangers' identity. Cooperative beat'em ups were wildly popular in the arcade, so the Rangers' emphasis on teamwork made for a smooth transition to the gaming world. The same held true for the fighting games, as karate was another central element in the TV series. But let's not forget that these developers were given quality lemons to make great lemonade, too. The "Mighty Morphin" style – the power-ups, the individual weaponry, and the unique villains – was a huge part of what made these games special.

Furthermore, the Power Rangers accomplished quite a feat for a franchise that did not originate in gaming: pumping out quality title after quality title. Power Rangers had the titles mentioned above, as well as some decent Game Boy and Game Gear games. Sure, none of these titles were Final Fantasy-caliber, but the original release for the SNES and the Movie version on the Genesis still hold up remarkably well, even by today's standards. Most franchises are lucky if they get one good game at all. Power Rangers created a video game imprint that many fans who grew up with the series will not likely forget. Let's pretend Zeo: Battle Racers never happened. Deal?

Now, let's pause and reflect on today's topic…
• Power Rangers was conceived at the right place and time. If the series was released today, it probably wouldn't have anywhere close to the impact it did in '93.
• In its heyday, the franchise produced some thoroughly entertaining video games. While they were not drastically different from other titles, the games benefited from the Power Rangers unique style and the developers' understanding of the product.
• Power Rangers accomplished a rare feat in the video game industry: producing several decent titles based on a licensed franchise. When you look at fiascos involving other TV shows and movies, MMPR was lucky enough to have teams that concentrated on delivering quality games while the "Mighty Morphin" tag was still hot.

Ah…what a nostalgia trip. Good times.

My Musing of the Week
For those wondering where I mysteriously disappeared to last week... I took a trip to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to visit some members of the family. Since my summer has been mostly filled with non-stop writing and planning activities for the Tigers' student pep club, it was definitely nice to get away from it all and just chill. Us big kids need that break every once in a while!

That's about all I got this week. As always, I'll be back next time with another subject to analyze piece-by-piece. Until then, take it easy guys.