There was a period of time in the 90s where the only thing I lived for was the Power Rangers movie. I was so fixated on it that I frequently popped in a VHS tape of The Pagemaster because it had a trailer for it. I won a competition in my class at the time where the winner could bring in a movie (pre-approved of course) for the rest of the class to watch instead of doing work, and of course I brought in The Pagemaster because I thought, well, I would get to watch the Power Rangers trailer again...! I've always been a freak and so help me god I will die a freak, too.
Needless to say, I played Power Rangers: The Movie: The Game obsessively. It didn't matter that it's one of the most painfully dull beat-em-ups on the console, I could play as the White Ranger god damnit! I was prepared to sit down, proclaim this better than the SNES game, give it a 4 out of 5 and call it a day. But nostalgia is a powerful disease, and realizing this I decided to quickly do another run through the game in order to write my thoughts while it's still fresh in my mind.
Well, obviously it's not a 4 out of 5.
For a beat-em-up on the Genesis circa 1995, Power Rangers is wholly unacceptable. The Streets of Rage series, even TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist are multitudes better than this, far more dynamic and engaging as brawlers. Those games push you forward and give you characters with more versatile movesets, whereas in Power Rangers everyone plays exactly the same and most levels are drawn out slogs where enemies continually jump in to attack you for minutes at a time before you're allowed to scroll the screen. The controls are finicky too. If you're holding a directional button while attacking you'll likely initiate a throw, which doesn't do that much damage and only causes you to bleed out the timer as you wait for the enemy to slowly get up. Initiating combos requires you to stand perfectly still and wait for enemies to come to you which is... not fun.
The structure of this game is just bizarre, too. Ostensibly this is a game about the movie, but after the first level you're treated to a cutscene that summarizes the entire film on which the game is based. After which, you're dumped out into a level that takes place chronologically at the end of the film before cutting to an extended flashback explaining how the new Red, Yellow, and Black Rangers got their powers. This flashback accounts for most of the game, only to abruptly conclude and pit you against Ivan Ooze for the final boss fight. The only way I can explain this is that they didn't want to take the time to redraw every character in their ninja costumes or something.
And yet, despite tearing this game down and explaining why I don't think it's good actually, I still kinda like it? I mean, that's nostalgia for you. I can't be mad at the game for being so lackluster when I'm punching the Neck Sentinel in its stupid face, because I remember how much fun that was as a kid and it colors my experience as an adult. There's a whole hidden boss against Lord Zedd set to a VR grid backdrop and finding that for the first time as a child was a revelation, so how could I possibly hate it now that I'm old enough to have chronic joint pain?
For me a 2.5 out of 5 means a games negative and positive qualities are in equal alignment. It is one half a good game, one half bad. Whether that cancels it out and makes it mean nothing to me or leaves me disappointed in its wasted potential depends on the game. Power Rangers: The Movie: The Game is an exception where it honestly should be rated lower, but my disappointment and nostalgia exists in equal quantities. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pop in Power Rangers: The Movie and give it a watch. I'm sure it holds up just fine...
Needless to say, I played Power Rangers: The Movie: The Game obsessively. It didn't matter that it's one of the most painfully dull beat-em-ups on the console, I could play as the White Ranger god damnit! I was prepared to sit down, proclaim this better than the SNES game, give it a 4 out of 5 and call it a day. But nostalgia is a powerful disease, and realizing this I decided to quickly do another run through the game in order to write my thoughts while it's still fresh in my mind.
Well, obviously it's not a 4 out of 5.
For a beat-em-up on the Genesis circa 1995, Power Rangers is wholly unacceptable. The Streets of Rage series, even TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist are multitudes better than this, far more dynamic and engaging as brawlers. Those games push you forward and give you characters with more versatile movesets, whereas in Power Rangers everyone plays exactly the same and most levels are drawn out slogs where enemies continually jump in to attack you for minutes at a time before you're allowed to scroll the screen. The controls are finicky too. If you're holding a directional button while attacking you'll likely initiate a throw, which doesn't do that much damage and only causes you to bleed out the timer as you wait for the enemy to slowly get up. Initiating combos requires you to stand perfectly still and wait for enemies to come to you which is... not fun.
The structure of this game is just bizarre, too. Ostensibly this is a game about the movie, but after the first level you're treated to a cutscene that summarizes the entire film on which the game is based. After which, you're dumped out into a level that takes place chronologically at the end of the film before cutting to an extended flashback explaining how the new Red, Yellow, and Black Rangers got their powers. This flashback accounts for most of the game, only to abruptly conclude and pit you against Ivan Ooze for the final boss fight. The only way I can explain this is that they didn't want to take the time to redraw every character in their ninja costumes or something.
And yet, despite tearing this game down and explaining why I don't think it's good actually, I still kinda like it? I mean, that's nostalgia for you. I can't be mad at the game for being so lackluster when I'm punching the Neck Sentinel in its stupid face, because I remember how much fun that was as a kid and it colors my experience as an adult. There's a whole hidden boss against Lord Zedd set to a VR grid backdrop and finding that for the first time as a child was a revelation, so how could I possibly hate it now that I'm old enough to have chronic joint pain?
For me a 2.5 out of 5 means a games negative and positive qualities are in equal alignment. It is one half a good game, one half bad. Whether that cancels it out and makes it mean nothing to me or leaves me disappointed in its wasted potential depends on the game. Power Rangers: The Movie: The Game is an exception where it honestly should be rated lower, but my disappointment and nostalgia exists in equal quantities. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pop in Power Rangers: The Movie and give it a watch. I'm sure it holds up just fine...
4 Comments
Thank you! I know for a lot of kids my age Kimberly left an impression but I liked Trini more. Shame what happened to her though.
I had to look that up. Yeah sad, so young too.
I actually did watch it again about a year ago while putting together a lamp with shelving on it. Wound up breaking it in the process because I was paying too much attention to the movie. No idea how I manage to clothe and feed myself.
FallenGrace
1 year ago
I saw the Power Rangers film once, remember enjoying it and thinking the pink ranger was cute I think and never saw anything to do with the show or other films again lol.