Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (video game)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Box art for the SNES version.
Developer(s) Natsume (SNES)
Banpresto (Genesis)
Sims (Game Gear)
Tom Create (Game Boy)
Publisher(s) Bandai (SNES, GB)
Sega of America, Inc. (GEN, GG)
Composer(s)

Genesis:
Hikoshi Hashimoto

SNES:
Yasumasa Yamada
Series Power Rangers
Platform(s) Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear
Release date(s)

Super NES version

  • NA June 30, 1995

Genesis version

  • NA September 1995
  • EU August 5, 1995
Genre(s) Action/Fighting/Beat 'em up
Mode(s) Single player, Versus, Coop

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is the title of four different video game adaptations of the film of the same name which were released for the Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy and Game Gear. While the games were ostensibly based on the film, they also featured characters and plot elements from the second season of the original TV series. Like the previous game versions of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, none of the four versions of the movie game were ports of each other.

Super NES

The first level in the SNES version of the game.

The Super NES version is a side-scrolling action game similar to the previous SNES game based on the series. The game can be played by one or two players with six available characters. Billy and Kimberly return from the previous game along with Tommy, the White Ranger, as well as Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, who replaced the other three rangers from the original game.

The player begins each stage as his or her character's civilian persona. Instead of automatically transforming into their Ranger persona like in the previous game, the player must fill up a "Morphing meter" next to their life gauge by picking up thunderbolt-shaped items. These items are dropped by enemies and can also be used to perform special attacks. A Special code made for the game can have the players begin the stages as the morphed Rangers instead of their civilian persona. Filling up the "Morphin'" meter again while in Ranger mode will allow the player to use their character's signature weapon for a limited time or perform a super attack. The game features a two-lane system similar to the Fatal Fury series, allowing players to jump between the foreground lane or the background lane (the player can also perform attacks that will send enemies to the other lane).

The game consists of seven stages. The player fights against Lord Zedd's Putty Patrol until reaching the end of stage boss. The first five bosses are all monsters from the TV show's second season, while the sixth one is an original creation for the game. The final boss is Ivan Ooze, the film's antagonist. Unlike the first game, there are no giant robot battles in this version, although the Ninja Megazord from the film (and the show's third season) makes an appearance during the ending sequence.

Reception

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly considered the game a mediocre Final Fight clone which has decent graphics but suffers from a lack of variety of both moves and enemies. They scored it a 5.875 out of 10.[1] In contrast, GamePro commented "With better gameplay, better Ranger graphics, and two-player simultaneous action, this sequel's perfect for fanatic fans and a fun once-through for other gamers." They particularly praised the multi-plane action, the simultaneous two player mode, and the accessible difficulty and controls.[2]

Genesis

First level from the Genesis version of the game.

The Genesis version is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up that can be played by up to two players, where the player can control both the Rangers themselves or their Zords (depending on the level). The game consists of six stages, with the first two stages and the final one covering events from the film, whereas Stage 3 to 5 are set before the events of the film and adapts key episodes from the TV show's second season (namely "White Light", "Ninja Encounter", and "Power Transfer"). The game's soundtrack consists entirely of digitized versions of original music that Ron Wasserman created for the TV show, including:

In the movie-based stages, the player can play as one of the six Power Rangers featured in the film, as well as the Ninja Megazord or the Falconzord during the giant monster battles. In the flashback stages, the player will control Jason, Zack, and Trini in place of Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, while the Zords that can be used during the giant monster battles are either the Thunder Megazord or the Tigerzord in Warrior Mode.

The player will encounter the following enemies during the course of the game's six stages.

Game Boy

The Game Boy version is a single-player side-scrolling action game similar to the SNES version. The player can choose to play as any of the six rangers, who will start off each stage as a Ninja Ranger. The Red, Blue, and White Rangers are the stronger characters, while Black, Pink, and Yellow are more agile. By defeating enemies throughout each stage, mainly Putty Patrols, and accumulating enough Thunderbolt items to fill up the power gauge, the player can transform their character into a Power Ranger. Filling up the power gauge again while in Power Ranger mode will allow the player to perform a super attack.

The game consists of six stages. The first five stages can be played in any order, while the sixth one can only be played after completing the other five. The following is a list of bosses featured in the game.

Reception

GamePro commented in their review that "Mediocre music, miniature graphics, and horrible control make this one of the worst Ranger titles to date." They particularly criticized that the stages are all similar and predictable and that without the Super Game Boy it is impossible to even differentiate between the different playable characters.[3] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly were divided about the game; two of them described it as "excessively lame", while the other two found it "surprisingly good", praising its length and precise controls. However, all four commented that that the collision detection is poor, with attacks passing through enemies, and that the lack of any difference between the playable characters besides color is a letdown. They scored it a 6.875 out of 10.[4]

Game Gear

The Game Gear version is a competitive fighting game exactly like the original "Game Gear" game based on the TV series, with the same gameplay format and game modes. One change that has been made from the previous is the addition of a thunderbolt-shaped power indicator next to the life gauge that gradually fills up during the course of battle until it begins to flash; during such instances, the player can perform a super move in addition to the standard special moves.

The Story Mode consists of six stages with the first three stages being based on episodes from the second season of the TV show and the remaining three being based on the movie. In the first three stages, the player fights the first segment as one of the six Power Rangers from the TV show as they fight a series of Putty Patrols until confronting the stage boss. The second segment consists of a giant monster battle between the Thunder Megazord and the stage boss. The fourth stage is exclusively a Ranger battle, while the final two stages are giant monster battles where the player controls the Ninja Mega Falconzord.

The Game Gear version's soundtrack is made up of mostly midi versions of music from the series and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Album: A Rock Adventure.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Review Crew: Power Rangers: The Movie". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (72): 34. July 1995.
  2. ↑ "ProReview: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie". GamePro (IDG) (83): 68. August 1995.
  3. ↑ "ProReview: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie". GamePro (IDG) (85): 102. October 1995.
  4. ↑ "Review Crew: Power Rangers: The Movie". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (76): 50. November 1995.

External links

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