It seems
like all the cartoons that were popular 10-15 years ago, when my now
19-year-old was in elementary school, have suddenly reappeared to new
popularity. The Care Bears, Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, Power Rangers, and
probably many others, have all come back with a vengeance. I still remember
how concerned many parents were when their boys would emulate the kicking done
by the Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles (especially if they were jumping on a
trampoline at the time!). Ah well, I had two girls who were totally
uninterested in kicking, although they did like the TV shows, so it didn’t
really affect me any.
The Power
Rangers Space Patrol Delta force is a special unit of Power Rangers, that
protects the population on a futuristic Earth. Aliens from all over the galaxy
have made Earth their home, where they hope to live in harmony. Unfortunately,
there’s always a bad guy or two who just won’t let people live peacefully. The
evil Emperor Gruumm and his evil minions are determined to take over the
galaxy, and have set their eyes on Earth. The SPD is the only hope that Earth
has.
As befits
the Power Rangers, this game is all about kicking butt. Most of the time spent
playing the game involves beating up hordes of bad guys to clear the
levels. There are also bosses to beat, and special racing type levels. There
are nine main levels, played as episodes. These main levels involve running
the Power Ranger of the moment across several simple platforms, encountering
many evil minions along the way. These guys are reminiscent of the suits in
the Matrix movies, but aren’t nearly as tough, despite their appearance. The
Power Rangers can beat them up really easily by just repeatedly mashing the
attack button. If his health suffers, there are a few health power-ups that
can be found by trashing boxes along the way. The bad guys have to be beaten
to clear the area before the Power Ranger can move on, but it’s the player’s
choice where they can stop and fight. For instance, the Power Ranger can just
run through all the bad guys, and stand and fight at his leisure, as the
enemies march toward him. Once the required number have met their maker, the
Power Ranger can then move on to the next area in the level.
Each Power
Ranger has a special power: The Red Ranger can pass through solid objects, the
Blue Ranger can make a force field around himself, the Green Ranger can read
auras and sense the energy of people through heat trails, the Yellow Ranger
can replicate herself, the Pink Ranger can turn her hands into the things she
touches, and the mysterious Shadow Ranger can do something mysterious –
exactly what, we don’t know yet. The Rangers are chosen by their squad
commander for missions, a different one for each level in an episode.
The fighting
is straightforward and fairly simple in execution, but manages at the same
time to be a satisfying experience, if fighting is what pleases the player.
The action doesn’t get tough until the bosses at the end of some of the
episodes, which are quite a different story. Even in the early episodes the
bosses are difficult to beat. The difference between the action in the levels,
and the bosses at the end of the levels, is quite dramatic. There are special
Megazord levels where the Rangers fight with Megazords (similar to
transformers), but these are actually pretty easy to beat. The bosses are way
harder to defeat. Spaced out between levels are special racing-type levels,
which again are easy enough to win, as the road is straight and there are no
hair-pin turns to negotiate. The hazards are plentiful, but easy to avoid by
jumping.
The Power
Rangers are drawn well, and look and move great. The animation is smooth and
streamlined while the Rangers are running around. The backgrounds are also
drawn well, but are boring to look at, as they don’t change much from level to
level. It’s mostly steel girders and brown boxes, although a few levels offer
some green grass and trees.
The controls
are probably the best part of the game, and is where the design team
shined. There is no collision detection to worry about in the main levels, and
the jumping is superbly handled. This is the way wall-jumping should be in
every game.
On the
whole, this is a decently designed game, with plenty of fighting action. While
the gameplay isn’t very difficult or complicated, the game still manages to
entertain and engage the player with the well-designed fighting action.
However, it’s still mainly just a matter of running the Rangers across the
floors and beating up baddies who all look alike. The levels all have a
sameness to their look and feel. And, it’s not very hard to play. It won’t
take experienced gamers long to run through the game.
Kids who are
Power Ranger fans will enjoy this game, as it’s not frustrating and the save
spots are all at good locations in the levels. The Rangers all look cool, and
the music fits the show. A good choice for parents of Power Rangers
enthusiasts.
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Gameplay: 7.0
The action is fun
enough, if you like fighting that isn’t too complicated. It’s mostly a matter
of just mashing the attack button repeatedly, except in the boss levels, which
requires a bit more thought. There are also racing levels and levels where the
Rangers are hunting objects, which helps break up the action.
Graphics: 7.0
The graphics are
well done, and evoke the TV show nicely.
Sound: 7.0
The sound is
average, and matches the show’s theme.
Difficulty: Medium
The game isn’t
too difficult on the whole, but some of the bosses are hard to beat.
Concept: 7.0
It’s running and
fighting, nothing new here. However, the presentation is good.
Overall: 7.0
Power Ranger
games for the GBA have been a lackluster bunch, but this game is better in
terms of design, which makes it a bit more fun than its predecessors. While
not the most challenging or unique game out there, it is fun enough for kids
who love the Power Rangers. The controls are great, and the game won’t
needlessly frustrate, as so many kid’s games unfortunately do. A decent choice
for most kids.
