Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

""Go Go Power Rangers" indeed."

Yes, it's another blatant Power Rangers review from yours truly. This is the sixth PR game I'm reviewing in a long list of them. Truth be told, I've been following the franchise since its debut and suffice to say, I'm still into this stuff somewhat; I guess you can call it a guilty pleasure. While I enjoy the show, the games have been a different story, as my reviews for the five Rangers games I did review were not that great. Then I stumbled across this game, the Game Gear game and gave it a whirl. So how does it stack up? Let's find out:

STORY: Oh, come on! You've played one Mighty Morphin game, you've played them all and should know the story by now. Rita Repulsa is freed from her tomb and sends monsters to Earth; it's up to you to stop them. Since this is a Sega game, they've also included the Green Ranger storyline. Out of all the first-wave of MMPR games, this is the closest in terms of storyline accuracy and that's saying a lot. 8/10

GRAPHICS: It's amazing what an old clunker such as the Game Gear could produce with its limited technology. MMPR is visually impressive for its time, with fluid animation and incredible detail in sprites and backdrops. Also, the cutscenes in this game and morphing sequences are well done. Very impressive. 8/10

SOUND: The sound is the only sore spot in this game. While the MIDI music is generic and average (except for that stupid theme song), the sound effects are pretty crappy. Ugh, as expected. 2/10

GAMEPLAY: Once again, the old clunker delivers. In addition to the standard versus modes against the CPU or against a friend that allows you to play as either six Power Rangers, four Zords, or several monsters, MMPR includes a rather detailed story mode. Akin to a survival mode, the Story Mode has you fighting a number of Putty Patrols before facing off against the head monster. Beat him once as a Ranger and you get to fight him in your Zord. There are seven levels in this fighting mode and it falls the story well. Control is actually fair and you could pull off some moves with no problem. The sheer number of fighters are rather impressive for an old handheld. 9/10

CHALLENGE: There's a skill select mode in this game, but the game will give some players a rough time even if you're playing on EASY. Still, the challenge is there. 8/10

REPLAY VALUE: This one's got 'em. Multiple characters, multiple modes, and variable difficulty. There's replay in this, whether you'd like to admit it or not. 8/10

OVERALL: Out of all the Power Rangers games of the Mighty Morphin era, this version stands out as the best because of its sheer number of fighters, its challenge, and its accurate portrayal of the series. It's not the greatest handheld fighter in the world, but it's pretty close. Recommended. 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/04