|
by THQ
|
My son has
been asking again and again for his very own Power Ranger. I have to say
that as a parent, Im a little disappointed. With all of the retro
brands coming back into style, Id be a lot happier if he was asking me
for a He-Man or Transformer, even G.I. Joe would be a step up. Ive
never let him watch an episode of the Power Rangers, and yet every time
we enter Target, it is all that he wants. Sometimes I have to ask the
question, "Why me?" What did I do wrong? Not only do I have to suffer
the constant requests for uncool toys, but I also have to suffer through
the time it actually takes to play their video game incarnations. Ive
lost track of the number of Power Ranger games Ive reviewed.
Intellectually, I know that it couldnt have been more than 3 or 4, but
sometimes it feels like every other videogame is a Power Rangers title.
Im sure that
theres a story line somewhere amid all of the punching and kicking, but
I really didnt care enough to pay attention. When you defeat a level
and transform into your Megazoid, the controls become downright
annoying. At times I felt I had all the control of the original Dragons
Lair. If there is a spark of creativity or originality to be found in
this game, I havent been able to find it. Usually when I review an
unoriginal game, I end up comparing it to other titles on the market.
This game is so unoriginal that I can only compare it to previous
incarnations of itself.
I
couldnt escape the feeling of déjà vu. Just as I am unable to tell one
Power Ranger series from the other, I find myself unable to distinguish
one game from the other, as if they had re-edited game content the same
way they re-edit series footage to create "new" episodes. Wild Force
employs the same isometric view as the PSone game of a few years ago.
Both had a very limited punch /jump/ special move button combination.
The graphics are passable, but on a screen this size, so many of the
levels and bad guys look the same. Things get very repetitive very
quickly.
The real
selling point of the game is the cooperative mode. You can link up to
four Gameboys at once to fight evil as a team. This would be a really
cool feature if it was like the Justice League or something, but finding
four fans of the Power Rangers who are dedicated enough to each shell
out forty bucks for this game might be too much to ask for.
This is a review full of unanswered questions. I dont expect to ever
find answers to these questions. If you want to know how I felt about
this game, just check out the reviews to the other Power Rangers games
that Ive had the privilege of playing. They are not terribly
incompetent games, they just hold very little interest for anyone but
the most die hard fans.
The Game Boy Advance held such promise when it was released. I
remember being filled with the hope that handheld gaming would be full
of real games that any gamer would be looking forward to playing. Apart
from a few first party titles and the Tony Hawk series, there just
hasnt been a whole lot to write home about. It is a very simple system
to program for, and too many companies are using it as a platform to
foster brand recognition and brand loyalty. The Game Boy Advance hasnt
been so much about games, as it has been about advertising cartoons,
movies and toys. I get frustrated enough about the commercials that I
have to sit through at the movie theater. Having to interact with these
commercials is one agony too many.
Jason Frank (10/04/2002) |
|
Snapshot
Ups:
If you like Power Rangers, now you can play
multiplayer.
Downs:
Same as all the other Power Rangers games;
uninspired gameplay and overall mediocrity.
Platform:
Game Boy Advance
|
|
|
|
|