Celebrate Power Rangers' 15th anniversary with this modern brawler. It's great for kids and just about no one else.
I was beginning to believe that there weren't any good 3D Power Rangers games. Then I discovered the game I'm reviewing now: Power Rangers: Super Legends.
I scoured the Internet, looking for screenshots, gameplay or just anything I could find on this title. My search wasn't in vain, as I finally was able to track down the game and buy a copy. Sadly, it wasn't the Power Rangers game I'd always dreamed of. I won't lie: This game isn't too good.
Let's start with the first thing you see: The graphics. Very cartoonish, the style is in the vein of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Perhaps this was done to make the game appeal to young gamers and garner attention from the fresh-look-for-old-franchise method (they caught my eye), but with the game being based on a live-action TV show, these visuals don't really sit well with me. They're not bad, but everything just looks so...wonky. Nevertheless, even on the game's 2-D plane, the world always feels alive. From the city rooftops, to uncharted alien planets and watery caves, I was never bored looking at the level designs.
The game's cutscenes play out in a graphic novel-like way, with the dialogue being dubbed over. These sequences get the job done well enough, but are unappealing in contrast to the fast-paced gameplay and sound. My point is, this is an action game. The TV shows themselves are full of action. It makes me wonder if Disney Interactive was just too lazy and cheap to render full cinematics.
Well, what about the music? So repetitive, yet so fitting, the game has some very catchy themes, however they're often repeated from level to level. Some parts of the game have dead silence, though this may be the result of a simple programming glitch. Even though none of the Rangers' real-life actors reprise their roles for the game, the sound-a-likes do a good job with the voices. The writing gets pretty cheesy sometimes, though, with the Rangers delivering lines like "Taking out the trash!" after defeating enemies. As far as sound effects go, it's little more than a barrage of generic grunt, punch and blaster sounds, and that's rightfully so.
The game has a full roster of 21 Rangers to select. It's
disappointing, since there were a total of 14 Power Ranger shows when this game came out. But perhaps it's a good thing, since they all play the same. There are some minor trait changes; Some Rangers are slightly faster or stronger, but one could just barely notice how they differ from each other. Of course, by collecting Time Orbs from level to level, you can increase each Ranger's stats (Health, Attack, etc.).
You start off with only a handful of Rangers to choose from, and more can be unlocked by collecting letters that spell the word "RANGER" hidden throughout levels. Finding some of these letters can give your brain a real stretch, which can be either really fun or really frustrating.
The levels play out in a somewhat linear style. You can either play alone or in 2-player co-op. The game's co-op mode has a convenient drop-out feature, in which a player can exit the game as they please. Want to get back in the fray? Simply press Start, and it's on like Donkey Kong.
You have two main attacks: Melee and using a blaster, but you can also use dash attacks and jump attacks to give the bad guys some airborne fury. In addition to these, you can also throw enemies with the L1 button. These attacks can unleash some sweet combos; The more hits you get, the more full your Super Move Meter gets.
The Super Move is almost a necessity if you want to defeat some of the bosses while playing alone. Once it gets full, you can unleash a super-powerful finishing move on your foes. Part of this game's frustration comes from the super meter alone. Often, you will find yourself faced with several enemies in one of the game's many endurance rounds. Should you spend precious time (some levels do have time limits) and energy fighting them all, or just use your super move and have a harder time fighting the level boss? The slow rate that the meter fills is enough to make me want to put the controller down.
Sometimes at the end of a level, the bad guy will make themselves grow giant (as they do in the show). Now it's time to call the zords together to form a Megazord. These giant boss battles are context-based, having you tap buttons, spin the analog sticks, etc. Though simple in execution, these fights have a novelty factor for me, by bringing back good memories of the shows, and made me want to replay them over and over. It's also a good thing that a second player can participate in these battles, so you can finally gang up on the computer.
The enemies seem to be a problem in and of themselves. Sometimes, they just seem like stupid AI robots which you can effortlessly take out hordes of. But other times, they're much more clever. One thing's for sure: If they knock you down, they won't let you get up until they've drained every inch of your always-decreasing life bar, leaving you begging for a health power-up. It's pretty much over from there.
Still, you have an infinite number of lives; Every time you die, you'll simply lose some Time Orbs - A fair penalty. It's nice that there aren't any dire consequences for losing.
There are some slight puzzle elements, but they're basically just "Find the exit" and "Collect this item without falling in the pit" tasks.
Overall, the game is okay. Just barely passable, thanks to its half-cooked story, camera issues and short campaign; There's only 16 levels in the game.
Seriously. It feels more like a cheap cash-in than a full game. The replay value is low, since once you complete it, there really isn't much reason to play it again, other than to try and unlock everything.
Regardless of the game's flaws, I had a good time with it, likely because I am a fan of the franchise. If you're not a big Power Rangers fan, however, you likely won't enjoy this game too much.