Saban's Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers

The Good
Power Rangers Zeo allows fans of the American dub of the Japanese TV show--about grown adults running around in colored spandex and beating the hell out of badguys-- the chance to finally play as their favorite Zeo Ranger. Rather than fighting evil though, players get to test their mettle behind the handlebars or wheel of their favorite Ranger's vehicle in a racing title similar to Mario Kart.

The Process of choosing races and getting started is pretty easy and goes rather well. You choose your racer then choose a track and away you go. The tracks are not overly complicated and even the youngest (or most inexperienced)gamers can figure it out.

The game evokes nostalgic memories with its high score system. While by no means revolutionary or new, having the option of getting your initials immortalized on a game is hardly a bad thing and many old school gamers will enjoy that a game even of this low cailbur includes such an incentive.

The Bad
Despite its uncomplicated formula or control scheme, Battle Racers suffers from the problem that it is just plain boring. The game only boast about 4 racers despite a selection of at least 7 characters (Even Super Mario Kart-- also released on the SNES-- boasts 8 racers and ALL are on the track at once), and some of the balancing issues are a real problem. Some abilities are so crippled that while some characters can turn on a dime, others couldn't turn on a football field.

The use of weapons in Battle Racers is also drier than toast in Arizona. The only weapon you have access to is the blaster weapon, which, depending on you racer, is limited to only 5 shots during the entire span of the race (meaning that there are no refills or other weapons to get). It seems as if the game developers could not decide between just racing or weapons and took one of the worst compromises you could take.

The tracks in the game are not only hideous but also very small. The graphics are flat even by SNES standards and it is impossible to see road side walls until you are next to them on account of how flat the terrain is. The tracks can also be circled in relatively no time flat but are devoid of obstacles or challenge (with the exception of fighting the game's control scheme). Expert SNES fans will also take note of the game's blatant theft of Super Mario Kart track templates from raceways to beach tracks and so many others.

The Bottom Line
For what it's worth, Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers IS a racing game. It may be devoid of good tracks, good challenges, power-ups, or even fun, but it is still a racing game where people can beat others and win. But for most gamers, there shouldn't be the slightest reason to even touch this game, and not just because it is possibly the worse use of the Power Rangers license.

The main goal of Power Rangers is to use giant robots to destroy monsters while beating on hoards of evil minions-- how that translates into driving around on tiny tracks with limited weapons and poor graphics is anyone's guess. For those who like their games dry, even this title will test your limits on how dry you really like your games. Consider this game about as much fun as driving a motorcycle into a brick wall.