Genesis

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Die-hard fans of the show, get ready to love this game and play it until you wear the pads off your fingers. However, those of you who don't happen to think the Power Rangers are the best thing since sliced bread are advised to stay away from this cart, unless you like slow-paced and irritating games.

The mood of the game fits the TV show pretty closely, even though they probably should have tried to improve on the game's graphics and playability. The control is just not subtle enough to make this one of the great fighting games. At least you get to fight as both a Ranger and a Zord. Unfortunately, both Rita Repulsa and the Green Ranger are old news.

I suppose there's nothing inherently evil in taking an existing genre, buying a popular license, and then creating a substandard game. Companies do it all the time. One of the more prominent examples of this is Justice League Task Force. Similar to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Justice League is a fighting game based on a group of popular super heroes. Both games appeal to their respective fan bases, which are huge, but hardcore video gamers prefer innovation and technique over popular characters and mass marketing appeal.

A great license doesn't always make a great game. Stick with the Game Gear and Super Nintendo carts - you'll be repulsed by this powerless battle with Rita.

Overall, this title reeks of sloppiness and the “rush it out the door� mentality that was so prevalent with Sega during the mid and late '90s. Literally one more week cleaning up this game could have made it infinitely more playable, and another month could have produced a product that was appealing to both the younger set AND hardcore fighting fanatics. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers on the Genesis is a genuinely entertaining game on the first short playthrough and it will give you and a buddy a nice diversion for a few hours, but as it stands, that's likely all the Morphin' time you'll want to spend with it. Grab a copy for some quick nostalgia if you see it for a few dollars, but soon you'll wish you could morph this clunker into another game. For some real Mighty Morphin' action, check out either of the far-superior Game Gear titles.