Best Power Rangers Games, Ranked – Switch And Nintendo Systems

The first 3D Power Rangers entry on a Nintendo console, the N64 version of Lightspeed Rescue combines isometric Ranger sequences with side-scrolling driving levels. Both gameplay modes take place in large, empty-feeling open spaces, complete with clumsy animations, repeated sound effects and similar collection missions.

Two-player co-op is a bonus, mind you, and it’s refreshing to see the series veer slightly from the straight beat ’em up format.

Power Rangers Megaforce isn’t just a bad game — though it most assuredly is a bad game — it’s also downright broken in places. While the license and fully-voiced dialogue might rope in fans of the show, there’s no escaping the fact that this should not have seen a retail release in its this form. The game crashes, the card-scanning feature doesn’t work, and the soundbites loop long beyond the point of insanity, very quickly becoming the video game equivalent of “Stop hitting yourself.”

It feels like the developers have paid no attention to how Power Rangers Megaforce plays, and it seems like no attempt has been made to correct its many problems.

Power Rangers Super Megaforce is an oxymoronic title, to say the least: it’s a tedious, boring, and broken mess that feels like it was not only rushed but made without a single shred of enthusiasm or passion. Even if you’re a fan of the series, there’s not enough to entertain you to make this a worthwhile purchase. The Megazord battles are much more fun than the main game, but they’re few and far between and not enough to make trudging through the rest of the game worthwhile.

Many may be tempted to try it out to relive some fond childhood memories, but there’s nothing here for you besides a disappointing, repetitive beat ’em up with nothing new to bring to the table.

Rather than taking the usual fight-first approach (as is the case with its GBA counterpart), Power Rangers: Dino Thunder on GameCube puts the Zords front and centre.

It’s a cause for celebration to see a Rangers game try something different, even if that “different” is somewhat repetitive collection missions with the odd MegaZord battle thrown in for good measure. Hey, at least flying around as PteraZord is fun.

A decent take on Power Rangers Time Force, the GBA version sticks closer to the 2001 TV series of the same name. The time-hopping levels add a nice variety to the story and the Rangers’ dash move and collectable weapons mix up the combat a little more than the later Power Rangers GBA titles would.

It’s far from the best Rangers game out there, but you could do a lot worse, even on the GBA.

The action-packed 2D gameplay found in Power Rangers Samurai is surprisingly fun and does a great job of bringing the series style to the DS. The graphics aren’t the best and common enemies are reused far too much in each mission. A few platforming elements and variations are peppered throughout to add some variety, but things still tend to get a bit repetitive after a few hours.

Even with its faults, however, this is far from the usual cash-in licensed title we’ve come to expect and is well worth a look from fans of the series.

Power Rangers: Time Force on Game Boy Color may be a simplified version of its GBA counterpart, this one focuses more on clean-cut platforming. There’s still the same time-hopping storyline from the TV series, but the simpler graphics and stripped-back combat make it feel a bit sparser than its ‘Advance’ counterpart.

Fortunately, the level variety is pretty decent, and the game never gets too repeptitive. So, like the GBA version, you could do a lot worse.

Unlike its N64 counterpart, the Game Boy Color version of Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue plays as a straightforward side scroller. There are more lots more platforming challenges than the series’ beat ’em ‘up entries on Game Boy and SNES and some rather nice environmental pixel art to boot — even if the character sprites are a little more simplistic than we would have liked.

Still, if you like the platforming side of things and happen to have a Game Boy Color handy, this one isn’t too bad.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Game Boy is a severely compromised rendition of its SNES counterpart. This port breaks the Ranger and MegaZord sections into alternating sequences, though the fluidity of each is tethered to the pitfalls of the console’s tech specs, with dodgy hitboxes and limited animations aplenty.

Hey, at least the Super Game Boy allowed for some unique colour palettes for each Ranger…? If you’re desperate to play this one, look to the SNES version.

Much like its DS counterpart, Power Rangers Samurai on Wii is an action-packed side-scroller that doesn’t put as much focus on its consoles’ input gimmicks as we would have expected. Instead of swinging the Wiimote around in mimicry of the on-screen sword, the more classical button inputs make combat a little less exhausting, but increasingly repetitive.

Fortunately, the visuals stand head and shoulders above the DS equivalent, so the combat encounters are a little easier on the eye. It’s not the motion-controlled cash grab you might have expected, and for that at least, we can be eternally grateful.

There’s a good number of options on offer in Power Rangers Wild Force. With six Rangers to choose between, a selection of Megazord combinations and 12 different levels, this is one of the beefier titles in the franchise’s GBA tie-in line-up and a welcome departure from the tried-and-tested side-scrollers that dominated the console.

The isometric beat-em-up gameplay is a love-it-or-hate-it loop and will inevitably be either addictive or highly repetitive depending on where you fall (we’re closer to the former camp). That said, the eye-catching visuals and a nice bit of variety in the end-of-level Megazord battles help elevate things.