Well, the apparent next to last release ever from Sega for the US
Saturn is here. Burning Rangers was created from Yuji Naka and Sonic
Team, the makers of Sonic the Hedgehog and NiGHTS. With a track
record like that, Burning Rangers has a lot to live up to - does it do the
job? Many US gamers picked up the Burning Rangers import, released
back in March, and it received lukewarm reviews. My question is how
much of the criticism is valid, and how can SoA improve the game for a US
audience.
Before I get into anything else, let me emphasize the importance of
hearing the spoken instructions in the game. It may not be critical
to finishing the game, because it is possible to wander around until you
stumble upon the right spot. But it REALLY adds to the
gameplay. When you get lost in the huge levels, just press a button
for navigation help from the dispatcher and get set on the right
path. The voice navigation does more than just give instructions
though, it immerses you in the game and makes a much more vibrant and
realistic world. Your teammates communicate over the radio, you can
get advice, and there is even a surprising amount of STORY to be revealed
by sound. In level 2 for example, you are told that the facility is
an amusement park with a research lab underneath. It really explains
a lot of the level and gives character. The initial mission was
thought to be to rescue only engineers and staff, as the theme park was
closed on the day a huge fire broke out. However, you later hear that
there was a private party and a lot of kids were trapped in the
park. I can't imagine the game being nearly as engrossing without
such attention to detail which is only found by listening to the voices in
the game. So if you are not FLUENT in spoken Japanese, do NOT get
the import. By all means try to get the US version. I waited
for that very reason - I know a little Japanese and can figure out when
I'm told to go forward, left, right, up, etc. But the whole feeling
of the game suffers if you can't understand the "extra" details.
* a side note: I'm very glad the voices were re-dubbed (and quite well,
I might add). Subtitles were rumored but thankfully we got
voice. I love the subtitles in Panzer RPG, and I'm actually hoping
for a subbed Shining Force III, but BR is just better with real voices.
As for the game, it is a futuristic firefighting rescue mission done in
full 3D using a modified version of the great NiGHTS game engine.
The levels really look nice, and the lighting effects are without a doubt
the finest ever produced on Saturn. Wait until you see the eerie
green light of your searchlights when the power goes out. The special
effects will be a pleasant surprise to many. You are treated to an
intro with good anime artwork. The sound in the intro sounds pretty
bad, a tin-like sound accompanies the voices - like you are listening to a
FM radio station just within your range. The music is very cheesy,
and when the menu screen comes up you are treated to a song that would fit
in perfectly with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - yuck! Fortunately,
during the game you will hear excellent sound effects and none of the bad
music present in the intro and menu screens. Footsteps are crisp, flames
crackle, some effects (like the forewarning of backdrafts) are vital to
gameplay, and the voices over your radio are very clear. Graphics
are sharp, good textures are used and the whole world is a visually
pleasing interpretation of a futuristic society.
Levels are HUGE. There are only four of them (levels 3 and 4 are
in the same setting) plus a training level. Don't worry about length
though, each level is massive. It will surely take the average gamer
longer to play through BR than NiGHTS and its seven smaller levels.
The levels are really believable, helped by good design and the
immersiveness of the voice systems. The maps are well thought out
and will be confusing at first, but in the long run are very logical and
will give you quite a bit of exploring and turning up secret rooms and
finding people to rescue.
Speaking of rescuing people, at the end of a level you get grades (like
NiGHTS) for different categories such as "boss" grade, victims rescued,
how well you suppressed the fires, and time. Like NiGHTS, there is
more to do than just finish the level. Try finding all the victims,
I know it will take me weeks! Besides the regular listed victims,
there are hidden ones as well. Even Claris and Eliot from NiGHTS
make a cameo appearance as helpless souls to be rescued by you. A
warning though, the dialog when you resuce people is pretty bad. It
gets very corny (sometimes bordering on the quality of Resident Evil -
yikes!).
I find control to be pretty responsive with the analog pad. It
will take some wandering around and practicing to get used to your jump
jets, but I think I've learned it pretty well. Just remember to
avoid overuse of the jump jets and you should be pretty good. If you
just keep hopping around with the jets you WILL have a tough time
controlling yourself, so go easy on the buttons. Many people
complained about the import BR's control as tough to maneuver. The
control is not like a lot of other games, so you need some time to get
used to it. It's not like the transition from Mario to Sonic to
Sonic 2. BR is a new way of looking at things. Remember how
weird NiGHTS felt for the first 15 minuted you played it? Same deal
here. One warning - you will hop when you reach the edge of a
drop-off and many people will end up falling to the ground below.
Just get used to around the edge navigation and learn to expect it, it may
be challenging but I find the control much better than most free-roaming
3D games (anybody play Pitfall 3D?).
One more problem people had with the Japanese BR is some "graphics
glitches". I have not played the Japanese version, and I'm only
about halfway through the US (I've seen level 3 a little bit at the time
of review). I have not encountered any serious problems
though. If you go to the edge of many ledges, the ledge will
disappear, but I think this may have been intended so you can look down
and see what's below. There are some minor glitches at times, like
being able to float right at the edge of some ledges and little bits of
fire flickering through a wall from the next room but nothing REALLY bad
that I can see. You may get a little disoriented with camera angles,
but no more so than with any game of the type.
Overall, I'm excited to be getting into Burning Rangers. If you
want a game with a new feel to it instead of a clone of every other
platformer you ever played, give it a try. Give the control some
time to grow on you and have fun. I think replay value is quite
high, just for the fact that you can go back and try to save all those
pesky victims. Kinda like how some people still play NiGHTS just to
have fun with the nightopians and their changing moods and
reactions. If you do not adjust well to a new style of gameplay, you
may get frustrated with BR. If you play the import and you don't
know Japanese, you will probably think less of this game than if you can
find a US version (they may be hard to get, start looking!). BR is
wildly original and tries some unconventional things like making sound a
vital part of the game experience. It's ideas like that that make
games evolve so we don't get the same thing with a sequel cranked out
every year. It isn't perfect, but I have never played anything quite
like it before and that counts for something. Also, the replay value
looks to be really good for a 3D platformer. Burning Rangers may not
be for everyone, but if you want a new twist to your games, give it a
shot.
P.S. - I'm not sure if it's a rumor or the truth but there has been
talk that Sonic Team is disbanding to work on different projects.
Part of me is happy they don't want to keep churning out cookie-cutter
sequels, but the team will be missed. Maybe we will get Dreamcast
Sonic before the end, but after that it looks like they will be splitting
up. Sonic Team was responsible for some excellent and innovative
games. It was that certain undefineable charm of the original Sonic
that made me choose Genesis over SNES when I could only have one.
And I snapped up NiGHTS and that fancy new analog pad on the day of
release to see what this psychadelic masterpiece was all about.
Burning Rangers seems to have a distinct personality like both of those
classics, and all of them will be fond video game memories to me
forever. Thanks Sonic Team!
