Burning Rangers is Sonic Team's latest, original game. The game
lets you choose between two characters: Shau (the male) and Tilis (the
female). Each is a futuristic firefighter destined to save innocent
civilians. During the game you collect crystals that are used for
your energy. They are your shield, and you use them to transport
survivors of fires to safety.
Graphics: 9/10
The graphics of this game are really great. It utilizes advanced
lighting techniques that look great. The flames appear
semi-transparent, and at times when your only lighting is a headlamp, the
light sourcing is simply spectacular. There is no noticible clipping
which is difficult to do on the Saturn. The only noticible defect in
the graphics is that it often looks somewhat grainy. The graphics
aren't as "crisp" as they could be.
Sound: 7/10
The majority of the music of this game is bad. If you remember
the Daytona USA music, you know what i'm talking about. Cheasy
lyrics and overall bad singing. There are certain points in the game
where techno beats pick up and get your adrenaline rushing, but mostly
it's just got bad singing. In the game however, sound is
crucial. There is no map in the game so your directions come as a
voice telling you where to go. Also, when a flame is about to burst
out of a wall, there is a quick hiss to warn you. This makes
listening a vital part of the game as it may save your virtual life.
The speaking is crystal clear but when it was dubbed from japanese the
speaking is not aligned with the movements of the characters which results
in a lot of pauses in speech.
Gameplay: 6/10
To tell you the truth, this game isn't very easy to control. It
takes a long time to get used to, and it doesn't always do what you want
it to. The camera angles are difficult to control so it is difficult
to look and go where you want to. Many of the jumps are similar so
if you want to jump extra high, a lot of times you end up jumping forward
without meaning to. It's also difficult to move sideways or
backwards because as you start moving the camera will swing around and if
you were pushing right, you'll be going right, but since the camera is at
a different angle, right is not the same direction. This game is a
tough game to control.
Overall: 8/10
This game is very unique as the purpose is to fight fires not people.
It's a creative idea with great graphics. Once you get a hang of the
controls it gets easier to maneuver but the constant pauses in speech is
very annoying. The game is quite short, containing only 4 levels and
a tutorial level. Though the game is short, it still has a lot
of replay value. The game features a grading system so you can play
against yourself as you try to get better and better grades. The
game also contains many people to rescue and when you do they sometimes
open up special features in the game like sub-games and passwords to
access special features. While this game isn't for everyone, it's a
lot of fun and a welcome game as the Saturn ends its life-span.
