Did you know that Ark: Survival Ascended, a game all about surviving on a prehistoric island inhabited by dinosaurs, has added Power Rangers-themed content of all things? ?I didn't until I woke up this morning, and it may just be the most bizarre gaming crossover of 2024.

I suppose it does make some sense since the crossover is specifically with the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team, whose giant Zords took the form of prehistoric creatures, like a tyrannosaurus rex and a saber-toothed tiger. It's also a mod that's completely free to download, letting you dress your character up as one of the five original Rangers, complete with u??nique animations, and there are even optional skins for your wea??pons and specific dinosaurs, turning them into the Dinozords. Sadly, the Green Ranger and his Dragonzord are absent.

The image of roaming around the world with these giant robot dinosaurs while dressed as a Power Ranger is admittedly amusing, but watching the above trailer only makes me think there's untapped potential in a big budget Power Rangers game. Imagine getting to run around Angel Grove fighting monsters with fun fighting moves and over-the-top wea?ponry. Then hopping into your Zord or the Meg?azord itself for large-scale monster battles.

It wouldn't even need to be open world; I'd happily take something more linear or mission-based so long as it had a lot of cool flair and tight combat. In my head, I'm picturing something akin to PlatinumGames' sorely underappreciated Transformers Devastation (if you know, you know). In fact, Platinum's expertise with action games makes it a perfect fit for the series. It even made The Wonderful 101, which drew a lot of influence from Japanese superhero media like Super Sentai, the source material for Power Rangers. I'm not even that big of a Power Rangers fan, but I'd be all over a PlatinumGames-made Power Rangers title.

While it may not scratch that exact itch, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind (which launches later this year) looks like it could be the next best thing. Announced at Summer Game Fest, this retro inspired?? beat 'em up is one big love letter to the original show, featuring co-op gameplay, some astounding pixel art visuals, and first-person Megazord fights.

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Cammy's famous fireball

Street Fighter and Power Rangers continue to enjoy a fun, if altogether bemusing, crossover friendship �Not content with adding the iconic Ryu and Chun-Li into nWay fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, toy maker Hasbro continues to add World Warriors to its brand new action figure line Street Fighter X Power Rangers Lightning Collection.

As featured in the recent Hasbro Pulse Con showcase, the merchandiser revealed that Ryu's fiery rival, Ken Masters, and Red Delta's stellar operative, Cammy White, are the next two Wrld Warriors in line to receive a Mighty Morphin' makeover. Ken will step into his new guise as the Soaring? Falcon Ranger, while Cammy becomes the Stinging Crane Range, complete with a brand new projectile attack!

As with Ryu and Chunners' Power Rangers pseudonyms, the new designs for Ken and Cammy reflect the colors and costumes of their Street Fighter iterations, freshly tweaked to fit within the bodysuited battleverse of the long-running Saban franchise. Ken appears to be sleeveless in his ranger gear, which must be borderline heresy to the Power Rangers community. Cammy is instantly recognizable, and even has a red metal beret sculpted directly into her battle hel??met.

Ken and Cammy stand around six inches in height and feature full articulation, allowing them to be posed in all manner of dynamic stances. In addition, the figures come with various effect elements, so they can be displayed performing their unique, special attacks. The figures are expected to retail for around $35 USD, and will launch in March 2023. The Ryu and Chun-Li Power Rangers variants are available to pre-order right now, a??nd are expected to launch a month ea??rlier in February 2023.

Street Fighter's Ken and Cammy recei??ve Power Rangers crossover action figures [Eventhubs]

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Jetto, Jetto, Jetto-man!

I was at the perfect age when Mighty Morphin Power Rangers hit the scene. I absolutely ate it up like almost every kid my age. Then my sister made fun of me for watching it so hard that I actually became too ashamed to tune in. Whenever I bring this up to her, she just says, "you're welcome." Older sisters suck.

I don’t remember what lead me to watch Choujin Sentai Jetman. It was Toei’s 15th entry in the Super Sentai series and was the one right before Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger: the series that was adapted into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I was l??earning Japanese, and for som??e reason, I was curious about Tokusatsu, so I just grabbed the series. I didn’t make it through its 50-some-odd episodes, but I watched a significant chunk and don’t regret it. That is one weird damned show.

Anyway, there was a Famicom game ba??sed on it, and while I wasn’t expecting much, I had to have it. It definitely wasn’t much.

Choujin Sentai Jetman translates to “bird-person squadron Jetman,�which I find rather amusing since it implies that its members are both birds and jets. The story ??of the show is that a space station explodes while trying to make super-soldiers, and random people in Japan are hit with “birdonic waves.�The group behind Jetman decide to just recruit these people to help save the world from aliens, and understandably, two of the five don’t even want to be there.

From there, if you’re familiar with the Power Rangers formula, it isn’t much different here. The bad guys, who look like they’re from a Visual Kei band, create monsters to terrorize Japan, and the bird-people jet-men show up to deal with them. They fight their goons, then they fight the monster, then the monste??r grows so they summon their robot and fight ??while causing extraordinary collateral damage.

What I loved about Choujin Sentai Jetman was how weird it was. The monsters were things like a bus or a camera, and then there was my favorite: an evil cup of instant ramen. It had a love tr??iangle, for some reason, and the lead g??uy never stops pining for his dead love, who later turns out to be alive or something.

None of this is translated into the game, but love triangles are a little advanced for the Famicom. Actually, there isn’t much plot represented within the game at all. That would probably take effort, which I don’t think the team at Natsume cared to invest in. Monsters from the show make appearances as bosses, but I don’t really think their levels reflect the episodes they’re from. Granted, it’s been ten years since I watched the show, but I ??mostly remember the battles happening in quarries and public parks.

Each of the five levels has two parts: a really boring sidescroller and a very crappy fighting game. You select from the five bird-jets, each using their weapons from the show. Blue Swallow and White Swan have bird blasters. Black Condor and Red Eagle have swords, and Yell?ow Owl has the gauntlet. Yellow Owl is probably the best, b?ut in the show he’s the comic relief character. No one wants to play the comic relief character. They want to play as Gai, the Black Condor, because he smokes and rides a motorcycle. He’s like Japanese Wolverine.

I want to be clear: Choujin Sentai Jetman isn’t strictly bad; it’s just extremely low-effort. The sidescrolling sections are so basic. The only real difference between them is the odd enemy that shows up in some levels but not others. They only scroll horizontally; there isn’t even a token elevator section. It plays like Shatterhand with none of its redeeming qualities.

The boss battles are equally as interchangeable but twice as bullshit. Each boss is largely the same, but to keep you guessing, sometimes they throw two punches in a row, and other times they throw three punches. You have a s?pecial bar that charges over time and is the real key to beating the bosses, but you can’t just back off and wait for it to charge, or it’ll b?e death by chip damage. It really comes down to trying to do more damage than the enemy.

If you’re going to die, it’s probably going to be during the boss battles. That sucks, because if you die during the sidescro??ller sections, you switch to another ranger and start from the checkpoint, but if you lose to the boss, you start the whole level over again. The levels are stupid-short, so it’s not the end of ??the world, but when you just want to learn the boss battle, it’s frustrating that you have to do the whole level again.

After you beat the five initial levels, you’re sent to the end game, which plays out basically the same as any normal level. The whole game can be finished in less than an hour if you already know the? basics.

Again, Choujin Sentai Jetman isn’t horrible to play; it is just startlingly routine. It’s like the development team created a generic video game template, slapped on the license, and forgot to add the fun. The only thing going for it is that you get to play as your favorite jet-people. It fits my very specific definition of a game.

You don’t really need a translation for Choujin Sentai Jetman. The logo is in Japanese, but the main menu is in English, and there’s no dialogue. You might think there’s no point to it getting released in North America, but Shout! Factory actually released the TV series on DVD in North America back in 2018. Weird, bu??t if you like the show, the game�exists.

Check out previous Famicom Fridays right here.

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Mayhem in Make-Up

Developer nWay has released the gameplay trailer for Poisandra, the cute 'n' colourful psychopath making her way to tag fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. Poisandra will be the second DLC character of the? tag fighter's fourth season and launches in-game November 16.

And doesn't she just look adorable? Poisandra is one of the "latter-day" Power Rangers villains, making her initial debut in 2015 series Power Rangers: Dino Charge. One of the four lieutenants (as well as the eventual bride) of big bad Sledge, Poisandra woos her ?enemies with her ditzy nature and super-cute looks, before bring?ing the pain via her mighty Heart Lance and hypnotical and magical make-up kit �bestowed with various powers and tricks.

You can check out Poisandra in action the trailer below, courtesy of IGN:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_toU-aiOl4

As we can see from th??is short video, nWay has gifted Poisandra with a wonderful character m??odel that really captures the vivacious villain's look and personality. Poisandra can perform extended beatdowns thanks to her Heart Lance, and also uses her charms, (as well as an array of explosive desserts), to keep the combo rolling. Should the brawl become a little too much to handle, Poisandra can even call in an assist from her man, Sledge. The trailer also debuts a new Megazord, Gravezord, who will be added to the roster of selectable assist bots.

Poisandra is one of the most unique looking and charismatic Battle for the Grid characters to date, and will be joining the game years after its release. While most certainly not the biggest or best fighter on the market, fighting game developers would do well to learn a lot from Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. While the flashy fighter might not have had the most stellar of launches, nWay's support and continual evolution of its release have been nothing short of exemplary, putting many larger titles such as to shame, at least from a dedicated, fan-friendly standpoint.

And this is all before Her Highness arrives...

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It's Morphin' Time

nWay has released the "Super Edition" of its high-energy tag fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. Now available digitally on PC and consoles, this bumper pack includes the base game alongside all previou?sly released DLC. Everything you need for a Mighty Morphin' melee.

While Battle for the Grid had something of an inauspicious launch, nWay has faithfully supported the game in the ensuing years, not only adding DLC characters and stages, but also a full story mode, voice talent from the original TV series cast, brilliant online play, crossplay, and even a dedicated competitive league. As testament to the title's underdog spirit, Battle for the Grid has even partnered with fighting game kings Capcom for a Street Fighter crossover.

BftG: Super Edition includes the base game, complete with all additional modes and content, alongside 11 DLC characters, new stages, and extra Megazords, representing three decades of the franchise. Included are Rangers from TV series such as S.P.D. Jungle Fury, Time Force, and Super Samurai, as well as the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie. On the side of the evil and unholy we have the sultry Scorpina and the devious Lord Zedd.

Also included in the Super Edition is the aforementioned Street Fighter pack, which sees the arrival of Ryu as Crimson Hawk Ranger and Chun-Li as Blue Phoenix Ranger. For current Battle for the Grid players, a Super Edition upgrade is available to purchase separately. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid - Super Edition is available to download now o??n Pl?ayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch, with a physical release to follow in July.

Still no R?ita Repulsa... sigh... it's been 10,000 years...

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Old Skool Kool

You absolutely have to hand it to nWay. While Mighty Morphin' tag-fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid launched in a mediocre state, the developer has worked consistently hard over the past two years to build upon these ho-hum foundations - adding characters & stages, a story mode, improved visuals, cross-play, new mechanics, and extra platforms to create what stands t?oday as a neat alternative to the market leaders.

Today, Battle for the Grid might not be the best fighter on the market, but its easy-to-play style and dedication to franchise lore has knocked it up several tiers, to the point where it can enter into a collaboration with the grand-daddy of them all: Capcom's Street Fighter. Incoming DLC will see SF poster kids Ryu and Chun-Li don Power Armor and step into the ring, bringing their unmistakable skills to Power Rangers' colorful, crazy universe.

While we have already been given a sneak peek of Ryu as "Crimson Hawk Ranger", a new video — courtesy of IGN — gives us our first look at Chun-Li in action. Donning the mantle of "Blue Phoenix Ranger," Chun-Li's acrobatic and graceful fighting technique fits Battle for the Grid like a glove, and sees her comfortably take on Scorpina and other Power Rangers villains. While the crossover remains a little weird, it's proving surprisingly adept.

And still, there's no Rita Repulsa... not even the E?lizabeth Banks version...

The Street Fighter Pack will launch as paid DLC on all platforms May 25.

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Known as the Crimson Hawk and Blue Phoenix Rangers

The worlds of Power Rangers and Street Fighter have crossed over before, but Ryu and Chun-Li should feel a little more at home in their latest crossover. The two fighters are coming to Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid as the Crimson Hawk Ranger and Blue P?hoenix Ranger.

Revealed over on IGN, the trailer showcases a lot of Ryu's potential combos. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid has had some excellent gameplay trailers before, and this one's no different. Ryu's classic moves are on full display, though definitely souped-up for the more over-the-top tag bouts of Battle for the Grid.

Chun-Li appears at the end, mostly just to rock out a Spinning Crane Kick, but it's probably safe to assume her move set is similar to her usual Street Fighter kit. You don't fix what isn't broken, right? Both their looks are based off their appearances in mobile game Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, according to IGN's reveal.

Developer nWay also announced that Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid — Super Edition is coming on May 25, the same day as Ryu and Chun-Li. While both fighters will be available as a pack for $12.50 or separately for $5.99 apiece, they'll also be included in the Super Edition, alongside the previous Season Pass content. (Super Edition will? also be available as a paid upgrade to current owners, though no ?pricing's been announced yet.)

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid got a middling reception when it first launched, but the studio's stuck by the game and kept updating it with new Rangers and villains. In the search for good tag fighters, it might be worth another try with the Super Edition and some Marvel Vs. Capcom legacy in these new Street Fighter Rangers.

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Nearly sold out!

In today's contest you can win Chroma Squad on Switch from Super Rare Games!

I keep working with Super Rare Games because not only do they put awesome indie games on cartridges, but they're also super nice folks who really care about gaming and the communi?ty. If you're on the fence about whether or not to give them a chance, let that one fact alone sway your decision.

Or, just let me help: They've given me a copy of their newest joint, Chroma Squad, to give out! I'm confident you'll love SRG as much as I ??do once you get your hands on their? product.

Hey, another one I've actually played! Chroma Squad tells the tale of a bunch of nerds who decide ?to start their own Power Rangers-inspired TV show, complete with homemad??e costumes, cheesy outfits, and barely-choreographed action! It plays out as a tactical RPG set around a TV production -- each episode you'll have to have action, drama, and silly escalation in order to please the audience at home. For each episode that rocks, you'll earn viewers and money to upgrade your production with better equipment, props, and most importantly, monsters! It's unique, it's funny, and it's a great time; and now that's to Super Rare Games, you can put this bad boy on your shelf!

This super awesome phys?ical release comes with all the regular Super ??Rare Games trappings:

• Fully assembled Nintendo Switch game with cartridge
• Interior art
• Full-colour manual
• Exclusive sticker
• 3 card trading card pack

Use the widget below to leave your name and email for your chance to win. Follow the extra instructions for bonus entries, and make sure to visit Nintendo Enthusiast to double your odds.

We have one copy of the game to give away; our winner will be drawn Friday, August 21. This is shipping ??from SRG, so international users are welcome!

You can check out more details of Super Rare Games' release of Chroma Squad on their site ??-- but hurry, as of writing they have less than 10% of sto?ck left!

Dtoid Co??ntest: Win Chroma S?quad on Switch from Super Rare Games

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Steam, Stadia, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

[Update: Battle for the Grid is now on Stadia, completing the promise of a fifth cross-play platform. To get it as a Stadia Pro member, head into the storefront and find it under "Stadia Pro Games" along with Panzer Dragoon, Superhot, Get Packed and Little Nightmares.]

What once started as a very rough project blossomed beautifully, as Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid adds another feature over a y?ear into its laun?ch.

According to the official Twitter account, once Battle for the Grid arrives on Stadia in June, it will join the array of cross-play capable versions that already exist. In other words, you can play across Stadia with Steam, PS4, Xbox One and Switch users. The developers make the claim that this is the first time a fighting game contains cross-play acros??s five different platforms.

It's still weird to see Sony playing ball with PS4 cross-play after openly mocking it for so long. We're entering a brave new era now where cross-play is expected, and should hopefully be seen as a basic feature. Having grown up for several decades and heard the "oh man you got the [Xbox/PlayStation] version, we can't play now" phrase followed by a groan, it's gr??eat to see that games not only are unified, but have larger communities behind them.

That'll only ensure their preservation for longer, sometimes without the need to buy a sequel or "??Super Edition" sooner.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid [Twitter]

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Now everyone can Battle for the Grid

In the original Power Rangers, five heroes (Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini, and Billy) would eventually combine their powers every episode to form something greater than their individual parts (the Megazord). Nearly a year after launch, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is? finally creating a Megazord ou??t of its platforms.

As a part of the Version 2.0 update, developer nWay has accomplished full platform cross-play in Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One players can all group up together in eight-person lobbies. PS4 was the lone man out this whole time, as cross-play was imple??mented between the other three a while ago. 

The other major addition is the introduction of ?a proper spectator mode. After finish?ing their matches in these mini-tournaments, players can zip over to other matches that are still in progress to watch that action. It's better than waiting in the queue for your next opponent.

Battle for the Grid has been getting increasingly more robust and feature-heavy ever since its launch in March 2019. Also, it's being taken more seriously as a competitive fighter. A professional Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid league just debuted a couple weeks ago. The season will end in Las Vegas at EVO 2020 (although not actually as a part of the EVO tournament itself).

For a full list of changes today's changes, check out the Version 2.0 patch notes.

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After 10,000 years it's free!

nWay is finally ready to bring its tag fighting title Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid to the PC platform, following its release earli??er this year on PS4, Xbox One? and Nintendo Switch.

Battle for the Grid has been slowly drip-feeding content since hit first hit the scene back in March, and has received a story mode, challenges, and a selection of new characters taken from across the many franchises within the Power Rangers canon. The PC release will launch with a standard edition for around $20, while the deluxe edition will offer three DLC char??acters (Gold Zeo Ranger, Pink Time Force Ranger and the notorious Lord Zedd) along with a selection of a??lternate skins for around $40.

Reviewed back in April I found Battle for the Grid to be a colourful, capa??ble and enjoyable ??fighting title, that suffered from poor stage design and was hampered by its low budget which, while not having an adverse effect on gameplay, stifled its true potential as a "Best Of" Power Rangers exp?erience. Fans should definitely check it out however, as ??the mechanics are sound.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid la?unches on PC via Steam September 24. It is available now on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Sw?itch.

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Free DLC coming today for fighter

nWay has revealed a wave of DLC content for their recently-released tag fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. These free ad??ditions, which drop in-game today, include extra modes, stages, characters and even som??e returning franchise favourite actors.

The new story mode, written by Kyle Higgins, is a retelling of the Power Rangers comic book event Shattered Grid. When Lord Drakkon (an evil, alternate universe version of Tommy Oliver) initiates a grand scheme to eradicate all Power Rangers from time and space, it's up to our?? intrepid heroes to shut him down.

Shattered Grid will also feature voiceov?er work from original TV show actors Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver), Austin St. John (Jason Lee Scott), David J. Fielding (Zordon), Kerrigan Mahan (Goldar) and Meghan Camarena (Kimberly). That's a nice nod for the franchise' long-term fans.

Accompanying the story mode are four new stages - sorely needed in Battle for the Grid's current iteration - which are Corinth, Planet Earth: Cenozoic Era, Command Center (Malfunctioning) and Lord Drakkon's Throne Room (Flashback). The latter two stages are currently locked to story mode only. Finally, three new fighters are being added to the roster of heroes and villains. They are Dragon Armor Trini, the Mystic Force sorceress Udonna, and the Cenozoic Blue Ranger.

All of the above content should be live in-game today and is free for all players. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is available now ??on PS4, Xbox On??e and Nintendo Switch

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So-So Power Rangers

When Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers hit U.K. television - back in the days when we got everything years late - it became an overnight phenomenon. Not for me, to be fair, as I'd already discovered FMV games and Space Hulk girls and booze... Yeah, girls and booze. Still, for everyone else, Power Rangers fast became a major moneymaker in toys and merchandising. A craze which aped the heady days of Teenage Mutant "Hero" Turtles.

Despite that initial success, I am surprised that Haim Saban's (now Hasbro's) martial-arts brand is still going strong today, having seen some 24 seasons, as well as multiple games, comics, and movies. The colour-coded heroes remain, as do the giant robots, but a lot of the locations and characters have been switched out time and again. This sadly includes the best thing about Power Rangers, the amazing Rita Repul?sa, who left the show in the late '90s.

Regardless of my personal lack of passion for this particular brand, one thing I do love is fighting games. To that end, I've spent some time checking out nWay Games' recent release Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. So put on your best pair of white wellies and le??t's find out whether this high-kicking release is Mighty Mo??rphin' or Mighty Borin' (Shut up, it works.)

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid (PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: nWay Games
Publisher: nWay Games
Released: March 26, 2019
MSRP: $19.99 (Digital Download only)

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a team-based fighter which sees players select three characters - a "Captain" of sorts and two teammates - before leading them into battle against an opposing team. BftG's base mechanics can be quickly, easily, and accurately described as a super-streamlined version of Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom titles, particularly MvC 2. Players can? tag teammates in and out of battle, call in assists to extend combos, and even perform snapback moves to force certain opponents back onto the field.

Here, however, BftG goes for player accessibility over all. Much like recent titles such as SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy and Saizensen's Blade Strangers, Battle for the Grid has a simplified b?attle system, which features simplistic, button-mashing combos, utilised from three standard attack buttons, with all of a character's specials activated by hitting a direction and a "Special" button. Characters will full meter can also activate a crazy-powerful super with a simple tap of a designated button.

Of course it wouldn't be Power Rangers without giant robots, and players can call upon their designated giant - such as the classic Megazord or a giant Goldar - to attack, resulting in enormous fists, feet, and weaponry to smash into the stage. This allows the player to put severe pressure on their opponent, and can even be used to extend combos or allow for a sneaky tag-out. It's a neat feature, but I can't help but wonder if it would have been cooler to have the giant fights be the core of the game, King of the Monsters-style.

BftG is exceptionally simple to get to grips with, like a training wheels edition of MvC. That said, it still features mechanics that allow for flashy links, impressive tag-combos, and even juggles. It's surprisingly deep, but for fairweather fight fans - or just Power Rangers devotees - also offers fast, easy-to-learn gameplay, allowing everyone to get up a??nd morphin' in no time.

While a low-budget/low-priced game shouldn't be automatically chastised for not being built on a millionaire corporation's bankroll, it can't be denied that Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is cheap-looking. Although the graphics are colourful, with some neat special moves and supers, there is a distinct lack of detail, textures, and lighting effects throughout, which gives an impression of an incomplete product. This is especially true of the very lackluster st?ages, some of which legitimately look unfinished (Zordon's Chamber being a prime example).

Adding to this dated visual style is an ultra bare-bones presentation, featuring static menus, a poor character select screen, and credits that roll in silence with an overall aesthetic akin to a cheap mobile game. Not helping the cause is BftG's woeful lack of content. At launch, there are very few modes, with combo trials, challenges, a story mode, and more all scheduled for release at a later date. Only a dreadfully dry Arcade Mode and basic onli?ne components exist. There is, at least, a very co?mpetent Training Mode, which includes input readings, dummy options, record/playback, and other necessary features.

Keeping with the theme of lacking content, Battle for the Grid launched with only nine characters, making up a fairly repetitive cast. Outside of classic villain Goldar, the roster comprises of mostly modern Power Rangers heroes. These characters all wield interesting weaponry and martial arts skills - with S.P.D.'s Kat Manx being my personal favourite - but they're incredibly samey from a visual standpoint and, all-in, the roster is seriously lacking in variety. More characters are en route - you guessed it - as free and paid DLC. No Rita Repulsa either? That gives me a headache.

For a game that is supposed to be representative of a franchise's anniversary, Battle for the Grid is not the release the Power Rangers brand deserves. Frustratingly, there is the something of a quality game to be found within, but only in the fighting mechanic itself. One can't help but wonder with a bigger budget whether a genuine "Best of" title could have been realised; a fan's dream game featuring music, characters, and locations from a storied 25-year history. Battle for the Grid could have been a genuine celebration of the franchise, perhaps even a fighting game to hook non-fans, the same way Namco's Dragon Ball FighterZ has.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid suffers from dated visuals, poor presentation, and a serious lack of content, unable to hide its low-budget shortcomings. At its core is something of a slick and wholly-accessible fighting game. Yet without the visual pizazz of the brand, a full, varied roster of characters, or a glut of exciting content to dive into, Battle for the Grid ultimately feels like the unfinished prototype of what could have been a very special release.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Free content and a paid Season Pass

nWay Games' team-fighting title Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid has revealed some of its upcoming DLC plans, bringing new characters and extra content to the colourfu??l fighter, based on that TV series I never watche??d.

The first update will add three new characters to the roster, free of charge. Although there is no release date for this DLC drop, nWay has revealed that the three new fighters will be Udonna, Cenozoic Blue Ranger and Dragon Armor Trini. Alongside these heroes, a further three characters will be made available as part of a paid Season Pass, which will run at $15, just five bucks less than the game itself, although to be fair it is a budget title.

Battle for the Grid has come under fire from fans for its lack of launch content. In a tweet, nWay stated that they are listening to the complaints and will have more to announce about further updates soon. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is available now ??on? PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Aye yi yi yi yi! FREE DLC Characters: Udonna, Dragon Armor Trini, and Cenozoic Blue Ranger will be entering the Morphin Grid soon in #PowerRangers: Battle for the Grid as part of Update 1! Update 1 will provide fresh new content at no additional cost...(1/2) pic.twitter.com/UqlOHlP2Er

— Battle For The Grid (@Battle4TheGrid) April 3, 2019

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What the hell even is EA's strategy anymore?

While we're sti?ll trying to crack the egg of online video content creation, here's what's been happeni?ng in video games:

• Bethesda denies that Fallout 76 is going free-to-play!
• The Uncharted movie that won't ever happen has a new director!
• Mortal Kombat 11 is a thing and more!

In all my years of following games media, I don't think I've ever witnessed a publisher have such a downright terrible year as EA did in 2017. Now in 2019, I genuinely believe one of Disney's biggest mistakes with the Star Wars brand was making an exclusive deal with EA in the first place. There used to be numerous Star Wars games that would release on a year-to-year basis, sometimes even multiple. Sure, some weren't that great, but plenty were fantastic.

Now, EA has had the exclusive license to create Star Wars video games for roughly six years. In that time we've gotten two Battlefront games, a lootbox gambling controversy that broke into mainstream news across the world, and a bunc?h of canceled project?s that even resulted in a studio closure. I'm shocked Disney has yet to scrap that exclusi??ve deal and let other studios and publishers take a crack at that franchise.

Discharged question of the week: Which developers would you wanna see make a Star Wars video game?

The post In this episode of Pregame Discharge, Mortal Kombat 11 got announced and EA performed another Star Wars fatal??ity! appeared first on Destructoid.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid

Dragonzord! Mastodon! Pterodactyl! Triceratops! Sabertooth Tiger! Tyrannosaurus! Power Ranger??s!

The gang's back in the fray as developer nWay has revealed Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. This new Power Rangers ti??tle is a fighting game that emp??hasizes timing rather than complicated inputs; nWay says "the depth is knowing when to strike, not how."

Battle for the Grid is releasing on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One in April 2019. A PC launch is pla?nned, but sometime after the console versions. It's a digit??al-only game that's priced at $20.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid leverages recent industry trends in that it has cross-play functionality across its different platforms. However, it also has cross-saves, meani??ng that progress from one place can be seamlessly transferred elsewhere. It's important to note this seems to only apply to PC, Switch, and Xbox One; Sony is apparent??ly not playing nice (at least not yet), as PlayStation isn't mentioned in the cross-play statement.

Also, Battle for the Grid plans post-launch support in the same way most other fighting games do. Although the characters in the reveal trailer are all classic Power Rangers, there will be DLC characters joining the roster. A $40 digital collector's edition contains the full game and the Season One DLC which features "three new characters, their Arcade story, and a new warrior skin." Additionally, that edition comes with exclusive access to Lord D??rakkon Evo II and some Pink Ranger skins.

Hopefully Battle for the Grid acts as some sort of redemption for the Power Rangers. There haven't been many successful Power Rangers games lately. The most recent non-mobile title was Mega Battle, and th??at flopped hard. Maybe a fighter is the path back to prominence.

The post Here’s the first look at the new Power Rangers console fighting game appeared first on Destructoid.

Go go franchise building

For those of you not up to speed with the latest Power Rangers news, toy and board gaming company Hasbro swooped up the franchise from Saban Brands earlier this year. Seeing how their eclectic catalog -- items like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony -- has made it as films, it is natural that Power Rangers will be up there—and it sounds like a sequel to the 2017 reboot will be part of those plans.

The movie didn't set the world on fire critically or financially, but the performance must have been good enough to justify a follow-up rather than yet another goddamn reboot. Hasbro will begin to release new Power Rangers products by "mid-2019," and "will work with a film studio to develop a new Power Rangers movie as a follow-up to the 2017 release," according to news from Licensing.org. 

The 2017 film set up some elements for potential sequels, including a hint at Green Ranger and guy-who-won't-stop-showing-up-in-the-series Tommy Oliver. If you ask me, a lifelong Power Rangers fan, let's drop this hokey Mighty Morphin' bullshit and make a goddamn Time Force movie already. That would be fucking dope.

Hasbro Readying Plans for Power Rangers [LIMA]

The post Power Ranger??s film sequel in development by Hasbro appeared first on Destructoid.