Burning Rangers

Burning Rangers
European cover art
Developer(s)	Sonic Team
Publisher(s)	Sega
Director(s)	Naoto Ohshima
Producer(s)	Yuji Naka
Artist(s)	Naoto Ohshima Hideaki Moriya Kosei Kitamura
Composer(s)	Naofumi Hataya Fumie Kumatani Masaru Setsumaru
Platform(s)	Sega Saturn
Release date(s)	‹See Tfd› JP: 26 February 1998 ‹See Tfd› NA: 31 May 1998 ‹See Tfd› EU: 16 June 1998
Genre(s)	Action, third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player

Burning Rangers (Japanese: バーニングレンジャー Hepburn: Bāningu Renjā) is an action video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It was first released in Japan on 26 February 1998, in North America on 31 May 1998 and in Europe on 16 June 1998. The game is set in a futuristic society in which fire is the remaining danger, and revolves around an elite group of firefighters called the Burning Rangers whose task is to extinguish fires and rescue civilians in burning buildings.

The game is presented in 3D and tasks players with completing various tasks, most of which are centred around collecting energy crystals in order to transport civilians to safety. Burning Rangers features a voice navigation system which directs players through corridors, due to the absence of an in-game map. Development of the game began shortly after the release of Christmas Nights in November 1996, with the original concept revolving around Yuji Naka's desire of creating a video game which involved saving people rather than killing them. Sonic Team chose to connect the game with firefighting as they thought it was an effective way of making consumers identify with heroism.

Burning Rangers received mostly positive reviews upon release. Critics unanimously commended the game's soundtrack and audio—with the voice navigation system receiving particular praise—however the graphics had mixed responses, with some critics asserting that it had the best visuals on the Saturn, although it was noted for occasional clipping and glitching. The game was among the final five Saturn titles to be released in North America.

Gameplay

From left to right, the interface displays the time, number of crystals collected, health meter, danger meter, and water nozzle.

Burning Rangers is a third person shooter game which tasks players with completing various missions, most of which involve putting out fires and rescuing civilians.^[1][2] The game is set in a futuristic society in which fire is the only danger, and revolves around an elite group of firefighters called the Burning Rangers.^[3] The player assumes control of one of the two apprentice rangers, and must complete a set of tasks across the game's four levels.^[4] The primary objective is to teleport stranded civilians out of burning buildings – this is accomplished by collecting energy crystals which are dropped once the player extinguishes a fire.^[5] The crystals share a similar function to the rings featured in Sonic the Hedgehog games, whereby possessing at least one crystal allows players to survive upon sustaining damage from an enemy or walking into fire. However, getting hit once will scatter all of the player's crystals and will render them vulnerable to death.^[5][6][7]

The game's four stages take place in varying locations from factories, flats, underwater habitats, and space stations in zero gravity.^[1][6] The player is equipped with a jetpack which can be used for performing acrobatic manoeuvres such as backflips and rolls, as well as being able to reach higher areas.^[8][9] In addition, the player has the ability to swim and dive underwater.^[1][6] Enemies of the game come in the form of robots, which will attack the player with shooting flames should they come into contact. Each stage ends with a compulsory boss battle, which range from fire-breathing flowers to robotic fish.^[6]

Due to the absence of an in-game map, the player-character must rely on a voice navigation system for moving around the game's areas. The mission controller will give the player directions depending on where they are, and can be repeated at any time by pressing the "Z" button on the Saturn controller.^[5][2] At the end of each stage the player receives a rank based on their score and success with putting out fires, with "A" being the highest and "F" being the lowest.^[10] Once the game is beaten, a random generator mode is unlocked which mixes up the order of corridors in the game's four stages, with a potential total of 3125 different routes.^[1][11]

Development

Conceptualisation and planning

We wanted to create a game where you could rescue people. Nowadays, there are so many games where you just kill people. Instead we decided to make a rescue game.

“

”

Yuji Naka in an interview with Sega Saturn Magazine^[12]

Development of Burning Rangers started around November 1996, after the release of Christmas Nights (a Christmas themed add-on for Nights into Dreams...).^[13] The concept of the game originated around the idea of rescuing people as opposed to killing them, which was an element producer Yuji Naka had found too common in contemporary video games.^[12] According to Naka, the development team consisted of around 20 people – almost all of which had worked on Nights into Dreams.... At the time, Sonic Team had a staff of around 50 people, which had made the Burning Rangers team the size of what Naka considered a regular project.^[13] Other key members of the development team consisted of Naoto Ohshima and Takao Miyoshi, director and designer, respectively.^[14]

The development team chose to revolve the game around firefighters as they knew that the element of fire was the most appropriate way to create fear and tension. In a retrospective interview, Ohshima said that many of the things a firefighter does was "the very essence of a Sonic Team game", and that they recognised a firefighter was a hero people could identify with.^[15] Furthermore, Naka elaborated that the team wanted to make a game specifically with a rescue theme as he thought there were few games based on that concept.^[13] To create an effective in-game universe, the developers took liberties to design a "clean and beautiful" future where disasters still could occur, and only heroes could protect people from them. Naka stated that the basis of the future the team established for the game was one of a world that uses sustainable energy. The designers envisioned that a futuristic firefighter would be very acrobatic and dexterous in order to get into impossible places where people were trapped.^[16]

Although the assumed targeted audience of the game was for people who enjoyed action games, the developers also aimed to choose players who were fans of games made by Sonic Team.^[16] Ohshima claimed that during development of Nights into Dreams..., people had asked him why they had not opted for a Sonic the Hedgehog game, and that when he later revealed Burning Rangers, fans had asked him why he had not made a sequel to Nights into Dreams.... As a result of this, he asserted that all of the successful games were made by the same staff, and the message they contained was "they're all Sonic Team games".^[17] However, Ohshima also stressed that he wanted to attract a new, wider audience and not the type of person who only played Sonic the Hedgehog, stating that "players should recognise the Sonic Team touch immediately" with Burning Rangers.^[17]

According to the developers, the original name of the game was Firefighter, but it was later dropped as the team wanted a "cooler" sounding name. Naka claimed that the "burning" image had a "go for it!" connotation in Japanese, and it also fit in with the disaster-rescue nature of the game. However, Naka was initially unsure about having "ranger" in the title as he thought that a ranger referred to someone who looked after a forest in western culture. The team emphasised that a "ranger" could match itself into a Power Rangers-like image, and after confirming the name with some foreigners, the final name became Burning Rangers.^[16]

Design

During the early stages of development, some members of Sonic Team visited Hong Kong shortly before the transfer of British sovereignty, in hopes that they would find inspiration for designing the game's stages.^[18] In addition, some staff also travelled to Universal Studios in California to experience the Backdraft attraction as a way of learning how to generate a similar sensation in the game.^[18] To understand the concept of firefighting, the team also visited a special firefighting event in Tokyo where they witnessed robots putting out fires, and were surprised to see how it compared to their image of the game's futuristic setting. Naka recalled that the robot had special infrared sensors and a camera which could see through fires, and was impressed by their techniques.^[18] According to Naka, the team did not ask for advice from professional firefighters during development, partly due to the concern that their game would not be well received, as Naka thought they would have said that real firefighting "wasn't that simple". At the Tokyo Games Show, a real firefighter, however, did comment that the character's costumes were too thin. Naka reflected that if they had made the game seem "too real" then there would have been an exaggerated gap between reality and fiction.^[18]

Yuji Naka, the game's producer, pictured in 2015

The game uses the same engine as the one featured in Nights into Dreams....^[18][19][1] Naka reflected that Sonic Team had only started to program for the Sega Saturn when they developed Nights into Dreams..., and proclaimed that the engine they produced in Burning Rangers was considerably faster and featured graphical enhancements.^[18] For designing the game's stages and environments, Miyoshi outlined the corridors first, then placed fires in them before adding light effects to simulate a real fire. Regarding the development of the game's aesthetics, Miyoshi thought that the team had overreached on designing the game's detailed stages, saying: "everyone in the team wanted to put so much into the game that we only completed about half of what we wanted to do".^[20] Naka said that although they designed four stages, they ensured that the player's experience would increase progressively throughout the game because the stages were very large.^[17] The developers initially used motion capture technology to capture data on design poses and animations for the in-game characters. However, Naka soon discovered that it was impossible to get the results the team wanted, saying "we couldn't get real people who could perform the kind of special motions that we needed".^[18] As a result, the developers resorted to creating the animation by hand, and only used the motion capture data for the player-character's walking animations.^[18]

There were many difficulties in developing the game's voice navigation system, as no verbal dialogue had been featured in a Sonic Team game until Burning Rangers.^[21] Naka stated that the team had rethought all ideas of what should be included in the game during development, and the idea of not including any on-screen maps but rather relying on a voice navigation system was "there from the start".^[22] The team designed and tested different forms of navigation systems and eventually picked the best one. Although the team had acknowledged that having a voice navigation system would make the use of background music impossible, they realised that it would help create a dramatic atmosphere. Miyoshi thought that the sound effects of fire and walls creaking alone would be enough to produce the sensation of being present in the game. The team originally wanted to record the game in six languages, but found the volume of work too difficult, reverting to English and Japanese instead.^[20] Before selecting voice actors to portray the game's characters, Miyoshi designed the characters in advance and built up a mental image of what they would sound like. Sonic Team hired several voice actors who had appeared in American television programmes.^[20][21]

Burning Rangers' animated cutscenes were produced by TMS Entertainment, whom had also produced The Transformers and Sonic the Hedgehog series, as well as the cult film Akira. The company regularly produced content for Sega, although this marked the first collaboration with Sonic Team. The game's manga-style cutscenes were made by using digital animation instead of cel shading, as it was easier to develop for CDs.^[20][2]

Release

Burning Rangers was among the final five Saturn games to be released in America.^[23] Each of the main developers reflected on what parts they were most proud of: Naka said that he felt relieved that Sonic Team were able to "get a good overall balance" for the game, whereas Miyoshi thought that the voice navigation system was the strongest aspect of the game. Main programmer Takuya Matsumoto was delighted to see it released before the end of Saturn's discontinuation, stating: "the fact that we've been able to push the Saturn this far is enough for me to die happy".^[24]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score GameRankings 75% (5 reviews)[25] Review scores Publication Score AllGame [5] CVG [26] GamePro 8/10[4] GameSpot 6.2/10[6] IGN 8/10[1] Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) 90%[11] Sega Saturn Magazine (Japan) 80%[27] Hobby Consolas 92%[28] GMR 8/10[23]

Burning Rangers received mostly positive reviews upon release. It holds an average score of 75 percent at GameRankings, based on an aggregate of five reviews.^[25]

The graphics were generally well received from critics. Lee Nutter from the British Sega Saturn Magazine praised the effects and detailed characters, however he expressed concern with occasional clipping and glitching, stating that it was "hit and miss".^[29] IGN's Levi Buchanan thought that the game was among the better looking Saturn titles, praising the fire effects despite noting the visuals had minor problems.^[1] Ryan MacDonald of GameSpot similarly stated that the game's polygonal graphics are "some of the best [he had] ever seen", commenting that it had a similar look to Nights into Dreams... as well as praising the 3D environment.^[6] Sonia Herranz from Hobby Consolas commended the character's designs, lighting system and detailed visuals, stating that the game achieved "enviable effects".^[28] Mike Weigand from GamePro enjoyed the game's colourful effects and animated cutscenes, though he criticised the occasional clipping.^[4] Ed Lomas from Computer and Video Games said that the game had "incredible special graphical effects", particularly praising its coloured lighting as "extremely impressive". However, he later stated that the graphics "[did] often look a mess", though he assured that it was not important for the game and thought it was "stylish" overall.^[26] Colin Williamson of AllGame considered the graphics to be a problem, criticising the clipping and polygon errors whilst appreciating the game's attractive lighting effects.^[5] In a retrospective review, Dave Smith of GMR thought that the game "looks like hell" and did not age as well as Nights into Dreams..., stating that the game's engine could not handle a free-roaming environment without harming its visuals.^[23]

The game's audio and sound effects received praise, in particular its soundtrack and dialogue. Nutter opined that the voice samples and sound effects were excellent, although he noted that there was not enough in-game music.^[11] Buchanan said that the game benefited from a "fantastic" soundtrack, stating that it contained a few tracks of excellent Sega-style music with his favourite being the theme song.^[1] Weigand enjoyed the "perfectly audible" sound clues, despite noting the absence of in-game music and "lame" dialogue.^[4] Smith, however, stated that the game had "some of the worst voice acting ever produced by human lungs".^[23] Herranz found difficulty in understanding the crucial dialogue since the audio was only recorded in English, although she admitted that the voice guidance system was an innovative element.^[28] Williamson enjoyed the game's "good-to-excellent" voice acting and "red hot" R&B vocal tracks, stating that "the acting in the English version is no Shakespeare, but at least Sega tried doing full voice instead of subtitling all of the Japanese dialogue".^[5]

Reviewers gave mixed opinions on the game's control scheme. Nutter noted that the controls were a mix of those featured in Tomb Raider and Nights into Dreams..., whilst praising the game's utilisation of the analogue stick to perform complex manoeuvres.^[8] Buchanan similarly cited the use of the Saturn 3D controller as intuitive.^[1] Weigand criticised the lack of a custom configuration, stating that the control scheme was "squirrelly" even with the analogue controller.^[4] Williamson, however, opined that the control scheme was "great" especially when used with an analogue pad.^[5] A reviewer from the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine opined that the game felt more comfortable through the use of an analogue pad in contrast to the default Saturn controller.^[9]

References

Citations

1. Buchanan, Levi (3 September 2008). "Burning Rangers Retro Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
2. Nutter 1998, p. 57.
3. Sonic Team 1998, p. 4.
4. Weigand 1998, p. 109.
5. Williamson, Colin. "Burning Rangers review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
6. MacDonald, Ryan (25 March 1998). "Burning Rangers review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
7. Sega Saturn Magazine staff 1998, p. 62, 63.
8. Nutter 1998, p. 58.
9. Sega Saturn Magazine staff 1998, p. 61.
10. Sonic Team 1998, p. 14.
11. Nutter 1998, p. 59.
12. Nutter 1998, p. 51.
13. Brookes 1998, p. 68.
14. Sonic Team 1998, p. 17.
15. Nutter 1998, p. 51, 52.
16. Nutter 1998, p. 52.
17. Brookes 1998, p. 69.
18. Nutter 1998, p. 53.
19. Herranz 1998, p. 104.
20. Nutter 1998, p. 54.
21. Brookes 1998, p. 70.
22. Nutter 1998, p. 54, 55.
23. Smith 2003, p. 103.
24. Nutter 1998, p. 55.
25. "Burning Rangers for Saturn". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
26. Lomas 1998, p. 65.
27. Sega Saturn Magazine staff 1998, p. 58.
28. Herranz 1998, p. 107.
29. Nutter 1998, p. 58, 59.

Bibliography

• Nutter, Lee (July 1998). "Burning Rangers interview and review". Sega Saturn Magazine. EMAP (10): 51–61. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
• Herranz, Sonia (1 July 1998). "Burning Rangers review". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). Axel Springer (82): 104–107. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
• Smith, Dave (November 2003). "Retroactive: Burning Rangers". GMR. Ziff Davis (10): 103. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
• Weigand, Mike (August 1998). "Burning Rangers review". GamePro. IDG Entertainment (109): 109. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
• Brookes, Jason (February 1998). "Interview with Yuki Naka". Edge. Future plc (55): 68–69.
• Lomas, Ed (July 1998). "Burning Rangers review". Computer and Video Games. Future plc (198): 64–65.
• Sega Saturn Magazine staff (23 January 1998). "Burning Rangers: The Invincible Five". Sega Saturn Magazine (in Japanese). Soft Bank. 16 (86): 58–61.
• Sonic Team (1998). Burning Rangers instruction manual. Sega. pp. 2–18.

External links

• The Official Burning Rangers page of Sonic Team (in Japanese)
• The Burning Rangers page of The GHZ