Flashback to 1996: With NiGHTS fresh out of the bag, the Team wastes no time in launching their next project. Seems Naoto Ohshima and the gang of directors felt there were too many games focusing on the battle between good and evil, where the object is simply to kill. That's all good fun, but there is a nobler breed of real-world hero: those men and women who put everything on the line to protect life. From this ideal, the concept of the Burning Rangers is born. The all-purpose rescue team of the future, where the only villains are those that can't be killed with bullets and blades.

   The vision was to portray, to quote the theme song, the "future we are all hoping for." A beautiful future where clean, natural energy supplies the force for technology that works to better the lives of all mankind. A world where our children can grow up happily...but no matter how great this future world is, there will still be disasters. And conventional wisdom states that as technology advances, so will the disasters associated with those technologies. More complex problems will require a new breed of real-world hero, and from that premise the "Burning Rangers" were born.

   The working title was "Firefighter", but in reality, it's about alot more than just putting out fires. Quick thinking, nimble actions, and one hell of a good sense of direction are all integral parts of the gameplay, and eventually the name "Burning Rangers" formed. Fresh off the grill, it sounds a little odd to an American ear. The "burning" is meant to represent a "go for it" image, and the "rangers" is used in Power Rangers context.

   Burning Rangers hit the streets in February '98 in Japan, and made its move to the West in May of the same year. It goes without saying that Shou and the gang never got tremendous commercial success, despite being backed by an elite crew of anime seiyuu (voice actors). The fact is, unfortunately, BR came at a very inopportune time in the Saturn's lifespan. Moreover, the underpowered hardware could barely cope with the game's massive technical demands, and in the end, it ended up looking like techno puke. It's quite tragic, because despite the technical flaws, it's one of the most creative and downright playable games in the Saturn's entire library. A Dreamcast sequel could certainly escalate BR to the Sonic and NiGHTS status it so richly deserves. Let's cross our fingers and hope this awesome game gets the opportunity to live up to its full potential.

   The theme emphasized throughout BR is hope, and the positive future is a reflection of this ideal. The premise of high-tech rescue teams to handle high-tech disasters builds upon the theme, making BR the ideal altruist's videogame. Except maybe for Rockman Dash!, but you know what I mean.