Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid - Super Edition (2021)

While still dwarfed by giants like Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat 11, and Injustice 2, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is now one of the most popular fighting games available. This isn't even the first time I've had a Power Rangers fighting game either, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition takes that credit way back in the days of the SNES, but Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid marks the first time I've seen a proper attempt to meld multiple incarnations of the spandex-loving heroes with a modern fighting game setup on PC. It is a solid little fighter, it's just got some serious problems with base content and its approach to DLC.

You can swap between each member of your team at any time, as well as using each one for a Swap Strike-style assist can help continue a combo. Character health bars regenerate when benched, so there's a tactical side to tracking your health mid-combo and swapping out accordingly. You can even call in from a choice of three MegaZords (known as Ultras) for a special super attack. At its core, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a surprisingly robust fighter. Character animations are smooth and almost any move can be blocked or countered in some way with plenty of smooth transitions between each, creating a more even experience that'll appeal to casual fighting game players.

Overall, it isn't some cheap tie into a quarter-century-old franchise, at least not in sense of its core mechanics and gameplay. However, an ugly yet suitably contemporary approach to content accessibility leaves this game feeling frustratingly spartan to anyone who doesn't invest in a rolling number of ongoing season passes. This seems to be the way all fighting games are going, just look at Dead or Alive 6's awful DLC setup, but it's not a welcome direction.