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The player begins each stage as their character's civilian persona instead of automatically transforming into their Ranger persona like in the previous game, the player must fill up a "Morphing meter" next to their life gauge by picking up thunderbolt-shaped items dropped by enemies, which can also be used to perform special attacks. Billy and Kimberly return from the previous game, along with Tommy the White Ranger, as well as Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, who replace the other three rangers from the original game. The game can be played by up to two players this time, with six available characters. This game is part of a large collection of Mega Drive games in The Strong's collection that represent nearly 100% of all games released for that system.The Super NES version is a side-scrolling action game similar to the previous SNES game based on the series. Mega Drive games also received re-release as part of collector's editions for the Sony PS2 and PSP, and other systems, as well as being available for download on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. Games continued to be released internationally as recently as 2002.
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The first successful 16-bit system, the Mega Drive's 14-year lifespan places it second only to the Nintendo Game Boy. With seven distinct versions, it also has the largest number of licensed versions of any console. The Mega Drive/Genesis also supported a number of add-on components (32X, CD, Power Base Converter), making it one of the most flexible systems ever developed.
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The Genesis could do things that the NES simply couldn't. Sega also focused attention on its better graphics, speed, and sound, especially after the release of Sonic. These efforts were often successful, as Sega marketed the Genesis as hip, cool, and edgy. In addition to porting over popular coin-op games, Sega executives worked hard to lure developers away from Nintendo. Dubbed the Genesis, this version was developed with the American market and consumer in mind. A year later, Sega released the Mega Drive in the United States. Released in 1988, the Sega Mega Drive heralded the coming of the 16-bit era and inaugurated the Console Wars of the 1990s.
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