IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.4K
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Kevin, a teenage gamer and his friends fight to save Videoland from the evil Mother Brain.Kevin, a teenage gamer and his friends fight to save Videoland from the evil Mother Brain.Kevin, a teenage gamer and his friends fight to save Videoland from the evil Mother Brain.
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Captain N: The Gamemaster was the epitome of what a cartoon should be. It had cool characters that you could care about: Kevin Keene, Princess Lana, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and yes, even Simon Belmont. The show also had characters from other great video games make cameos. I remember loving and "still" loving this show so much, I boycotted NBC for several years since they didn't acknowledge my suggestion for possible plots and why the show should continue to air and the terrible job done in the final season. But anyways, I recommend all of you to check out an old video store, swing by a Captain N homepage, or better yet, petition to get this back on the air. I hope everyone has the opportunity to view the greatest cartoon series ever made.
The show was created to sell Nintendo games. Even though it was made for that purpose, it was surprising to see entertainment in it. In other shows made to sell games, the quality and entertainment level is extremely low. So that makes this show refreshing. It's interesting to see various Nintendo characters team up but the disappointment was no team up with Nintendo's best character, Mario. Anyway, I have to say this to NBC. This show came from a time when NBC's Saturday morning line up really didn't suck. NBC should scrap there horrible live teen show line up and bring this show back.
Captain N: The Game Master is yet another cartoon from my childhood, and while yes, it is not perfect, it was part of a trend where video games adapted into cartoons would change a lot of stuff (Saturday Supercade being one example, as the Donkey Kong shorts changed Pauline from Mario's girlfriend to his niece and made Donkey Kong Jr. Into a Scooby Doo clone, and Pole Position was not really Pole Position due to it being a spy cartoon, but the name was licensed by Namco).
So, the story for this cartoon is in the world of Videoland, where all Nintendo games are connected, Mother Brain, the main antagonist of the original Metroid, and her army is about to storm the Palace of Power, where Princess Lana. A character made exclusively for this show, is with her guardians, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Simon Belmont. The three icons are very different, with Mega Man being the green bomber instead of blue and sounding like he has the same voice actor as Popeye, and Simon Belmont getting the worst of the changes, as he's gone from fearless vampire hunter to a romantic and coward who serve as nothing more than comic relief and a rival for Princess Lana's heart). However, Lana's father, who before the first episode, was banished into another dimension by Mother Brain, reveals the Ultimate Warp Zone, which connects to the real world, where it summons teenager Kevin Keene and his dog, Duke to Videoland to become Captain N.
Being a huge video game crossover before Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made it cool, Captain N is basically one big crossover. Other than Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Castlevania, other video games are involved in this. Serving as Mother Brain's "scratch and grounder", as I like to call this type of idiot duo, is Eggplant Wizard, also from Kid Icarus, and King Hippo, who is from Punch-Out. Also, other characters from other Nintendo video games show up as guest stars (like Bayou Billy, Tetris, Paperboy, even The Legend Of Zelda is featured, which while being a crossover of the cartoon adaptation, it did fix Link to the point where he's not an obnoxious jerk).
However, it does have some flaws, as the video game characters used are not accurate in looks (with some people telling me it was due to rights issues), and behavior (especially with Simon). Also, the third and final season can be the biggest downside of the series, as due to NBC, the network airing the series, deciding to cut the budget for the show due to deciding to end its Saturday Morning cartoon block in favor of a new block aimed at teens, there were only seven new adventures, trimmed down from a half-hour to eleven minutes, pairing it with an older episode that is trimmed down to fit the same run time (hence removing some important plot elements that would confuse those who never saw the episode in the past year), all to package it with Super Mario World (the final Super Mario cartoon). Also, some episodes make errors when it comes to games (when did the original Donkey Kong arcade game have a volcano level?). However, despite the errors in characters and facts, the series still has its charms, featuring various video games (most of them being third party), and having some good stories and voice actors.
So, the story for this cartoon is in the world of Videoland, where all Nintendo games are connected, Mother Brain, the main antagonist of the original Metroid, and her army is about to storm the Palace of Power, where Princess Lana. A character made exclusively for this show, is with her guardians, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Simon Belmont. The three icons are very different, with Mega Man being the green bomber instead of blue and sounding like he has the same voice actor as Popeye, and Simon Belmont getting the worst of the changes, as he's gone from fearless vampire hunter to a romantic and coward who serve as nothing more than comic relief and a rival for Princess Lana's heart). However, Lana's father, who before the first episode, was banished into another dimension by Mother Brain, reveals the Ultimate Warp Zone, which connects to the real world, where it summons teenager Kevin Keene and his dog, Duke to Videoland to become Captain N.
Being a huge video game crossover before Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made it cool, Captain N is basically one big crossover. Other than Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Castlevania, other video games are involved in this. Serving as Mother Brain's "scratch and grounder", as I like to call this type of idiot duo, is Eggplant Wizard, also from Kid Icarus, and King Hippo, who is from Punch-Out. Also, other characters from other Nintendo video games show up as guest stars (like Bayou Billy, Tetris, Paperboy, even The Legend Of Zelda is featured, which while being a crossover of the cartoon adaptation, it did fix Link to the point where he's not an obnoxious jerk).
However, it does have some flaws, as the video game characters used are not accurate in looks (with some people telling me it was due to rights issues), and behavior (especially with Simon). Also, the third and final season can be the biggest downside of the series, as due to NBC, the network airing the series, deciding to cut the budget for the show due to deciding to end its Saturday Morning cartoon block in favor of a new block aimed at teens, there were only seven new adventures, trimmed down from a half-hour to eleven minutes, pairing it with an older episode that is trimmed down to fit the same run time (hence removing some important plot elements that would confuse those who never saw the episode in the past year), all to package it with Super Mario World (the final Super Mario cartoon). Also, some episodes make errors when it comes to games (when did the original Donkey Kong arcade game have a volcano level?). However, despite the errors in characters and facts, the series still has its charms, featuring various video games (most of them being third party), and having some good stories and voice actors.
What a show! I remember watching this when I was so young, and for the longest time whenever I talked about it everyone thought I was crazy because no one remembered it. But just because a lot of people don't remember it that doesn't mean it wasn't terrific! This show had everything that little kids would want in a TV showvideo game heroes, an imaginary land where your games come to life, a princess to appeal to little girls, and characters that could make you laugh. The main character, Kevin, completely has the whole 80's character feel to him: a smart aleck who loves everything electronic, takes on the world single-handedly, and being more into his video games than real life. It totally takes me back to being little, to the good 'ol days when 8-bit Nintendo was the best $100 you could spend, and cartoons were the way they should beanimation that ISN'T done on a computer, innocent (for the most part), and free of big-eyed, big-lipped sassy girls who only care about their clothes and makeup. I give this show an eight rating for its content, characters, and being so kid-friendly. The negative two points only exist because I haven't seen this show in seventeen years, and can't make an adult decision. It'd probably be more if I watched it now. : )
For a show created to sell video games, this wasn't too bad. Kevin got live every video game fans dream and meet the character he played and travel to there worlds. While the episodes were meant to be silly most of the time, they did have some really good moments. Like when Mother Brain transported Kevin's school to Videoland or when Princess Launa found her father. Plus, Simon Belmont was great comic relief.
Did you know
- TriviaThe episode "How's Bayou" has two different versions. The original version aired on September 16, 1989 and never again. It had a lot of unfinished/raw animation, different music/dialogue/scenes/etc., and a lot of other little differences. The "finished" version aired all subsequent times. Strangely, the Shout Factory DVD includes the rare, first version, and not the later better-known version.
- GoofsKing Hippo is blue-skinned on the show, but has a normal flesh color in the game Punch Out.
- Quotes
Mother Brain: It won't be long before I, beautiful goddess that I am, become Queen of Videoland! Ah-ha ha ha ha!
- Alternate versionsThree of the episodes were trimmed down to half of their original length and aired as filler material in Super Mario World (1991)
- ConnectionsEdited into Nostalgia Critic: Felix the Cat: The Movie (2011)
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