Captain N The Game Master – The Complete Series

Captain N: The Game Master was everything game manufacturers could want. It was a popular children’s show, had a memorable cast, and top notch writing (especially in the beginning) and, most importantly, each episode could convince each Mike TV at home that the newest Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak had to be played. It worked, too. If it weren’t for the adventures of Kevin and Princess Lana, I’d never have bought Bayou Billy.

Now, as everything old is new again, the Shout Factory has been nice enough to re-release my childhood in the form of “The Complete Series” DVD. Honestly, it’s about dang time, although it was something I feared would never happen due to rights and licensing issues that I assumed would have relegated this lost gem to the quagmire of television past. But now, watching the series again, I’m reminded of just what it was I loved about this show.

To summarize for the unitiated: Kevin is called to adventure through the Ultimate Warp Zone. He initially refuses the call, but nevertheless, he is granted supernatural aid in his NES Zapper and controller. Joined by the heroes of ’80s video games, Kevin crosses the warp’s threshold into Kongoland and finds himself deep in the belly of the Mother Brain’s lair.

That’s archetypal stuff there. Sure, it’s presented in the form of a cheesy late-80’s / early-90’s Saturday morning cartoon with all the quality you’d expect from that era, and sure the characters are shown in an anarchistic manner (Mega Man is a height-challenged green man with a frog voice and 17th Century hero Simon Belmont seems like a clichéd movie actor) , but gamers have to remember, the industry was still in early childhood itself, and little continuity existed between games, much less in game-related cartoons.

Given the technical limitations in 1989, what makes this series so good, anyway, in 2007? It’s the little things that count. I’ll give you and example. An early episode called “The Most Dangerous Game Master” sends the titular hero into conflict with his worst nightmare: a high school bully as Game Master. But, with great flashbacks and intelligent dialogue, this episode goes far beyond the typical dribble one might expect from an “evil twin”-type story. Filled with clever puns, great visuals and the best line ever delivered by a tertiary character called Wombat Man (you’ll have to see it to get it).

Wombat Man’s girl:“I just want to know one thing Bruce, are we going to try to love each other?”

Wombat Man:“Probably not.”

That doesn’t mean everything about the show stands up to the sands of time. Many episodes are as hackneyed as the stereotypes would suggest (that’s how they become stereotypes), but hey, it was 1989. On the plus side, some of the dialogue has become unintentionally funny.

Here’s an exchange that is a thousand times funnier thanks to something Chris Rock added to popular vernacular:

Eggplant Wizard: “All you need is a little lubrication.”

King Hippo: “Ooh, I’ll toss your salad!”

Which brings me to the character designs. Villains like King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard are perfectly realized and taken far beyond their one-note character sprites, and new characters like Game Boy and Princess Lana keep the series exciting, although it’s hard to believe how sexual female characters are portrayed at times.

The DVD preserves many episodes in their original broadcast form, including classic video game sound effects and music (later replaced by bad imitations of 90’s pop songs).

Overall, the packaging and set-up from Shout is good, a lot more than one would expect from such a compilation. The cover design is top notch, with a simple but elegant “N” and Kevin in his best Bond-like pose; the loading and menu-screens are uniquely suited to Captain N, spotlighting each of Videoland’s key regions as DVD options; and special features like concept art and the original prose of the Captain Nintendo story that inspired the classic series add new dimensions to a classic series, providing insight into the creation of new characters like Princess Lana, and a whole new depth to the various game worlds.

Not everything is perfect of course. The menu, although clever, is configured differently for each disc for no discernable reason and, most glaringly, the “complete” series is missing several episodes, including all of season three. With any luck a new collection can be released. They could call it, “Lost Levels”.

It’s my hope this nostalgic revival can spark some creative juices on the part of game producers. This is a genius idea, having one hero warp from game to game in Nintendo’s pantheon. This concept has been handled successfully before, most notably with Kingdom Hearts, and what better way to show off the diverse capabilities of the Wii? It could be the ultimate demo collection that gamers would gladly pay full price for! I know I would.

Even if the hero Kevin Keene doesn’t see the pixilated light of day in a game, many of his teammates remain first class icons. Simon’s family continues to fight Dracula in the Castlevania, Kid Icarus (AKA Pit) will soon return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mega Man can never be stopped.

If you grew up on Saturday Morning Cartoons or you call yourself a true gamer, check this series out. It may not be perfect, and it may not be complete, but watch it and you’ll be pulling the old NES out of mothballs.