In this thread we flip through magazines on the wiki and find prototype screenshots.

A couple of EGM supplements of interest - CES coverage from 1992:

https://retrocdn.net/File:EGM_US_Supplement_032_1992VideoGamePreviewGuide.pdf
https://retrocdn.net/File:EGM_US_Supplement_037_1993VideoGamePreviewGuide.pdf

The second one in particular is a gold mine for old screenshots. In fact, the very first sighting of that Emerald Hill Zone mockup came from there.

(issue names for these are a little bit wonky because there are often multiple supplements in a magazine)

 

In the "Bienvenido Al Proximo Nivel" (Welcome to the Next Level) VHS promo tape, it contains brief beta video footage of the upcoming Power Rangers game for Megadrive. We see further shots from the early prototypes (which predate drx's protos of the game) in the pages of TodoSega. Immediately identifiable differences from the screenshots include unfinished/miscoloured sprites, different cutscene artwork, different character select artwork, different stage backgrounds, two Monster characters who don't make it to the final (Pudgy Pig and Dark Warrior), and Cyclopsis is referred to as Shiny/K.I. Shiny, an abbreviated form of an early production name from the monster, Knight In Shiny Mirrors. (This name makes it to the earliest of drx's protos, and at least one piece of ancillary 1993 merchandise).

This prototype was previewed in the pages of TodoSega lasting from about Issues #17 to #21 IIRC, with the final release version of the game being reviewed in the following issue, where they acknowledge the massive retooling the game underwent throughout production, which gives an interesting snapshot of the development time.

What I don't understand is why the game was specifically advertised and marketed earlier in Spanish territories. John Pedigo himself states that it was an odd move, but perhaps this was a decision by Saban himself? My working theory is that MMPR was gaining popularity outside of the US, and Spanish folks had grown up with dubbed Sentai. It was potentially a way to gauge reactions to the game from the closest thing to an existing fanbase without hurting it in it's "home" territory of the US.

I analyzed the shit outta drx's protos. Shame that this proto seems to have vanished off the face of the Earth (potentially wiped?). If a copy does still exist, it's probably in some dusty basement in Spain.

 

There's a System E version of the game:

https://segaretro.org/File:FantasyZoneII_SystemE_InstructionCard.jpg

of course that instruction card says 1988 and the wiki says 1987, so that's a thing.

 

But didn't M2 make a Fantasy Zone II Arcade for PS2 using real arcade hardware? What happened with that version then?

 

That one came much later.

Sega did put the DX version in arcade cabinets, but I don't think I ever quite worked out if they actually manufactured real boards or emulated everything. I also don't know how widespread the release was - those Sega arcades are like little communities, with tournaments and one-off special things happening all the time.


But in 1987/1988 Sega basically took the Master System Fantasy Zone II and put it in an arcade cabinet, as they did with a handful of games at the time. I don't know why.

 

This early screen of Columns for Game Gear from EGM #15 1990
Interesting how the graphics look more Egyptian themed rather than Greek. I'd Wish I knew if there's more of this version, or if it is nothing more than a mockup