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Mega Man 1 was one of the first games I played that made me want to break the NES controller in half (if only my little, 10-year old hands could), yet also made me want to keep playing it.
Mega Man 9 took me back to those days, so it gets an A+ in my book, even if some of the stages and enemies are a bit reminiscent of previous games.
Mega Man 9 took me back to those days, so it gets an A+ in my book, even if some of the stages and enemies are a bit reminiscent of previous games.
Argh I meant Megaman 7 I hate 8.
@ kapshhh
I still have 1 and 2 on me. I absolutely love those games, and each day I get down on my knees and pray for a third.
@ kapshhh
I still have 1 and 2 on me. I absolutely love those games, and each day I get down on my knees and pray for a third.
Mega Man's controls are perfect. They are completely responsive and fantasticly implimented. Don't blame the controls for you're constant Mega-deaths. That's your fault, not the controls.
And in all seriousness, I'm not a Mega Man fanboy. I know the series well, and love many of the games there in, but I fully recognize that many of them suck
If given the opportunity, I'd give Mega Man 4 a 5/10, as it's just Mega Man 2, except a charge beam (which makes the game way too easy) worse level design and boss fights. And I'd give Mega Man 5 and 6 both 7/10's, because despite the fact that they have a little more creativity going for them, they still don't do enough to differentiate from the other games in the series to fully justify their existence.
Mega Man 9 is not like Mega Man 4,5, and 6. If I were a fanboy, I wouldn't be able to tell you that.
And in all seriousness, I'm not a Mega Man fanboy. I know the series well, and love many of the games there in, but I fully recognize that many of them suck
If given the opportunity, I'd give Mega Man 4 a 5/10, as it's just Mega Man 2, except a charge beam (which makes the game way too easy) worse level design and boss fights. And I'd give Mega Man 5 and 6 both 7/10's, because despite the fact that they have a little more creativity going for them, they still don't do enough to differentiate from the other games in the series to fully justify their existence.
Mega Man 9 is not like Mega Man 4,5, and 6. If I were a fanboy, I wouldn't be able to tell you that.
@Sharpless and people who don't "get" Megaman:
You don't like the games? Fine. Not everybody likes/dislikes the same things that you do. Just because you don't like it does not mean that there must be something wrong with it.
Sharpless, What you say are "Limited checkpoints, minimal health packs, limited range of motion, not terribly fluid controls" and "mindbendingly frustrating platforming" are nothing but personal opinion.
I feel the exact opposite to what you are saying here and think that Megaman 1,2 and 3 offer more than fair ground to play on. Who is right? We both are. Because I like Megaman, and you don't.
As for the points that are designed to make you get hurt, so what? It's why you have a life bar and it's something I cherish in the Megaman games. It adds to that sense of hostility and urgency of battle, that even though you are the hero, your enemies are just as good and you can still get hurt.
I don't mean to come off hostile, so I apologize if I do, I just wanted to get the message across.
You don't like the games? Fine. Not everybody likes/dislikes the same things that you do. Just because you don't like it does not mean that there must be something wrong with it.
Sharpless, What you say are "Limited checkpoints, minimal health packs, limited range of motion, not terribly fluid controls" and "mindbendingly frustrating platforming" are nothing but personal opinion.
I feel the exact opposite to what you are saying here and think that Megaman 1,2 and 3 offer more than fair ground to play on. Who is right? We both are. Because I like Megaman, and you don't.
As for the points that are designed to make you get hurt, so what? It's why you have a life bar and it's something I cherish in the Megaman games. It adds to that sense of hostility and urgency of battle, that even though you are the hero, your enemies are just as good and you can still get hurt.
I don't mean to come off hostile, so I apologize if I do, I just wanted to get the message across.
I'd give Mega Man 4 a 5/10, as it's just Mega Man 2, except a charge beam (which makes the game way too easy) worse level design and boss fights.
Uh, what? Did we play the same Megaman 4? The Charge Buster hardly made the game "too easy", the buster did less damage than the special weapons for the most part, the bullet was narrow so you couldn't just auto-blast your way through every level like in MM5 and 6, and all in all it was treated mostly like just another sub weapon, as there were enemies that required it to beat them and enemies that were highly resistant to it.
What was wrong with the level design? Can you elaborate? I loev the level design in MM4, it introduced a lot of new jumping puzzles and for the most part the levels were designed like the ones in 9, in that they were hard to get through the first time, but once you learned the stage's pattern you could clear it like easy street.
And the only boss fight that I'll agree was lame was Bright Man. The others were really good(Hell, they even managed to make a "time stop" weapon weakness that was almost close to balanced)
Again, I ask what the vendetta against MM4 is. It's alright to not like the game, but I've never seen any really good reasons for liking it, other than that it isn't Megaman 2 or 3.
Uh, what? Did we play the same Megaman 4? The Charge Buster hardly made the game "too easy", the buster did less damage than the special weapons for the most part, the bullet was narrow so you couldn't just auto-blast your way through every level like in MM5 and 6, and all in all it was treated mostly like just another sub weapon, as there were enemies that required it to beat them and enemies that were highly resistant to it.
What was wrong with the level design? Can you elaborate? I loev the level design in MM4, it introduced a lot of new jumping puzzles and for the most part the levels were designed like the ones in 9, in that they were hard to get through the first time, but once you learned the stage's pattern you could clear it like easy street.
And the only boss fight that I'll agree was lame was Bright Man. The others were really good(Hell, they even managed to make a "time stop" weapon weakness that was almost close to balanced)
Again, I ask what the vendetta against MM4 is. It's alright to not like the game, but I've never seen any really good reasons for liking it, other than that it isn't Megaman 2 or 3.
I left my Mega Man 15th Anniversary Collection, on Gamecube, at my ex-girlfriend's house (so I'll never be seeing that again).
I've been going banana walnuts trying to find the "control-superior" PS2 version at all the GameStops in my location.
I've never been a fan of extremely difficult games, yet Mega Man has always held a special place in my heart.
It's very challenging, but rewarding and fun (unlike the Ghosts n' Goblins series)
I contribute that to superior level/character design, control, and overall aesthetic.
I've been going banana walnuts trying to find the "control-superior" PS2 version at all the GameStops in my location.
I've never been a fan of extremely difficult games, yet Mega Man has always held a special place in my heart.
It's very challenging, but rewarding and fun (unlike the Ghosts n' Goblins series)
I contribute that to superior level/character design, control, and overall aesthetic.
One of the achievements is beating the game without taking damage, I'm seriously not sure anyone will ever manage that. Although being able to save in between levels would probably make that a bit easier.
@Professor Pew
"It's just a retro fapfest for the retrofans."
That can't be entirely true, as this is my first Mega Man game, and I'm loving it.
"It's just a retro fapfest for the retrofans."
That can't be entirely true, as this is my first Mega Man game, and I'm loving it.
-Entrager: If people can clear Megaman 2 without taking damage, the can clear Megaman 9 without taking damage as well. Especially since Megaman 2 is much harder since it has crazy stuff like Air Man in it.
As someone who wasn't a Mega Man fan before I reviewed ZX Advent and had never really played a single Mega Man game, this comes across as what Mega Man was in the past and what it should always have been. It does have flaws, yes, but Holmes' 9/10 is justified in my eyes so far.
whats with people and air man? hes easy.
unless your talking about a no hit play through then hes hard.
sit by the door wait for him to jump to other side and use leaf shield, bam dead.
cant wait to play this.
unless your talking about a no hit play through then hes hard.
sit by the door wait for him to jump to other side and use leaf shield, bam dead.
cant wait to play this.
Oh SNAP this is out today and I'm going to Download it!
Mega Man 2 if THE FIRST video game I can remember playing *love*
Mega Man 2 if THE FIRST video game I can remember playing *love*
@ Gen Eric Gui- I know, isn't it amazing?
Some people love Mega Man 4, while I think it's crap. There are a lot of reasons for that, but at the heart of the matter, I just don't think the game requires enough strategy. All MM games require you to jump, dodge and shoot, but the good ones require you to do it in a way that requires some thought. I didn't find that to be the case with most of the levels in Mega Man 4. The enemy attack patterns, the level design, the whole shlemiel is just a little to brainless in my book.
Plus, I really hate the bosses. Pharoah Man? Ugh.
But yeah, it's just my opinion. I'm glad there are people they get something out of it. Maybe I'll be one of those people someday.
Some people love Mega Man 4, while I think it's crap. There are a lot of reasons for that, but at the heart of the matter, I just don't think the game requires enough strategy. All MM games require you to jump, dodge and shoot, but the good ones require you to do it in a way that requires some thought. I didn't find that to be the case with most of the levels in Mega Man 4. The enemy attack patterns, the level design, the whole shlemiel is just a little to brainless in my book.
Plus, I really hate the bosses. Pharoah Man? Ugh.
But yeah, it's just my opinion. I'm glad there are people they get something out of it. Maybe I'll be one of those people someday.
I gotta agree with Gen Eric Gui. I LOVE MM4. Not as much as 2, but more than any other one, including 3(was the repeating levels and fighting MM2 bosses suppose to be fun? it wasn't).
fetusmilk: That's exactly what I'm talking about. You basically have to get lucky to not get hit by him, since his tornados are randomly placed and certain patterns are un-dodgable.
I generally kill Air Man 1st or 2nd, so no Leaf Shield for me. I like to do Wood Man's level last, since there are a bunch of exploits you can use in his level that require a bunch of the other Robot Master's weapons to do(Such as Flash Stopper'ing through the Robot Dogs.)
Jonathan: Pharoah Man was epic. I love his level.
I really like MM4 because I love the balance between all the subweapons. Most games have a hoarde of useless weapons(Who used Top Spin for anything ever? Heat Shot was for 2 bosses in MM2, and never used anywhere else. Flash Stopper? Ahahahaha.) but pretty much everything in MM4 had a use SOMEWHERE and made some part of the game easier if you used it right.
Ninja_In_Distress: That's the one part of MM3 I don't like. The 8 Robot Masters? Awesome. Wily Castle? Double Awesome. The hard repeat levels? Awesome. The Doc Bots? Terrible. Just terrible.
I generally kill Air Man 1st or 2nd, so no Leaf Shield for me. I like to do Wood Man's level last, since there are a bunch of exploits you can use in his level that require a bunch of the other Robot Master's weapons to do(Such as Flash Stopper'ing through the Robot Dogs.)
Jonathan: Pharoah Man was epic. I love his level.
I really like MM4 because I love the balance between all the subweapons. Most games have a hoarde of useless weapons(Who used Top Spin for anything ever? Heat Shot was for 2 bosses in MM2, and never used anywhere else. Flash Stopper? Ahahahaha.) but pretty much everything in MM4 had a use SOMEWHERE and made some part of the game easier if you used it right.
Ninja_In_Distress: That's the one part of MM3 I don't like. The 8 Robot Masters? Awesome. Wily Castle? Double Awesome. The hard repeat levels? Awesome. The Doc Bots? Terrible. Just terrible.
Alright Holmes, your baseless attacks on Pharaoh Man will lead to retribution. Mark my words, you shall rue this day.
@mykie
I also liked the music in Splash Woman's stage...
Anyway, I'm really happy with my purchase. Sure there've been dozens of "Goddammit!"s and "GODDAMMIT!"s, some punches thrown at the couch, and a Wiimote nearly ripped in half, but now, as I near the end of the game, I feel like a better gamer... A better man. :)
I also liked the music in Splash Woman's stage...
Anyway, I'm really happy with my purchase. Sure there've been dozens of "Goddammit!"s and "GODDAMMIT!"s, some punches thrown at the couch, and a Wiimote nearly ripped in half, but now, as I near the end of the game, I feel like a better gamer... A better man. :)
This is a real fucking game, it's beautiful, the level design is superb, and it actually holds up against MM2, one of the greatest video games of ALL TIME.
For those that don't get it, I can kind of see why if you don't spend the time to "learn it". Mega Man games are like one big, sublime puzzle. And I'm really only talking about MM2, MM3, and MM9 here. Once you can "see it", see the shape of the game, every level, every boss, every jump, etc, you will have found one of the most rewarding gameplay experiences available. You cannot blunder through it.
Jonathan Holmes said "Mega Man's controls are perfect", and he is correct. I implore any of you who don't "get it" to spend time with this game (or MM2). Once you can "see it", you'll be glad you did.
Well, thats my opinion, anyway.
For those that don't get it, I can kind of see why if you don't spend the time to "learn it". Mega Man games are like one big, sublime puzzle. And I'm really only talking about MM2, MM3, and MM9 here. Once you can "see it", see the shape of the game, every level, every boss, every jump, etc, you will have found one of the most rewarding gameplay experiences available. You cannot blunder through it.
Jonathan Holmes said "Mega Man's controls are perfect", and he is correct. I implore any of you who don't "get it" to spend time with this game (or MM2). Once you can "see it", you'll be glad you did.
Well, thats my opinion, anyway.
Ok Gen, you've convinced me. I'm going to go back and play Mega Man 4 again, from start to finish. That's something I haven't done since I bought the game back when it was first released.
If I don't have fun, I'm blaming you.
If I don't have fun, I'm blaming you.
While I'm excited about the DLC for this game, it's not the first time Mega Man has had DLC available. There was free DLC for the infinitely excellent Mega Man Powered Up for the PSP which was a remake of the original Mega Man with an option to play with or without updated graphics.
The DLC was pretty good too! Proto-Man and Roll were playable characters (along with the other robot masters as long as you beat them using the Mega Buster), and you could download levels that other players created and uploaded using the in game level editor. I'm pretty sure it had leaderboards, too... but I could be wrong.
It's a good game and you can find it really cheap now a days. I'd recommend it to anyone that's into Mega Man.
The DLC was pretty good too! Proto-Man and Roll were playable characters (along with the other robot masters as long as you beat them using the Mega Buster), and you could download levels that other players created and uploaded using the in game level editor. I'm pretty sure it had leaderboards, too... but I could be wrong.
It's a good game and you can find it really cheap now a days. I'd recommend it to anyone that's into Mega Man.
Mega Man Powered Up and Ultimate Ghosts N Goblins were the only two reasons I bought a PSP.
I don't remember the ablitity to play MM:PU in an 8-Bit fasion though. There was the option to play with out the additional bosses and other changes to the game, but no matter what, it was a polygon based affair.
I don't remember the ablitity to play MM:PU in an 8-Bit fasion though. There was the option to play with out the additional bosses and other changes to the game, but no matter what, it was a polygon based affair.
why does sharpless even post here? we get it! you cant fathom the difficulty... if im not into something i dont comment... its that simple
great write up though... i whole heartedly agree with everything except the splashwoman song... because i always remember the water levels of megaman having somewhat of a morose or docile song like bubbleman or toadman... level was really simple though... i liked the floating block puzzles though
oh and comparing to the star wars trilogy hahah brilliant
im glad they got such a megaman fan to do the write up... but who at dtoid isnt? the games are perfection thats why and if you dont get it then stop playing games or do your homework
great write up though... i whole heartedly agree with everything except the splashwoman song... because i always remember the water levels of megaman having somewhat of a morose or docile song like bubbleman or toadman... level was really simple though... i liked the floating block puzzles though
oh and comparing to the star wars trilogy hahah brilliant
im glad they got such a megaman fan to do the write up... but who at dtoid isnt? the games are perfection thats why and if you dont get it then stop playing games or do your homework
I have a 20 dollar Wii VC card.
I love Mega Man games.
I haven't downloaded this yet.
Guess what I'm doing first thing tomorrow morning?
I love Mega Man games.
I haven't downloaded this yet.
Guess what I'm doing first thing tomorrow morning?
Yeah this game rocks. and yes I am screaming at the top of my lungs at the T V at some of the cheap deaths already, and yet I still play . Oh yeah good times people good times.
The game was made with a wildly different design philosophy in mind than the other NES Megaman games. The main difference is that there were more random elements in the old Megaman games; difficulty balance was pretty much eyeballed.
This new Megaman is an entirely different beast. Nothing is random in this game, everything is precisely calculated and deliberate, with pixel precision. Dying never comes from bad luck. You died because you messed up. Harsh but fair.
This new Megaman is an entirely different beast. Nothing is random in this game, everything is precisely calculated and deliberate, with pixel precision. Dying never comes from bad luck. You died because you messed up. Harsh but fair.
@kevinski (if he/she ever checks back)
I don't know, I think one could argue that the vast majority of NES games suffer from bad controls--especially when viewed in hindsight and compared to the precision controls we've grown used to.
Also, I thought one of the goals of the early Mega Man games (as well as any number of other NES games) was to be difficult. Perhaps this was an influence from the arcade game mentality at the time where difficulty=more coins spent=PROFIT? I can't say for sure. I do know that while the Mega Man NES games could be very frustrating in their difficulty, they were nowhere near impossible. If early elementary school students could beat them then, I think it's do-able. (Not trying to poke fun at your skill level or anything.)
And then there are all of the other NES/SNES games that frustrated the hell out of people back in the day... I seem to recall breaking an SNES controller in half (very uncharacteristic of my personality) because M. Bison was such a bitch to beat in SFII high difficulty.
Anyway, I think I've strayed off point.
I don't know, I think one could argue that the vast majority of NES games suffer from bad controls--especially when viewed in hindsight and compared to the precision controls we've grown used to.
Also, I thought one of the goals of the early Mega Man games (as well as any number of other NES games) was to be difficult. Perhaps this was an influence from the arcade game mentality at the time where difficulty=more coins spent=PROFIT? I can't say for sure. I do know that while the Mega Man NES games could be very frustrating in their difficulty, they were nowhere near impossible. If early elementary school students could beat them then, I think it's do-able. (Not trying to poke fun at your skill level or anything.)
And then there are all of the other NES/SNES games that frustrated the hell out of people back in the day... I seem to recall breaking an SNES controller in half (very uncharacteristic of my personality) because M. Bison was such a bitch to beat in SFII high difficulty.
Anyway, I think I've strayed off point.
@myself
Sorry, that first sentence sounded a lot more ironic and made more sense in my head. I blame alcohol. And society.
What I was meant to get at was that the NES Mega Man games had tighter controls compared to a number of other titles that pop to mind. Like someone said before me, when you press "jump" he jumps and when you press "shoot" he shoots. No delay, no missed inputs, stops on a dime (unless you're on ice). The bit about modern-day precision controls was supposed to be serious and a joke (I know, I failed) because we've got games that pull off complex control schemes with precision like CoD4 and others that are sluggish and unresponsive.
I'll shut up now.
Sorry, that first sentence sounded a lot more ironic and made more sense in my head. I blame alcohol. And society.
What I was meant to get at was that the NES Mega Man games had tighter controls compared to a number of other titles that pop to mind. Like someone said before me, when you press "jump" he jumps and when you press "shoot" he shoots. No delay, no missed inputs, stops on a dime (unless you're on ice). The bit about modern-day precision controls was supposed to be serious and a joke (I know, I failed) because we've got games that pull off complex control schemes with precision like CoD4 and others that are sluggish and unresponsive.
I'll shut up now.
Good points, Pacopaco. The "good" in "good controls" should mean nothing more than responsive, reasonably learnable, and appropriate for the game in question. People who say a game has bad controls just because they are bad at it are just plain silly.
I'd like to use that as a defense in traffic court someday. "I know I smashed right into that other car, your honor, but it's not my fault. That car has crappy controls. If it had z-targeting or something, none of this would have ever happened."
Also, Splash Woman's music has totally grown on me. I still don't love it, but now I at least sort of like it. If I were to do this review again, Mega Man 9 would now get an 9.1.
Funny how a little time, even if it's just a week, can lead to a new appreciation of something.
I'd like to use that as a defense in traffic court someday. "I know I smashed right into that other car, your honor, but it's not my fault. That car has crappy controls. If it had z-targeting or something, none of this would have ever happened."
Also, Splash Woman's music has totally grown on me. I still don't love it, but now I at least sort of like it. If I were to do this review again, Mega Man 9 would now get an 9.1.
Funny how a little time, even if it's just a week, can lead to a new appreciation of something.
I saw the words "it's just a retro fapfest for the retrofans" in the comments somewhere and I am immediately sold.
God damn. That should be on the back of the box or something.
God damn. That should be on the back of the box or something.
Epic Thought people.
There was an interview with Inafune who said, roughly, "If anyone would send me money, I would love to make a Mega Man Legends 3"
Can it be rumors time now?!
Hell, I thought it was a cool series. Very different, but fun.
On topic, this game looks really awesome. This was the first video game series I got into. I probably won't get any of the DLC, and if any, just the extra stage and MAYBE the Protoman one, although that one seems to be a "make the game easier for little twelve-year old temper Timmy". Ah the good ole days of lore when games made you actually throw your controller and/or console through the TV, not on accident because of shitty bracelets.
There was an interview with Inafune who said, roughly, "If anyone would send me money, I would love to make a Mega Man Legends 3"
Can it be rumors time now?!
Hell, I thought it was a cool series. Very different, but fun.
On topic, this game looks really awesome. This was the first video game series I got into. I probably won't get any of the DLC, and if any, just the extra stage and MAYBE the Protoman one, although that one seems to be a "make the game easier for little twelve-year old temper Timmy". Ah the good ole days of lore when games made you actually throw your controller and/or console through the TV, not on accident because of shitty bracelets.
Ronin, Proto Man definitely will not make the game easier for everybody, as he takes double damage. His sheild is great and all, but it only works against projectiles.
I personally think it's great that a sliding, gun charaging mode is available in the game. There really are two kinds of Mega Man fans, though who think Mega Man 2 is the best, and everybody else.
Now, everybody else can love Mega Man 9 too.
I personally think it's great that a sliding, gun charaging mode is available in the game. There really are two kinds of Mega Man fans, though who think Mega Man 2 is the best, and everybody else.
Now, everybody else can love Mega Man 9 too.
This is the best review of mega man 9 I have seen so far ^^ (the second best being Queens of the pwn age which is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2B7iz9TRqI and well worth a look too by the way!)
I LOVE this game, and I dig how hard it is.
Although I have to disagree that splash woman isn't memorable. I think her level, although one of the easier ones, has a lot of memorable features, like those little water filled platforms that fire out of the walls. Very cool imho ^^
once again: great review for a great game :D
I LOVE this game, and I dig how hard it is.
Although I have to disagree that splash woman isn't memorable. I think her level, although one of the easier ones, has a lot of memorable features, like those little water filled platforms that fire out of the walls. Very cool imho ^^
once again: great review for a great game :D
Thanks Wildcardx.
And I agree that that part of Splash Woman's stage was awesome. It's everything up to that that wasn't that great.
But now that I've played it a million times, even Splash Woman's stage has grown on me.
And I agree that that part of Splash Woman's stage was awesome. It's everything up to that that wasn't that great.
But now that I've played it a million times, even Splash Woman's stage has grown on me.
This is an excellent review. It's really, really, nice to read a critique by someone who actually has a deep understanding of these games and can give specific examples of similarities and differences between MM9 and its predecessors. I actually knew more about MM9, and whether I wanted to play it, after reading this article than before - which is more than I can say for all the other reviews of this game I've read. (1up review - "this game is a game about mega man. It is a mega man game. Mega man games are hard. This game was hard. It was OK, I guess")
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