I want to marry this game.
I don't know if that is legal or even morally right -- ya' know, marrying a videogame -- but I would like to spend the rest of my life with Mega Man 9. Which sounds better? Mega Man Concelmo or Chad 9?
Anyway, sorry about the slightly perverted distraction. I was going to try to save my excitement for this Capcom masterpiece-in-the-making until after the jump, but I can't hold back my adoration.
Obviously you know how I feel. Hit the jump to find out why.
Granted, I have not seen everything at E3 yet -- Resident Evil 5 and MadWorld are behind closed doors -- but as of now I am calling Mega Man 9 my Game of the Show.
Crazy, right? It's 2008 and I am giving a remarkably 8-bit game -- the ninth in a classic series -- my vote for Game of the Show? What is wrong with me?
First off, if you are not a fan of retro games, this hands-on might not be for you. No matter how much I try explain how amazingly brave, yet stunningly beautiful Mega Man 9 is you will most likely never understand. Which is fine. I respect that. I just really wish you would give this classic homage a chance to win you over.
Unfortunately, only two of the eight Robot Master levels were available to play. Of course I was bummed about that, but there was so much goodness packed into just two levels that I had no choice but to walk away perfectly content.
A lot of controversy has come from the 8-bit look of Mega Man 9. Some people (me included) are looking at the game as a work of nostalgic art, others (not me) look at it as a lazy effort that should have been upgraded to fit the technological standards of today. To those people, I say "YOU ARE CRAZY!" Okay, that was harsh. I apologize. But playing Mega Man 9 with such an old style of graphics is one of the main reasons the entire experience is so precious!
Even though it is almost impossible to distinguish the graphical difference in early Mega Man 2 with Mega Man 9, two small differences stand out that actually improve on the overall presentation. First and foremost, the 8-bit graphics of Mega Man 9 look remarkable when blown up on a high definition television. Unlike what happens when I try to hook up my original NES to a plasma, the sprites in Mega Man 9 are crisp and colorful with no blur to be found.
Also -- and this is noticeable right away -- there is no slowdown. While the early Mega Man games pushed the Nintendo Entertainment System to the limit, Mega Man 9 is obviously a drop in the bucket in terms of how much power it is pulling out of the console it is running on. Because of this, the game runs silky smooth, even when giant enemies are filling the screen!
Mega Man 9 will eventually be released on WiiWare, XBLA, and PSN, but the build Capcom was showing off was the one for WiiWare. Not surprisingly, the Wiimote is help sideways to control all the action, with the 1 button shooting Mega Man's blaster and the 2 button allowing him to jump. By pressing the + button, the weapons and energy tank screen is accessed. The first time I did this I was met with a surprise I had no idea was included in the game: RUSH!
That's right; Mega Man's robot dog companion is back in Mega Man 9. The demo I played only had the Rush Spring available, but a few different forms will make an appearance in the final game. Exciting stuff for retro fans everywhere!
It goes without saying that the two levels available to play -- Plug Man and Concrete Man -- were hard. Really hard. In fact, I didn't beat either level in the extended time I had to play (although I did make it to the very well-designed bosses). While this usually makes people angry and frustrated, it just made me love the game even more. Mega Man 9 is a humbling experience.
Of course, all of the normal retro challenge trappings are evident: enemies appearing in front of you the minute you try to jump across a bottomless pit, platforming sequences that would make even the most skilled gamer shed a tear. But, Mega Man fans, be prepared to be really happy: in Plug Man's stage, the classic blocks that appear and disappear make a glorious return (including the classic sound effect). I think I actually giggled like a school girl when they showed up (even though I died numerous times trying to get across them).
Strangely enough, I actually felt that Mega Man 9 was the toughest Mega Man yet! For example, in Concrete Man's stage, I encountered a giant mechanical elephant that shoots a large red ball out of its snout. Since its ball is indestructible, I had to jump in between it and the elephant in order to damage the enemy. Since the ball moves quickly back and forth, this was a pretty challenging feat.
After finally defeating the miniboss, I continued on, only to find another elephant on the next screen, this one with a ball that bounces! Laughing to hide my stress, I finally managed to destroy this second mechanical beast. Well, lo and behold, a third elephant appeared, this one more powerful, faster, and ... over a bunch of bottomless pits! Yeah, it's almost impossible to conquer, especially given the fact that you start at the beginning of the level every time you die! Like with all things in life, though: the bigger the challenge, the greater the reward. Getting past a sequence in Mega Man 9 is on of the most satisfying things I can recall in recent gaming memory.
I could go on and on about how much I adored Mega Man 9. I don't say this very often, but the game was a perfect experience for me. From the music to the level design, everything was designed with such courageous, artistic care. Playing Mega Man 9 is truly like going back in time almost twenty years and being a kid all over again.
Contest:
7:01 PM on 07.16.2008
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This could be good.
You are right though, hard as shit! I wish I was a little kid again, where I was magically good at video games apparently.
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it does nothing to sway my opinion on the game. It simply doesn't interest me at all.
Oh and chad, you should go for Mega Chad 9.
Otherwise, I'll probably end up passing. I just don't have the time or patience to replay shit over and over and over screaming in frustration.
In all seriousness I'm super glad it's as awesome as I was hoping. I can't wait to play it!
But wait.. every time you die you start at the beginning of the level? Hrmm.. not sure I like that....
The old megaman games kept me occupied for hours when I was little, just trying to beat the first few bosses, and with the level of difficulty you're talking about in 9, it'll be sure to be a winner with the old-school fans.
WRONG. That is how games used to be, and I'm damned glad MM9 is continuing the early series' hard-as-balls nature. If anything, gamers are lazy for having been used to easy as pie games for the past several years. The kind of difficulty that Mega Man 9 is offering seems akin to what Contra 4 did, and if anything, that is only for the better. If shitty gamers are screened out in the process, so be it.
When I saw "RUSH" was in the game, I first thought that Getty Lee was contributing to the MIDI soundtrack, but then it occured to me that it was the dog. I'm a bit slow today.
i hope it comes to me this year
How I hope for the Item-2 to return.
You don't seem to understand the fact that if you were to breeze through a level without dying, the game would be about 30 minutes long.
The fact that nintendo was brave enough to bring back the old 8-bit megaman is just proof that they'll be around forever. While other game makers just try to push the envelope farther and farther with more innovative games with better and better graphics, Nintendo realizes that for gamers who were around for the 8-bit era LIKE to see classic stuff like that.
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Uhh, Nintendo had nothing to do with this. Yes, he's playing the WiiWare version, but it'll also available on PSN and XBL. MegaMan is and always was a Capcom title.
Fshhoooooooooooooo
Fshhoooooooooooooo
Oh I love it. I'm glad its hard. Because that means I can use it to keep my retroskills in shape.
So Rockman still *snicker* rocks the 8-bit world? That is AWESOME. Glad that this wasn't like a hummus sandwich or someone crapping all over your Grandmother's dino sweater!
Gonna buy a Wii for this game.
Can you believe that?