The Video Game Critic

Being a HUGE Mega Man fan (mostly of MM 2, which is one of the best games ever made), I downloaded Mega Man 9 on the Wii the other day, and I am happy to report that, so far, I am much more happy with it than I was with ANY of the subsequent sequels that came after Mega Man 2.  The first thing I noticed was that Capcom wisely used some of the excellent music from MM 2 for menu screens and other non-action parts of the game.  But almost as good was the fact that whoever did the music made most of the tunes sound worthy of being in Mega Man 2.  I have always felt that MM 2 had some of the best music of the 8-bit era (right along with almost every Sunsoft game).  The music is catchy and follows a good tune.  This is EXTREMELY important in my book.  It makes the game stick with you afterwards when you are humming the tunes to yourself.

So far the rest of the game is very well done and much more in line with what I expected from the series after MM 2.  Control is good (although Mega Man chenges directions a tiny bit slower now, turning his head well before he turns his body, for some reason), Graphics look EXACTLY like they came from the NES, enemies are imaginative and fun to kill, and so far I like the boss robots alot more than I did so many of those in the other sequels. 

And the reason I say "So far" is that the game is very challenging in a very good way.  the probably could have been a bit more forgiving an checkpoints in most levels, but is still stays in the realm of keeping you determined to succeed rather than frustrated that you failed.

Buy it.  I see no reason not to, at this point.

And Dave, this may be a good time to start reviewing downloadable games, eh?

I must ask you Paul, just how far did you fall off the Mega Man bandwagon after #2??

It's not like I can download ANYTHING, but I'd be curious, if a person like me, whom felt BURNED by every Mega Man after #3, and disowned the series out of anger, could find room in his heart to give #9 a fair shake and actually grow to like it.

I've been looking forward to this game since I first read about it. MM2 was one of my favorite games growing up too! Just my luck that they release it the same week that I'm moving so I won't even be able to download it for another week or so.

Yeah, I like it too, I worked my way through the Galaxy Man level this morning.

The graphics are beautiful. IGN's Mark Bozon needs to have his head examined, the sprites are gorgeous and in my mind much more attractive for this style of game than the graphics they used for Bionic Commando Rearmed.

What has impressed me so far is the design- this really is a textbook for how 2D shooter/platformers should be made. There are lots of diabolical challenges but they are never cheap- you are always taught the mechanics in a safe way (thinking of the "grabber" robots here) before you have to deal with them in a dangerous situation.

I love that they implemented some modern features like achievements, downloadable extras, and time trials while keeping a completely 8-bit aesthetic.

This game will be eaten up by most of the residents of this forum!

-Rob

My impressions:

Six bosses in and I am hooked! Zen, this is more in line with the first three. The music is fantastic, the challenge is there in spades(more along the lines of the first one, really), and it has that "just one more try" feel to it! I would recommend this game to anybody who ever liked Mega Man...period!

This has me thinking. Seeing as how Mega Man 9 turned out as well as it did, what other old franchises would you like to see given the 8/16 bit treatment? Personally, I would love to see a Castlevania with the same art style as Castlevania III!!

[QUOTE=BanjoPickles]My impressions:

Six bosses in and I am hooked! Zen, this is more in line with the first three. The music is fantastic, the challenge is there in spades(more along the lines of the first one, really), and it has that "just one more try" feel to it! I would recommend this game to anybody who ever liked Mega Man...period!

This has me thinking. Seeing as how Mega Man 9 turned out as well as it did, what other old franchises would you like to see given the 8/16 bit treatment? Personally, I would love to see a Castlevania with the same art style as Castlevania III!!
[/QUOTE]

It would be amazing to get a new Sonic in the 16-bit style, Zelda in the old top-down Link to the Past style (though we sort of got that with Four Swords adventures), and, of course, a new 2D Metroid that actually makes it to a console.

[QUOTE=BanjoPickles]This has me thinking. Seeing as how Mega Man 9 turned out as well as it did, what other old franchises would you like to see given the 8/16 bit treatment? Personally, I would love to see a Castlevania with the same art style as Castlevania III!!
[/QUOTE]

I would like to see a new Mario game in the Super Mario 3 style, a new 8-bit Ninja Gaiden, an 8-bit Punch-Out!, a 16-bit Thunder Force, and how about a new 16-bit NHL game.

[QUOTE=JasonhasRSI]It would be amazing to get a new Sonic in the 16-bit style, Zelda in the old top-down Link to the Past style (though we sort of got that with Four Swords adventures), and, of course, a new 2D Metroid that actually makes it to a console.[/QUOTE]

I completely agree with all of those, but if they make a new 2D Metroid, I would like to see them go all out and use all of the system's power rather than making it in the retro-style.

Speaking of top down zelda games. I'm pretty far into playing through the minish cap for the first time. The story isn't as captivating as a link to the past, but the gameplay and innovation make it in my opinion a lot more fun to play. Anybody who's a big fan of link to the past should really check this out if you have a gba or ds available.

I am starting to develop a love-hate relationship with this game. I love the old school gameplay. I find the difficulty level to be refreshing. It doesn't hold your hand, feed you your bottle, and tuck you in goodnight like a lot of modern platformers do. It's nice to play a new game just like the ones we got 20 years ago.

However, as much as find the old school difficulty refreshing, I also find it equally infuriating.

I've played the game for about an hour and a half and have yet to beat a single level (though I nearly beat galaxy man, or whatever he's called, and I think I now know how to get past him). 

There are way, way too many instant deaths. Why do they have to put those spiky things in the middle of an already difficult part of a stage? Guess they want me to break my hand in an attempt to put it through the TV screen.

And just when I think I've found the new "Most Annoying Enemy of All-Time", I run into the claw thing that grabs you and pulls you across the screen until you are dragged into a pit of spikes. Awesome!

But I have to say that even though I could easily list about a dozen things about the game that make me want to jab a fork in my eye, it is pretty darn addictive. I can't wait to get back on that horse, try to navigate a series of disappearing platforms, and then fall into a bottomless pit.

So far I give this game an 8.2176/10

[QUOTE=snakeboy]I am starting to develop a love-hate relationship with this game. I love the old school gameplay. I find the difficulty level to be refreshing. It doesn't hold your hand, feed you your bottle, and tuck you in goodnight like a lot of modern platformers do. It's nice to play a new game just like the ones we got 20 years ago.

However, as much as find the old school difficulty refreshing, I also find it equally infuriating.

I've played the game for about an hour and a half and have yet to beat a single level (though I nearly beat galaxy man, or whatever he's called, and I think I now know how to get past him). 

There are way, way too many instant deaths. Why do they have to put those spiky things in the middle of an already difficult part of a stage? Guess they want me to break my hand in an attempt to put it through the TV screen.

And just when I think I've found the new "Most Annoying Enemy of All-Time", I run into the claw thing that grabs you and pulls you across the screen until you are dragged into a pit of spikes. Awesome!

But I have to say that even though I could easily list about a dozen things about the game that make me want to jab a fork in my eye, it is pretty darn addictive. I can't wait to get back on that horse, try to navigate a series of disappearing platforms, and then fall into a bottomless pit.

So far I give this game an 8.2176/10
[/QUOTE]

I have been sharing all your sentiments, but I somehow love the slight frustration because it makes it feel that much more old-school.

What I really love, though, is that they ALWAYS give you a sort of practice room or situation with each of the upcoming dangers that help you know what to look out for.  Did you realize that you can either avoid the flying claw guy altogether by slowly approaching his location, or you can easily live through his ordeal by still jumping over the pits that he drags you to?  I really love how it seems like even the most difficult challenges can be mastered somehow.