Friday, April 2, 2010

Mega Man 10 Review


In 2008, Capcom stunned the world with their revival of their Blue Bomber Mega Man, with 8-bit style. It didn't just feel like a Mega Man game: It felt like a total revival of the glory days of gaming. The game itself played and felt better than any of the Mega Man games before it. But one thing about the game put gamers off: its insane difficulty. The challenge was enough to make anyone except the Mega Man Masters throw their controllers in rage. So its sequel, Mega Man 10, made the game far more axcessible.

Mega Man 10 starts out that a rouge virus, Roboenza, has infected most of the robots. So Mega Man sets off to once again save the day (All these cutscenes are presented in 8-bit fashion.) One thing is different this time: from the get-go you get to play as Proto Man. He make the game harder by taking Double damage and knockback, and can only fire two shots when stationary, but can activate a Shield by jumping and Slide across the ground. (Plus, his running animation is awesome) If you've mastered Mega Man 9, play as him first. Otherwise, play as Mega Man. Another feature is included: Adjustable difficulty settings. Now there's an Easy Mode which puts platforms over spines, makes Enemy attacks weaker, and makes the attacks slower. If you're new to the series, play through this first. But, what you really came for was a Mega Man game, which are always hard challenges. So if you came with that intention, play the Normal Mode, which isn't as Brutally hard as MM9, but close.

The same classic MM formula is still intact: You can play any of the stages in any order, but there is a certain pattern to beat them in that makes the bosses far easier. The Robot Masters this time aren't as creative as previous instalments, but still have pretty cool designs (like Nitro Man). Heck, even Sheep Man has a good design, with his computer-themed stage.

The weapons in this game are pretty cool. My favorites are the Triple Blade (brings back memories of the Metal Blade from Mega Man 2), and the Water Shield (Identical to the Jewel Shield). Admitedly, some are just average (like the Commando Bomb), but they work well overall.

The Music in this game, however, is phenomenal (the Capcom Standard). All the themes fit their designated areas, and never get old. My favorite has to be Commando Man's Desert theme. You really feel like you're in a War in a Barren Wasteland.

There are some blemishes in this package, though. There's no middle ground in the Difficulty settings. Easy is too easy, but Normal is very Hard. Also, in the Time Attack mode, why does the clock still keep ticking in the Pause Menu?

VERDICT
Gameplay: Fun. Despite a few flaws, the Mega Man formula still works to this day. 9.25
Graphics: Terrible by today's standards, but these 8-bit graphics back in the day would be considered goregous. And there's no flicker. 9.0
Audio: One word: Excellent. 9.75
Overall: This is a worthy addition to the fabled franchise. Definitelly worth your 10bucks.
9.5 out of 10

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