Nintendo Okie

Howdy:

• Classic Mega Man game play is intact
• Unique designs for the Robot Masters
• Lots of fun to be had
• Level design with branching paths

See Ya’:

• Can be mind numbingly hard
• Music lacks charm of the past
• Not very long

There are few games that inspire frustration in their fans more than the Mega Man games.  There is also no game where the fans welcome that frustration like Mega Man.  Mega Man 10 is the latest game in the 8 bit revival of Mega Man following 2008′s Mega Man 9.  The one thing that you need to know, if you don’t know by now, is that Mega Man is hard.  It will inspire controller throwing anger and at the same time you’ll keep coming back for more.  It’s never unfair in its difficulty, with one exception in my opinion.  I’m looking at you Dr. Wily Stage 3.

In this latest entry in the series the world’s robots have come down with a case of Roboenza, think Swine Flu, and Dr. Wily knows how to cure them.  His medicine machine has been stolen and broken apart and Mega Man has to go and retrieve all the pieces.  There are, as usual, eight robot masters that must be defeated.  While they’re not the most unique of the robot enemies in the series there are some that will become memorable.  Strike Man, while a bit odd is one of my favorites in this new game and has one of the more interesting stages I’ve seen in a while.  Sheep Man was the first boss revealed and I’ll let you in on a secret.  Start there.  His stage doesn’t seem to make much sense as you appear to be trapped inside a computer.  I’m not quite sure what that has to do with sheep, but it’s still interesting.  There are platforms that once you step on them you have a small amount of time to traverse them before they disappear and they use color in a way I don’t think has been seen in the franchise before.  You have many of the elements that you would expect the series to have.  Things like disappearing blocks, enemies blocking small platforms and blind jumps are all here and you must learn where all the enemies are if you want to be successful.

The levels themselves are some of the more interesting that I’ve seen in the franchise.  The use of colored platforms mentioned earlier add a twist that hasn’t been explored in the franchise.  Some of the more frustrating elements like the disappearing blocks are used, but they’re not very frequent and don’t last long.  They keep the feel of Mega Man without having to spend 30 minutes trying to figure out one small section of a level.  Pump Man is another stage I remember well.  The falling water makes jumps you would normally not think about treacherous areas that require extreme precision.  There are also branching paths on many of the levels that will have you choose between an easier time with more enemies or very difficult paths that reward you with power ups, money and extra lives.  Your fight with Commando Man takes place in a desert that will have occasional sandstorms that will attempt to push you backwards into bottomless pits or walls of spikes and it’s very reminiscent of the desert areas of New Super Mario Bros. Wii.  Many of the enemies that you’ve seen in previous games have had their abilities changed up slightly to make them a bit more fresh.  There are very few times where you see an enemy and you know exactly what they’re going to do and there are even fewer enemies who are just re-skins of past foes.  Enemies like the little Met construction robot now fires purple globs of goo that stick to Mega Man and cause him to slide around until they dissipate and there are flying versions of these guys now.  Blade Man has flying axes that remind me a little bit of Chain Chomps that have gotten loose.  The music of the game is a bit of a hit or miss prospect.  There are no titles that just jump out and scream instant classic in the Mega Man series, but none of them are so forgettable that you’ll lose interest in them.

The one thing that has caused a bit of a split in the Mega Man community is the inclusion of Easy Mode.  Mega Man is supposed to be hard and many people feel that this waters down the franchise and it shouldn’t be included in a game like this.  I think ti’s a great addition to the franchise and I admit to playing through the game on Easy mode to see the difference between the two difficulties.   If you choose to play on Easy mode then you’ll see that many platforms appear over areas normally covered with spikes.  There are fewer enemies on the screen and Mega Man himself takes less damage when attacked.  It’s a great introduction to the game for people who’ve never played one of these games before or if you really like Mega Man, but you feel the franchise is too hard.  It took me just over an hour to play through the entire game on Easy mode and even the newest Mega Man fan will finally be able to see what happens after defeating Dr. Wily.

Another new feature for this game is the ability to play as either Mega Man or Proto Man from the beginning.  Proto Man changes up the game play enough that it feels almost like a different game compared to playing as Mega Man.  He fires fewer shots, takes more damage, and has the ability to charge up more powerful shots and slide under low flying bullets.  there is also a third character, Bass, that will be playable through downloadable content at a later date that will make the game worth another play through.  You also have the return of the shop and it’s a bit easier to get around and purchase things.  There is a new item, the Weapon Tank, that you can use to replenish one weapon.

There’s enough new content to justify another complete downloadable game.  There is enough left that makes it feel like a classic Mega Man game for long time fans.  The inclusion of Easy mode means more people will now be able to see the end of the game.  Memorable robot masters, fun music and interesting level design make this one of the Mega Man games that will be remembered as one of the better games in the franchise.

Final Score: 5/5 Excellent

• Review copy of the game purchased in the Wii Shop Channel.
• Played through entire game on Easy Mode.  Played up to Wily Stage 3 on Normal.
• Total Play Time: 5 Hours