Review #6: Mega Man

The Mega Man franchise is quite possibly the largest video game franchise ever, outdoing Mario and possibly Sonic. Hard to believe it was all started by a simple NES platformer (yes, I know this is the sixth of the type that I've reviewed) back in 1987.

Mega Man is in no way a Mario clone. In fact, MM and Mario are two totally different things, as you'll find in this review. Anyway, let's start this bike shop, Orville!

...

Good grief, did I really just say that?

Graphics: Well, they're not as good as they would be later on in the series, but this is great, considering Kid Klown was made in 1993, and the graphics here are almost better than those in that game. Although I will say I'm not a big fan of the simplistic backgrounds, it's a start. Graphics get: 7/10

Sound: Pretty good, actually. None of the music is really headache-inducing, unless you were dumb enough to turn the volume up all the way, but why would you do that! THIS ISN'T LISTENING TO THE RADIO IN THE CAR, DUDE!!!

Okay, sorry, got off subject there. Anyway, simple, forgettable tunes, but it's better than nothing. Sound gets: 5/10.

Story: Remember when I said that today would feature a game with a different storyline? Well, here goes:

In the year of 200X, or something like that, Dr. Thomas Light, or something like that, worked with colleague Dr. Albert Wily, or something li... to create 7 robots with their own unique powers, or...

But then Dr. Wily turned on Light and turned 6 of the seven robots evil. The one robot that wasn't was a regular housecleaning robot. Light reprogrammed him, added an arm cannon on, and there was MEGA MAN, fighting to stop the evil Wily!!!

...or something like that.

Overall, very original. Story gets: 10/10.

Gameplay: Just because this game is a 2-d platformer doesn't mean it's a Mario rip-off. Here are some things that set old robot-boy apart from plumber-man:

• Mega Man has an arm cannon that shoots lasers instead of fireballs.




• The stages are all futuristic themed.




• You can choose which level to go through/boss to fight.

That last one really sets MM apart from the Mario series. You actually start at a select screen and get to choose out of six "robot masters". This non-linear gameplay makes for a pretty fun gaming experience.

Well, kinda fun, anyway. Once again, this game suffers from difficulty. There are some parts of the game that will probably take at least 3 game overs to get through and beat the boss. Not only that, but even though you don't have to go from level to level with no options, the levels themselves are pretty linear. You may get to a point in the level where you think "Hey, didn't I do this already?".

Oh, and if you beat a robot master, you recieve it's special ability for your own use. Some are utterly useless (like a weapon that you can throw rocks with, but it's rarely used), while others come in handy a lot (like the cut blade or hyper bombs). When all six masters fall, you get to enter Dr. Wily's fortress and face the toughest levels you could ever imagine. Brrrrrrrr...

Anyway, another game that may give you controller-breaking syndrome, but that was 1987 in gaming. Gameplay gets: 7/10.

Controls: Not too shabby, except in IceMan's stage where you have terrible traction. This stage could frustrate the (insert usable word here) out of you. Controls get: 6/10.

FINAL SCORE:

7+5+10+7+6=35. 35/5= 7/10

Verdict: It's good, but I'll take the sequel, Mega Man II, over this one.