Alright, it's been a while but we're back again to cover the PC Gaming Show, the Xbox Showcase and the Ubisoft Forward. After this, that's it, that's all, we're done here. PC Gaming Show The Most Questionable Stuff 3. Road to Vostok (???) Choosing to look down on a game for overt familiarity from the word ‘go’, even if all it has done at this point is have its existence announced to the world, is not inherently an act to be proud of. Much of gaming iterates and builds upon what came before, much of the medium as it stands (for good or ill) exists because someone looked at a past work and were inspired to develop their own take on the material. How many excellent games would cease to be if people decided that “it’s just a clone of X” was a valid argument in itself? I establish this now to make it clear that I do not roll my eyes at Road to Vostok for taking the form of a sparsely-populated shooter set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness area… but rather because it loo
I am not the world’s biggest Mega Man fan. Far from it; it took this past year and pain-staking effort on my part to even complete Mega Man 2, much less truly “get” the appeal. I grasp the fundamentals, I can appreciate the retro-futuristic aesthetic at play and the chiptune soundtracks are genuinely delightful. By all counts, I should have been onboard with the series AGES ago.
And yet, it’s taken more than twelve months to become appreciative of the tense joys and thrills that Mega Man has to offer. Maybe it was the extreme difficulty that was typical of the era. Maybe it was the lack of in-game documentation on which Master Weapons affected which bosses. Or maybe it was that bullshit Yellow Devil boss in the first game.
Nevertheless, here I am, having played through 2-and-three-quarters of the original 3 Mega Man games, ready to at last express my thoughts and feelings on them.
(For reference: I played the 3DS version of the Mega Man Legacy Collection, which combines the first 6 instalments into one singular download and features - among other things - the ability to create save states. Yes, I'm a filthy dirty boy what does the save scumming thing, sue me... I mean, no, don't really sue me, but... ugh...)
So then…
Mega Man
I’m at once infuriated by the game’s design and appreciative of just how much was impacted by its very existence - and I’m not just talking about the format, aesthetic sensibilities, audio-visual cues and basic principles of gameplay that would become second-nature for this series.
No, Mega Man is very much the prototypical action-platformer, a pillar of the genre that firmly belongs alongside Metroid and Castlevania. Its elaborate take on Rock-Paper-Scissors with regards to how the Robot Masters are laid out is inspired, its jumping and shooting mechanics are easy to comprehend yet sufficiently challenging in practice, and it presents a cartoon-esque futurescape that delights and intrigues in equal measure.
HOWEVER, I’m also of the mind that it's incredibly fucking frustrating in terms of the distribution of healing and energy items. There never quite seems to be enough power-ups to get to the boss battle at level's end without immediately dying at the boss' hands, with enemies dropping health items rarely if ever. Weapon energy packs (pods? blips?) fare a bit better, allowing me to carry Master Weapons to the end of levels and actually make use of them, though there's still a noticeable dearth in this regard.
Also, seriously, FUCK the Yellow Devil. I get the idea and I appreciate its creativity of concept - a giant boss that breaks apart into smaller pieces which you then have to evade, before firing at it in a brief window of time, is kind of inspired... in theory. In execution, dodging around/over the YD's parts is irritating and I hate getting blind-sided time and again.
The Robot Masters, I have no qualms with. They're cute and colourful, and again the "One boss' weapon kills another boss" angle is rather clever. Kinda yearn for more in-game clues as to which weapon is best for which boss (negating the need to do out-of-game research), but then that might just be my bias having grown up in the age of big flashing lights declaring "Go Here/Do This".
No, Mega Man is very much the prototypical action-platformer, a pillar of the genre that firmly belongs alongside Metroid and Castlevania. Its elaborate take on Rock-Paper-Scissors with regards to how the Robot Masters are laid out is inspired, its jumping and shooting mechanics are easy to comprehend yet sufficiently challenging in practice, and it presents a cartoon-esque futurescape that delights and intrigues in equal measure.
HOWEVER, I’m also of the mind that it's incredibly fucking frustrating in terms of the distribution of healing and energy items. There never quite seems to be enough power-ups to get to the boss battle at level's end without immediately dying at the boss' hands, with enemies dropping health items rarely if ever. Weapon energy packs (pods? blips?) fare a bit better, allowing me to carry Master Weapons to the end of levels and actually make use of them, though there's still a noticeable dearth in this regard.
Also, seriously, FUCK the Yellow Devil. I get the idea and I appreciate its creativity of concept - a giant boss that breaks apart into smaller pieces which you then have to evade, before firing at it in a brief window of time, is kind of inspired... in theory. In execution, dodging around/over the YD's parts is irritating and I hate getting blind-sided time and again.
The Robot Masters, I have no qualms with. They're cute and colourful, and again the "One boss' weapon kills another boss" angle is rather clever. Kinda yearn for more in-game clues as to which weapon is best for which boss (negating the need to do out-of-game research), but then that might just be my bias having grown up in the age of big flashing lights declaring "Go Here/Do This".
Mega Man 2
This fucking game... this fucking game has haunted me for over a year.
I've purchased no less than three separate versions of it, played on multiple systems, done research on the best/most efficient strategies to succeed. I have saved and loaded and died and reloaded more times than I can count, and I have probably prayed to at least one deity in sheer desperation.
Basically, it's been my Moby Dick, my cursed white whale which I hunt from one corner of the earth to the other, committed to my damned crusade even as my sanity begins to deteriorate. I see it in my dreams, I feel it weighing on my soul, and I cherish its utter defeat as I crush its very being with my boot...
Sorry. Went to a dark place there. Anyway - s'pretty good. A tad bit more fair than its predecessor, that's for sure.
The distribution of items - from health boosts to extra lives - is more constant here, likely to compensate for the escalation of enemy competency. Mega Man 2's assorted adversaries are plentiful and replenish their numbers regularly, essentially serving as a means of keeping the player moving forward.
It reinforces the need to learn how best to make use of the Master Weapons, which have also improved from the original. I have a deep affection for the utility and slick performance of the Metal Blade, though the Air Shooter and Quick Boomerang are also respectable tools of note and I found enough uses for the Crash Bomber to declare it worthwhile. Not so fond of the Leaf Shield, though - it feels very limited in its utility and I found it underwhelming as special weapons go.
Also: the colourful stages of Mega Man return but are now complicated by stage-specific modifiers, like the modified gravity in the underwater portions of Bubble Man's level or the moving conveyor belts leading up to Metal Man. It's a nice touch that, aesthetically and mechanically, works to push forward the series' gameplay in meaningful ways.
It's definitely frustrating at times, particularly when you're trying to get the rhythm of progression and combat down for each stage, but the satisfaction that comes from besting Wily at long last is most certainly worth it. Again, 3DS version includes save states - I'd advise making use of that feature if you're new to the series and want to give this one a go.
I'm torn on whether this one or MM2 is the better game. Fuck it, I've made up my mind and this one's my favourite of the lot. It's also notable in that I actually managed to finish in about a week in-between MM2 sessions - make of that what you will.
If nothing else Mega Man 3 is absolutely the more ambitious of the two games. On top of experimenting with the still-forming design model of the series by introducing extra Doc Man stages and a longer trek through the requisite Wily Fortress, it's also the first instance of actual plot threads being woven into the gameplay.
One such thread involves the intervention and interference of a mysterious third-party - known for much of the game as Break Man - at various points in Mega Man's quest. The other pertains to a new robot called Gamma, intended to serve as a peacekeeper but eventually co-opted for evil purposes (take one guess who's responsible...).
It's mostly just broad context for the typical "charge through eight levels, defeat Robot Masters, find and beat up Wily again" formula, but it does add an extra layer of depth to proceedings that the previous games - for all their strengths - didn't have. The Break Man subplot, in particular, creates a decent mystery that looms over the production to the very end and makes that climactic moment all the more intriguing.
Gameplay-wise, the fundamentals are still the same, though with some new toys and a clear boost in visual detail. Eight Master Weapons get cycled in as per usual, only here I was drawn to most in the line-up (save, perhaps, for the difficult-to-use Top Spin - cool when it works, but really DAMN hard to master). A slide move was introduced here, making level traversal and dodging enemies much smoother in my honest opinion... and also, as a bonus, making for a strong redux of the Devil fight.
And then there's Rush, the new robotic dog companion for Mega Man. Setting aside the inherent appeal of having a dog character PERIOD, Rush proves to be a valuable addition. He grants Mega Man the ability to reach far-away ledges and scale great heights thanks to a trio of built-in gadgets: a spring, a mini-plane mode, and a submersible mode for water-logged areas. Love him, love the gadgets, love it all.
I adored the crystalline formations of Crystal Man's realm and the future-city designs of the Needle Man stage most of all, though each level boasts distinct and utterly engrossing visual artistry. The Robot Masters themselves are charming as always... but I'd be remiss if I neglected to mention that Break Man pretty much steals the damn show. His recurrent appearances and mystique, further amplified by the flute leitmotif that precedes each encounter, are a nice break from the typical moment-to-moment action.
Plus... that ending. That beautiful, bittersweet ending. It's a bold choice to deviate from the usual triumphant tone of Mega Man games past, but I think it works here. The nature of what's revealed (no I won't say it, go play it yourself) is such that I imagine I'd be in quiet shock - possibly even tears - if I'd played through this game when I was still a kid.
As it stands, it's a wonderful send-off of a truly excellent experience. Whatever went on behind the scenes that led producer Keiji Inafune to sour on this game, I don't feel it ultimately harmed the game. Mega Man 3 is damn fine, no question.
-
(Special thanks to Patron and friend of the blog Mark Aguirre for his support. If you'd like to see more writing similar to this, please consider sharing this critique around on social media and - if you're able - contribute to my Patreon fund.)
I've purchased no less than three separate versions of it, played on multiple systems, done research on the best/most efficient strategies to succeed. I have saved and loaded and died and reloaded more times than I can count, and I have probably prayed to at least one deity in sheer desperation.
Basically, it's been my Moby Dick, my cursed white whale which I hunt from one corner of the earth to the other, committed to my damned crusade even as my sanity begins to deteriorate. I see it in my dreams, I feel it weighing on my soul, and I cherish its utter defeat as I crush its very being with my boot...
Sorry. Went to a dark place there. Anyway - s'pretty good. A tad bit more fair than its predecessor, that's for sure.
The distribution of items - from health boosts to extra lives - is more constant here, likely to compensate for the escalation of enemy competency. Mega Man 2's assorted adversaries are plentiful and replenish their numbers regularly, essentially serving as a means of keeping the player moving forward.
It reinforces the need to learn how best to make use of the Master Weapons, which have also improved from the original. I have a deep affection for the utility and slick performance of the Metal Blade, though the Air Shooter and Quick Boomerang are also respectable tools of note and I found enough uses for the Crash Bomber to declare it worthwhile. Not so fond of the Leaf Shield, though - it feels very limited in its utility and I found it underwhelming as special weapons go.
Also: the colourful stages of Mega Man return but are now complicated by stage-specific modifiers, like the modified gravity in the underwater portions of Bubble Man's level or the moving conveyor belts leading up to Metal Man. It's a nice touch that, aesthetically and mechanically, works to push forward the series' gameplay in meaningful ways.
It's definitely frustrating at times, particularly when you're trying to get the rhythm of progression and combat down for each stage, but the satisfaction that comes from besting Wily at long last is most certainly worth it. Again, 3DS version includes save states - I'd advise making use of that feature if you're new to the series and want to give this one a go.
Mega Man 3
If nothing else Mega Man 3 is absolutely the more ambitious of the two games. On top of experimenting with the still-forming design model of the series by introducing extra Doc Man stages and a longer trek through the requisite Wily Fortress, it's also the first instance of actual plot threads being woven into the gameplay.
One such thread involves the intervention and interference of a mysterious third-party - known for much of the game as Break Man - at various points in Mega Man's quest. The other pertains to a new robot called Gamma, intended to serve as a peacekeeper but eventually co-opted for evil purposes (take one guess who's responsible...).
It's mostly just broad context for the typical "charge through eight levels, defeat Robot Masters, find and beat up Wily again" formula, but it does add an extra layer of depth to proceedings that the previous games - for all their strengths - didn't have. The Break Man subplot, in particular, creates a decent mystery that looms over the production to the very end and makes that climactic moment all the more intriguing.
Gameplay-wise, the fundamentals are still the same, though with some new toys and a clear boost in visual detail. Eight Master Weapons get cycled in as per usual, only here I was drawn to most in the line-up (save, perhaps, for the difficult-to-use Top Spin - cool when it works, but really DAMN hard to master). A slide move was introduced here, making level traversal and dodging enemies much smoother in my honest opinion... and also, as a bonus, making for a strong redux of the Devil fight.
And then there's Rush, the new robotic dog companion for Mega Man. Setting aside the inherent appeal of having a dog character PERIOD, Rush proves to be a valuable addition. He grants Mega Man the ability to reach far-away ledges and scale great heights thanks to a trio of built-in gadgets: a spring, a mini-plane mode, and a submersible mode for water-logged areas. Love him, love the gadgets, love it all.
I adored the crystalline formations of Crystal Man's realm and the future-city designs of the Needle Man stage most of all, though each level boasts distinct and utterly engrossing visual artistry. The Robot Masters themselves are charming as always... but I'd be remiss if I neglected to mention that Break Man pretty much steals the damn show. His recurrent appearances and mystique, further amplified by the flute leitmotif that precedes each encounter, are a nice break from the typical moment-to-moment action.
Plus... that ending. That beautiful, bittersweet ending. It's a bold choice to deviate from the usual triumphant tone of Mega Man games past, but I think it works here. The nature of what's revealed (no I won't say it, go play it yourself) is such that I imagine I'd be in quiet shock - possibly even tears - if I'd played through this game when I was still a kid.
As it stands, it's a wonderful send-off of a truly excellent experience. Whatever went on behind the scenes that led producer Keiji Inafune to sour on this game, I don't feel it ultimately harmed the game. Mega Man 3 is damn fine, no question.
-
(Special thanks to Patron and friend of the blog Mark Aguirre for his support. If you'd like to see more writing similar to this, please consider sharing this critique around on social media and - if you're able - contribute to my Patreon fund.)
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