Mega Man 9 - Review
Added October 15th, 2008 by Justin McBride
Nostalgia is a funny thing. In this day and age, numerous games receive bonus points because of that very phenomenon. The mere feeling of nostalgia is enough for many gamers to justify a purchase promising classic gameplay of games past. Enter Mega Man 9, a next generation revival of a classic series that gained both a legion of loyal fans and notoriety on the NES for its incredibly tough but entertaining gameplay. With this new title, composed of an entirely new set of levels, bosses and modes, the side scrolling shooter/2D platformer gameplay has remained largely the same.
The story begins with Dr. Wily, fresh from yet another defeat at the metallic hands of the Blue Bomber, begging for forgiveness once more. Soon after, Dr. Light is blamed for a sudden outbreak of robot attacks. Dr. Wily claims he has no connection and even goes as far as to ask for donations to help combat Dr. Light’s supposed plan to conquer the world. With a scheme this transparent, it’s anyone’s guess why the local authorities haven’t caught on. On the other hand, if they had, it wouldn’t make for much of a game. Now it’s up to Mega Man to prove his creator’s innocence and once again save the world.
Pretty much anyone who has played any of the NES originals is going to feel right at home with Mega Man 9, as it very closely sticks with series’ conventions, minus a few of the more recent additions. Mega Man lacks the slide and charge up abilities seen in later titles in the series while keeping some of the future gameplay additions including Beat and the item shop. Beat can be called in to save Mega Man, should he fall into a bottomless pit. The item shop is a great place to visit as it can provide you with a number of helpful items ranging from those that prevent instant death resulting from falling on spikes to Energy tanks that refill your health as needed.
The Mega Man series has long since been renowned for its great level design, emphasis on 2D platforming and side scrolling shooter gameplay. In that sense nothing has changed. Mega Man 9 features what is perhaps the greatest collection of well designed and challenging levels the series has to offer. There are eight stages to conquer, each unique in theme and design to its individual Robot Master, which you’ll face at the end of each stage.
The Robot Masters themselves are different in their own way, much like their individual stages. They have their own set of attacks and abilities, such as Galaxy Man’s black hole bomb, which creates a vacuum that draws you closer to him and Splash Woman’s (the series’ first female Robot Master) Laser Trident attacks. These battles will often push your skill, your ability to analyze their tendencies and behaviors and the ability to time your attacks accordingly to capitalize on their weaknesses. Once defeated, you’ll gain that Robot Master’s special ability, which can be accessed at any time by pressing the “back” button on the controller. Each Robot Master is weak to the weapon of one of its counterparts and figuring out which bosses are weak to which weapon is part of the challenge and, most importantly, the fun.
The series’ trademark difficulty also makes a return appearance. When I say that Mega Man 9 is tough, take these words to heart. In the NES days, most games weren’t typically long, but made up for it with a difficulty curve like a wall and Mega Man 9 is no exception. The levels are filled with enemies and traps designed to make your trip to each of the eight Robot Masters as difficult as possible, ranging from bottomless pits to spike pits, both of which result in instant death. Some of the level designers had the bright idea to place spike pits off screen. The ramification being many a cheap death such as falling between areas of a stage and being unable to move in time to avoid them. This has been a longtime gripe with the series though, and truth be told, I rarely fell victim to this due to my previous experience with the series.
In an interesting twist, Capcom, instead of revamping the game with fancy next generation graphics and sound like their recent Bionic Commando retro revival, has seen fit to take gamers on a trip to a simpler time. Mega Man 9 features visuals and sound that clearly resemble its NES predecessors. While the 8-bit graphics aren’t going to impress anyone on a technical level, they definitely aren’t without their charm. Capcom has even gone as far as to add a “Legacy Mode”, which simulates the sprite flicker the NES was famous (or rather infamous) for when there was too much onscreen. The audio is more aesthetically impressive, as the MIDI-like tunes are pretty well done.
Mega Man 9 is definitely a challenging game and designed for the hardcore gamer that remembers a simpler time consisting of two button controllers, cartridges and 8-bit graphics. The quasi side scrolling shooter and 2D platformer has aged incredibly well and manages to stand out in its own way even in this day and age. A lot of games may coast on the nostalgia and fan service factors alone, but this title uses them to get you in the door and its gameplay does the rest. I couldn’t help but have fun playing, even after dying a dozen times in a row, because of the immense satisfaction that overcame me as I finally completed a stage. Casual gamers need not apply as this title’s legendary difficulty serves to fend off all but the most dedicated of gamers. For longtime fans of the series as well as new gamers who appreciate a hearty challenge and can progress past the intentionally dated presentation, there’s a great game to be had.
