So the day after I post my thoughts on worst Mega Man games, what does Capcom do but announce a new Mega Man game!
... Which turns out to be a Battle Network/Star Force crossover.
FUCK.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The 4D Slip - The Advent Of Mega Man
As far as video game series go, Mega Man and it's (many) spin offs probably rank near the top of the list for me. However, even though there are many gems (including the recent DLC only Mega Man 9) there ARE pieces of crap in the mix. In this blog, I'll be posting my thoughts on what I consider the worst Mega Man games that I've played. I'll try working backwards, from deeply flawed to unplayable garbage. Note that I will not be touching the RPGs as I dropped them once I hit the garbage dump that was Battle Network 4.
I also will be skipping the 'borderline' games, IE the games that just straddle the line of being good games. These include Mega Man 5, Mega Man X5, and Network Transmission (Though the last is debatable, as it's been so long since I've played it) which are good games that are not really very flawed outside of niggling issues.
First up are the decent games.
Mega Man & Bass
Mega Man & Bass is a fun game, but it suffers from a few problems. First is the radically unbalanced difficulty. The game is rather fun to play through as Bass, but playing as Mega Man is a real test of patience. The levels were clearly designed for players playing as Bass, and not Mega Man.
The game is also a stop gap in every sense of the word. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game (better than MM4, 6 and 8) but it doesn't feel like enough effort was put into it. Several bosses are reused from MM8 (though they ARE the best ones), the level design as stated before was not well thought out, and fighting the bosses as Bass is a real thumb breaker.
I'll say it again, this game is hard. Easily the hardest in the original series.
To me, it's simply too hard. This is coming from someone who has A ranked all the Mega Man Zero games multiple times and beats the X games regularly. I'm not the best Mega Man player, but this game really pushes players' patience. Try getting through the final boss unscathed if you don't believe me. In conclusion though, Mega Man and Bass is a solid Mega Man experience despite reusing so many assets (as well as the extremely lame MM8 sprites) and having a high difficulty. There is no reason a Mega Man fan should pass this up.
Mega Man ZX
I love Inticreates. I really do. They made 5 of the absolute best Mega Man games available (the Zero series and Mega Man 9) and are the masters at action gaming. They were also part of the team that made the first two X games. However, in between their masterpieces they released the ZX series, quite possibly the weakest Mega Man series overall. Now don't get me wrong, ZX is NOT a bad game it's simply flawed.
You see, for the jump from the GBA to the DS Inticreates, or maybe Keiji Inafune (series creator), decided it was time for a change. Time to make Mega Man "bigger" than it has been so far. Taking inspiration of the Metroid and Castlevania series, it featured a giant interconnected world map for exploration (fans of this style of play refer to these games as "Metroidvania" since they follow the template of Metroid, yet tend to use Castlevania's game play quirks), and started a brand new storyline.
Now, there are only two real flaws with the game. First is that the map system is a mess, it makes navigating the world extremely confusing and hampers enjoyment of the game. The second flaw is that there's simply nothing new here. If you've played a Zero game, you've played this game. This annoys me, since the concept of a Metroidvania Mega Man game is so HUGE. If you've played a Mega Man X game, you know about the hidden armor pieces, alternate paths, heart tanks to increase health, sub tanks, and hidden upgrades. This is what helped make the game great, and would have helped tremendously here as unfortunately, none of those are in the game (well, sub tanks are, but they are not hidden very well) and would have added to the exploration element.
You are also given 'models' (the ability to play as different forms based on characters from the Zero series) to transform into, but most of these are either useless or irrelevant compared to the ZX form you mainly play as. It might have helped to make these models unlockable as alternate playable characters to play through the entire game mode. It would have surely made it more interesting.
The game is way too straightforward and bland, and it doesn't help that the storyline is also the least interesting of the entire platforming Mega Man series.
Still, despite it's flaws, the game still manages to maintain the core Mega Man gameplay that everyone knows, so it is not exactly the worst Mega Man game out there. Heck, it's not even the worst portable Mega Man game. It's merely average.
Mega Man 8
I'm going to be upfront with the fact that I thought Mega Man 7 was a great game. Yes it was a bit awkward and clunky, but as the NES-style Freeware game made by fans shows, it has great level design, music, and great weapons. It was a huge step up from the creativity deprived Mega Man 4, the bland and somehow overrated Mega Man 5, and is easily better than the NES series finale Mega Man 6. So my hype for Mega Man 8 was justified.
However, there are some problems with this game.
While not a bad game, again, it is quite flawed. For example, despite being a Mega Man game, it's MISSING core mechanics that the series is used to. You can only fight 4 bosses at a time (a problem MM7 had that was rectified in the NES remake) instead of the usual 8. I don't understand this decision, as all it does is cut down on the choices you can make in the game. Series are supposed to add features, not lose them.
The game is also ugly as sin. The graphics are way too bright and just plain uninspired, Mega Man's sprite is idiotic, and it just doesn't feel like a 'next gen' Mega Man game. The music is unremarkable as well, (Bland music in a Mega Man game is unforgivable, IMO) and the voices... The voices are just plain painful.
There are also other features missing. There are no e-tanks, which actually isn't a big deal except that they've been in the series since the second game. Rush is made into a complete joke (his powers are useless), Protoman is practically non-existent in the game and Bass might as well not even be in the game at all.
However, the two biggest flaws with this game are the following. The game's difficulty is inconsistent. By that, I mean that for most of the game, it's braindead easy. Mega Man games are rarely easy and for good reason, they are total borefests without any challenge at all. However, there will be random spikes of difficulty throughout (a certain snowboarding segment is aggravating as all hell), and despite easy bosses, the final boss is the only one I had to use a Rush health boost to get through... Yes, instead of e-tanks you use Rush to sprinkle random power ups from the sky which is asinine since you might not even get a powerup worth anything, and you have to to dodge the boss as Rush drops them. Highly inconvenient. However, other than the final boss, the difficulty of the game's bosses is alarmingly low.
In conclusion, Mega Man 8 is an unremarkable game. After this snooze-o-rama we didn't get a new installment in the series for over 10 years, and after playing it, one could see why. It feels totally uninspired, and every change made to the formula is for the worst. It's not a bad game, it's just deeply flawed.
Now on to the heavily flawed games.
Mega Man 4
My opinion has changed on this over the years. I used to enjoy this game as a kid quite a bit, however I no longer enjoy it nearly as much as I once did. The reason is that I've since played so many great Mega Man games that the flaws of this knock it down quite a lot. So I'll try to look past my nostalgia to give this a real look.
First, the newly added charge shot is broken. I've been an advocate of the charge shot in other Mega Man games where it fits, however, I feel it has never worked right in the classic series. The bosses in this game (which are already piss easy) are taken down so easily with the buster that it's a joke. However, if you do not use the charge shot, it takes FOREVER for them to die. This is a severe balancing oversight that the classic series never really recovered from until MM9 finally removed the nuisance.
The level design has taken a gigantic hit from MM3. It's like Capcom just ran out of ideas when they finished the third game, and just didn't bother to sit down and plan this out. The game has a rushed feel, from the useless powerups, idiotic boss designs (Skull Man is wicked, though), and just plain lack of difficulty. For a long time, MM4 was considered the staple in how not to make a classic Mega Man game and Capcom learned from their mistakes since (despite 6 having a mess of other problems) and now this just sits awkwardly in the Mega Man canon.
Oh yeah, and the ending is infuriating, too.
Mega Man 6
When I said MM4 was the staple of bad Mega Man games, I was sort of wrong. Despite being heavily uninspired, it still managed to be a solid experience. But I have no problem calling MM6 the worst game in the classic series.
I'm going to make this short, since this game contains ALL the flaws of the MM4 (Did Capcom forget about all the improvements in 5?) as well as a few new ones.
First new flaw, the bosses are the absolute worst in the entire series. They are the easiest they've ever been, too. The levels are short, and easy as well. The music is completely unmemorable. The story is the worst the series has ever had, and finally every new addition is poorly implemented and pretty useless (or broken in the case of the Rush Adaptor) overall.
This game takes everything wrong with MM4 and makes it worse. This is the first instance of a truly bad Mega Man game where everything in it is just poor and not up to standard with the rest of the series. However, bad as it is, it is not unplayable. That's what keeps it from being in the bottom rung of this list.
Finally, the flat out bad games.
Mega Man X6
What is it with Mega Man and the number 6? I've never enjoyed a MM title yet with a 6 in the title, in this is the number 1 reason why.
Where to start... Well, I'll start off with the positives. The Nightmare system in this game is quite interesting, and the stage changing shape depending on what order you fought the bosses in as also a decent feature. The negatives... Everything else.
The X series is one of the best series for action gaming, I think. The first three games on the SNES are perfect (while, X3 has a few quibbling flaws, but it's still a fantastic game) and X4 continues the trend with flashy graphics, music, more detailed storyline and tight game play. X5 was extremely ambitious, but falls a little flat in comparison, as the level design and graphics are not as inspired as everything else is. X6 just messes everything up.
Now for the biggest flaw with the game, and the one that simply destroys it. The difficulty is broken. Not broken like MM8 is, the difficulty is "cheap" here. Instead of relying on tight control and enemy onslaught like every good Mega Man game, the game gets it's difficulty from extremely poor level design (poorly placed spikes, pits, and instant death traps), it's near impossible to get 100% (too many one chance encounters), and the controls are borked. You'll find yourself dying as Zero, for instance, because the same button combo to grab onto a rope can send you into a diving attack into the bottomless pit below. That's just bad design.
The game is constructed in such a way, that you cannot complete it without certain items, and since these can be permanently missable, that alone breaks the game. That coupled with every other flaw makes this easily one of the worst games in the entire series, if not on the Playstation.
This is a bad game. If you manage to get a copy of this, get it only for collecting purposes (or if in the X Collection, just don't play the damn thing) and do not play this game. Your nerves will thank you.
Mega Man ZX Advent
I'll admit, this is probably due to personal preference, but I dislike this game quite a bit. Inticreates... WHY? You made 5 excellent games and a decent one. Then there's this stinker sandwiched in there somewhere. The positives are that it plays like ZX with a far better map and that Grey's story has potential.
The negatives?
....*Sigh* Here we go.
I'll be upfront. This is the type of game that doesn't seem bad or broken on the surface. It's all the niggling flaws that bring down the experience tremendously. For instance, this game basically renders ZX1's plot pointless. Everything gets thrown out the window for a story as by the numbers as they come (Ashe's story is TERRIBLE), even though Grey's story had the potential to really answer some questions about the game's world, his history is completely glossed over due to a storyline cliche you'll see coming a mile away.
The game feels like a hack of ZX1. The music is largely reused, sprites and enemies are pretty much exactly the same, and there is literally nothing new other than the fact that Model A is based on Axl from the X series despite what the ridiculous plot tries to tell you. Speaking of Model A, get used to using him! Since it seems about every two feet you instantly get switched back from whatever form you're currently in if you decide to talk to anyone, enter a new area, or get by certain random sections. This is infuriating since it happens all the damn time!
The voice acting in this game is hilariously bad. It figures that Capcom wouldn't continue the series that actually has good voice acting (the X series finally got a good cast by the end of it) and instead shovel voices onto this game. The acting is MM8 and X4 levels of awful. It would have saved time and effort if they just didn't bother at all.
The level design as well is a major downgrade from the prequel game. The stages are either filled with instant death traps (which add up a fake difficulty like X6) or are a cakewalk to navigate. The bosses are pretty much the same as the levels in their creativity and challenge. Oh, by the way, you can turn into bosses you defeated in this game! Isn't that great? Too bad, about half of the bosses are useless, and the rest are purely situational.
This game is a misfire, and might have actually killed Mega Man platforming series as none have come out until MM9 was brought out and brought the series back to basics. saving both the series and Inticreates' reputation. Like I said, it's not the worst game to bear the Mega Man name, but it's full of flaws that add up and drag the whole thing down. Mega Man 6 has more replay value than this game does.
And now the single worst Mega Man game.
Mega Man X7
This is easily one of the worst games I have ever played in my life. Despite the first few installments being among my favorite games of all time, this game is an abortion and is probably a candidate for worst game on the PS2.
Capcom tried to shake things up with the transition to the PS2, so they made the game 3D. Interestingly enough, the graphics are quite nice. Vibrant and colorful, and full of interesting details. But that's my only positive with this game. The 3D controls are horrid, the camera doesn't work right, the "lock on" barely locks on at all, and the depth perception is hard to judge because of the bad angle the camera is at.
All that wouldn't be so bad, (okay, it would still be awful) if the 2D controls were fine. But when the game switches to 2D mode, it still doesn't work right. For a game as fast paced as the X series, the controls are sluggish to a fault (Zero is USELESS), and the game runs at a glacier's pace.
Because of all these issues, constant loading times, the fact you don't play as X until 3/4s of the way through the game (Yeah, you heard me. You don't play as X IN AN X GAME for the majority of the game), the level design is plain and dull, there is strange pop-in issues, and the voice acting is at about the level of X4 (Thank the lord above that Capcom got smart after this and got some decent actors), this game is flawed in every way.
Mega Man X7 is a failure on every level and an absolute chore to play. EVERY time I play I can never make it through a full level before quitting due to pure aggravation. The game is virtually unplayable, and every time I see someone on the internet try to defend this game, I'm left stunned. There is nothing to defend here. The game does everything wrong in a Mega Man game and manages to add bad 3D game play on top of that. Mega Man does not come worse than this.
I'm really glad Capcom made a great X8, because otherwise I would have given up on this series entirely.
Well, there's my look back at the lesser Mega Man games. I chose 8 of my least favorites in order to gauge how the rest of the series manages to hold up. Considering there are only 3 awful games in the bunch and despite a lot of mediocrity, in a series over 20 years old as of now that is impressive.
We at TSC salute you, Mega Man! Thanks for providing and continuing to provide us with so many great games past and, hopefully, future.
Note: All images from the Mega Man Home Page
I also will be skipping the 'borderline' games, IE the games that just straddle the line of being good games. These include Mega Man 5, Mega Man X5, and Network Transmission (Though the last is debatable, as it's been so long since I've played it) which are good games that are not really very flawed outside of niggling issues.
First up are the decent games.
Mega Man & Bass
Mega Man & Bass is a fun game, but it suffers from a few problems. First is the radically unbalanced difficulty. The game is rather fun to play through as Bass, but playing as Mega Man is a real test of patience. The levels were clearly designed for players playing as Bass, and not Mega Man.
The game is also a stop gap in every sense of the word. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game (better than MM4, 6 and 8) but it doesn't feel like enough effort was put into it. Several bosses are reused from MM8 (though they ARE the best ones), the level design as stated before was not well thought out, and fighting the bosses as Bass is a real thumb breaker.
I'll say it again, this game is hard. Easily the hardest in the original series.
To me, it's simply too hard. This is coming from someone who has A ranked all the Mega Man Zero games multiple times and beats the X games regularly. I'm not the best Mega Man player, but this game really pushes players' patience. Try getting through the final boss unscathed if you don't believe me. In conclusion though, Mega Man and Bass is a solid Mega Man experience despite reusing so many assets (as well as the extremely lame MM8 sprites) and having a high difficulty. There is no reason a Mega Man fan should pass this up.
Mega Man ZX
I love Inticreates. I really do. They made 5 of the absolute best Mega Man games available (the Zero series and Mega Man 9) and are the masters at action gaming. They were also part of the team that made the first two X games. However, in between their masterpieces they released the ZX series, quite possibly the weakest Mega Man series overall. Now don't get me wrong, ZX is NOT a bad game it's simply flawed.
You see, for the jump from the GBA to the DS Inticreates, or maybe Keiji Inafune (series creator), decided it was time for a change. Time to make Mega Man "bigger" than it has been so far. Taking inspiration of the Metroid and Castlevania series, it featured a giant interconnected world map for exploration (fans of this style of play refer to these games as "Metroidvania" since they follow the template of Metroid, yet tend to use Castlevania's game play quirks), and started a brand new storyline.
Now, there are only two real flaws with the game. First is that the map system is a mess, it makes navigating the world extremely confusing and hampers enjoyment of the game. The second flaw is that there's simply nothing new here. If you've played a Zero game, you've played this game. This annoys me, since the concept of a Metroidvania Mega Man game is so HUGE. If you've played a Mega Man X game, you know about the hidden armor pieces, alternate paths, heart tanks to increase health, sub tanks, and hidden upgrades. This is what helped make the game great, and would have helped tremendously here as unfortunately, none of those are in the game (well, sub tanks are, but they are not hidden very well) and would have added to the exploration element.
You are also given 'models' (the ability to play as different forms based on characters from the Zero series) to transform into, but most of these are either useless or irrelevant compared to the ZX form you mainly play as. It might have helped to make these models unlockable as alternate playable characters to play through the entire game mode. It would have surely made it more interesting.
The game is way too straightforward and bland, and it doesn't help that the storyline is also the least interesting of the entire platforming Mega Man series.
Still, despite it's flaws, the game still manages to maintain the core Mega Man gameplay that everyone knows, so it is not exactly the worst Mega Man game out there. Heck, it's not even the worst portable Mega Man game. It's merely average.
Mega Man 8
I'm going to be upfront with the fact that I thought Mega Man 7 was a great game. Yes it was a bit awkward and clunky, but as the NES-style Freeware game made by fans shows, it has great level design, music, and great weapons. It was a huge step up from the creativity deprived Mega Man 4, the bland and somehow overrated Mega Man 5, and is easily better than the NES series finale Mega Man 6. So my hype for Mega Man 8 was justified.
However, there are some problems with this game.
While not a bad game, again, it is quite flawed. For example, despite being a Mega Man game, it's MISSING core mechanics that the series is used to. You can only fight 4 bosses at a time (a problem MM7 had that was rectified in the NES remake) instead of the usual 8. I don't understand this decision, as all it does is cut down on the choices you can make in the game. Series are supposed to add features, not lose them.
The game is also ugly as sin. The graphics are way too bright and just plain uninspired, Mega Man's sprite is idiotic, and it just doesn't feel like a 'next gen' Mega Man game. The music is unremarkable as well, (Bland music in a Mega Man game is unforgivable, IMO) and the voices... The voices are just plain painful.
There are also other features missing. There are no e-tanks, which actually isn't a big deal except that they've been in the series since the second game. Rush is made into a complete joke (his powers are useless), Protoman is practically non-existent in the game and Bass might as well not even be in the game at all.
However, the two biggest flaws with this game are the following. The game's difficulty is inconsistent. By that, I mean that for most of the game, it's braindead easy. Mega Man games are rarely easy and for good reason, they are total borefests without any challenge at all. However, there will be random spikes of difficulty throughout (a certain snowboarding segment is aggravating as all hell), and despite easy bosses, the final boss is the only one I had to use a Rush health boost to get through... Yes, instead of e-tanks you use Rush to sprinkle random power ups from the sky which is asinine since you might not even get a powerup worth anything, and you have to to dodge the boss as Rush drops them. Highly inconvenient. However, other than the final boss, the difficulty of the game's bosses is alarmingly low.
In conclusion, Mega Man 8 is an unremarkable game. After this snooze-o-rama we didn't get a new installment in the series for over 10 years, and after playing it, one could see why. It feels totally uninspired, and every change made to the formula is for the worst. It's not a bad game, it's just deeply flawed.
Now on to the heavily flawed games.
Mega Man 4
My opinion has changed on this over the years. I used to enjoy this game as a kid quite a bit, however I no longer enjoy it nearly as much as I once did. The reason is that I've since played so many great Mega Man games that the flaws of this knock it down quite a lot. So I'll try to look past my nostalgia to give this a real look.
First, the newly added charge shot is broken. I've been an advocate of the charge shot in other Mega Man games where it fits, however, I feel it has never worked right in the classic series. The bosses in this game (which are already piss easy) are taken down so easily with the buster that it's a joke. However, if you do not use the charge shot, it takes FOREVER for them to die. This is a severe balancing oversight that the classic series never really recovered from until MM9 finally removed the nuisance.
The level design has taken a gigantic hit from MM3. It's like Capcom just ran out of ideas when they finished the third game, and just didn't bother to sit down and plan this out. The game has a rushed feel, from the useless powerups, idiotic boss designs (Skull Man is wicked, though), and just plain lack of difficulty. For a long time, MM4 was considered the staple in how not to make a classic Mega Man game and Capcom learned from their mistakes since (despite 6 having a mess of other problems) and now this just sits awkwardly in the Mega Man canon.
Oh yeah, and the ending is infuriating, too.
Mega Man 6
When I said MM4 was the staple of bad Mega Man games, I was sort of wrong. Despite being heavily uninspired, it still managed to be a solid experience. But I have no problem calling MM6 the worst game in the classic series.
I'm going to make this short, since this game contains ALL the flaws of the MM4 (Did Capcom forget about all the improvements in 5?) as well as a few new ones.
First new flaw, the bosses are the absolute worst in the entire series. They are the easiest they've ever been, too. The levels are short, and easy as well. The music is completely unmemorable. The story is the worst the series has ever had, and finally every new addition is poorly implemented and pretty useless (or broken in the case of the Rush Adaptor) overall.
This game takes everything wrong with MM4 and makes it worse. This is the first instance of a truly bad Mega Man game where everything in it is just poor and not up to standard with the rest of the series. However, bad as it is, it is not unplayable. That's what keeps it from being in the bottom rung of this list.
Finally, the flat out bad games.
Mega Man X6
What is it with Mega Man and the number 6? I've never enjoyed a MM title yet with a 6 in the title, in this is the number 1 reason why.
Where to start... Well, I'll start off with the positives. The Nightmare system in this game is quite interesting, and the stage changing shape depending on what order you fought the bosses in as also a decent feature. The negatives... Everything else.
The X series is one of the best series for action gaming, I think. The first three games on the SNES are perfect (while, X3 has a few quibbling flaws, but it's still a fantastic game) and X4 continues the trend with flashy graphics, music, more detailed storyline and tight game play. X5 was extremely ambitious, but falls a little flat in comparison, as the level design and graphics are not as inspired as everything else is. X6 just messes everything up.
Now for the biggest flaw with the game, and the one that simply destroys it. The difficulty is broken. Not broken like MM8 is, the difficulty is "cheap" here. Instead of relying on tight control and enemy onslaught like every good Mega Man game, the game gets it's difficulty from extremely poor level design (poorly placed spikes, pits, and instant death traps), it's near impossible to get 100% (too many one chance encounters), and the controls are borked. You'll find yourself dying as Zero, for instance, because the same button combo to grab onto a rope can send you into a diving attack into the bottomless pit below. That's just bad design.
The game is constructed in such a way, that you cannot complete it without certain items, and since these can be permanently missable, that alone breaks the game. That coupled with every other flaw makes this easily one of the worst games in the entire series, if not on the Playstation.
This is a bad game. If you manage to get a copy of this, get it only for collecting purposes (or if in the X Collection, just don't play the damn thing) and do not play this game. Your nerves will thank you.
Mega Man ZX Advent
I'll admit, this is probably due to personal preference, but I dislike this game quite a bit. Inticreates... WHY? You made 5 excellent games and a decent one. Then there's this stinker sandwiched in there somewhere. The positives are that it plays like ZX with a far better map and that Grey's story has potential.
The negatives?
....*Sigh* Here we go.
I'll be upfront. This is the type of game that doesn't seem bad or broken on the surface. It's all the niggling flaws that bring down the experience tremendously. For instance, this game basically renders ZX1's plot pointless. Everything gets thrown out the window for a story as by the numbers as they come (Ashe's story is TERRIBLE), even though Grey's story had the potential to really answer some questions about the game's world, his history is completely glossed over due to a storyline cliche you'll see coming a mile away.
The game feels like a hack of ZX1. The music is largely reused, sprites and enemies are pretty much exactly the same, and there is literally nothing new other than the fact that Model A is based on Axl from the X series despite what the ridiculous plot tries to tell you. Speaking of Model A, get used to using him! Since it seems about every two feet you instantly get switched back from whatever form you're currently in if you decide to talk to anyone, enter a new area, or get by certain random sections. This is infuriating since it happens all the damn time!
The voice acting in this game is hilariously bad. It figures that Capcom wouldn't continue the series that actually has good voice acting (the X series finally got a good cast by the end of it) and instead shovel voices onto this game. The acting is MM8 and X4 levels of awful. It would have saved time and effort if they just didn't bother at all.
The level design as well is a major downgrade from the prequel game. The stages are either filled with instant death traps (which add up a fake difficulty like X6) or are a cakewalk to navigate. The bosses are pretty much the same as the levels in their creativity and challenge. Oh, by the way, you can turn into bosses you defeated in this game! Isn't that great? Too bad, about half of the bosses are useless, and the rest are purely situational.
This game is a misfire, and might have actually killed Mega Man platforming series as none have come out until MM9 was brought out and brought the series back to basics. saving both the series and Inticreates' reputation. Like I said, it's not the worst game to bear the Mega Man name, but it's full of flaws that add up and drag the whole thing down. Mega Man 6 has more replay value than this game does.
And now the single worst Mega Man game.
Mega Man X7
This is easily one of the worst games I have ever played in my life. Despite the first few installments being among my favorite games of all time, this game is an abortion and is probably a candidate for worst game on the PS2.
Capcom tried to shake things up with the transition to the PS2, so they made the game 3D. Interestingly enough, the graphics are quite nice. Vibrant and colorful, and full of interesting details. But that's my only positive with this game. The 3D controls are horrid, the camera doesn't work right, the "lock on" barely locks on at all, and the depth perception is hard to judge because of the bad angle the camera is at.
All that wouldn't be so bad, (okay, it would still be awful) if the 2D controls were fine. But when the game switches to 2D mode, it still doesn't work right. For a game as fast paced as the X series, the controls are sluggish to a fault (Zero is USELESS), and the game runs at a glacier's pace.
Because of all these issues, constant loading times, the fact you don't play as X until 3/4s of the way through the game (Yeah, you heard me. You don't play as X IN AN X GAME for the majority of the game), the level design is plain and dull, there is strange pop-in issues, and the voice acting is at about the level of X4 (Thank the lord above that Capcom got smart after this and got some decent actors), this game is flawed in every way.
Mega Man X7 is a failure on every level and an absolute chore to play. EVERY time I play I can never make it through a full level before quitting due to pure aggravation. The game is virtually unplayable, and every time I see someone on the internet try to defend this game, I'm left stunned. There is nothing to defend here. The game does everything wrong in a Mega Man game and manages to add bad 3D game play on top of that. Mega Man does not come worse than this.
I'm really glad Capcom made a great X8, because otherwise I would have given up on this series entirely.
Well, there's my look back at the lesser Mega Man games. I chose 8 of my least favorites in order to gauge how the rest of the series manages to hold up. Considering there are only 3 awful games in the bunch and despite a lot of mediocrity, in a series over 20 years old as of now that is impressive.
We at TSC salute you, Mega Man! Thanks for providing and continuing to provide us with so many great games past and, hopefully, future.
Note: All images from the Mega Man Home Page
Friday, June 12, 2009
Static Prevails - Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Yes, it's lowbrow. Yes, it's confusing. Yes, it's nonsensical. But that's what makes Aqua Teen Hunger Force great. It's a show about a bunch of mutated (?) food products who live day to day lives in a poor neighbourhood and try to deal with whatever insane plot device comes their way. Now, when I say insane... Well, I mean it.
The show got it's origins on the masterpiece of insanity itself, Space Ghost Coast To Coast (possibly a future Static Prevails) on an episode entitled Baffler Meal (The characters were totally different, though) which did not enter production until after the show had already premiered.
Now, the genius of this show is in it's controlled insanity. It's perfectly constructed plots with insane dialogue and non-sequitors filling random pockets of conversation throughout. You see, what separates this show from most of the drek Adult Swim produces nowadays, is the fact that the writers never forget the story (as insane as it may be) and the characters rarely ever act out of character for the service of a joke. Hell, the show may be more coherent than Family Guy is nowadays.
Adult Swim shows today (outside of a small selection... You probably know the ones) do not let their characters develop, throw random plots at the canvas to see what sticks, and are random to an extreme fault.
Non-sequitors do not make up for shoddy writing, guys. Unfortunately, ATHF is showing it's age this season with "extreme" plots and character turns. I was probably one of the few who enjoyed the previous season for it's risk taking and creative plot ideas, unfortunately, it seems they've thrown that away to be like almost every other Adult Swim show out there.
It's a pity, but Aqua Teen Hunger force remains a favorite of mine for almost 80 episodes, with a 15 minute run time, it really did show Adult Swim as something more than an 'experiment' and as something fresh and creative for the airwaves.
I hope you enjoyed this look at ATHF, as we'll probably be looking at other Adult Swim classics in the future.
(Note: Image taken from wikipedia.)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Site Updates
I'm gonna act like someone actually reads my posts and point out that there's something strange going on with the blog at the moment. The site layout doesn't work properly, so I'm gonna update it in a bit, maybe to something simpler and less colourful.
On to actual site news, I'm currently working on a post about my monthly self challenge, where I choose a video game, play and beat it within a month. I'll talk about this within the next few days. Second, I'm gonna write something up on "Burn Notice", whose Third season began airing last week, but I haven't decided on what yet. Am I gonna just do a very basic analysis of the show, a brief introduction to the show, or am I just gonna do an episode by episode review as they air each week? Really I just don't know yet. Might do something similiar for both "True Blood", which airs this week I believe, and maybe go over Mike Judge's "The Goode Family" and let you know what I felt. FInally, I'm gonna take a look at all the news out of E3 last week, and show what I'm looking forward to in the upcoming year.
Gotta figure out some sort of schedule for posting to this site, at the moment its all scattershot. This doesn't count as a post of any substance, BTW, just getting my thoughts out there.
GOOD NIGHT!
PS Wrote this Blog entry as a test using the SCRIBEFIRE Firefox extension, just to see if it works.
On to actual site news, I'm currently working on a post about my monthly self challenge, where I choose a video game, play and beat it within a month. I'll talk about this within the next few days. Second, I'm gonna write something up on "Burn Notice", whose Third season began airing last week, but I haven't decided on what yet. Am I gonna just do a very basic analysis of the show, a brief introduction to the show, or am I just gonna do an episode by episode review as they air each week? Really I just don't know yet. Might do something similiar for both "True Blood", which airs this week I believe, and maybe go over Mike Judge's "The Goode Family" and let you know what I felt. FInally, I'm gonna take a look at all the news out of E3 last week, and show what I'm looking forward to in the upcoming year.
Gotta figure out some sort of schedule for posting to this site, at the moment its all scattershot. This doesn't count as a post of any substance, BTW, just getting my thoughts out there.
GOOD NIGHT!
PS Wrote this Blog entry as a test using the SCRIBEFIRE Firefox extension, just to see if it works.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
More on No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Hello again,
Just a quick correction. In the NMH2 trailer, Travis isn't the one wielding the chainsaw in the trailer like I originally thought, its the henchman he's performing the Suplex on. Looks like the only other weapon Travis is likely to bear are different types of beam sabers. Had to go back and look after reading Gamespot's Interview with Suda51 regarding the game:
Back to work I go.
Just a quick correction. In the NMH2 trailer, Travis isn't the one wielding the chainsaw in the trailer like I originally thought, its the henchman he's performing the Suplex on. Looks like the only other weapon Travis is likely to bear are different types of beam sabers. Had to go back and look after reading Gamespot's Interview with Suda51 regarding the game:
GS: Are there more weapons in your arsenal aside from the lightsabers?The whole Q&A can be read HERE.
Suda: Travis is a good assassin because of his beam katana, so don’t expect any other types of weapons in his arsenal.
Back to work I go.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
E3 is going good...
Yes Randy, while I do love the NMH2 trailer, I just can't get enough of Red Steel 2.
Check out the video on IGN:
Check out the video on IGN:
Monday, June 1, 2009
Mon Aardvark N'a Pas de Nez
SO it looks like things are finally moving here at THE SLACKER CHRONCILES. Last week, JD posted TWICE showcasing, in part, what this site is about. In addition to our TV ("Static Prevails") and Music ("Follow the Sound") discussions, we shall also be exploring the worlds of Videogames, films, the internet, and literature. These features are yet to be named, and shall be appearing shortly.
So, how's tricks? Me? S'all good, y'know?. Watched some TV, films, played me some vidyagames, the usual.
...
*Cough*
Anyways with all the niceties out of the way, I should probably move on to something more interesting.
Pretty big week in gaming, as you should know. E3 starts tomorrow, though the Microsoft Press Conference is TODAY (1 June 2009). Supposedly they have this huge megaton announcement, and need extra time. I say its just another publicity stunt. Still I'm cautiously optimistic that there will be something good from the big three, though I expect to be disappointed.
Big thing for me this week was the release of a new trailer for "No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle":
"This isn't a battle anymore; it's a MOTHERFUCKING WAR!"
I love the original game (bought it the first week), so suffice to say, I am overjoyed. I can't wait for a solid NA release date, as well as more gameplay footage. A couple of things I noticed in the trailer that have me like totally stoked:
1) At around 1:20, we catch a glimpse of Travis wielding what appears to be a chainsaw and from 1:30 onwards, we get to see Travis dual wielding lightsabers (sorry, "BEAM KATANAS" :P).
2) SWORD BELT! (Around 1:20)
3) FLYING HOS (0:50)
So, I guess its time to wrap this up for the night. Just a few bullet points before I go, and a teaser for next time (Go ahead roll your eyes at me).
-Just watched both TAKEN and OUTLANDER, enjoyed both, though OUTLANDER dragged a little. Follow the links for plot synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia.
-In the last week, I've watched both the first and second seasons of BURN NOTICE, which I've just noticed has its third season premiere this Thursday, so you can probably expect something out of me regarding that.
-I would be working right now, if it wasn't so damn slow at the moment. Lucky you :P.
-I have completed Mother 3, and am pleasantly surprised.
NEXT TIME ON THE SLACKER CHRONICLES:
I talk about my monthly self videogame challenge, and bring everybody up-to-date on my challenges from March, April, May, and June.
I'll also post anything of interest to me coming out of E3.
G'night!
So, how's tricks? Me? S'all good, y'know?. Watched some TV, films, played me some vidyagames, the usual.
...
*Cough*
Anyways with all the niceties out of the way, I should probably move on to something more interesting.
Pretty big week in gaming, as you should know. E3 starts tomorrow, though the Microsoft Press Conference is TODAY (1 June 2009). Supposedly they have this huge megaton announcement, and need extra time. I say its just another publicity stunt. Still I'm cautiously optimistic that there will be something good from the big three, though I expect to be disappointed.
Big thing for me this week was the release of a new trailer for "No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle":
"This isn't a battle anymore; it's a MOTHERFUCKING WAR!"
I love the original game (bought it the first week), so suffice to say, I am overjoyed. I can't wait for a solid NA release date, as well as more gameplay footage. A couple of things I noticed in the trailer that have me like totally stoked:
1) At around 1:20, we catch a glimpse of Travis wielding what appears to be a chainsaw and from 1:30 onwards, we get to see Travis dual wielding lightsabers (sorry, "BEAM KATANAS" :P).
2) SWORD BELT! (Around 1:20)
3) FLYING HOS (0:50)
So, I guess its time to wrap this up for the night. Just a few bullet points before I go, and a teaser for next time (Go ahead roll your eyes at me).
-Just watched both TAKEN and OUTLANDER, enjoyed both, though OUTLANDER dragged a little. Follow the links for plot synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia.
-In the last week, I've watched both the first and second seasons of BURN NOTICE, which I've just noticed has its third season premiere this Thursday, so you can probably expect something out of me regarding that.
-I would be working right now, if it wasn't so damn slow at the moment. Lucky you :P.
-I have completed Mother 3, and am pleasantly surprised.
NEXT TIME ON THE SLACKER CHRONICLES:
I talk about my monthly self videogame challenge, and bring everybody up-to-date on my challenges from March, April, May, and June.
I'll also post anything of interest to me coming out of E3.
G'night!
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