My first experience with the series was with Mega Man 2 -- still the best of the MM games -- and I was hooked from the beginning. Playing the newest incarnation of the series makes me feel like a 12-year-old again as I make my way through Dr. Wily's devious stages to each of the robot masters.
Actually the word EACH is a bit of a lie because I've only made it to the end of about half of the stages during a handful of playthroughs. This game is hard. I've found I like it that way because it will make the experience last longer. Hard was bad for a game like the original Mega Man because you couldn't save. You either played all the way through in one sitting or you turned it off. (This is one of the unfortunate relics of old-school gaming that I'm glad to see disappear. Maybe I could sit for hours playing through a game like Mega Man or Bionic Commando as a kid, but definitely not anymore.)
Photo from IGN.
But hard is good here. This game is particularly devious, with the disappearing blocks over the chasms in the Plug Man stage or the swinging platforms in the Jewel Man stage (that room where you have to swing the platform and jump around it without touching the spiked walls is particularly nuts).
In returning Mega Man to its 8-bit roots, Capcom has changed very little. The formula is tried and true and I'm very happy to see them stick to what works. What few new things they've added also works. The store where you can use bolts you've collected to buy helpful items is a great addition to the game, as are the challenges you can tackle.
All in all, a fantastic game and I can't wait to see what the Dr. Wily stages are like. Now when does Mega Man 10 come out?
