Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom/Inti Creates
Consoles: XBox 360, Playstation 3, Wii
Very few need an introduction to Mega Man. Back in 1987, would anyone have guessed that not only would they continue to be made today, but that with the exception of two titles they'd all stay in their 8-bit retro glory? Would anyone have guessed that countless sequel series and spin-off series would have been created, or that several animated shows would be created? Mega Man's fan base is incredible, from the fan artists to the musicians, the latter of which is mind-boggling in itself - songs from the series have been sung or rapped over by the likes of Brentalfloss, The Adventures of Duane and BrandO, and a slew of remix artists on Overclocked Remix, not to mention some that solely devote their talents to the Mega Man series, such as The Megas and Mega Ran. We'll learn about a lot of, if not all of, these guys in later editions of The Pause Screen.
It was a shock to see the classic Mega Man series return in its original 8-bit format in 2008 with Mega Man 9. The music was fantastic, as most all music in the series is, the bosses were memorable, including the first female Robot Master Splash Woman, and the difficulty most of us haven't seen in games since the 8-bit era has returned. It did so well, Capcom decided to jump to a sequel in less than two years.
That brings us to Mega Man 10. Released in March for the Wii and April for the Playstation 3 and XBox 360, the game returns in its 8-bit format once more. The game is classic Mega Man look, style, gameplay, and difficulty, with several new additions to change play up a bit in the slightest ways.
The game starts with Roll passing out, and revealing a robot-only virus called Roboenza has swept over robots the world over. Shortly after, the robots become violent, and even Dr. Wily crashes his UFO near Dr. Light's labs, where he reveals he can create a cure. Mega Man is sent in to rectify the problem, but is stopped by Proto Man, claiming he'll need his bro's help, too.
Upon starting the game, you can choose to play between Mega Man or Proto Man. Mega Man can run, jump, and shoot, and can take considerable damage. Proto Man can not only run, jump, and shoot, but he can also dash, charge his shots, and can pull his shield out while he's jumping if he's not firing his arm cannon, however he takes damage like a bitch and dies much easier. Bass can also be downloaded, but we'll get to that later.
Bottom: Sheep Man, Nitro Man, Commando Man, Blade Man
The eight Robot Masters this time around are Blade Man, Solar Man, Sheep Man, Commando Man, Pump Man, Strike Man, Nitro Man, and Chill Man. Some of the designs here are pretty cool, while Commando Man and Pump Man in my opinion are two of the worst looking Robot Masters to date. I won't say that most of them are as memorable as most of Mega Man 9's villains, but Nitro Man and Sheep Man are definitely winners in my book.
Blade Man can cling to walls and shoot three blades at a time, Solar Man can create an artificial sun above his head and bounce it around the stage, and Sheep Man can turn himself into a cloud and use static electricity. Commando Man can shake the ground and use controllable missiles that have a big explosion area, while Pump Man can create 8 water spheres around him to protect him, as well as shoot them spiraling outward. Strike Man can turn himself into a bouncing baseball, and can pitch balls around the room, Nitro Man can not only send out sharp razor wheels, but can ALSO TURN HIMSELF INTO A MOTORCYCLE, WHICH IS BADASS, and lastly, Chill Man can shoot ice spikes to walls and floors, and can freeze Mega Man.
The game has an easy mode, which covers most pitfalls with platforms, lessens the number of enemies, and makes the Robot Masters much easier to fight against. Newcomers to the series might wanna try this, but long time veterans to Mega Man would likely rather get frustrated with normal difficulty instead. After completing the game, you unlock Hard Mode, in case you thought Normal was too easy.
The game is fairly difficult, and seems like a contrast to Mega Man 9. Mega Man 9 seemed to have easier levels and Robot Masters that seemed to be harder - for example, Magma Man was much harder without Tornado Blow to lessen the flame atop his head. Mega Man 10, though, seems to have levels that are a bit harder than the boss fights, especially when it comes to disappearing platforms, a certain "see-saw" platform first seen in Blade Man's stage that you must use to progress, the waterfalls in Pump Man's stage, almost everything about Chill Man's stage... Meanwhile, with the correct power, Solar Man can be killed in three hits. Many of the Robot Masters can be taken out with incredible ease if you just know where to be or when to jump, as many of them, including Blade Man, Strike Man, Sheep Man, and a couple others have boringly repetitive patterns that are incredibly easy to read.
This isn't to say the game is bad or easy. On the contrary, the game is still a lot of fun in that Mega Man throw-your-controller-across-the-room-after-dying-in-the-same-spot-forty-times-in-a-row way we've been enjoying since '87. And if that wasn't enough, they've added downloadable content, as well.
They've brought back an endless stage like in Mega Man 9, as well as additional bonus stages that bring back three little known classic bosses known as the Mega Man Hunters - Enker, Punk, and Ballade. Lastly, there's Bass, as I mentioned earlier. He dashes similar to Proto Man, and instead of charging, he can fire rapid fire blasts in 7 different directions, but sacrifices being able to move while doing so. Also, instead of having the Rush Coil and Rush Jet (or in Proto's case, Proto Coil and Proto Jet), Bass can call upon Treble, where upon touching his canine companion Bass grows three-pronged metallic wings to fly around with, and can fire forward, diagonally upward and diagonally downward at once. Definitely one of the coolest powers in the game, and as if all of that wasn't enough, upon downloading Bass, his portrait is added to the title screen alongside Mega's and Proto's.
VERDICT: Buy it. Especially if you're a fan of classic games, platformers, excellent music, difficult lasting gameplay, and most importantly Mega Man. If you're new to the series, try out the demo, and try Easy Mode, as they make the game playable for newcomers.
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