Mega Man 9 (WiiWare) Review

Posted by Jacob Lopez on 09.25.2008

Mega Man is back, and he’s once again 8-bit. Capcom is taking ol’ skoolers on a trip down memory lane. How will gamers respond?




Story:

The year is 20XX, and thanks to Mega Man peace has been restored to the city. That is until we find out that Dr. Wiley is up to his old tricks agai…What? Dr. Light’s robots are attacking the city?

Time to put on your helmet Mega Man, and find out just what is going on. The Blue Bomber must clear Dr. Light’s good name, and get to the bottom of this mess.


Gameplay:

The Charge Shot and Slide thing have been written about to the point were you probably don’t really want to hear about them anymore, but for the sake of not leaving out their mention I will say, “No, they are not in the game, now onto the rest of the review”.

As you may know by now, Mega Man 9 goes back to the roots of the series, and makes every effort to do so. The gameplay is based mostly on Mega Man 2, but follows the same basic formula as the main series. Players will choose a level, defeat a robot master (boss) and gain the boss’ ability. Most of the levels have mini-bosses as a halfway checkpoint. The gameplay is not quite linear, because you can choose levels and defeat bosses in any order. Still, like just as in the older Mega Man games, you will benefit from defeating bosses in a certain order. While one boss may seem impossible at first, defeating a much easier boss may give you a special ability that will give you a much needed advantage over the tougher enemy.

Mega Man 9 also retains most of the funny quirks of the 8-bit generation. Memory limitations of the NES often made enemies reappear if you backtracked a bit. Mega Man 9’s baddies are no different; they will re-spawn, just like in the old days.

The game may seem extremely difficult at first, and it really is. But as you learn the levels, things can get quite easy. It becomes pattern recognition and memorization, but that is part of the NES’ charm. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing some speed runs for this game in the near future (Heck, there may even be some out there already, and I just don’t know it).

The developers made sure to throw a few modern things into the mix. No more grid-based passwords, just save your game and go on. Some gamers may like the game’s Challenges, which work just like Trophies or Achievements, none of which do anything for me, but elements like this and the online leader boards may give some of the more competitive gamers some bragging rights. I don't really remember the older games having an item shop either, but in this entry you can collect screws in order to purchase lots of different one-time-use items. Some may find it useful, but I found myself not really buying anything.

Graphics:

Rating a modern game’s graphics when the aim is to go retro can feel a bit strange for the reviewer, so these will have to be rated on how well the team accomplished what they were aiming for.

The game keeps the limited color palette of the old school games, and even uses tiled background elements to maintain the look that an entire generation of gamers are so fond of.

Cutscenes look just like they used to, with a small still frame and text at the bottom of the screen telling the story. All characters and enemies look like they could have been taken from MM2 (and some of them actually are).

There are still a few things that are not quite NES. I noticed that even with the Legacy Mode option turned on, there was not a whole lot of slowdown or sprite flicker, except for parts with some of the bigger enemies. This may also be because it seems that they made it a point to try to have no more than 3 enemies onscreen at any given time.

I did a side-by-side comparison of Mega Mans 2 and 9 just to see for myself, and if you wanted to be truly nit-picky you can see that the newer game is better at producing diagonal lines. This means that the text in MM9 actually looks a bit smoother than it did in any of the original titles. In short, things are just a bit sharper than what the original Nintendo was able to produce.

Sound:

Before we start, let’s get something straight. MIDI is not a sound, it is just a command that tells a device what note to play (sorry, just had to get that off my chest). With that said, the sound design is on the spot. It sounds like an NES game.

Beeps, boops and buzzes make up most of the soundtrack and sound effects, but it is exactly what the team wanted. The music has a very Capcom circa 1987-90’s feel; a sound that was captured with games like Mega Man 1&2, Duck Tales and Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers. Somehow, it just made you feel good.

Even with the limited sound scope, Mega Man 9 manages some of the catchiest tunes currently available in a game. Or maybe they just bring this old gamer back to childhood.

Lasting Appeal:

The game is retro; so don’t expect to spend more than a few hours trying to complete it on your first try. As I said before, the game kicks your butt when you first start playing it, but as you learn each stage, things become a breeze. A very skilled player would probably be able to get through the game in under an hour.

There is some replay value to be had, players hungry for more can try to complete all of the game’s Challenges or try to top others’ online rankings. There will also be some DLC for players who want to get a bit more out of their game for a little extra cash, and it may not be such a bad idea since I always have 3-400 points hanging around after I buy an oddly priced game.



The 411:

The team has succeeded in capturing the feel of a classic platformer. Everything from gameplay to music and level design is spot-on with the original series, but this game is definitely fanfare. I am sure that someone out there has said this already, but it is true. Mega Man 9 is best suited for the generation aged 23-30. It caters to the gamers who were rockin’ a Zapper back in 1989.

While, I definitely do not regret shelling out my ten bucks, some of the generation who didn’t grow up on 2D may not find a whole lot of action in this NES-styled game. My only hope is that a few newer gamers do give the game a shot and find some enjoyment in this little title. Mega Man 9 is made by a team of Mega Man lovers for a legion of Mega Man lovers. That may be great for me, but it may not make very many new fans.


Note: The ratings below are based on how well the development team accomplished their goals, not for how well they hold up today. If you are reading this, chances are you know that the game is intentionally primitave.

Graphics	8.5	What Jay?! An 8.5?! Yes, the game looks like you would expect it. The side by side comparison does show some minor graphical differences, we need more jagged lines!
Gameplay	9.0	The gameplay is classic Mega Man, select any level you want then run and gun your way through. Beat a boss gain his ability. No complaints there, but it can get a bit easy after a few hours of play.
Sound	9.0	The 8-bit soundtrack of Mega Man 9 is freakin' awesome. It truly hits the classic Capcom feel more than any of the other features, and is catchy as hell. My only guess is that they just had to get a bit more creative with the sounds they were given.
Lasting Appeal	8.0	Just like most classic games, Mega Man 9 won't keep you busy for weeks. It will give you a run for your money the first time you play, but as you get better, you will catch yourself flying through levels. DLC and Challenges will help.
Fun Factor	9.5	Mega Man 9 is a throwback to the old times. I mentioned before that it is fan-fare, because it is. I don't see many younger gamers going crazy about it, but the classically trained core crowd will be able to relive their childhood experiences.
Overall	9.5   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 14 Mega Man 9 Screenshots