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Another Mega Man game?
October 17, 2005 | 5:49 PM PSTby: Erik Altieri
Can Capcom breathe new life into the series or are we just going to beat that horse some more?
Features:
Classic Mega Man side scrolling action
New Weapon! The Zero Knuckle!
Gameplay:
The game starts out with a little intro cinematic type sequence, which having never played a Mega Man Zero game (or really any Mega Man game) in the past, left me really freaking confused. It went something a lot like this: "Blah Blah Blahgity Blah! Reploids! Blah WAR! Blah Blah NEO ARCADIA!!!"
After a thoroughly confusing introduction I was put in control of our main character (Zero you fool!) as he landed on top of a truck caravan that was under attack from robots, cyborgs, men in purple suits or something. So having only a D-pad and four buttons at my disposal I was able to quickly figure out how to manipulate Zero into kicking some serious butt.
Anyone familiar with classic Mega Man gameplay, or really any game released during the 8 and 16 bit eras, will feel right at home. The D-pad moves, the A/B buttons will shoot your gun and make you jump, and (the least conventional I suppose) holding down R and hitting the shoot button will make you use your secondary weapon. The secondary weapon is actually quite interesting. You start out with the option of using the Laser Sword or the Zero Knuckle. The Laser Sword is just your typical sword to slice through baddies with, but the Zero Knuckle is pretty cool as well. Much like that pink puff ball we all know and love, when equipped with the Zero Knuckle, Zero can use it to steal enemies’ powers. This opens up a whole new arsenal of guns for you to use. Basically any type of beam or missile you can think of is able to be acquired one way or another through the course of the game. Some more depth to the gameplay is added with a creature called the CyberElf. Basically, it is a creature you obtain early on in the game and you level him up and unlock more unique powers for Zero to use. It doesn't add a whole lot, but it’s a cool little feature that adds a bit to the experience. Also available is the ability to pick up "parts" of enemies you killed and put them together to make weapons and useful things.
The flow of the game is actually a lot like earlier Mega Man titles. After completing the intro sequences, you’re left at a big trailer of sorts that acts as Zero and his friends' base of operations. From here you can combine parts into weapons, save your game, talk to people, get mission updates, and "teleport" into levels. Levels are basically themed after their main boss. The flow is pretty formulaic and basically has you following a pattern: run through level, fight some minor enemies, boss fight, teleport back to base, save, repeat.
While not really a bad thing, it just does little to breathe life into the classic side scrolling action game genre. Also, while I'm on the subject of levels, I must warn you. Don't expect this game to be a cakewalk, it is one really tough. I played through on Normal mode and died at several times before beating any one level. One thing new to the series that helps you out is the ability to change the weather of the level you are going to. Say one level is really hot and steamy. Why not cool it down a bit? The weather affects the boss fights and general play of the levels. I won't give anything away because it tends to be quite satisfying to see the effects the weather has on the levels.
The gameplay will last for a decent length. I'd say it would take between 10-15 hours for an average gamer. Mega Man veterans I'm sure could focus their energy and beat this sucker in much less than that, but I am not one of those people. The experience remains pretty interesting throughout, but the weak story and lack of any true diversity in the gameplay led me to grow a little weary of the title towards the end.
Graphics and Sound:
Graphics are one thing Mega Man Zero 4 has going for it. It is genuinely a pretty game. The characters and enemies are well animated. There are cute little animations for when you slice bad guys in half with the laser sword, which brought a grin to my face the first few times I butchered some guys. Bosses are all really well drawn and colossal. However, all is not great. Some levels lack a certain level of detail and polish when compared to others. Also, they use a very cheesy effect to reproduce the image of light breaking through trees, which I found to be just an annoyance. Several of the enemies just seemed thrown together and not really well animated, but for the most part the graphics of this game were above average.
The sound was slightly above average as well. You get fed your standard Mega Man fare. Hip bouncing rock/techno tracks provide a great backdrop for shooting through insane amounts of robot/humanoid things. Sound effects were generally give and take. Some gun sounds were pretty weak, but overall they got the job done.
Final Word:
Mega Man Zero 4 is really an OK game. It delivers the classic run and gun gameplay of the original Mega Man games while adding some new depth to the system with weather effects and gun building, but it loses some of its charm in its overly hard gameplay and repetitive formulaic nature. If you’re a fan of old school side scrollers, then this game will keep you entertained for a good bit, although there isn't much motivation to go back through it once you beat it the first time. Basically, if you liked older games in this genre, go get Mega Man Zero 4. It delivers classic gameplay with some interesting new features. If the SNES Mega Man games didn't do it for you, this one won't change your mind.
Features:
Gameplay:
The game starts out with a little intro cinematic type sequence, which having never played a Mega Man Zero game (or really any Mega Man game) in the past, left me really freaking confused. It went something a lot like this: "Blah Blah Blahgity Blah! Reploids! Blah WAR! Blah Blah NEO ARCADIA!!!"
After a thoroughly confusing introduction I was put in control of our main character (Zero you fool!) as he landed on top of a truck caravan that was under attack from robots, cyborgs, men in purple suits or something. So having only a D-pad and four buttons at my disposal I was able to quickly figure out how to manipulate Zero into kicking some serious butt.
Anyone familiar with classic Mega Man gameplay, or really any game released during the 8 and 16 bit eras, will feel right at home. The D-pad moves, the A/B buttons will shoot your gun and make you jump, and (the least conventional I suppose) holding down R and hitting the shoot button will make you use your secondary weapon. The secondary weapon is actually quite interesting. You start out with the option of using the Laser Sword or the Zero Knuckle. The Laser Sword is just your typical sword to slice through baddies with, but the Zero Knuckle is pretty cool as well. Much like that pink puff ball we all know and love, when equipped with the Zero Knuckle, Zero can use it to steal enemies’ powers. This opens up a whole new arsenal of guns for you to use. Basically any type of beam or missile you can think of is able to be acquired one way or another through the course of the game. Some more depth to the gameplay is added with a creature called the CyberElf. Basically, it is a creature you obtain early on in the game and you level him up and unlock more unique powers for Zero to use. It doesn't add a whole lot, but it’s a cool little feature that adds a bit to the experience. Also available is the ability to pick up "parts" of enemies you killed and put them together to make weapons and useful things.
The flow of the game is actually a lot like earlier Mega Man titles. After completing the intro sequences, you’re left at a big trailer of sorts that acts as Zero and his friends' base of operations. From here you can combine parts into weapons, save your game, talk to people, get mission updates, and "teleport" into levels. Levels are basically themed after their main boss. The flow is pretty formulaic and basically has you following a pattern: run through level, fight some minor enemies, boss fight, teleport back to base, save, repeat.
While not really a bad thing, it just does little to breathe life into the classic side scrolling action game genre. Also, while I'm on the subject of levels, I must warn you. Don't expect this game to be a cakewalk, it is one really tough
The gameplay will last for a decent length. I'd say it would take between 10-15 hours for an average gamer. Mega Man veterans I'm sure could focus their energy and beat this sucker in much less than that, but I am not one of those people. The experience remains pretty interesting throughout, but the weak story and lack of any true diversity in the gameplay led me to grow a little weary of the title towards the end.
Graphics and Sound:
Graphics are one thing Mega Man Zero 4 has going for it. It is genuinely a pretty game. The characters and enemies are well animated. There are cute little animations for when you slice bad guys in half with the laser sword, which brought a grin to my face the first few times I butchered some guys. Bosses are all really well drawn and colossal. However, all is not great. Some levels lack a certain level of detail and polish when compared to others. Also, they use a very cheesy effect to reproduce the image of light breaking through trees, which I found to be just an annoyance. Several of the enemies just seemed thrown together and not really well animated, but for the most part the graphics of this game were above average.
The sound was slightly above average as well. You get fed your standard Mega Man fare. Hip bouncing rock/techno tracks provide a great backdrop for shooting through insane amounts of robot/humanoid things. Sound effects were generally give and take. Some gun sounds were pretty weak, but overall they got the job done.
Final Word:
Mega Man Zero 4 is really an OK game. It delivers the classic run and gun gameplay of the original Mega Man games while adding some new depth to the system with weather effects and gun building, but it loses some of its charm in its overly hard gameplay and repetitive formulaic nature. If you’re a fan of old school side scrollers, then this game will keep you entertained for a good bit, although there isn't much motivation to go back through it once you beat it the first time. Basically, if you liked older games in this genre, go get Mega Man Zero 4. It delivers classic gameplay with some interesting new features. If the SNES Mega Man games didn't do it for you, this one won't change your mind.
November 20, 2009
