mega man 2 game review
Test: Mega Man 2After the somewhat mixed success of the first Mega Man (Rockman in VO), Capcom launches all the same in a second opus. Even if at the time Mega Man 2 was not the priority of the box, the creative team led by Akira Kitamura and Kenji Inafune will work on their free time to finalize a game in which they believe more than anything. By dint of hard work, they will succeed in making it what is undoubtedly one of the best action games ever conceived, the best episode of one of the most prolific series of all time.
Even today, many believe that the first Mega Man of the name was a big success. In reality, although he knew how to lay the foundations of the series, the title did not make a huge success when it was released. Even the leaders of Capcom are at this time convinced that a sequel would be useless. Fortunately for the story, Kenji Inafune, the character designer also behind the characters of the first Street Fighter, will succeed in convincing Capcom that he can make an excellent sequel. With his team and the game designer of the first game, Akira Kitamura, they worked day and night to refine Mega Man 2 in order to make it the title we all know today. The game takes up the foundations of the first game. The hero Mega Man, creation of Dr Light, must again face Dr Wily and his Robot Monsters. These bosses, eight in number, each have a particular weapon that can be acquired by beating them and then using them in your turn. Each Robot Monster has its own level, which follows a specific theme (Sky for Air Man, water for Bubble Man, etc.). But don't think it's over when the eight bosses are defeated. You then enter the internships of Dr. Wily. While the game is already rather difficult, everything is spoiled here, especially as new bosses will come to tease you, like the memorable dragon who will pursue you in a scene now cult.
Mega Man therefore begins the game with a single weapon, an energy cannon directly incorporated into his arm. The range of movements is anything but impressive since it can only do three things: run, shoot and jump. Impossible to squat, make double jumps or load his shot, nor even to direct it although certain boss weapons allow these last two actions. With such a simplistic gameplay, logic would mean that we are faced with a basic and boring game, but this is obviously without counting on the talent of the team at Capcom. First of all, the principle which consists in obtaining the weapon of a boss after having beaten it is essential. Indeed, some weapons are particularly effective against certain bosses. Since the player can choose in what order he does the stages, it is important to establish a route plan to optimize his chances of winning. For example, Heat Man won't take a lot of damage with most of the weapons in the game, but will disappear in just three hits from Bubble Man's weapon. Even inside the levels, the choice of weapon can prove to be essential to preserve precious points of life.
But where Mega Man II is really ingenious, it is undoubtedly in its level design. More focused on platforms than one might think, the courses are always full of sometimes extremely complex tests. The cubes that appear and disappear in the Heat Man stage can be a real ordeal and require perfect timing. However, the diversity of these game phases is such that you never get bored and their difficulty make them real challenges for the player. To help you, Mega Man will get three "items" (that's their name) during the game, allowing her to create platforms that can really make your task easier. However, these are not effective everywhere and you will have to use your reflexes in most cases. As said before, even weapons from other bosses can come in handy in these platform phases. The most obvious case is in the mythical Quick Man stage, where Mega Man will make a dizzying fall during which he will have to avoid deadly rays by falling as quickly as possible and where the least lost second will be fatal. The thing will be easier if Mega Man has previously defeated Flash Man, he will then have the possibility of stopping time for a few seconds, allowing him to survive in case of error.
On several occasions, you will have the choice between two paths on your game screen. In general, one is much more complicated than the other, and leads to a life, or an additional reserve of energy (called E-Tank ) more than necessary. You should also know that apart from its main gun, all the other weapons of Mega Man use their own energy bar and which can be refilled by picking up refills that drop the defeated enemies. You will therefore have to learn to be thrifty if you do not want to find yourself short once you arrive in front of the boss. In general, the game is difficult especially if you compare it to softs today. However, it remains much less discouraging than the first Mega Man was, the latter being really hardcore. One of the main improvements of Mega Man 2 compared to its predecessor is the graphics. In addition to the aspect of the decorations, it is especially the character design which made a little good forward. The bosses, in addition to being particularly tough, all have an amazing charisma for a game of the time. A Japanese rock band even wrote a song about Air Man, whose hilarious clip has been on the net for a few years. Even the monsters have a memorable design, like the giant fire-breathing dogs in the Wood Man stage, or the heads which serve as platforms in the Air Man stage.
Obviously, any self-respecting action game must have a catchy soundtrack. This is good, Mega Man 2 certainly has one of the most famous soundtracks of the 8-bit era. Twenty years old, music is still a treat today for nostalgics. The Wood Man theme, the Boss Theme or the famous Dr Wily's Stage 1 Theme are extraordinary successes, especially given the means available to them by the three composers that are Takashi Tateishi (Ghoul's & Ghost, Suikoden), Manami Matsumae (UN Squadron, Dragon Quest Swords) and especially Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1943, Duck Tales). All these qualities give the software a unique cachet. In addition, for the time, the game can be considered rather long. Even if the difficulty is there for a lot (you will die often, believe us), it will take you well six hours to complete the game in difficult mode. Fortunately, a password system will allow you to resume play where you were, which is not a luxury.
In the end, Mega Man 2 is a legend, a pearl that will have dazzled an entire generation of its brilliance, still shining bright today for all old gamers who are looking for a challenge. You might wonder why make it complicated, when with such basic means, a talented team demonstrates that the gameplay is the basis of everything. We quickly forget the few faults of the game, such as certain slowdowns or visual bugs due to the limitations of the console. The only thing that we could regret about Mega Man 2 is that its sequels (The Mega Man X apart) will never have even touched the digest of happiness of this opus, even if we can note the good Mega Man 3 and the surprising Mega Man 9. Fortunately, the Virtual Console is there to unearth us this type of jewels and possibly make them known to the new generation.
The notes
Graphics 16/20
Even if the decorations are not exceptional, they at least have the merit of not hampering the readability. The prowess of the software is especially in the character design, undoubtedly one of the most successful of the time. It's hard to be more charismatic in so few details, starting with the Robot Monsters, which are however no bigger than Mega Man. Even simple monsters have benefited from the painstaking work of Kenji Inafune. Too bad, however, that many flashes interfere from time to time.
Gameplay 19/20
It is impossible to list all the cult passages of Mega Man 2 and from which so many games will have been inspired. We could cite the famous "boss" of Dr Wily Stage 4 among others. From start to finish, there is no defect in the level design. Obviously like many games of the time, Mega Man is fundamentally arduous and you will have to start over and over again. But the urge to discover the hell of the next room is too strong to give up and each time you pass a difficult passage will reveal a radiant smile on your face.
Lifespan 17/20
In the context of the late 80s, the game has a life more than honorable. Besides, when we start the levels of Dr Wily's castle and we see new ones appear as we finish the first ones, we wonder when it's all going to end. If you finish it in Normal mode, it's up to you to get into Hard mode. In addition, Mega Man 2 has a degree of replayability that is absent from many current games, especially for those who want to successfully collect lives and capsules often placed in very complicated passages.
Soundtrack 18/20
If your esgourdes are not allergic to 8-bit sounds, you can only be enchanted by the themes of this game. No cinematic inspiration here, we are entitled to pure video game sound and what did the best, especially since the game could boast of having a fairly substantial number of songs, which was quite rare at the end of the 80s. We can just regret that some sound bugs prevent us from listening to these works in full , including the intro to the Boss Theme, always cut off by the sound of the rising energy bar from the boss.
Scenario 17/20
Let’s avoid judging the scenario itself, which pits you against a mad doctor and his creations, and let’s stop at the staging of the title. The ingenious double door just before a boss, with the logo of Dr. Wily, is a remarkable invention to put pressure on the player. When you come in front with four poor hit points, you know your chances are slim. Many parts of the game are memorable thanks to an incredibly intelligent staging.
Despite its aspects of Run & Gun game, Mega Man 2 is a much more complete game than it seems. You have to be particularly clever and clever to get out of most situations. A masterpiece of staging, with a unique soundtrack and a perfect design chara, the title of Capcom is one of the very best games of the Nes. Its porting on the Virtual Console is only one more reason to take advantage of it or to make it discover to those who would not have had the chance to play it at the time. Mega Man 2 will forever remain an essential reference in the action game.
0 comments:
Post a Comment