Mega Man 9

"The Blue Bomber is back kicking it old-school!"

I've always wondered why the original Mega Man series stopped at eight games. Why not nine? Y'know, to fill in the gap until the X series (We got Mega Man & Bass, but still..). Well, years later Capcom apparently thought the same thing and made Mega Man 9, which, being a huge Mega Man fan, made my heart stop for a bit. They even modeled it after the older Mega Man games (think Mega Man 2)! Here's what I thought of it:

Story: 7/10

Same old story, many years later. Dr. Light is accused of creating robots that go out-of-control and is hauled off to prison, so Mega Man must find out what's going on and clear his maker's name. You'd think that with so many innovations led by Dr. Light that he'd be a little more protected by now. Anyways, there's nothing really special about the story, after every few robot masters beaten you'll get a little cut scene at Dr. Light's lab with Auto, Rush, and Roll. The ending, while OK, wasn't the series-transitioning awesomeness that I was hoping for.

Gameplay: 8/10

By now, almost everyone knows how these older Mega Man games work: fight a series of eight robot masters until the villain (and his castle) appear and proceed to save the world! Well, Mega Man 9 is no different (why fix what isn't broken?). Like the older games, you can tackle any of the eight robot masters from the get-go, defeating them to take their powers, one-by-one. Of course, each master is weak to another one, and by exploiting (and finding out) that weakness you can kill each of them easily. Before getting to them, though, you need to get through their stage, guarded by all sorts of enemies.

The game plays like an old-school Mega Man game in the fact that you can't slide or charge your buster, but it does implement several features from later Mega Man games such as E-tanks, M-tanks, and the special weapons auto-filler, as well as being able to collect screws and shop with Auto. These features alone make the game much easier (a bit too easy, in fact). The levels were masterfully designed and quite challenging, but they do get easier as you progress through the game and acquire new weapons. The robot masters themselves were a mixed bag, really, as I felt that I've fought most of them before (I'm looking at you, Concrete Man, you Guts Man look-alike!), while others were definitely unique (for example, Splash Woman, yes WOMAN). Their powers, however, were definitely a high point in the game, as they were some of the best mix of powers I've ever seen in a Mega Man game. Overall though, the game is just plain fun, even if it is a bit too easy and feels like you've played it before. It also has plenty of nostalgia for us older gamers.

Graphics: 9/10

Being designed after the older 8-bit Mega Man games, Mega Man 9 remains faithful to its roots while looking great. It's so faithful, in fact, that you can still make enemies appear and disappear by scrolling the screen left or right. Anyone who's played an older Mega Man game should have an idea of what to expect here. The few new enemies and robot masters all look great as well, and I just loved some of the unique enemy animations. Many enemies were reused, of course, and like I mentioned before, certain robot masters remind you of previous bosses in the Mega Man series (Perhaps on purpose? They were aiming for quite a bit of nostalgia, right?). Suffice to say, things look great, are animated well, and the game plays without any hang-ups.

Music / Sound Effects: 9/10

The music in Mega Man 9 is excellent, featuring so many memorable, synthesized tunes that you'll find yourself replaying levels just to hear them again. I expect that these tunes will be on several internet music and remixing sites shortly, if they aren't already. The sound effects remain faithful to the series, featuring all the blips and bleeps that made so much sense to us back in the day.

Re-playability: 9/10

Mega Man 9 features quite a bit more than just the single-player mode, a pleasant side effect of having been released years after its sister games. You can also participate in time trials, where you go through any stage and defeat the boss in the least amount of time possible, which than gets posted to the leader boards online. There are also a variety of challenges that you can attempt, ranging from something as easy as "beat the game" to the truly challenging "never miss" or "never get hit" achievements. Coming soon, you will also be able to play a never-ending stage as well as play through the game as Mega Man's brother Proto Man. One last side note: Mega Man 9 is best played with friends, laughing at each other for not being able to make that jump to the ladder over that lava pool.... let the good times roll!

Overall: 8/10

Overall, a great trip to memory lane, providing solid gameplay and great music in the process. Currently, Mega Man 9 is available on each of the current-gen systems (PS3, XBOX 360, Wii), available to download for around 10 dollars, which makes it a must-play for any fan of the series! Have fun and keep playing!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/08

Game Release: Mega Man 9 (US, 09/25/08)