Mega Man 8 Anniversary Edition

"Not as breath-taking as the others, but still, it's good."

MegaMan 8 marked the 10th anniversary of Mega Man's introduction to the world when the original Mega Man game had been released. For some odd reason, he has gone from Mega Man to MegaMan. Oh well. This recent (but not quite last) adventure for our hero sends him once again against his troublesome nemisis, Dr. Wily. Apparently, his Prozac seems to expand his life span. Poo. So how will the Blue Bomber face up this time? Is the anime decent? Will MegaMan ever sound like a man and not a girl? ONTO THE REVIEW!!!


GRAPHICS: The cartoony graphics can be a turnoff, but at the same time, it may draw in anime fans. The style is much more lavish and bright, and the animation flows like a river. The weapons are really cool compared to previous games (except the Water Balloon...what a lame excuse for a weapon). The new enemies and bosses are creative and big, and the brand new-looking Boss Selection screen is great. There isn't anything you've seen before, besides some enemies returning from the original games available for Nintendo. (9.5/10)

STORY: Probably the game's low point. There is little originality when you whittle down to the point, and many a person know how much I live off of originality. In this one, it starts off with a battle in outer space. Two robots, obviously representing good and evil, bash each other with a devastating blast which sends them tumbling to Earth. Meanwhile, MegaMan battles it out with Bass yet again, only to ditch the evil bot in one shot. He goes to Skull Island with Roll to find out why he received an emeregncy call from Dr. Light earlier. Well, duh, it's Dr. Wily again, making off with the remains of the evil robot, while the Blue Bozo takes the other robot to Dr. Light's lab. It continues on to a plot that really is anything but unexpected, so don't be surprised if you're disappointed. (7/10)

GAMEPLAY/CONTROL: The game presents a small amount of challenge to the experienced player, but still doesn't make it up with the beginner players. Bosses are cinchy with the weapons you need to defeat them, but otherwise they can be pretty tough. And I'm telling you, Aqua Man will test your patience with his annoying voice. There are only a small amount of new abilities available. The old Rush Jet is back, where you actually ride on Rush's back. The innovative air chase stage that Tengu Man resides in is one of the most creative in the series. You can now collect Bolts once again, but there is only a limited amount, so must choose wisely about what you buy. There are new Mega Buster charges, upgrades, and multi-part stages. Every stage has two sections, each quite long. That makes the game last longer than Mega Man X4, also on the PlayStation. Rush comes in many new forms, including a motorcycle and a bomb squad (it sounds goofy, but it is actually quite helpful). Control is perfect as always, although the jumping is slightly harder than it is usually in the other games in the series. (8/10)

SOUND/MUSIC: The tunes don't repeat too often, although they can be a little annoying. MegaMan's voice clips make him sound like he was just kicked in the family jewels. The anime cutscenes are pretty decent sounding, although Dr. Light has a speech impetement and MegaMan can't really be identified as a man. The sounds are still great, and that's all I've got to say about that. (8.5/10)

OTHER STUFF:
-Players: 1
-Fun Factor: 9. GASP!!! A 9 for a Mega Man game?! ARGH...
-Replay Value: 8. Fun, but there really isn't any secrets, and you can only switch what you buy at Roll's hop in some different quests.
-Rent or Buy: Either, but renting is cheaper and you can easily beat it in 2-3 days anyway...

Yes, Mega Man saw a short disappointment in his large lifespan, but it isn't over yet- Mega Man 9, known as Rockman & Forte in Japan, has yet to be released here, although it did come out for the Super NES and sported some of the greatest 2-D graphics ever. So the end is near... I suggest you find an emulator for MM9, and try out this game for a while.

OVERALL: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/00, Updated 02/25/00