RockMan & Forte

"Although it could be better, RockMan & Forte is still an excellent game, and certainly better than MMVII."

Although it was never released in the 'States, most likely due to the fact that it came out in 1998, after the SNES was basically dead, RockMan & Forte is a great game, that no hardcore MegaMan fan should be without.

Graphics (9/10)

If you've played MegaMan 8, then you already have a good idea of the in-game graphics here. In fact, many of the animations, such as the train in Magic Man's stage, were incorporated into MM8, and, to tell the truth, I really couldn't tell the difference between the two. In addition to this, almost all the enemies, from the skiing bunnies, to those darned little yellow guys with their giant helmets, also make an appearance in MM8, and, like the afore-mentioned train, they also are identical to their PS-X counterparts. The character animation is awesome too, as is tradition with MegaMan games. Overall, the graphics are beautiful, especially considering the old SNES architecture they were designed for.

Sound (8/10)

The music is pretty good, and IMO certainly better than that of MM8. As far as sound effects go, they're basically what you might expect from a MegaMan game, which is most definitely not a bad thing in the least, even though it obviously gets repetitive after awhile.

Playcontrol (9/10)

There's certainly enough variety to go around with this game. While Rockman has his traditional moves, which include the Mega Buster, and the slide, Forte's (Also known as Bass, who made an appearance in MMVII) control scheme reflects that of the superb MegaMan X series, such as the dash technique, which is personally a favorite of mine. Also, he has a machine gun rather than a Mega Buster, which can be aimed in all directions, making it much more versatile than Rockman's gun.

Entertainment Value (9/10)

You really can't go wrong with this one. It has beautiful graphics, which are just as nice as MegaMan 8's, and pretty good music as well, and the classic control scheme is just as great as ever. Also, it's refreshing to be able to play as a character other than MegaMan, who was getting a bit old after being the only playable character in MM games for so long. It's a shame Rockman & Forte never reached the U.S., but a few bosses from this one made their way into MM8, including Tengu Man and Astro Man, so in a way MM8 is like a port of this one, only scaled down quite a bit.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/01, Updated 11/08/01