RockMan & Forte

"Let dead horses decay in peace!"

“Rockman and Forte” was the final installment in the Megaman Series. And that fact that it isn’t even called ‘Megaman #’ should have been a MAJOR tip-off that something was amiss. R&F is simply a rehashed version of the Megaman games, with some throwaway bells and whistles attached.

Gameplay: 4/10

First off, R&F does have Forte (Bass in the states), the former arch-rival of Megaman’s from #7. Forte has several differences that make him similar, but ultimately his own character; he cannot charge his weapon, has rapid fire (hold the button down), a double jump, his dog Treble (ha! Forte/Bass and treble, musical puns!) can fly, he cannot slide – he can dash but will not fit into small openings, and he looks a lot cooler than Megaman, whose outfit looks straight out of Mardis Gras. You can choose either of the two, but you cannot take back your decision. This choice with have severe(ly insignificant) implications on the game. Whichever one floats your boat will get you through the game just fine, but you really should take Forte, he looks better. Period.

That said, R&F then becomes just another Megaman game. You have the intro level – this one in particular being a light exercise in frustration. After that, you can have your pick of the evil robots that Dr. Wily (who else?) has built.
Speaking of which, let’s talk about the robots. They are D-U-L-L! There are only so many types of robot Megaman can fight, and this, the ninth game, is proof of that. First, there is cold man or ''ice-based robot no. 4 in the series''; And Burner Man, who is a blatant and obscene rip-off of Fireman from #1! They even look alike! Not to mention he is also the sixth fire-based robot in the Megaman series. There are other repeats, but I’ve made my point.
On the other extreme, we have some pretty far-fetched robots, like Pirate Man or Tengu man. I don’t even know what a Tengu is! My best guess is a mythical bird in Japanese lore. The idea of basing a robot off of a Tengu is so far-fetched that it cannot avoid being truly absurd. Definitely some of the worst boss ideas in Megaman history here.
However the powers are pretty snazzy. Cold man gives you ‘Ice Wall’ which is just that: a block of ice you can push into monster, use as a shield, or ride as a transportation unit over spikes. Astro Man gives you copy vision, which makes a clone of you that fires rapidly and serves as a decoy. The powers are super nifty, and are definitely one of the highlights in the game.

The levels, like most of the game, feel tired. For example, Cold Man is in a frozen complex, like every other ice robot ever. And all the levels have the same traps that other Megaman games have: pits, spikes, annoying monsters that you cannot hit but they always hit you… But after NINE games, and the Megaman X series, how unique can you be? Still, that is no excuse.

To give R&F a pulse, the designers threw in some bells and whistles to make the game seem fresh, or at least purchasable.
For starters, not all the levels are open to you at the start of the game. Rather, there is an ‘action-reaction’ approach to level accessibility. If you beat a level, more levels open up to you. Clever, but it gives R&F a linear feel (which is bad and essentially un-Megaman). Though the Megaman games have always been linear in the sense that one robots power is another’s weakness, so you just follow the same cycle of bosses every time you play. Despite that, you still had a choice which levels you picked, and you don’t quite have that here.
Second, you can collect CD’s hidden in every level. Each CD has a trading card with an image and fact sheet about a different character from the Megaman series. Cute, but pointless. The CD’s are a hollow attempt to get you to replay through the game since they earn you nothing, and you can’t collect them all anyway. Some CD’s need Megaman, some need Forte, and you can’t play as both. The picture on the card looks really good, however.
Auto, that mechanic-bot from MM #7 is back, with a HUGE arsenal of gear more fitting for a ‘Metroid’ game than R&F. He has goodies that halve damage, double health item potency, etc. You pay in bolts that you find from monsters that you’ve destroyed, like in #7. The difference being the goods you bought in #7 were practical, and you used them. The stuff you can buy in R&F is extremely over-the-top and some of it unnecessary. One such item is the one that increases damage as your health meter goes down. It may help, but I don’t believe anyone consciously thinks to use it. Many of the items are very handy, such as the one that halves a weapon’s energy cost. You will want to save up your screws to buy every item – don’t know why, but you will. But you will only use three of them.
The game has a save feature, which helps you store your saved up screws and relive the excitement of the last boss over and over again. But with its cheesy dialogue and its schmaltz, don’t bother even beating it. The ending is the same as any Megaman game. You will appreciate the save feature, though. This game can only be digested in small bites.

In short, the game is tired. The series is old. The formula is worn out. To spruce it up, Capcom had to throw in gimmicks that have nothing to do with Megaman. And it shows. The game…is lame.

Graphics: 8/10

They’re colorful, they’re bright, they’re detailed, and they’re not pixilated. A great deal of effort went into making this game look beautiful, and it does. But it can’t mask bad gameplay – just make it look better.

Sound: 5/10

The sound effects were fine, but the music really bothered me. To me, at least, it felt like third-rate Depeche Mode. Now, I’m a big Depeche Mode fan, but this was one of those very rare games that just made me turn off the music. But the sound effects were good!

Challenge: 5/10

Capcom wanted this game to be challenging; after all, you have to raise the bar since by this point, all Megaman fans are experts at the games. But they took the old-school “challenging = unfair enemies ” mentality with this game. Two bosses were, in my opinion, just a struggle to beat and ultimately not worth it. First was Burner Man who you had to hit with the ice wall (difficult in of itself), but ninety percent of the time the dude was using his very powerful attacks that made him impervious to your ice walls! And Volt man, who not only could shoot a ludicrous barrage of wattage at you, but he could jump into his little pod at the top of the screen and refill his health bar until you destroyed BOTH sides! By that point, his health meter has gone up from one point to two thirds full, and you in essence must beat him all over again! A truly dumb idea by the designers. It made Volt Man WAY TOO HARD, and it probably would have made me hemorrhage had I not bust out the PAR codes for that boss.

Replay 2/10

Yeah, there is still that other character, but when given the opportunity to play again, DON’T!!!

Overall: 4/10

By R&F, let’s face it, the Megaman series was through. He was the blue wonder of Nintendo, but us Nintendo-heads grew up, and now if we play video games anymore, its after we’ve put the kids to bed. We’ve gotten older, and the game just feels tired and dated. Megaman got a facelift for this game, but it still drags.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/03, Updated 01/03/03