Mega Man 7

"The Blue Bomber strikes again!"

Ah yes . . . Megaman finally made his arrival on the Super NES. And what a debut! Megaman's newest adventure isn't much on innovation--the nefarious Dr. Wily's creations are on the rampage once again--and who better to stop them than our favorite robot, Megaman?

Story: Well, pretty simple. There isn't much to give away, but I'll keep my mouth shut just in case. Basically, Megaman has finally captured Dr. Wily, his arch-nemesis, and sent him off to prison for his attempts to rule the world with a robot army. But now Wily's robots have aided his escape from the law, and he's at his old tricks again, this time with eight brand-new robot masters to trash, one at each major sector of the island. Megaman, with help from his scientist ''father'' Dr. Light, his sister Roll, and the mechanical mechanic Auto, must save the day.

Sound: Ooh, not bad. The sound effects consist of a variety of cool blasting sounds, beeps, clicks, etc. The sounds linked to each of Megaman's special weapons fit very nicely, although the flame weapon sounds odd. Oh well. The music is okay--not extraordinarily good, but it's not boring either. Yes, anyone who listened to it would know it's from some video game. But for the purposes of a video game, it fits the bill. Lots of fanfares and themes.

Gameplay: NICE! Extremely responsive controls make for fun gameplay. Your default weapon, the Mega Buster, can be charged to two higher power levels than the normal pea-shooter. After completing each stage, which contain robot enemies, treasures, and traps galore, you'll face one of Dr. Wily's powerful robot masters. Each one follows a particular pattern, and each is vulnerable to another master's weapon. How do you get them to attack one another? Luckily, you don't. When you defeat one with your Mega Buster alone, you will receive that master's special weapon and can use it against another master, till all eight are destroyed. You can also slide though small spaces, and call your dog Rush for various purposes. The only problems are, some jumps are very difficult to land correctly, at times it seems as though Megaman is a bit too vulnerable to attack, and extra lives are too rare in such a difficult game.

Graphics: Ah, yes, the famous sprite. Do you have any ideas how many sprite comics there are out there that use Megaman sprites, most commonly from this game? There are a lot. Anyway, the characters' expressions and movements are represented well by their character designs, and the scrolling backgrounds make for a nice change in scenery. Rain and snow fall from the sky in one level, deadly bubbles rise from the floor in another. But there aren't many sprites of some characters, and they just get left out a lot. One character I've only seen in one pose the entire game.

Innovation: Compared to other Megaman games, there is plenty of improvement, but really nothing new. However, compared to other action games in general . . . In some games, you can enter a code and you'll be given access to any stage. Not necessary here. From the start of the game, you can head for any of the starting four masters, and then pick from another four once the first wave is taken out. Probably the biggest jump from 6 to 7 is that literally, there's treasure everywhere. There are hidden pieces of equipment in many of the eight stages, and most are extremely valuable. Some of this stuff you can find in certain places by locating and using a component of Rush's that allows him to dig for treasure. Neato. Also, you can find a particular hidden boss if you look hard enough . . . no spoilers! Plus, you can go from the stage select screen to Auto's shop, where you can buy upgrades and powerups with the Bolts you will find in the levels. Not only that, but . . . Ouch. The final boss is very, very, very hard to beat.

Conclusion: Lots of fun for the SNES. Avid Megaman fans should definitely take a good long look, if you can find it. In the way of visuals and sound, it doesn't stand out at all. But in measure of pure fun and action, it never lets up. You'll probably need more time to practice than renting it will buy you, but once you get the hang of it it's very quick to finish. Enjoy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/28/03