Mega Man 9

"Welcome back, Mega Man. We missed you."

We've waited. For more than 10 years, we've waited. Through countless spin-offs, compilations, and whatnot, we've waited.

And now, at last, all that waiting has come to fruition. Mega Man 9 is here. And it has been well worth the wait. The first platformer in the classic series in more than a decade returns to the 8-bit roots that made the series famous. 8-bit graphics, 8-bit music, 8-bit challenge; if I didn't know it was for WiiWare, I'd swear the NES had somehow made a comeback.

The story picks up where Mega Man 8 left off. The year is 20XX, and the world is enjoying a brief moment of peace following Mega Man's most recent victory over Dr. Wily. But when robots start going all Gordon Ramsay across the world, people suspect Dr. Wily is up to something again. Imagine the look on people's faces, then, when Dr. Wily hacks the airwaves to claim that Dr. Light is the mastermind behind the destruction! Naturally, Mega Man knows this is just a load, and sets out to clear his creator's name.

Fans of the series know the routine. 8 new Robot Masters; Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Jewel Man, Galaxy Man, Magma Man, Tornado Man, Plug Man, and Splash Woman (yes, Woman); will test your skill. Make your way through the stage's myriad of enemies and traps, try to pwn the boss, finally succeed after most likely several attempts, claim the enemy's weapon, figure out which of the remaining bosses will end up pwned by your newest weapon, and repeat until you reach Wily's castle. Along the way, you'll pick up many items and inevitably lose many lives, unless you're an expert of old-school. Of course, you've got Rush to help you out, but strangely, the slide and charge shot, staples since MM3 and 4, respectively, have been removed. This ups the challenge factor quite a bit. Between stages, you can spend Screws to buy new items at the shop.

This is the kind of game that fans of the Blue Bomber have been waiting for. The controls are as tight as you remember, and the challenge is as old-school as ever. Some new-school additions include a necessary save system, an achievement list similar to XBox360's Gamerscore system, downloadable content, and a time attack mode to see who has bragging rights. But the real draw of this game is the 8-bit style, which brings back memories of how a Mega Man game is supposed to be. Thank you Capcom, and please, please, PLEASE keep it up!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/23/08

Game Release: Mega Man 9 (US, 09/22/08)