"Has some nice new stuff, but carries on some previous flaws."

Number four. How does it stack up to the previous three? Well, it has some neat new gameplay twists added, but like the synopsis says, Capcom can't seem to shake out all the bugs. Still, it's one of the better GB MM games. If you enjoyed playing 3, you will enjoy this one. If you like the tighter control of 2, you may want to rent this before you purchase. If you are sick of seeing old enemies, you should still rent it to try out the new stuff.

Story: 8
The same story as before. Wily this, Wily that. This game actually has a small prologue scene, however, in which Dr. Light tells you about P Chips and how he can use P Chips that you collect to make helpful items.

Gameplay: 7
You can collect P Chips by finding them in levels or by killing enemies in the hopes that they leave some behind. Some of the items Dr. Light can make are standard, such as extra lives and energy tanks, but there are some interesting (and expensive) special items. For instance, there is one item that diverts energy from picked up weapon refills to the weapon that needs it the most. Very neat.

Like the previous three GB MM games, the NES bosses are back in business in new levels. This time, however, it's not the level design that's cool, it's what's in the levels. Some cool gameplay elements are in them. Take Pharaoh Man's stage. He's got some weird new platforms that slowly descend the longer you stand on them. Sometimes you'll have to wait for the platform to descend, other times you'll have to jump as quick as you can.

Another new gameplay element is the fact that MM gets pushed back slightly by recoil every time he fires a fully charged Mega Buster blast, making you have to watch your footing more. This adds a nice amount of extra challenge to the game.

Sadly, like in GB MM3, you'll have to use charged blasts frequently because rapid fire is STILL slow. :( Jumping is also the same here as it was in GB MM3; you can jump higher than in the first two GB MMs, but the glitch from GB MM1 is back.

Graphics: 8
Once again, a lot like GB MM3. Great detail and animation on sprites and backgrounds, but screen scrolling isn't as smooth as GB MM2, although still better than GB MM1. I particularly like the stage select menu. It's a nice change of pace from the typical enemy mugshot menu.

Sound/Music: 8
Thankfully, also like in GB MM3, most of the sound effects sound great and the music sounds very much like the NES game it was taken from. Songs that are native to this game are also good and fit the Mega Man theme very well.

Control: 6
:: sigh :: Why...WHY won't you let us shoot fast!?

Replay Value: 5
Well, you can beat the game without getting all the items, so that adds juuuuuuust a little more value.

Bottom Line?
Well, this game offers the most new things out of the four so far, but it's up to you to decide if these new things are enough to make you want to play through familiar places and fight bosses you've already fought. If you miss the jumping control and more rapid firepower of GB MM2, you may just want to stick with what you already have. Sadly, even though this game has a lot of things going for it, it can't be considered above average because of the bugs that Capcom doesn't seem to wanna fix, which is why I give it a 7.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10 | Originally Posted: 09/10/01, Updated 09/10/01

Liked this review? Click here to recommend this item to other users.