Mega Man ZX

"A bit of Z, a dash of X and a lot of fun"

With yet another entry into the vast library of games featuring the Blue Bomber, Capcom has brought the classic 2D side scroller to the Nintendo DS. Taking place just after the great 4 title series that appeared on the Game Boy Advance, ZX simply raises the bar by not only incorporating varying gameplay mechanics from the Mega Man Zero games, but including many unique elements of its own. It's a bit of X for having that classic feel of the Mega Man X titles from the SNES and it's a lot of Z for the aesthetic feel of the Mega Man Zero games, but through and through this title is fresh, lively and a whole lot of the kind of fun that this series is very well known for.

For a bit of background, this entry takes place about a century, or so, after the last 2D side scroller on the GBA, Mega Man Zero 4 and, for the first time, has you playing as a human lead character who is, based upon your choosing, male or female. The game introduces Biometals.. a sort of sentient relic that represents prior Mega Man characters like Zero and X, which have AI of their personalities. This Biometal bonds with the human character to grant them the abilities of Zero or X, depending upon what is equipped. And, while on the go, you'll be able to swap Biometals to gain different abilities, both in battle and on the touchscreen, to help you out of a given situation.

Now, onto the scoring.

Story: 9/10
-It's your basic Mega Man stops rampaging evil madman, but it's presented very well. As explained above, the story heavily revolves around Biometals and them being used for good and/or evil. Over the course of the adventure, there will be many references to past titles and characters. Although it's not necessary to play them, it DOES make you think back and really feel the Mega Man games have an ever evolving world and not a static one, which is definitely a nice touch.

Graphics: 9/10
-The same style is implemented as the previous four Mega Man titles, but the animation is superb. The sprites animate fluidly, new sprite animation techniques are used such as rotation, draw distance and new smoke/particle effects. Also, anime cutscenes are added in with english subtitles. Always a great touch to bring the characters to life, keep the story fresh and advance it, keep the player's attention.

Gameplay: 10/10
-It's your standard 2D Mega Man title as far as gameplay goes, but with the new Biometals the gameplay is definitely fresh and lively. The Biometals essentially allow you to play as 6+ different characters which lead to multiple possibilities and play styles. Also, a new type of map system is used. Instead of stage by stage gameplay.. there are now areas divided up by regions that seamlessly blend between each one which make it feel like one rather large stage. Other than that, it's classic Mega Man gameplay and that's always a plus.

Sound: 8/10
-The sounds are great, from the music to sound effects and even the occasional grunts and yells of characters. The music is what you'd come to expect from the Mega Man games. While they're nothing too memorable, they're nowhere near terrible. As for the sound effects, they're very good whether it be an enemy blowing up or character yelling.

Overall: 9/10
-This is a great game for any player that enjoys a great 2D adventure whether you're a diehard Mega Man fan or just a gamer that's into classic 2D games. It's user friendly with its pick up and play gaming, but also with its choice of difficulty level. Easy is there for a newbie to the series, or just a casual gamer that wants to pick up the game for a quick run through. Normal is around for the vets and those more confident in their skills, while Hard is thrown in, after being unlocked, for the experts (one of which I am not). Other than that, the game has great action, replay value, quite a few collectibles to find and a fairly lengthy quest to complete which will satisfy most any fan of the classic 2D Platforming genre.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/19/06