Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge

"Do you hate the original NES Mega Man? Then, steer clear of this game!"

Many years ago, I read a magazine that had a review of the Game Boy Mega Man, ''Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge''. I had just become interested in Mega Man games, as well as Game Boy games in general. I wanted this game! Then, I got it.... Several years later, I found it underneath a sofa cushion, and decided to give it another try. Oh, brother....

The story is this. You are Mega Man, a heroic little blue robot. Your arch-nemesis, Dr. Wily, has built an army of evil robots that he plans to conquer the world with. It's up to you to seek out and destroy these robots. But, how are you going to do that? By stealing their special powers, and using them for your own benefit, that's how!

Graphics- Let me just say that the character graphics are almost exact duplications of their NES counterparts. They aren't scaled down. So, that means they're BIG. Very, very big. Dealing with such big characters in such small enviroments can be a hassle. The backgrounds are okay. They're existent. There's actually something to look at back there. They just aren't all that special. But, considering how old this game is, the graphics are pretty good.

Sound- I hate the sound effects in this game. They are annoying! The sound of gunshots, explosions, etc., are all very cruddy. The music is so-so. Some of it's pretty good (like Fire Man's stage and the last level of the game), and, some of it you could do without (I hate Cut Man's song and the boss battle theme). So, the sound is a mixed bag, but, leans more towards being bad than good.

Play Control- Nice and responive, like in most Mega Man games, but, I found jumping to be a problem. The jumping seems very...''floaty''. It's hard to explain. It just seems like if you tap left or right while jumping, you'll start drifting off in that direction. It's no big deal, or anything, but, it bothers me.

Challenge- I can sum this up in one word. And that word is AAAAAAAGHHH!!!! God, this game is HARD! It's the Contra of the Mega Man series! Jumping over terrible pitfalls is the norm in this game, and, it gets really fun later on when you make blind leaps down long shafts that have spikes at the bottom that kill you instantly unless you fall into another hole in between the spikes that's barely bigger than your body! You know what's even more fun? Fighting a bunch of big bosses with one energy bar! E-Tanks, which are used in other Mega Man games as portable energy stores, are non-existent in this game. When you get thrown into battle with a Robot Master, you've got one chance and that's it! NO REFILLS! Make sure you do it right the first time! And, some of the bosses are invulnerable to certain weapons! Did I mention that this game's really HARD?!

Replay Value- Once you beat it once, that's it! Nothing new to find the second time around.

Other Gripes- I think all of this game's faults have been pointed out already.

Overall- Portable Mega Man. What could be better? Hey, it may be impossibly tough to beat, but, it still might be fun to play (not very likely, though)! It's a tough little cartridge, too! Mine was dropped in a puddle of very cold water and left there for hours, then, was left in a box for years until it fell behind a sofa cushion and I found it! And, it still works (usually)! That's one well-made cart! If you are totally obsessed with Mega Man, you might wanna' pick this up. If you want a really big challenge, this is also a good choice. If you want a GB Mega Man game that's fun to play, then, pick up Mega Man II or III. Or, Mega Man V, even (I don't like it, but, everyone else seems to. Just like CastleVania: Symphony of the Night and Mega Man X4).

Other Suggestions- If you like Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge, you might want to try Mega Man for the NES, or Contra for the NES.

That's my two cents.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/26/00, Updated 02/22/01