Mega Man Zero

"Big changes, this time for the better!"

After the mediocre Mega Man X6 it seemed Capcom had squeezed out the last creative juices for the Mega Man games, but then suddenly this game shows up and gives us fans new hope! In Mega Man Zero the tables have turned, Zero is now the hero (ooh, rhymes) and he's gone through some serious changes. What I like most about this game is that you get the feeling that the games are actually evolving, and not just recycling old ideas and cliches. Everything is completely brand new!

Gameplay: 9/10

Outstanding! There’s very little I can complain about here. Zero responds really well and you won't have any trouble moving around in the levels. A new and quite odd feature in Mega Man Zero is that Zero uses a hand held gun instead of the usual armgun (boo!), but you can still use his good old lasersword and charge up your blaster as usual. I must say that Mega Man Zero demands a lot from the player, the challenge is at a high level and sometimes it can be a bit frustrating. You'll find that even trying to defeat the first boss can be difficult, and it doesn't get any better from there. Each boss has complicated attack patterns and you need to study them carefully if you’re planning to get anywhere. Still, it offers a good experience and there's lots of things to explore. For instance, you can collect “cyber-elves” that help you on your missions, and there’s also a few tasks you need to complete. And in the first level you need to beat the boss in a certain amount of time, before the floor which you are standing on crushes the victims below. As the game progresses you’ll be able to upgrade your level and become more powerful. But that’s not all, you’ll also receive new abilities and techniques!

Story: 8/10

Ah, this is probably one of the best stories ever for a Mega Man game. The story takes place many years after the X series and Sigma has been defeated once and for all. Now, I'm not sure it this is connected to Zero shutting himself down at the end of X6, but after being in a long ''sleep'' for 103 years Zero is finally activated again by a female reploid named Ceil. The world has seen many changes since his last stay, and nothing seems to be what it used to be. A city known as Neo Arcadia is at the brink of total catastrophe, and behind this is Omega X, who is believed to be an evil copy of the original X. By corrupting the once peaceful city Omega X gains total control over the citizens and condemns all reploids, calling them a threat to society. He sends out large troops of killer robots to slaughter the innocent reploids, but in the nick of time, Zero awakens and promises to put a stop to Omega X and find out what has happened to the real X. Getting excited? I know I am!

Graphics: 9/10

Graphics are up to Mega Man standards and are almost as good as Playstation graphics. I like the idea of using hand drawn images for the intro, it's a very creative and innovative addition. You can really sense BIG change. One thing bothers me though - Zero almost looks completely different. Now I'm fairly open to any kind of changes, but Zero just doesn't look that powerful anymore. Where’s the glory of the crimson warrior who stood tall and proud? Another odd thing is that the reploids actually bleed in this game, and sometimes the death scenes can be quite graphical. I like the new robot designs as well, it’s good to see the graphics team trying out new ideas.

Sound 8/10
I’m loving this! The music is like a mix of the classic style from the original Mega Man series and the rock oriented style of the X series. It’s all very catchy and works perfectly with each level’s theme, there’s a nice blend of styles, from piano melodies to more upbeat techno tunes. The only problem is that the music isn’t as lively as in the X series, it seems more toned down. Personally I don’t care that much for sound effects, but I’d say these are good, basic action sound effects.

Replayability 7/10

Replayabilty? Oh yes, definitely. How can anyone get bored with so much stuff going on? Like I said, there are many areas to explore besides the levels. You can walk around in the headquarters, talk to people and get status updates from Ceil, which brings some RPG elements to it. My only complaint is that the levels could’ve been just a little more bigger (if you’ve played X2 you know what I’m talking about). The only real challenge is when you fight the bosses, and that’s it.

To buy or to rent?

You'd be crazy not to buy this game! Come on, it's Mega Man... I mean it's Zero! I've seen many other Gameboy Advance games, but none of them make such good use of the technology in Gameboy Advance as Mega Man Zero. Mega Man 2 was considered to be one of the most advanced platform games back in the day, and even now, 14 years later, Capcom still manage to impress me. Hooray!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/28/02, Updated 08/28/02