Mega Man & Bass

"Hey, look, I caught a great lookin bass!"

Finally, Mega Man & Bass is released in America! The game was released about 5 years ago in Japan, but it never came to the US. For all of us who didn't have the ROM, this is something that's very new, yet very old. Mega Man & Bass feels and plays just like Mega Man 8 for the Playstation. It uses the same formula that made Mega Man win years over.

Controls 9/10: The controls feel almost perfect. The only thing that I didn't like was the Down + A slide move, but I never liked that In any of the MM games. I would rather prefer to see a Dash, also. The game controls feels like it was made just for the GBA. Not once did I blame the controls for one of my many deaths. ^_^

Graphics 10/10: Very sharp, clear, and colorful. And you can SEE THEM! Great sprites and animations, and really pushes the GBA's power. The only things I thought looked bad were the gameover and mission won screens. They look too 'thrown in'. But that's just a little thing, everything else: perfect.

Sound 10/10: It sounds like a MM game! All the sounds are just like the sounds from previous games in the series. I didn't find any problems here.

Music 9/10: Classic music in some parts of the game, and some new (or 5 years old, depending on how you look at it) music in other parts. It all sounds great, and fits the area. Tip: As with any other GBA game, play with headphones.

Gameplay 10/10: The gameplay is just perfect. Whether you're Bass performing a double jump, or MegaMan charging his buster, it plays great. The game is seemingly leaning towards Bass as the character to use, giving a harder challenge if you play as Mega Man. At some parts of the game, things get pretty tough, but nothing comparable to Mega Man Zero's difficulty. Instead of the normal pick one of 8 levels, beat the boss, move to another one system, MM&B is different. At first you have the opportunity to choose three levels, which each unlock paths to more levels, until eventually you reach and unlock King's lair.

Storyline 8/10: Just like any other game in the series, with a few exceptions, there is a very little, and usually bad storyline to it. But, the rest of the game makes up for it, so you're not ever really thinking, Why am I on this mission? What do they want me to do?

Replayability 8/10: I could play it over and over, but eventually it's going to get old. This is the same formula that has been used for every other MM game before it, but it works. If it works, and it isn't broke, then don't fix it.

Buy or Rent? If you somehow have the opportunity to rent this game, and you aren't exactly a hardcore Mega Man fan, then Rent it. But if you don't have the opportunity to rent it, then buy it. It's a great game.

Overall 9/10: A classic MM game that you should pick up today.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/03, Updated 03/22/03