Mega Man & Bass

"A classic style Megaman game done damn right"

Finally, a Megaman game that follows the classic way. At the beginning, you choose either Megaman or Bass, who both have different abilities and do and introduction stage (Like Megaman X) and then proceed to pick stages to complete until you are able to fight the final boss. Oh, and of course gaining new weapons from defeated bosses.(which Megaman Zero did not include) Okay, and now to the finer details.

Graphics-10
The graphics of this game well suit the game's style and are pulled off perfectly. Everything looks crisp and fresh, from the characters and bosses to the energy shots and explosions.

Sound-9
Again, what you would expect from a true megaman game: A catchy tune for the stages and boss battles and crisp sound effects of the shooting to charging up. Many familiar sounds reside in Megaman and Bass such as ''the dying'' noise
and the ''getting hit'' noise.

Control-10
The control scheme of MM&B is tight and responsive. You'll probably not have any problems with the controls from the start. You can do all of your advanced moves to kick major ass without getting frustrated.

Gameplay-10
This is where the game shines, as all good games do. It is similar to all the good Megaman games in some ways, like very hard. Although it is very challenging, you will progressively get used to the controls and different character abilities, making the game a wee easier. There are about 3 very big differences between Megaman and Bass. Bass can dash, shoot diagonally and upwards, double jump, and shoot w/ rapid fire(has no charge shot, making boss battles battles take a lot longer. Megaman can do a crouch-slide, and a charge shot, but cannot shoot diagonally, double jump, dash, or rapid fire. There are also 2 additions to MM&B, a shop where you can buy useful little items and collectible cd's that give you information and pictures about megaman characters throughout the ages.(just little easter eggs that you don't need to beat the game) You can buy items that do things like ''automatic charge shot'' and ''call Rush to find hidden items'' w/ ''bolts'' that you find after killing some enemies. Collecting boss weapons after defeating them has also returned. These weapons range from cloning yourself for cover fire to creating an ice pillar and pushing it to destroy enemies in its path.

Story-8
Not a complicated story, but it does the trick for a platformer. Plans for building war robots are stolen from a museum by King to build an army of mavericks to overthrow the humans, killing proto man in the process. Megaman and Bass, who are rivals, put off their fued for a while until King is stopped. As for the ending, well play it and beat it.

Replay/Gamelength-8.3
Well, you'll play it at least twice, since there are 2 characters. There are also 100 cd's you might want to find and collect. As for Gamelength, it'll probably take a you a good while since it's pretty damn hard.

Recommendation
I really recommend this game to anyone who is a Megaman fan, platformer fan, or someone looking for a challenge. It is worth your money and library space.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/03, Updated 03/23/03