Mega Man Zero 2

"The Best Mega Man Sequel Since X2"

Mega Man Zero 2 is the second in what could be another long running Mega Man sub-series. The Mega Man series has always had great second games: Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X2 were (in my opinion) the best in each of their series. Now Zero 2 joins them in an almost perfect Game Boy Advance Title.

Gameplay - To be honest, I wasn't impressed too much by the original Zero because of no extra lives and the fact that you could burn through your 2 continues easily. Zero 2 improves on this by giving you three lives to begin with and unlimited continues. However these continues only place you back in the same stage, but still, it is an improvement over the first. Zero 2, like it's predecessor is a hard game and can get a little frustrating, but it extremely fun and you won't mind dying too much. Also, once you get the feel of it, you'll do fine. The controls are rock solid and are easy to get the feel of, plus there is a control config option if you need to adjust them. In Zero 2 you get four main weapons: Z-Buster, Z-Saber, Grappling Hook and Shield. The Buster and Saber are easy to get the hang of and will be your main weapons throughout the game. The grappling hook is fun to use and is useful for getting hard to reach items. The shield isn't too useful and mainly used for getting one of Zero's new forms. Which brings me to his ''forms.'' Depending what weapons you use and how you use them, Zero will get a new form when you clear a stage for the first time. They are very useful and range from allowing your saber to destroy energy shots to making your buster stronger. Overall, the gameplay of Zero 2 is excellent and it's only small flaw is that it's a little hard to get the hang of right away, but with practice it's manageable.

Story - Basically a continuation from MMZero, it has been one year and Zero returns to the resistance to help bring peace to the world. If you played the first game from beginning to end you'll pick up the story easily and even those who didn't will understand enough to enjoy it.

Graphics - Zero 2 has great graphics and very cool art cut-scenes. One of my favorite features of Zero 2 is when you defeat an enemy with the saber, they split into two pieces. The animation is excellent and the game truly displays what the GBA is capable of.

Sound - The sound effects are the same as any normal Mega Man game. They're nothing to rant and rave about, but they are good. The music is very upbeat and the intro level song is very well done. Overall the music is nice, but sometimes you can't hear it over the sound effects, but when you do you'll love it.

Replay - Tons, with all the Cyber Elves, Forms and EX skills to unlock, Zero 2 is full of replay value.

Rent or Buy? - If you love Mega Man, you'll love Zero 2. If you haven't played any of the Mega Man games, check it out, it is one of the best side scrolling action games I've played since Mega Man X4, and the best Mega Man sequel I've played since X2.

In review, Zero 2 has perfect controls, a great challenge that you will love, awesome graphics, great music and tons of replay value.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/23/03