Mega Man Zero 2

"Good bye smelly, recycled, old Mega Man. Hello Zero."

Mega Man Zero 2 was released a little over a year after its predecessor. MMZ was a good game but was plagued by some serious flaws, thus preventing it to become a great game. However, this time around, Capcom has fixed nearly all of these flaws. Mega Man Zero 2 is a near perfect game that will provide you with an awesome gaming experience. Long time fans of the Mega Man series will be excited to find that this game is completely original, and not just another washed up MM sequel.

Gameplay – 9/10
Awesome. Gameplay is virtually identical to the original, except for some new features. Unlike the original, Zero no longer has limited continues. You now have as many as it takes you to accomplish your goals. This is appreciated since this game is extremely difficult. More so than the first. Completing the levels is now much tougher. The levels involve more precision jumps, dashes, and landings. Each level will take numerous deaths before you can complete it. However, once you get to the boss of each level you will probably beat him with little difficulty, since almost all of them are easy. Bosses are actually fun to fight in this game. They use different strategies and numerous attacks that, unlike most other MM games¸ are fun and interesting to fight against. You wont be fighting a boss and think to yourself, “Didn’t I fight I guy like this in the other MM games?” On a separate note, Zero now has the ability to use different weapons. At the beginning of the game you are given the opportunity to pick up 2 new weapons. The Shield boomerang and the Chain Rod. The SB is a shield you can equip to deflect enemy shots and can be used as a weapon, by throwing and having it return to you, similar to a boomerang (hence, the name, Shield Boomerang). The CR is a rod that can be used as a grappling hook, to climb ceilings, move blocks, and better positioning yourself for an attack, for example when you encounter an enemy you can use the CR to attach to the ceiling, and swing yourself behind the enemy so you can attack him from behind. Like the SB this can also be used to attack your enemies. The best feature however, is the ability to equip different armors, that boost Zero’s stats, and give him some new features. By doing certain tasks in a level, you can unlock up to 10 different armors. Some armors increase your speed, some defense, some attack power, etc. Interesting new feature, that I would like to see applied in future MMZ games, if they decide to continue the series (but of course they will, Capcom revolutionized the concept of milking as much $ out of its sequels as humanly possible. Why would this game be any exception?) Gameplay owns in this game. Only reason it is a 9, and not a 10, is because I think they should have made more weapons available for Zero to use, and the difficulty is insane.

Funfactor – 10/10
I haven’t had this much fun with a MM game since X2 and X3 on the SNES. The originality of the bosses and levels, make this game feel like a completely different game, and not the “expansion pack sequel” most MM sequels are known for. This game is a whole lot of fun. Possibly the most fun MM game to date.

Controls – 10/10
Controls are extremely tight, and Zero responds to my button inputs flawlessly. I have no problems with the controls. They work perfectly

Graphics – 9/10
Graphics are good. Oddly enough they seem the same as MMZ. Graphics are good nevertheless.

Replayability – 6/10
Pretty much everything worthwhile can be gotten in one run through the game. Replayability is better than most MM games, which isn’t saying much. Different difficulty levels, that is about all there is to it.

Music/Sound - 7/10
Music is good, however sound is simply average. Most of the music reminds me of high paced techno music, which gets old after awhile. Sound is all right. The voice speaking in the beginning of each level is sketchy, and sounds like crap. I know it’s only a Gameboy, but if they were planning on inserting voice clips into a game they’d best sound good. Otherwise, they should leave them out. Music/Sound is average. Sometimes I listened to it, sometimes I turned it off.

Story – 6/10
Sigh… another MM story. Well, here goes, after helping Ciel and the resistance fight against Neo-Arcadia in the 1st game; Zero turns his back on his comrades and becomes a loner. He fights where necessary, but battles have now become meaningless to him, as they are now just a means of fighting without a cause. One day he becomes exhausted and collapses. He is returned to the resistance base where he reunites with Ciel. Ciel has been busy trying to come up with a way to peacefully end the war, without using violence. However, the new leader of the resistance won’t hear any of this. He wants his enemies destroyed. Zero understanding both sides, decides to help both parties out. Of course, w/o fighting, what kind of a game would this be? Seems like Zero is more about fighting than sitting around and waiting for a peaceful solution to show up, not that I blame him of course. Story sucks; there are not un-for-seen plot twists, and nothing worthwhile. Just another sucky story from good ol’ Capcom. I give it a 6, because I, at least, get the impression Capcom is ‘trying” to make a decent story.

Overall – 8.5/10

Pros
- 2 new weapons
- 10 dif. Types of ability enhancing armor
- Very fun
- No more limited continues

Cons
- Only 2 new weapons
- Sucky story

This game is awesome. One of the best games I have played on the GBA. This will keep you entertained for a while. The new abilities and weapons make this game more enjoyable, plus Capcom fixes the flaws that prevented the original MMZ from being great. I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a fun experience.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/24/04