Mega Man Zero 4

"And I thought Zero 3 was good... WOW!"

Megaman Zero 4, the fourth installment in a game series that has been noted as difficult far too often, yet was not unfairly reported as such. The Megaman Zero series is all about pushing our blue...I mean red...hero to his limits, and that's where the fun is.

So, how about this game? It's number four, so is it just a cheap surface remake, or is Capcom actually putting in some effort and throwing in some renovations while they're at it?

Gameplay - 8/10 - I'm happy to say that it's the latter, but not without it's faults. As with most Megaman series (though not all), the gameplay is pure sidescrolling, platformer action. In this installment, Zero has three weapons at his disposal: the Z-Buster, the Z-Saber, and the new Z-Knuckle. The Z-Knuckle basically lets you rip the weapons from most enemies and use them at your own disposal, a system that's as in your face as the game's box art. This third weapon can basically become numerous weapons, provided your ammo lasts. Then there's the new Cyber-Elf system. In past games, collecting and using Cyber Elves let you upgrade Zero and keep you from seeing the ever ominous "Game Over" screen so often. This time, one single Cyber Elf acts as all of the Cyber Elves, and as you upgrade the elf, the more and varying abilities you get to use. Go over the limit on abilities you can use, however, and you start to lose points off your rank. This is key. Those who don't care about the demanding rank system get to let loose with a very powerful Zero. Focus on rank, and you wind up with some help, but just barely enough to make the game truly fun. Also new to this game is the weather system. Unlike the other Zero games, equippable element chips are gone and the new EX Skills are, for the most part, the only way to exploit the eight bosses' weakness. That's where weather comes into play. You can either change the weather to give you an advantage in the level, or you can keep the weather against you, which in turn ups your rank AND gives you the EX Skills, rather than having to earn them via the rank system (a TRUE pain).

Story - So what does Zero need with all of this power? Well, Zero awakens after a century of slumber to find a war-torn, energy drained world, with power-hungry maniacs running rampant. Go figure. This time, a certain doctor from Zero's recent past is running amok again, but this time has nine new assistants: the eight bosses dubbed "The Einjerhar" and their commander, Craft. They're out to destroy the world and Zero's gotta stop 'em. Simple, right? Trust me, it gets more complex. The story is above average.

Graphics/Sound - 9/10 - Right on par for a GBA game. The visuals are far better than usual, in fact, the backgrounds are quite intricate. The audio can get repetitive at times, and it doesn't have nearly the flavor that the other Megaman Zero games had, but it's still pretty good.

Play Time/Replayability - 7/10 - A normal runthrough of the game takes about three hours. It's short. It's even shorter than a Metroid game. Thankfully, though, there are four modes of play, and there's an item synthesis that perfectionists can spend well up to 20 hours trying to fully complete.

Final Recommendation - 8.5/10 - If you are worried about difficulty and quality like I was before I got this game, don't fret. This game delivers just what the doctor ordered. But beware; to most gamers, there is no replay value whatsoever, and you'd be better off finding this used or for rent. But if you have no problem with short games, this is a must have.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/05