Mega Man Zero 4

"The former overshadowed 'roid makes a (not too) stunning return"

Zero's a great guy. He's got the "take no prisoners" attitude, but is understanding and compassionate. So, why couldn't Capcom give him a better game?

Gameplay: 8/10
In honor of the MegaMan legacy, this installment is the usual platformer. The action's the usual "run, slash, repeat" style that the series seems to abuse so much. But, it's been changed somewhat to allow the player to take the weapons of another enemy.

A new concept, the Zero Knuckle gives the hero the ability to literally rip the weapon (or shield) off of a helpless enemy. It's a good concept in thought, but the actual uses are very limited. Zero has to be right next to his enemy to even make use of the damage that the Knuckle deals. Of course, as any MegaMan veteran would know, being right next to an enemy is the last place you want to be. Another problem with the new weapon is the duration. Many projectile weapons that can be stolen have a limited amount of ammo. The ones that don't usually pale in comparison to those that don't, so getting the best weapons means having to find and kill the same enemy with the Knuckle over and over again. This becomes a very tedious process.

The Z-Sabre and the Z-Buster have been changed as well, mostly for the better. Now you don't have to equip elemental chips in order to gain an edge over the commanders of each level. Certain commanders give either the Buster or the Sabre an EX Skill that comes with an elemental alignment already attached to it, so finding a weakness is now only a matter of trying out the new moves. The new Skills, however, have their own drawbacks as well. The Z-Buster can only have one Skill active at any time, so it's uses against level commanders are extremely limited. The Buster isn't the only weapon that suffers from disadvantages. The Z-Sabre has it's weaknesses as well. Even though you can have all of the EX Skills equipped at the same time, the attacks two of them provide require you to be right next to the enemy for the effects to be felt. The exceptions are the Buraitotsu and the Shougetsujin, which provide distance effects that usually kill any enemy instantly.

Another huge difference is the Cyber-elf system. No longer are you required to breed and raise multiple Cyber-elves, only to have them as one shot wonders. Now, you get one Elf, and you simply have to give it E-Crystals to raise it. The new Cyber-elf copies the powers of three different Elf types: nurse, animal, and hacker. While you can only have one effect in each type effective at a time, the effects themselves become greater as the Elf's level rises. It can be raised to level 7, where the greatest of the Elf effects are held. Talking to your Elf in Alouette's room can provide some helpful hints in both using the Elf and in clearing the game. In Normal mode, the Cyber-elf has a max level, and if the total levels of the Elf types is more than the max level, you lose points in your mission. (ex. If the max level of the Elf is 10, and you have a level 3 Nurse, a level 6 animal, and a level 3 hacker, then you would lose 2 points, since 12-10 is 2.) If you only care about finishing the game, and not about doing it in style, then this won't really matter.

The difficulty of the game can be the main problem as far as gameplay. The differences in the difficulty levels is absolutely mind-boggling, even for a MegaMan game. The Easy mode is just that, easy. Instead of instant death, spike traps damage Zero a good deal. Pitfalls are no longer a problem, since you simply rise up from those dark depths no matter what happens. You even get three full Sub-Tanks with which you can reinforce your own life energy. But Easy mode comes with a downside, namely, you can't gain the EX Skills. Plus, your Cyber-elf cannot evolve past level 5, where it is when you first get it. That's right, it's been pre-raised. Normal mode, however, does not hold any of these benefits. You have to earn most of them yourself. Spikes are an instant kill no matter what you do.

Graphics: 7/10

The visuals aren't too shabby, but too many sprites are used too often. It gets boring having to kill the same enemy in one area over and over again. The zoom on the camera may provide some room for many sprites, including Zero and his menagerie, but having to strain one's eyes in order to get an idea of what's going on is not my idea of a good time.

Sound: 6/10

The sound is pretty bad. The effects are nowhere near realistic, with “whurr, whurr, whurr” occurring at every Z-Sabre combo. While the Japanese voice acting is okay, it's not enough if the bosses are the only ones with an actual sentence or two, not just grunts and groans.

Story: 8/10

Okay, so the story in the MegaMan games, no matter which one you play, has never been a strong suit for the legacy. With that said, the story in Zero 4 manages to stand out in all the muck that is the story reputation. This time around, Zero has to stop a madman named Dr. Weil before he uses Ragnarok, a massive energy cannon in space, to wipe out both a band of refugees that escaped from Neo Arcadia and what little nature is left on our miserable dirtball of a planet. While it may not make sense in the beginning, everything comes to a climax one can piece together. After that, it's merely a case of “Oh, now I get it!”

Lifespan: 7/10

MegaMan games are rarely known for their replayability. Usually, when you finish the game, you pretty much finish the game. But, almost like the Battle Network series, MegaMan Zero 4 holds hidden secrets which force you to play the game over and over again to unlock them. These include minigames and even a new difficulty mode in which to play. The only way anyone would want to take the time to unlock these is if you happen to be a hardcore MegaMan fan (like me) and have a lot of free time on your hands (again, me).

Overall: 7/10

It may not be the quintessential MegaMan game, it does stand out in an ever-growing field of mediocrity. Buy this game and enjoy it. It really is one of the greatest MegaMan games made.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/06, Updated 03/24/06