Many gamers who've been playing since the '80s have fond memories of the original Mega Man series, which follows the titular robot hero's battles against the evil and ridiculously persistent Dr. Wily and his army of robot masters. I definitely have fond memories of those games. Actually, I have pretty high opinions of all of the MM games, even the newer spin-offs, but most people will tell you that the classic 8-bit series was what they loved.
After developer Capcom decided to move into 16- and 32-bit territory with Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 8, players decided to move on because those games didn't play like the NES titles. Well, Capcom realized that was the case, and in 2008, released Mega Man 9, a true 8-bit action platformer that looked, sounded, and played just like it would have if it were made in 1988. It was made available for download on WiiWare, Playstation Network, and Xbox Live for the bargain price of $10, and old fans rejoiced. Following the success of that game, we've been graced with another old-school download, Mega Man 10. It is awesome!
Photo Courtesy IGN
In Mega Man 10, you are battling robots that have been infected with the strange "Roboenza" virus, which causes robots to go berserk and attack humans. Mega Man's robot sister, Roll, has been infected, so he sets out to find a cure for the virus and stop the rebellion that has taken hold of the world. Some would ask, "How is this antiquated game with this silly story worth playing?" Well, Mega Man 10 takes the very essence of gaming and makes it its focus. Well-designed stages, somewhat intelligent enemies, and a brutal challenge are, in my opinion, what video games should be about, and MM10 delivers this in spades. Lots of people complained about MM9's difficulty, citing its abundance of one-hit kills and tricky jumps. MM10's normal mode doesn't do much to change this, but an easy mode has been added that I hear makes the game more manageable. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't attest to it, but it appears to be easier since there are platforms to cover up spikes and pits. However, if you're from the old school and are used to the type of difficulty that MM10 offers, you'll be in heaven. Yeah, it's hard, but not unfairly so. If you die, you die because you messed up or your skills aren't up to par. Sorry. Keep trying. That's what it's all about.
"Modern" games inundate you with tutorials and hold your hand throughout. You'll get none of that with MM10, which may frustrate gamers who aren't used to that. However, there's a lot of fun to be had in this game, and you don't need to be an 8-bit gamer to enjoy it. Plus, there are some new additions that most people will be familiar with. The new Challenge stages are the equivalent of a list of Xbox Achievements or PSN Trophies that you have to beat, involving everything from running across a room to beating one of the game's eight main bosses without taking damage. You can also play with Mega Man's brother, Proto Man, from the start. There's a Time Attack mode, and there will also be more stages and another character made available as Downloadable Content in the next month or so. It's a great package overall, and I'm very pleased with it.
Obviously, I like Mega Man 10 a lot, and I think everyone should play it. Rather than write my own closing statement, I'll end with this great paragraph from IGN's review of the game:
"..when you're talking about the classic Mega Man series, the world of 8-bit is precisely where it belongs. And because of that refusal to take a big jump forward, Mega Man 10 delivers. This might be quite the statement for many, but I stand behind it 100%: in terms of pure gameplay, Mega Man 10 is easily a better game than 90% of what we play on a yearly basis. And you can take that to the bank."
Love it!
