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GBA | Action | Mega Man Zero

Boxart for Mega Man Zero
Mega Man Zero 30 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.0
  • SOUND: 4.0
  • CONTROL: 4.5
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.9
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.9

Review: Mega Man Zero

Review by STARDINGO | 05/04/2005 | 09:56:38 AM PST

The first "real" Mega Man game for the GBA was clearly built using some evil scientist's insane design documents.

One day, when Mega Man Zero dies and goes to Reploid Heaven, it won't be remembered for all the weird improvements and odd twists it put on the usual Mega Man antics' it will be remembered for being REALLY FREAKING HARD.

Mega Man Zero puts you in the role of (shockingly enough) Zero, the lightsabre-wielding compatriot of X (the series' usual star) though that isn?t the only big difference. The game?s structure has you taking on a series of rather dark missions for a Robot Resistance league, returning to a pseudo-RPG-ish hub city in between each one; you?re given three continues that are meant to last the whole game, though more can be found if you look hard enough; and you don?t necessarily have to beat a mission in order to advance to the next one. How well (or how heinously) you do in a mission also determines your Reputation Rank, which (eventually) helps you unlock things.

Also new to the series are the hundred or so "Cyber Elves" you'll find throughout the game, generally after defeating specific foes. The Elves can be equipped and brought into missions to do things like enhance your life, protect you from spikes, or slow down time; certain ?ber-Elves must be fed Energy Crystals before they can be used. This new stuff is strange, a little esoteric, and makes the game's structure feel a little muddy and the whole You only get one shot at it, kid aspect of the missions is especially frustrating.

While the enhancements are notable, the stuff that?s missing is equally notable. The award for Most Missed Mega Man Mannerism goes to the rock-paper-scissors-dynamite-spoon method of collecting boss weapons that's been part of the series' trademark since day one?and the elemental chips' that add subtle effects to your sword and gun are rather poor substitutes. The levels are pretty uninspired, too, with some bland, repetitive backgrounds lacking the series' usual bizarre techno-flair, and stage designs you'll be hard-pressed to remember once you?ve beaten them. And oh yeah this game is FREAKING HARD. Boss battles, especially you're obviously meant to memorize their movements and die a few times before figuring out their complex wiles. Unfortunately, the game's mission-and-continue structure doesn't afford you that luxury.

While Capcom gets points for trying something different and not just porting over one of the lesser-played PlayStation games, the difficulty level and the rather curious changes make Zero less accessible than X. It's obvious from the gameplay structure that Capcom fully expects you to start the game from scratch again and again and again?but Zero really doesn?t have enough going for him to make the endless cycle seem worthwhile. Hopefully, the Version 2 model will be a little more user-friendly.


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