Mega Man: Get Equipped with Thread Shot!

“The more edgy Mega Man for teenagers” is probably more accurate.

Zero did. With his angst.

Regulus said:

“The more edgy Mega Man for teenagers” is probably more accurate.

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It was probably those teenagers back before the turn of the century who dubbed it "the more mature Mega Man for adults".

Sounds like something one of us would have said, anyway.

Regulus said:

“The more edgy Mega Man for teenagers” is probably more accurate.

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This. In the world of video games, “for adults” has always meant “for teenagers.”

Playing Mega Man Zero 2 and getting close to the end of the game. Hm. It doesn't have the charm of the first game for me. It feels like there are a lot of recycled enemies (recycled from stage-to-stage) and bosses (recycled from Zero 1). The story might have a plot twist in store for me, but it's advanced very predictably so far.

The chips and sub tanks make the bosses pretty trivial. Is this just an easier game than others in the Zero series? I've played the most of Zero 1 and ZX, and I recall having to learn the boss patterns.

Am I missing anything worthwhile in the base? I talked to a few NPCs walking around but it all seemed pointless.

On the plus side, I didn't need to grind for crystals at all, and it doesn't have anything as frustrating as the platforming in the Zero 1 factory stage.

I... kind of gave up on the Mega Man Zero series. I think there are segments in the first that are permanently closed off to you as you progress, which is annoying as there are things you kind of need permanently locked behind those progression gates. Maybe I should try the two DS Metroidvanias in this series; they were included in the collection.

Yeah - Mega Man Zero 1 has a really weird and punishing lives / mission system. Both times I played it, I played a few levels, then decided to start over again to play them more optimally and accumulate some extra lives to spend on the later levels.

I really like the gameplay and artwork in the series, though.

I'm playing Mega Man X8 in "Rookie Hunter" mode, which trims down the difficulty rather substantially. X and Zero shake off damage like it's nothing, and those always frustrating forced scrolling scenes seem more merciful, dropping you two screens away from your last fall or collision with a smidgen of health shaved off your bar. This was NOT the way I remembered the game reacting to falls and collisions in the Playstation 2 version.

You'd think this would improve the game for those of us who aren't great at Mega Man X. I'm not, and it does! However, it lays bare another problem with this specific Mega Man X game. There's no set piece the game won't stretch out to infinity and beyond. There's one stage where you're running from a rampaging robot, and then running after the same robot, and it's pretty much the entirety of the stage. It escapes into a factory, but before you can reach it, you're trapped in a tiny room and accosted by sliding crystal pillars. Then you're fighting the robot again, running back and forth and hitting switches that batter the massive mech with construction equipment. In Mega Man X8, there's no task it doesn't force you to repeat three, four, or five times, turning the action into pure tedium and making you feel a bit like a robot yourself.

People were praising this game as a return to form for the Mega Man X series, but even with the difficulty stripped away, I don't agree. I'm not really a fan of the series, but the games I liked most (X1, X4) provide you with meaty platforming, with areas that feel distinct and don't wear out their welcome. Mega Man X8 just Henry Hatsworths you into stultifying boredom by locking you in a room or a scenario, and pumping out the same enemies or obstacles until you wish for the sweet release of X's death. Which never comes, because of course, I'm playing in Rookie Hunter mode.

I've been saying for a long time that X8 isn't actually very good... it just came out immediately after an X game that was very very bad.

ArugulaZ said:

People were praising this game as a return to form for the Mega Man X series

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Speaking for myself, I don't think I ever called it this. It felt like something different to me. To me, it felt more like "what if Mega Man X was an arcade game?"

And in that way, I really enjoy it.

Except the vehicle stages. I hate those, but MMXLC2 at least helps mitigate those.

ArugulaZ said:

I... kind of gave up on the Mega Man Zero series. I think there are segments in the first that are permanently closed off to you as you progress, which is annoying as there are things you kind of need permanently locked behind those progression gates. Maybe I should try the two DS Metroidvanias in this series; they were included in the collection.

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Separate series, but yeah, I'd recommend them. They aren't perfect by any means, but I found the first one in particular enjoyable, even if the map was jank.

The second one... I wanted to like more than I did, and there's a lot about it I like.

As for MMZ, 3 has always been my favorite, and felt the most like a MMX game to me.

balder the brave said:

Playing Mega Man Zero 2 and getting close to the end of the game. Hm. It doesn't have the charm of the first game for me. It feels like there are a lot of recycled enemies (recycled from stage-to-stage) and bosses (recycled from Zero 1). The story might have a plot twist in store for me, but it's advanced very predictably so far.

The chips and sub tanks make the bosses pretty trivial. Is this just an easier game than others in the Zero series? I've played the most of Zero 1 and ZX, and I recall having to learn the boss patterns.

Am I missing anything worthwhile in the base? I talked to a few NPCs walking around but it all seemed pointless.

On the plus side, I didn't need to grind for crystals at all, and it doesn't have anything as frustrating as the platforming in the Zero 1 factory stage.

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I haven't played most of them, except Z1, in forever, but this series burned itself into my memory as my favourite action Megaman series (in case you are wondering, by not-action series I mean Battle Network). So I don't know the details, especially about specific games.

In general, these games are created for replaying them. This includes whole games (so missing something isn't that big of a deal, the game is very short, after all) as well as single missions (hence the grading system). It's possible, that the later games got easier, but the point probably was to give everyone (or at least more people) a chance of beating these games, while hiding the challenge more behind getting better grades. Like, you get special attacks or forms or something from bosses, but only with a mission grade of A or S, I think. They also have more diverse attack patterns, in that case. The third game even includes unlockable minigames, with one needing a grade of 100 on every mission, if I remember correctly.

I'm not even sure if this answers anything, maybe you already got these high grades and still didn't get much challenge out of the levels. Maybe that just means, that you are very good at these games? But I definitely need to give them a try in the near future, I want to revisit them. Z3 is more the same of Z2, I think, at least in general structure (also, you get more lore, if you are into that with these games). So if you got enjoyment out of the second game, you should find the third one equal in that regard.

Love X8. Scratches an itch. Wouldn't call it a brilliant game or anything, just appeals to my specific weird tastes.

Nearly overlooked this, apparantly coming soon?

You have my attention .jpg

Hoping the doubled clock speed of the GBC is enough to get rid of the horrendous amounts of lag that game suffers from.

Oh, this works on real hardware? That's impressive. I've seen GB to GBC ports before, but this does add a sense of... legitimacy to the game? Slightly makes up for the lack of Mega Man Mania on the Game Boy Advance.

Mega Man fans may be interested in playing the upcoming indie game Gravity Circuit, which has a demo available on Steam. It's got some really well-animated 8-bit style sprite art and chiptune-style music, and gameplay that's somewhere in between Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero. If you do play the demo, remember that you start with a few ability chips you can install if you go to the pause screen. Equipping a few of those changed the boss fights from "painfully difficult" to "standard Mega Man" for me.

Yeah, I mentioned this elsewhere. It is, I believe, my jam. Bionic Commando Mega Man Fighter? Sign me up.

Well, it looks like Every Video Game I Like mushed together, so Yeah I think there’s an off chance I would play this

Well dip me, that DOES actually look good. Love those snappy metallic hook noises you hear when you land your grappling arm! And just when you think it's a simple cross between Mega Man and Bionic Commando, they throw a curve ball and let your guy pull off a piledriver! This is looking mighty good indeed. Slight shame about the plain looking robots, though. Looks kinda "toy aisle in your local supermarket."

Speaking of demos, there's a new demo out for The Sequel Wars.

Banner time for Mega Man fangames and Megalikes.

That looks really fun, and indeed like a mix of classical MM and Zero. But have to agree with ArgulaZ, the robot designs could be more interesting. In general, I'd prefer an asthetic that's not as NES-y, too.

But these are small complaints, this looks really fun.

Looks great to me. Including the robot designs.

I think I see more X series DNA in that trailer than anything else. A lot of X2/3 in the level design and even a little X5/6. And the grapple mechanic looks straight out of Zero 2.

I will buy this.

Regulus said:

A lot of X2/3 in the level design and even a little X5/6.

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Yeah... pass

Rewatching it, I'd actually say the level design itself is a little closer to the Zero games, but there are a lot of flourishes that evoke the aforementioned X games.

SpoonyBard said:

Speaking of demos, there's a new demo out for The Sequel Wars.

Banner time for Mega Man fangames and Megalikes.

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Ooh, thanks for the update! I've been eagerly awaiting this one!

Here's a glimpse, for those unaware of the project:

ArugulaZ said:

And just when you think it's a simple cross between Mega Man and Bionic Commando, they throw a curve ball and let your guy pull off a piledriver!

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You had my curiosity... now, you have my attention.

SpoonyBard said:

Speaking of demos, there's a new demo out for The Sequel Wars.

Banner time for Mega Man fangames and Megalikes.

Click to expand...

Or would they be Rocklikes?

I don't know if this applies to the original stage, but how the heck do you get through Charge Man's stage without taking oodles of damage? I just gave up after one too many scurrying rats that duck under my shots and Mets on trains (on... trains), being completely invincible until I'm really close to them, at which point they fire three bullets in a trident shape and crash into me. How do I damage them without taking damage myself? I was really hoping to enjoy myself with this, but that stage just kind of... bites.