I think the most bewildered I've ever been about an average rating on this site is Mega Man 8 being .2 below Mega Man 7.
That might not seem like much but consider how vast the disparity is between these two games. One is this gorgeous, wonderful attempt at revitalizing classic Mega Man for a new generation without compromising on the key elements that made the series so beloved in the first place. The other is Mega Man 7, a game thrown together in three months that (while miraculously stable) was rendered dull and downright messy for it. At no point playing Mega Man 7 did I think Capcom was doing anything notable or worthwhile with the formula to justify it being an SNES game, not that rushing it to market would afford the team enough space to innovate anyway. Mega Man 8 has a soccer ball. You couldn't do that on old consoles!
Alright, I'm being somewhat facetious, but I'm not kidding when I say Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 8 represent the classic series at its wort and best, respectively. Not that I always felt that way. When I first played this game on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection way back in 2004, I hated it. I was filtered out by "jump jump, slide slide" and am adult enough now to admit it, but I was also one of those people who was very dismissive over the game due to its cutscenes. I was 16 and stuck in a sad state of mind where all the media I enjoyed - including Mega Man - had to be treated with enough self-seriousness as to not embarrass me by proxy. It's taken me almost 20 years, but I now find stuff like "doctah whywee" to be very silly and fun and part of the appeal of Mega Man 8, and to correct that with a more competent dub would be akin to stealing Mega Man's soul.
Even if you still hold some animosity towards the goofy cutscenes or the jump/slide levels (which I beat first try on four hours of sleep and energized by a single can of NOS, which means they can't be that bad), I still feel that the rest of the game is a brilliant refinement of what Mega Man was up to that point. Everything just feels better than it ever has here. You have more control over Mega Man, levels are intricate and their aesthetic design is vibrant and imaginative, and robot masters are at their peak both in terms of visual and mechanical design.
I think weapon powers in Mega Man games are at their best when they also provide distinct utility for navigation, and that basically describes every weapon in Mega Man 8. Flash Bombs can light up dark areas, Tornado Hold effectively replaces R. Coil, Thunder Claw can be used as a grappling hook, and Astro Crush serves as a powerful screen-clearer, to name a few. I paid some lip to it earlier, but I also love the soccer ball power-up. For the most part it's not terribly useful, which is kind of appropriate considering how soon you get it, but it's fun kicking that thing around and watching it ricochet all over a room and take out smaller enemies. In general, I think the weapon powers just feel really good to use against enemies, especially bosses. Tangling Clown Man up with his own limbs thanks to a well-timed Tornado Hold, or annihilatingDr.Wily's Dr. Whywee's ship with a cluster of Flash Bombs results in some pretty good feedback.
My only real complaint is with the item shop, and it's barely a complaint so much as it's a matter of personal preference. You can buy items between levels using bolts, which are few and far between and generally require some ingenuity to obtain, meaning you'll likely only be able to afford so much. Some of the ways you can augment your arm cannon are cool and upgrades to the amount of weapon energy and health you're able to recover are invaluable, but I find scouring levels for bolts to be less engaging than Mega Man X's system of locating armor parts. Not only do I feel Mega Man X is better about incentivizing exploration, but having the armor pieces reflect Mega Man's growth is more interesting visually than dropping a new icon on the second page of the inventory screen.
Honorable mention to the robot master contest submissions being shown during the end credits. It's really cute and something I wish was present in the other games, though hardware limitations understandably made that impossible or at least too difficult/compromised to be worth it. It's neat seeing them side-by-side with their final designs, which of course had to drop certain elements in order to achieve a more unified design, but they're still undeniably the same characters, and I can't imagine how cool it must've been for these kids to see their robot masters in the actual game. At the risk of treading old ground, I think it's such a shame you could never do a contest like this again.
My journey back through the classic Mega Man series is nearly over. I'm going to take a brief detour into the two fighting games included in the Anniversary collection and then wrap up with Mega Man 11, and I might give the Sega Saturn version of Mega Man 8 a shot at some point in the near future, too. I hear Tengu Man's stage is totally different and it adds two previous robot masters, and I just plain like MM8 enough to do a second playthrough just to experience those small changes.
Great game. Better than Mega Man 7. Shouldn't even be up for debate. I want to confiscate and immolate every copy of that game in existence and then subject everyone to the Mega Man 8 draft and force them to play this until they like it, and if they don't then it's straight to prison!
That might not seem like much but consider how vast the disparity is between these two games. One is this gorgeous, wonderful attempt at revitalizing classic Mega Man for a new generation without compromising on the key elements that made the series so beloved in the first place. The other is Mega Man 7, a game thrown together in three months that (while miraculously stable) was rendered dull and downright messy for it. At no point playing Mega Man 7 did I think Capcom was doing anything notable or worthwhile with the formula to justify it being an SNES game, not that rushing it to market would afford the team enough space to innovate anyway. Mega Man 8 has a soccer ball. You couldn't do that on old consoles!
Alright, I'm being somewhat facetious, but I'm not kidding when I say Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 8 represent the classic series at its wort and best, respectively. Not that I always felt that way. When I first played this game on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection way back in 2004, I hated it. I was filtered out by "jump jump, slide slide" and am adult enough now to admit it, but I was also one of those people who was very dismissive over the game due to its cutscenes. I was 16 and stuck in a sad state of mind where all the media I enjoyed - including Mega Man - had to be treated with enough self-seriousness as to not embarrass me by proxy. It's taken me almost 20 years, but I now find stuff like "doctah whywee" to be very silly and fun and part of the appeal of Mega Man 8, and to correct that with a more competent dub would be akin to stealing Mega Man's soul.
Even if you still hold some animosity towards the goofy cutscenes or the jump/slide levels (which I beat first try on four hours of sleep and energized by a single can of NOS, which means they can't be that bad), I still feel that the rest of the game is a brilliant refinement of what Mega Man was up to that point. Everything just feels better than it ever has here. You have more control over Mega Man, levels are intricate and their aesthetic design is vibrant and imaginative, and robot masters are at their peak both in terms of visual and mechanical design.
I think weapon powers in Mega Man games are at their best when they also provide distinct utility for navigation, and that basically describes every weapon in Mega Man 8. Flash Bombs can light up dark areas, Tornado Hold effectively replaces R. Coil, Thunder Claw can be used as a grappling hook, and Astro Crush serves as a powerful screen-clearer, to name a few. I paid some lip to it earlier, but I also love the soccer ball power-up. For the most part it's not terribly useful, which is kind of appropriate considering how soon you get it, but it's fun kicking that thing around and watching it ricochet all over a room and take out smaller enemies. In general, I think the weapon powers just feel really good to use against enemies, especially bosses. Tangling Clown Man up with his own limbs thanks to a well-timed Tornado Hold, or annihilating
My only real complaint is with the item shop, and it's barely a complaint so much as it's a matter of personal preference. You can buy items between levels using bolts, which are few and far between and generally require some ingenuity to obtain, meaning you'll likely only be able to afford so much. Some of the ways you can augment your arm cannon are cool and upgrades to the amount of weapon energy and health you're able to recover are invaluable, but I find scouring levels for bolts to be less engaging than Mega Man X's system of locating armor parts. Not only do I feel Mega Man X is better about incentivizing exploration, but having the armor pieces reflect Mega Man's growth is more interesting visually than dropping a new icon on the second page of the inventory screen.
Honorable mention to the robot master contest submissions being shown during the end credits. It's really cute and something I wish was present in the other games, though hardware limitations understandably made that impossible or at least too difficult/compromised to be worth it. It's neat seeing them side-by-side with their final designs, which of course had to drop certain elements in order to achieve a more unified design, but they're still undeniably the same characters, and I can't imagine how cool it must've been for these kids to see their robot masters in the actual game. At the risk of treading old ground, I think it's such a shame you could never do a contest like this again.
My journey back through the classic Mega Man series is nearly over. I'm going to take a brief detour into the two fighting games included in the Anniversary collection and then wrap up with Mega Man 11, and I might give the Sega Saturn version of Mega Man 8 a shot at some point in the near future, too. I hear Tengu Man's stage is totally different and it adds two previous robot masters, and I just plain like MM8 enough to do a second playthrough just to experience those small changes.
Great game. Better than Mega Man 7. Shouldn't even be up for debate. I want to confiscate and immolate every copy of that game in existence and then subject everyone to the Mega Man 8 draft and force them to play this until they like it, and if they don't then it's straight to prison!
There is a special place in Hell for the genius who made the rocket sled portions of the game.
"Hey, Bass! Why must I fight you?! We are not enemies!" - Megaman, speaking to the robot that was created for the sole purpose of defeating him
Megaman 8 is.. just okay, for the most part. I can definitely say there is a ton of charm in its art style and music. The spritework and animations are extremely fluid and so well done, and the toy-like art direction along with the more laid-back OST compared to its NES predecessors gives MM8 a really chill vibe that really sets it apart from its brothers.
..I wish all of that was done in a much better game, though. MM8 is filled with nothing level design that just makes it feel like you're going through the motions, sometimes interrupted by hit-or-miss gimmicks. It can get kinda fun in stages like Aqua Man and Search Man, but then other times I feel absolutely nothing going through these stages, unless MM8 flips a coin and decides instead of boredom it decides to make me suffer. I saw a glimpse of hell and it was called Wily Stage 1. I do like how the decision to split the game into two halves means the developers could take advantage of the Robot Master weapons you gained in the first half, though. Stages like Search Man makes neat use of it. Mini-bosses and regular bosses in this game also don't fare much better, with them being so easy to take down it's not even funny. You can absolutely wail on bosses like Frost Man and Sword Man and take them down in no time flat.
It's a shame, it really is. I desperately wanted to like this game as it caught my eye visually, but all I got was a game that just left me so, incredibly bored. Megaman 7's level design and boss roster feel so well done, that MM8 just feels like a total disappointment in comparison. Even moreso when I remember it came out the same year as Megaman X4.
Megaman 8 is.. just okay, for the most part. I can definitely say there is a ton of charm in its art style and music. The spritework and animations are extremely fluid and so well done, and the toy-like art direction along with the more laid-back OST compared to its NES predecessors gives MM8 a really chill vibe that really sets it apart from its brothers.
..I wish all of that was done in a much better game, though. MM8 is filled with nothing level design that just makes it feel like you're going through the motions, sometimes interrupted by hit-or-miss gimmicks. It can get kinda fun in stages like Aqua Man and Search Man, but then other times I feel absolutely nothing going through these stages, unless MM8 flips a coin and decides instead of boredom it decides to make me suffer. I saw a glimpse of hell and it was called Wily Stage 1. I do like how the decision to split the game into two halves means the developers could take advantage of the Robot Master weapons you gained in the first half, though. Stages like Search Man makes neat use of it. Mini-bosses and regular bosses in this game also don't fare much better, with them being so easy to take down it's not even funny. You can absolutely wail on bosses like Frost Man and Sword Man and take them down in no time flat.
It's a shame, it really is. I desperately wanted to like this game as it caught my eye visually, but all I got was a game that just left me so, incredibly bored. Megaman 7's level design and boss roster feel so well done, that MM8 just feels like a total disappointment in comparison. Even moreso when I remember it came out the same year as Megaman X4.
https://twitter.com/KingGarb/status/1564464394305675264?s=20&t=EP7Fn08NToDzR3yO3AfqUw
if you dont like mega man 8 thats honestly a bigger red flag to me than being a serial killer.
this has got to be the most soulful game in the series to date. from the cdi tier voice acting to the hilariously frustrating snowboarding sections, this game just oozes its own generation. i fucking love mega man 8. i played it undubbed this time, cause i wanted to hear the jp voice actors and they were pretty ok i think. but i genuinely have nothing against the dub, its really funny.
weapons are fun to use, especially the flame sword. levels may be gimmicky but i think thats what makes them more memorable than anything. i genuinely do not get any of the hate this gets, i had such a huge smile on my face the entire time. i just wish we got the saturn version in lc2 cause cut man and wood man secret bosses is so cool.
if you dont like mega man 8 thats honestly a bigger red flag to me than being a serial killer.
this has got to be the most soulful game in the series to date. from the cdi tier voice acting to the hilariously frustrating snowboarding sections, this game just oozes its own generation. i fucking love mega man 8. i played it undubbed this time, cause i wanted to hear the jp voice actors and they were pretty ok i think. but i genuinely have nothing against the dub, its really funny.
weapons are fun to use, especially the flame sword. levels may be gimmicky but i think thats what makes them more memorable than anything. i genuinely do not get any of the hate this gets, i had such a huge smile on my face the entire time. i just wish we got the saturn version in lc2 cause cut man and wood man secret bosses is so cool.
its not bad but so many of the stages have gimmicks that aren't that fun or sections that are basically minigames. these sections of the game kinda suck which is sad because they are what usually comes to mind when i think about this game. its fun but definitely not as good as 7. also side note the voice acting makes me want to blow my ears out
Não é lá dos melhores Mega Man. Sensivelmente mais lento que seus antecessores, mais até do que o já significativamente mais cadente Mega Man 7. Também é mais fácil, o que por si só não é algo ruim, mas aliado ao level design fraquinho torna o jogo um tanto monótono. E mesmo no departamento visual não me impressionou tanto. Afinal, estamos falando de uma geração com obras-primas 2D como Rayman e Symphony of the Night.
Claro, minhas palavras são de uma perspectiva comparativa - entre os outros games da série e outros jogos de plataforma 2D da época. Não é como se fosse um jogo ruim, longe disso. Mas Mega Man pode e já fez bem melhor.
Claro, minhas palavras são de uma perspectiva comparativa - entre os outros games da série e outros jogos de plataforma 2D da época. Não é como se fosse um jogo ruim, longe disso. Mas Mega Man pode e já fez bem melhor.
That long anime opening isn't just for show - this was the series' big anniversary release! 10 years, internationally! Somehow, this translated to Mega Man 8 being the least-traditional entry in the series.
It's not a bad game by any means. Actually, I might even prefer it to a decent chunk of its predecessors. But it is very different in its overarching philosophies. If Rock himself wasn't the main character, and we were instead playing as... oh, I dunno... a robot named Beck, or something like that... then I wouldn't even register this as a Mega Man game, just something drawing influence from it. But stuff like the Mega Ball, the JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE segments, the three-act structure carried over from MM7, the swimming - wildly different from the cadence that the cozily repetitive previous games fell into.
But like I said, I don't think it's a bad thing. The JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE twitch reflex tests notwithstanding, most of the design choices here make the game feel more puzzle-oriented. The Mega Ball is a weird but honestly fun idea, leading to a very disjointed projectile with lots of angled application. There's actually some really neat mechanical challenges to some of the more high-concept stages, like Sword Man's and IM CLOWN MAN's (and, as a result of swimming, Aqua Man's).
There's also the story. Where Mega Man 7 flirts ever-so-briefly with complex themes about autonomy and transhumanism, Mega Man 8 has an alien robot coming to Earth to track down "Evil Energy". Sorta speaks for itself. But it's funny, and the anime cutscenes and dub voice actors are fun, and you're not really here for all that anyway.
I think if you're looking for a more traditional take on Mega Man as an eighth entry in the series, you're better off looking into Mega Man & Bass (well, I think you are, anyway; still on my to-do list). But as its own one-off experiment, Mega Man 8 is a decent enough time. Sort of a weird capstone to the series, at least from 1996 to 2008, but that's not really a concern anymore with subsequent entries.
It's not a bad game by any means. Actually, I might even prefer it to a decent chunk of its predecessors. But it is very different in its overarching philosophies. If Rock himself wasn't the main character, and we were instead playing as... oh, I dunno... a robot named Beck, or something like that... then I wouldn't even register this as a Mega Man game, just something drawing influence from it. But stuff like the Mega Ball, the JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE segments, the three-act structure carried over from MM7, the swimming - wildly different from the cadence that the cozily repetitive previous games fell into.
But like I said, I don't think it's a bad thing. The JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE twitch reflex tests notwithstanding, most of the design choices here make the game feel more puzzle-oriented. The Mega Ball is a weird but honestly fun idea, leading to a very disjointed projectile with lots of angled application. There's actually some really neat mechanical challenges to some of the more high-concept stages, like Sword Man's and IM CLOWN MAN's (and, as a result of swimming, Aqua Man's).
There's also the story. Where Mega Man 7 flirts ever-so-briefly with complex themes about autonomy and transhumanism, Mega Man 8 has an alien robot coming to Earth to track down "Evil Energy". Sorta speaks for itself. But it's funny, and the anime cutscenes and dub voice actors are fun, and you're not really here for all that anyway.
I think if you're looking for a more traditional take on Mega Man as an eighth entry in the series, you're better off looking into Mega Man & Bass (well, I think you are, anyway; still on my to-do list). But as its own one-off experiment, Mega Man 8 is a decent enough time. Sort of a weird capstone to the series, at least from 1996 to 2008, but that's not really a concern anymore with subsequent entries.
jump jump slide slide aint even that bad, you guys just suck (its ok, i do too)
I wanted to give it two stars, but the funniest voice acting in the world elevates this game's entertainment value.
I don't think the game is too bad, but it's way too gimmicky for a Mega Man title. And while I think the graphics are better than 7's, they're still not what I'd call "good", and I can't remember a single track from this installment.
I don't think the game is too bad, but it's way too gimmicky for a Mega Man title. And while I think the graphics are better than 7's, they're still not what I'd call "good", and I can't remember a single track from this installment.
idk what y'all are on calling the snowboard levels the worst thing ever y'all just suck lmao.
Beautiful game, solid bosses, solid stages even if a bit gimmicky. Ost not as good as previous games but I still like it.
Beautiful game, solid bosses, solid stages even if a bit gimmicky. Ost not as good as previous games but I still like it.
After playing all the zeros and Xs in a row, I think I can finally say I prefer my mega mans "slightly cute." This can be done with an undub patch which makes everyone sound like sort of professional anime voice actors, rather than a room full of people smelling burnt toast.
Absolutely mother fuck the sled levels. I can confirm that even undubbed the sled prompt voices are just as annoying. "JANPU! JANPU! SURAIDINGU! SURAIDINGU!"
Absolutely mother fuck the sled levels. I can confirm that even undubbed the sled prompt voices are just as annoying. "JANPU! JANPU! SURAIDINGU! SURAIDINGU!"
Went in expecting to not like this one all that much since it doesn't have a particularly good reputation among the community, but it turned out to be a pretty solid Megaman title with some really good weapons and a revamp of MM7's bolt system, with those being treated as collectibles hidden in the stages instead of enemies dropping the shit out of them and you being able to just grind for them. I could go either way, to be honest, but some of the upgrades you can buy with the bolts are pretty cool, like the charged shot variants, the one that negates knockback when you get hit, though having to buy the option to exit stages you've already beaten is kinda shit. Speaking of things that are kinda shit, some of the stages in this game do kinda suck, but I feel they're definitely a minority, and I'm talking exclusively about the infamous JUMP JUMP SLIDE SLIDE sections in Frost Man's stage the mazes in Astro Man's stage and that fucking flying section in Wily's fortress that can go suck a big fat wiener. The other stages range from fun to honestly peak classic Megaman, though.
Overall, I liked it quite a bit, it's nowhere near my favorite games in the series, but it was a good time. Since my opinion is the only objectively correct one, that means MM8 is objectively good and you guys are just too mean.
Overall, I liked it quite a bit, it's nowhere near my favorite games in the series, but it was a good time. Since my opinion is the only objectively correct one, that means MM8 is objectively good and you guys are just too mean.
Even though it brought Astro mans' stage and Wily Stage 3 into existence, the game is still fantastic on most other factors, having banger's like Tengu man's stage and wily stage 2. The anime cut-scenes are iconic.
The game is one of the weakest classic megaman entries by quite a lot, tengu man and clown man have very fun stages and design but beyond those 2 the game falls apart pretty hard.
The difficulty is nothing to write home about as health and weapon refills rain on you with some not-so-clever level design that can feel unfair or plain.
I wouldn't recommend people to play this game if they haven't but I also wouldn't recommend against it, it's just extremely mid.
The difficulty is nothing to write home about as health and weapon refills rain on you with some not-so-clever level design that can feel unfair or plain.
I wouldn't recommend people to play this game if they haven't but I also wouldn't recommend against it, it's just extremely mid.
I don't fully know how to feel about this game, I like the bosses, i like the music, I like the designs, the voice acting is cute if a little charming, and the anime cut-scenes are nice. That being said there are little gripes that just float to the surface, like the really bad skating parts and the final boss fight with Wily. I guess for now I'd rate this same as MM4, up until i decide to replay this and see if I change how I feel.
I played 8 on Anniversary Collection as a kid with no real understanding it was a port of an old game, but it had a huge effect on me. Felt so beautiful and brimming with life, I distinctly remember being taken aback when I got to X4-6 in my middle school years and the animation and polish was so stilted by comparison.
Mega Man always strived for the playable shonen experience but they really hit the nail on the head here imo, maybe because it leans into the more eclectic side of the series' vibe. Excellent house-synth soundtrack, great gamefeel, very strong stage and boss designs, you can feasibly beat everyone with a buster - everything '& Bass' wishes it could be. And the best Roll design!
You all know the weakpoints, nobody wants to deal with Wily stage 1 or the capsule, but that's mostly it. I guess the situation also feels underdeveloped, but it's hard to notice through the bad dub. For being last mainline entry for a little over a decade, its setup feels very weekly, like it's just an isolated event that comes and goes. 7's introduction of Bass is really strong, as-is the whole 'I am more than a robot' shtick at the end (with burning Wily castle!!); Duo's place in the story really can't compare, you could remove him and nothing about the conflict would change.
I wish 9 and 10 continued elaborating on this gorgeous 2D artstyle and further innovation of mechanics and incidental quirks instead of regressing to the NES era. Even 11, for as good as its 3D art is, doesn't have the emotional resonance this game has.
You better have something cooking Capcom, 11's been a half-decade old now!
Mega Man always strived for the playable shonen experience but they really hit the nail on the head here imo, maybe because it leans into the more eclectic side of the series' vibe. Excellent house-synth soundtrack, great gamefeel, very strong stage and boss designs, you can feasibly beat everyone with a buster - everything '& Bass' wishes it could be. And the best Roll design!
You all know the weakpoints, nobody wants to deal with Wily stage 1 or the capsule, but that's mostly it. I guess the situation also feels underdeveloped, but it's hard to notice through the bad dub. For being last mainline entry for a little over a decade, its setup feels very weekly, like it's just an isolated event that comes and goes. 7's introduction of Bass is really strong, as-is the whole 'I am more than a robot' shtick at the end (with burning Wily castle!!); Duo's place in the story really can't compare, you could remove him and nothing about the conflict would change.
I wish 9 and 10 continued elaborating on this gorgeous 2D artstyle and further innovation of mechanics and incidental quirks instead of regressing to the NES era. Even 11, for as good as its 3D art is, doesn't have the emotional resonance this game has.
You better have something cooking Capcom, 11's been a half-decade old now!
I have an apology to make: I was too harsh on Mega Man 7, which upon further reflection since my initial review has firmly rooted itself as one of my favorite Classic Mega Mans, an opinion only strengthened by basically everything I said felt weird and bad in that game being WAY worse in this one.
EVERYTHING is over-animated. Now it’s not just hard to judge where precisely you’re standing and how far or high your jumps are gonna go, but mega man’s comically floppy animations make it feel like you’re going slow as hell too. The buster feels weird. Additional weapons feel weird. Colors in every screen element are so intense as to be elevated from pleasantly cartoony to uncomfortably garish. The menu has these long animations to load in and out of it. There are little voice barks now and I hate that lol.
It’s a textbook Bad Mega Man Game death by a thousand cuts scenario where very little about this game is actually technically wrong but a lot of the little choices chafe on me personally. I could see this being a middling to high ranking Mega Man in someone’s estimation if they weren’t bothered by all the little aesthetic and game feel things here that fuck me up, and indeed I spoke to two people last night who enthusiastically defended this game from me when I, two levels deep, said what the fuck man how did this happen. So like, I get it! It’s not a Mega Man X3 situation where the game is just a sad shadow of its own defining traits from the ground up. It’s just firmly Not Working For Me. I’m always trying to convince people that I’m not just being a contrarian for the sake of it and lo, here it is: i think mega man 8 blows.
WHICH IS NOT TO SAY there isn’t joy to be had here, it’s just that unfortunately that joy comes, for me, almost exclusively from the non-play parts of the game. The hideous aesthetic choices that make looking at the game so unpleasant while you’re playing it also make it REALLY funny when you’re just watching it. Just fully leaving the bounds of Earth’s gravity with these robot master designs. Got an evil clown robot, got a- got a guy who Is An Igloo I guess, that man is a GRENADE. That’s just the first three guys right in a row. God’s bounty is endless. I don’t need to mention the English voice acting it’s incredible. Every line a treasure. I finally understand what Bass’ problem is man, he lives in a world where everybody is named after music and they’re all clearly mispronouncing his name on purpose!! I would be pissed too.
So that’s it I guess, classic mega man over. Weird one to end on. Oh I guess I should play Mega Man And Bass? That probably counts. Anyway. Didn’t like this one lol.
EVERYTHING is over-animated. Now it’s not just hard to judge where precisely you’re standing and how far or high your jumps are gonna go, but mega man’s comically floppy animations make it feel like you’re going slow as hell too. The buster feels weird. Additional weapons feel weird. Colors in every screen element are so intense as to be elevated from pleasantly cartoony to uncomfortably garish. The menu has these long animations to load in and out of it. There are little voice barks now and I hate that lol.
It’s a textbook Bad Mega Man Game death by a thousand cuts scenario where very little about this game is actually technically wrong but a lot of the little choices chafe on me personally. I could see this being a middling to high ranking Mega Man in someone’s estimation if they weren’t bothered by all the little aesthetic and game feel things here that fuck me up, and indeed I spoke to two people last night who enthusiastically defended this game from me when I, two levels deep, said what the fuck man how did this happen. So like, I get it! It’s not a Mega Man X3 situation where the game is just a sad shadow of its own defining traits from the ground up. It’s just firmly Not Working For Me. I’m always trying to convince people that I’m not just being a contrarian for the sake of it and lo, here it is: i think mega man 8 blows.
WHICH IS NOT TO SAY there isn’t joy to be had here, it’s just that unfortunately that joy comes, for me, almost exclusively from the non-play parts of the game. The hideous aesthetic choices that make looking at the game so unpleasant while you’re playing it also make it REALLY funny when you’re just watching it. Just fully leaving the bounds of Earth’s gravity with these robot master designs. Got an evil clown robot, got a- got a guy who Is An Igloo I guess, that man is a GRENADE. That’s just the first three guys right in a row. God’s bounty is endless. I don’t need to mention the English voice acting it’s incredible. Every line a treasure. I finally understand what Bass’ problem is man, he lives in a world where everybody is named after music and they’re all clearly mispronouncing his name on purpose!! I would be pissed too.
So that’s it I guess, classic mega man over. Weird one to end on. Oh I guess I should play Mega Man And Bass? That probably counts. Anyway. Didn’t like this one lol.
Is this game worth playing? That's a good question
Not really a game I found a whole lot of enjoyment in, it's pretty cool that it really goes and trying experimenting, so it's just a shame that basically every experiment SUCKS. I can't really hate it either at the same time though because another attempt at mildly shaking up the formula in a series that had struggled so strongly with that is something I do have a modicum of respect for, even if it really only takes things so far! The worst aspect of the game is easily the level design and how it feels as if it entirely mishandles any sense of aesthetic alongside that. The game seems to sacrifice cohesion for an attempt at bringing more variety into the fold, but almost all that present variety comes in the form of a variety of gimmicky distractions that ultimately do nothing but detract from the experience.
The worst example of this is the rocket sled in the Frost Man and Dr Wily stage that briefly transforms the game into a fast moving autoscroller that really highlight the somewhat less precise than ideal controls mixed in with just entirely distracting from the more tightly designed platforming sections and killing any sense of momentum the level had. The structure of the stages in general also tend to be pretty bad, following a pattern of introducing 2 or 3 unique stage gimmicks and then instead of ending once you get to complete this, then you usually have to go through a harder variant of those same 3 ideas that are almost always presented near-identically. This destroys any sense of actual progression within each level too, gives it a very artificial quality to it that gets rid of the sense of adventure and discovery that often otherwise comes with the games.
On their own, weird, gimmicky and half-baked ideas being scattered throughout the levels wouldn't be a big dealbreaker, but it's the fact that every single one of these extra ideas feel so obnoxious that really kills it. So little of the game feels outright difficult as much as just annoying, just a million little things that inconvenience you, whether it's parts of a level being a sprawling labyrinth, or the player being forced to blindly choose teleporters to move forward, it all leads to an experience that's not only uneven, but full of wide gulfs of some of the worst Mega Man gameplay out there. The big exception to this for me is Sword Man's stage, which has a neat little structure involving little challenge rooms based around certain subweapons that all get utilised in some pretty creative ways to really elevate the core element of the game revolving around stealing enemy abilities.
In general this is just something I do quite like about the game in general, the way the 2nd set of stages end up utilising the various abilities you gain in the first half extremely effectively to provide this additional layer of complexity to what you need to do. There are also other positive qualities to be seen too, such as the number of QOL improvements such as replenishing ammo on death making things far smoother overall, and the fact that the voice acting is horrible but in a way I find really entertaining. The boss fights for the most part also really do it for me, with almost all of them being very manageable but challenging fights that never feel truly unreasonable, with certain dynamics, such as Tengu Man having a weakness to a weapon that only hits things on the ground, providing an additional sense of nuance to the battle.
It's then even more of a shame that the weapons you pick up from the bosses are largely underwhelming thanks to the levels not really including too many instances of being able to utilise them to actually get much of an advantage beyond the moments that explicitly require you to use them, which takes away from some of the complexity from the stages when the weapon selection you have barely has any bearing on how you'll approach it all. I'm also just not a big fan of the aesthetic here, a ton of it feels a bit too clean and cartoony, each location disparate from everything else that's going on and lacking in terms of finer detail that really stands out. Probably doesn't help that there's practically NO enemy variety at all, with most of the levels even lacking a couple of the more unique, one-off ones that help play into the level themes further, instead just spamming the same 5 or 6 throughout the game and occasionally throwing in something extra that actually feels like it belongs in the stage.
There's just so much wrong with this game to me that I genuinely am unable to fully enjoy it, with stuff like the charming anime styled cutscenes and the cool robot master designs not being enough to fully get on board with it. I still think it's better than MM6 because at least this one goes for some more unique ideas, even if they do suck, and I did really enjoy certain aspects of this here and there. It's just not enough to put up with how badly thrown together a lot of the game ends up feeling as a whole, and it made me once again question why I'm even still playing these games when none of them have gotten above a 7/10.
The worst example of this is the rocket sled in the Frost Man and Dr Wily stage that briefly transforms the game into a fast moving autoscroller that really highlight the somewhat less precise than ideal controls mixed in with just entirely distracting from the more tightly designed platforming sections and killing any sense of momentum the level had. The structure of the stages in general also tend to be pretty bad, following a pattern of introducing 2 or 3 unique stage gimmicks and then instead of ending once you get to complete this, then you usually have to go through a harder variant of those same 3 ideas that are almost always presented near-identically. This destroys any sense of actual progression within each level too, gives it a very artificial quality to it that gets rid of the sense of adventure and discovery that often otherwise comes with the games.
On their own, weird, gimmicky and half-baked ideas being scattered throughout the levels wouldn't be a big dealbreaker, but it's the fact that every single one of these extra ideas feel so obnoxious that really kills it. So little of the game feels outright difficult as much as just annoying, just a million little things that inconvenience you, whether it's parts of a level being a sprawling labyrinth, or the player being forced to blindly choose teleporters to move forward, it all leads to an experience that's not only uneven, but full of wide gulfs of some of the worst Mega Man gameplay out there. The big exception to this for me is Sword Man's stage, which has a neat little structure involving little challenge rooms based around certain subweapons that all get utilised in some pretty creative ways to really elevate the core element of the game revolving around stealing enemy abilities.
In general this is just something I do quite like about the game in general, the way the 2nd set of stages end up utilising the various abilities you gain in the first half extremely effectively to provide this additional layer of complexity to what you need to do. There are also other positive qualities to be seen too, such as the number of QOL improvements such as replenishing ammo on death making things far smoother overall, and the fact that the voice acting is horrible but in a way I find really entertaining. The boss fights for the most part also really do it for me, with almost all of them being very manageable but challenging fights that never feel truly unreasonable, with certain dynamics, such as Tengu Man having a weakness to a weapon that only hits things on the ground, providing an additional sense of nuance to the battle.
It's then even more of a shame that the weapons you pick up from the bosses are largely underwhelming thanks to the levels not really including too many instances of being able to utilise them to actually get much of an advantage beyond the moments that explicitly require you to use them, which takes away from some of the complexity from the stages when the weapon selection you have barely has any bearing on how you'll approach it all. I'm also just not a big fan of the aesthetic here, a ton of it feels a bit too clean and cartoony, each location disparate from everything else that's going on and lacking in terms of finer detail that really stands out. Probably doesn't help that there's practically NO enemy variety at all, with most of the levels even lacking a couple of the more unique, one-off ones that help play into the level themes further, instead just spamming the same 5 or 6 throughout the game and occasionally throwing in something extra that actually feels like it belongs in the stage.
There's just so much wrong with this game to me that I genuinely am unable to fully enjoy it, with stuff like the charming anime styled cutscenes and the cool robot master designs not being enough to fully get on board with it. I still think it's better than MM6 because at least this one goes for some more unique ideas, even if they do suck, and I did really enjoy certain aspects of this here and there. It's just not enough to put up with how badly thrown together a lot of the game ends up feeling as a whole, and it made me once again question why I'm even still playing these games when none of them have gotten above a 7/10.
Started hating the voices at first but it just became so funny. Stages feel at their worst gimmicks but not a huge deal. Bosses are a joke if you abuse weaknesses. I could see the new item system being awful if it continued for another game. Honestly just a good game because it's a one off. If the rest of the series became this I would quit.
The game that represents "The Mega Man Experience" to me. Diverse and interesting Robot Masters, probably the most robust special weapons, great presentation and drama. So what if Dr Light sounds like Elmer Fudds orthodontist? Theres like 50 seconds of cutscenes in the entire game, who cares?
Fuck youduuducuduududududuududud
You must recover all the energy immediately w-Megaman
Came into this game with low expectations and not gonna lie, I sorta dug this game. It was pretty fun.
Art here was pretty good albeit a bit too colorful for my taste and the music here might be my favorite in the series so far especially with Aqua Man's stage and the stage select. The gameplay is definitely different here with the focus on gimmicks for some of the stages and they are hit or miss for me here. I would definitely say the stages are longer and albeit a bit easier with continues in each stage even if you run out of lives. Only thing to counteract this is that there are no more tanks other than using Rush to summon items when you need it once.
I think the game at its worst is Wily 1 where it takes the snowboarding segment from the Frost Man stage and made it extremely difficult. I also wasn't too fond of Astro Man's stage with the platforms and the overall design of the stages itself. The voice acting here is the most infamous part of this game and I didn't even mind it that much since it just oozes 90's anime dub charm to me.
It's definitely different from the other Mega Man games but it's still a solid experience that gets a lot more flak than I think it deserves. The voice acting does make it a product of its time in one way or another sadly.
Art here was pretty good albeit a bit too colorful for my taste and the music here might be my favorite in the series so far especially with Aqua Man's stage and the stage select. The gameplay is definitely different here with the focus on gimmicks for some of the stages and they are hit or miss for me here. I would definitely say the stages are longer and albeit a bit easier with continues in each stage even if you run out of lives. Only thing to counteract this is that there are no more tanks other than using Rush to summon items when you need it once.
I think the game at its worst is Wily 1 where it takes the snowboarding segment from the Frost Man stage and made it extremely difficult. I also wasn't too fond of Astro Man's stage with the platforms and the overall design of the stages itself. The voice acting here is the most infamous part of this game and I didn't even mind it that much since it just oozes 90's anime dub charm to me.
It's definitely different from the other Mega Man games but it's still a solid experience that gets a lot more flak than I think it deserves. The voice acting does make it a product of its time in one way or another sadly.
this would probably be up there with 11 as one of the best classic games if the sled sections didnt exist
i was really surprised when i saw most mixed or negative reviews about this game. i can understand why, but to me this game is such a blast to return to every time. the artstyle in this one is such a pleasant vibe with the best robot master designs (and music) in the classic series the new action sections are hit and miss, but enjoyable for the most part and does wonders for the classic formula, which was getting stale since 4 on the NES. of course the bad voice acting is as bad as everyone says, but it's really funny and this game wouldn't be the same without them. additionally the weapons this time around are pretty fun to use, on top of them all having situational uses, weapons like the mega ball and the ice wave can be used to exploit the level design in some very cool ways, and it made me appreciate these levels a whole lot more, and motivated me to find all the bolts, which are well hidden for the most part.
my only real complaints are that mega man moves a lot slower than the NES games? this was a thing in 7, and it was made worse by the bigger sprites which fucked you over in some platforming sections - this game makes it a little easier with more forgiving jumps, but it's easy to get used to.
the level design in some stages are a bit off as well. they're fine for the most part, but search man's stage is such a clusterfuck to go through with its weird layout, and astro man's stage having TWO whole ass mazes inside it. I appreciate the variety, but man those stages could have had a lot more polishing. the item shop's cool in this one, but the fact that you can't even get all the powerups in one playthrough doesn't sit right with me.
apart from all that, it's a big breath of fresh air from the previous entries, and while not all of the new ideas hit the mark, it all culminates into a solid experience that's definitely worth a try.
my only real complaints are that mega man moves a lot slower than the NES games? this was a thing in 7, and it was made worse by the bigger sprites which fucked you over in some platforming sections - this game makes it a little easier with more forgiving jumps, but it's easy to get used to.
the level design in some stages are a bit off as well. they're fine for the most part, but search man's stage is such a clusterfuck to go through with its weird layout, and astro man's stage having TWO whole ass mazes inside it. I appreciate the variety, but man those stages could have had a lot more polishing. the item shop's cool in this one, but the fact that you can't even get all the powerups in one playthrough doesn't sit right with me.
apart from all that, it's a big breath of fresh air from the previous entries, and while not all of the new ideas hit the mark, it all culminates into a solid experience that's definitely worth a try.
>mfw Mega Man sounds more feminine in this game than Roll does
gostei muito do jogo, visual das fases e o level design são bons, a trilha sonora eu achei meio fraquinha comparada a outros jogos, gráficos são lindíssimos nem tem o que falar, dificuldade bem balanceada. acho que minha maior crítica ao jogo são as partes do maldito "slide-slide-jump-jump"
My favorite classic Mega Man game. It gets too much hate because of its shit va but i think its really charming and add to this game.
Weirdly enough, I liked this game a lot. It was a very fun time.
Mega Man 8 being the next game in the franchise is actually really different compared to Mega Man 7 and somehow it's completely different in its presentation and how it does things, they kind of just reinvented Mega Man and brought him to his very roots. This game removes a bunch of stuff that piled up in the NES era of the franchise: Super Adaptor isn't in this one even when it was featured twice in the other games, Rush doesn't really play a major role when it comes to the actual platforming (he's mostly there for support and to give you health items) and the removal of micromanaging your Energy Tanks and Powers' is practically thrown off the window, because these are very expendable and you can refill them easier making sure the player doesn't feel bad about using them in normal gameplay.
At least to me, playing all of these games in a marathon I consider all these changes to make for a simpler but fun game experience, instead of focusing really hard on the platforming and other things you can focus on blasting everything you see, the game gets exponentially easy the more you explore around and buy things with the Bolts but at the end of the day you're going out of your way to get these so the exponential increase of strength certainly makes you feel better for getting them in the first place.
All stages are really fun and have their own sort of gimmick that tells them apart, the music is pretty good and while easy, the bosses are way more inventive than those in 7. The power selection is so much more nicer. And with the jump to optical media they could do something that would be the first for Mega Man...
So far, many of the Mega Man games didn't focus too much on the game's story. It kinda just happens that Wily somehow gets power over terrorist robots and Mega Man stops him, hilariously failing to detain him until the sixth entry.
This one has been the very first one to actually feature fully animated cutscenes for some parts of the game, voice acting and while they are pretty amateur and probably didn't have too much of a budget, nor that the script is that good, I just appreciate a lot how these were laid out because it really puts in a lot of charm in these characters that have been here year after year, it also does just make these characters show well, character.
Overall, a really fun and nice game. I thought I wouldn't like the artstyle yet I did a lot, and it actually stuck together as a whole game experience rather than a quick one that just lasts like 2 hours at max to one of 5 whole hours getting every Bolt I could, and just taking my time with it.
Mega Man 8 being the next game in the franchise is actually really different compared to Mega Man 7 and somehow it's completely different in its presentation and how it does things, they kind of just reinvented Mega Man and brought him to his very roots. This game removes a bunch of stuff that piled up in the NES era of the franchise: Super Adaptor isn't in this one even when it was featured twice in the other games, Rush doesn't really play a major role when it comes to the actual platforming (he's mostly there for support and to give you health items) and the removal of micromanaging your Energy Tanks and Powers' is practically thrown off the window, because these are very expendable and you can refill them easier making sure the player doesn't feel bad about using them in normal gameplay.
At least to me, playing all of these games in a marathon I consider all these changes to make for a simpler but fun game experience, instead of focusing really hard on the platforming and other things you can focus on blasting everything you see, the game gets exponentially easy the more you explore around and buy things with the Bolts but at the end of the day you're going out of your way to get these so the exponential increase of strength certainly makes you feel better for getting them in the first place.
All stages are really fun and have their own sort of gimmick that tells them apart, the music is pretty good and while easy, the bosses are way more inventive than those in 7. The power selection is so much more nicer. And with the jump to optical media they could do something that would be the first for Mega Man...
So far, many of the Mega Man games didn't focus too much on the game's story. It kinda just happens that Wily somehow gets power over terrorist robots and Mega Man stops him, hilariously failing to detain him until the sixth entry.
This one has been the very first one to actually feature fully animated cutscenes for some parts of the game, voice acting and while they are pretty amateur and probably didn't have too much of a budget, nor that the script is that good, I just appreciate a lot how these were laid out because it really puts in a lot of charm in these characters that have been here year after year, it also does just make these characters show well, character.
Overall, a really fun and nice game. I thought I wouldn't like the artstyle yet I did a lot, and it actually stuck together as a whole game experience rather than a quick one that just lasts like 2 hours at max to one of 5 whole hours getting every Bolt I could, and just taking my time with it.