A much better version of the first, but still held back in some ways. RPG mechanics are still in this one but not nearly as much of a grind and the level structure this time is more akin to that of a normal Mega Man game. What a shocker that it gets way better when you ditch the shitty mission structure of the first.
Basically the first game with most of the same issues, enemies and bosses, but with a worse story and lame new weapons. This really does not feel like a new game, it lacks a lot of variety and got exhausting really quickly. The level design was slightly better, but the game really did not stand out. I am still excited to play the rest though.
Banger sequel. Giving the player forms helps further diversify playstyles. Reducing Cyber Elf feed costs helps it feel properly utilized. The only issues I had were the Crystal Cave with all of those blind-spot spikes, and the game's "Late-Game Final Fantasy Syndrome" where you can get REALLY OP by the end.
This is so much better than the first game and it fixes many of it's issues, except for the weapon leveling for some reason, it doesn't even make sense in the story this time, why is it here?
I'm not crazy about it but it's a fun game, this is when i started to understand why the Zero games have so many fans. I prefer the classic and X formula but i can see why many call these games their favorites.
I'm not crazy about it but it's a fun game, this is when i started to understand why the Zero games have so many fans. I prefer the classic and X formula but i can see why many call these games their favorites.
I wanted to write a detailed review about this game, but "GT" went to the character limit, and excluded my words (this company is on my blacklist along with Keiji Inafune), but I'm going to give a nice summary in questions.
Is it one of the worst games in the saga? Yes
Is it one of the worst games I've ever played? No
Is the game known for having really bad level design? For sure
Is he unplayable? No
Did I have fun after screwing up the game's rule of using the saber instead of using the buster with the quick charge cheat? Yes
Do I hate this game like some must? No
Is this game bad? X6 level, it's bad, but if you play another way it becomes a little more fun
Do I recommend this game? So, if you want to know the Zero saga; maybe (but I recommend playing buster with a quick charge cheat), but you might not like it either, it's a very controversial game like X6, but unlike X6, the story matters and I found it much more interesting than Mega Man Zero 1 ( In fact, I found the game more fun than the first), so if you care about the lore, do what I said, but if you just want to play a good game in this saga, maybe 3 and 4 (I haven't been much yet in depth on these two, but they say they are better than 1 and 2), but it's that thing, maybe you miss an event from the previous games, do it at your own risk.
Is it one of the worst games in the saga? Yes
Is it one of the worst games I've ever played? No
Is the game known for having really bad level design? For sure
Is he unplayable? No
Did I have fun after screwing up the game's rule of using the saber instead of using the buster with the quick charge cheat? Yes
Do I hate this game like some must? No
Is this game bad? X6 level, it's bad, but if you play another way it becomes a little more fun
Do I recommend this game? So, if you want to know the Zero saga; maybe (but I recommend playing buster with a quick charge cheat), but you might not like it either, it's a very controversial game like X6, but unlike X6, the story matters and I found it much more interesting than Mega Man Zero 1 ( In fact, I found the game more fun than the first), so if you care about the lore, do what I said, but if you just want to play a good game in this saga, maybe 3 and 4 (I haven't been much yet in depth on these two, but they say they are better than 1 and 2), but it's that thing, maybe you miss an event from the previous games, do it at your own risk.
I have gone on record saying that I firmly believe that Zero 1 is better than 2. I first tried playing the DS version of Zero 2 on the Mega Man Zero Collection, and this time I tried the Switch version, which has the save state checkpoints, because some of my issues with Zero II came with its rather obnoxious difficulty. Unfortunately however, my opinion on Zero II hasn't changed much from the last time I played it. I find Zero 2 to be a downgrade in several ways, first being the level design. I have very mixed opinions on Zero 2’s level design. On one hand, Zero 2 eliminates most of the cheap stuff about Zero 1’s level design, but it's bogged down by some really finicky gimmicks. Zero 1’s level design didn't have many gimmicks from what I remember, but Zero 2 really dives into this concept a whole lot more, to mediocre results. The level concepts are mostly fine, but in execution they're more tedious than fun. For example, the factory has you hitting bombs to explode areas of a wall, but more often than not, the bombs don't travel where you want them to go, which gets annoying pretty fast. Occasionally, the level design does actually take good advantage of the gimmicks, however. For example, in the Arctic stage, the ice is used in the intro to build up momentum so you can get a Cyber Elf, which is a nice test of skills. But examples of this are few and far between, unfortunately. The level design also occasionally uses the Chain Rod, a hook shot that just feels so god awful to use. It transfers your momentum awfully, and it just feels forced whenever used. You also have to use it in a lot of do-or-die scenarios, and combined with the poor momentum translation, it gets annoying really fast. This is kind of a nitpick and doesn't make sense with Zero 2’s levels, but something I really liked about Zero 1 is the interconnected world. Not only did this encourage exploration outside of levels so you could memorize the layout before heading into the mission, but it gave Zero 1 a great sense of worldbuilding. It made all the stages feel like they mattered, but this is all but gone in Zero 2. Once again, since you teleport to stages in Zero 2, it wouldn't make sense, but then again, Mega Man X did this, even though each area wasn't interconnected. Once again, a nitpick, but still. My mixed opinions of the stage design also translates into the bosses, unfortunately. They're not awful, but some of these fights get super fucking annoying. Jesus christ, actually ASS FUCK the Phoenix boss, and I hope it never rises from the ashes of hell ever again.
Occasionally, Zero 2 can be an improvement over its predecessor. For one, the level up system from Zero 1 is much, much faster, cutting down on the grinding in the game. A much needed improvement overall. I also like the forms and EX Skills, as well as the fact that the Sword now ignores i-frames, which kind of made it harder to go back to Zero 1 TBH. But in my humble opinion, Zero 2 is a bit of a step back from Zero 1. It's not awful, but once I beat it the first time, it felt like a lot could've been done better.
Occasionally, Zero 2 can be an improvement over its predecessor. For one, the level up system from Zero 1 is much, much faster, cutting down on the grinding in the game. A much needed improvement overall. I also like the forms and EX Skills, as well as the fact that the Sword now ignores i-frames, which kind of made it harder to go back to Zero 1 TBH. But in my humble opinion, Zero 2 is a bit of a step back from Zero 1. It's not awful, but once I beat it the first time, it felt like a lot could've been done better.
The concept of the EX skills appealed to me and so did the skills themselves. They were fun to use and a welcome addition to Zero’s moveset. But I did not like that you have to get rank A or higher to get said EX skills. It made me rush through most stages and I couldn’t really explore these stages since I didn’t want to miss out on these skills.
And then there’s forms. Again, I liked the concept but I didn’t like that you had to fulfill some arbitrary objective. These objectives are different for every mission and are never explained to you. So you either have to get lucky and fulfill the objective unknowingly or you’re going to have to look them all up.
I do appreciate that there are more stages now but I like these stages less than the ones in Zero 1.
They were kinda boring and samey.
So overall, I like this one a bit less than the first Zero game.
And then there’s forms. Again, I liked the concept but I didn’t like that you had to fulfill some arbitrary objective. These objectives are different for every mission and are never explained to you. So you either have to get lucky and fulfill the objective unknowingly or you’re going to have to look them all up.
I do appreciate that there are more stages now but I like these stages less than the ones in Zero 1.
They were kinda boring and samey.
So overall, I like this one a bit less than the first Zero game.
This game rules.
Huge improvement over the first game, making weapon ranks bearable, level design and bosses are overall better, relacing the spear for the chain rod was a great choice, and making it NOT MISSABLE even better.
Some room for improvement, but that'll be tackled by the sequel, but this one's for the ages, amazing game overall.
Huge improvement over the first game, making weapon ranks bearable, level design and bosses are overall better, relacing the spear for the chain rod was a great choice, and making it NOT MISSABLE even better.
Some room for improvement, but that'll be tackled by the sequel, but this one's for the ages, amazing game overall.
You no longer have to do a near perfect run of a level to collect everything! Backtracking for elves is a great change. Still bothered by the ranking system discouraging upgrades. However, now that I could easily achieve 100%, unlike the first game, I found out it trivializes the game too much. I had so much more fun trying to perform as good as Zero canonically would. Optimizing a level to achieve A rank and a new form all in one go is a blast. OST is also much better than Zero 1.