I’ve sat on this one for a few days, and am no closer to really knowing how I feel about Mega Man 8. I’ve made clear in previous reviews that I don’t like the feeling of angling for an anime that runs through the worst of these games, but this is such an accomplished attempt at that very thing that I can’t help but be charmed by it. From the cutscenes (haha bad dub, yes, but Xebec were no slouches, crafting some beautiful cutscenes to compress down into garbage. Almost five years since their closure and the wistful nostalgia is getting painful) to the meticulously over-animated sprites and lush environments, it’s some next level pandering to another medium.
The gameplay is… different. Sometimes it’s garbage, there’s a lot of instant death moments that feel like the game’s fault, which was rare in the 8-bit era. Sometimes it’s spectacular, such as the robot masters and other bosses, where the larger sprites and meticulous animation allows room for some amazing reading and reacting (Tengu Man in particular is a stand out for this, where you get so used to different poses and heights that you feel like a genius for handling). By and large though it doesn’t feel like Mega Man to me, which is why I was prepared to hate this from the start. Even positive changes like being able to have the buster and a sub-weapon equipped feel sacrilegious to this old brain.
Rush gets fucked over again, swapping utility and armour for a bike form(neat), and a bunch of far less interesting but far more… toyetic? Animation-friendly? applications that can collectively be used once per level. I’d moan about it more, but we still get Rush Jet for special shooter sections where you summon all your pals to your side, and the healing option is the only way I could stand a chance against Wily 2.
The limited screws and item purchase system is kind of neat, but only a small handful are particularly useful, so I never felt driven to 100% completion. It feels like the bones of a good idea, but needed more than half-baked options to really maximise its potential.
And so I’m in a weird position where this isn’t a game I like, but is a game I can recognise as being very good at its core aims, which is being a cartoon you can play. That’s… God, I mean that’s more than 7 ever did, and so three stars feels fair. I feel like I might revisit this one day on the Saturn just to see if the changes made there make for a better experience.
The gameplay is… different. Sometimes it’s garbage, there’s a lot of instant death moments that feel like the game’s fault, which was rare in the 8-bit era. Sometimes it’s spectacular, such as the robot masters and other bosses, where the larger sprites and meticulous animation allows room for some amazing reading and reacting (Tengu Man in particular is a stand out for this, where you get so used to different poses and heights that you feel like a genius for handling). By and large though it doesn’t feel like Mega Man to me, which is why I was prepared to hate this from the start. Even positive changes like being able to have the buster and a sub-weapon equipped feel sacrilegious to this old brain.
Rush gets fucked over again, swapping utility and armour for a bike form(neat), and a bunch of far less interesting but far more… toyetic? Animation-friendly? applications that can collectively be used once per level. I’d moan about it more, but we still get Rush Jet for special shooter sections where you summon all your pals to your side, and the healing option is the only way I could stand a chance against Wily 2.
The limited screws and item purchase system is kind of neat, but only a small handful are particularly useful, so I never felt driven to 100% completion. It feels like the bones of a good idea, but needed more than half-baked options to really maximise its potential.
And so I’m in a weird position where this isn’t a game I like, but is a game I can recognise as being very good at its core aims, which is being a cartoon you can play. That’s… God, I mean that’s more than 7 ever did, and so three stars feels fair. I feel like I might revisit this one day on the Saturn just to see if the changes made there make for a better experience.