Expectations can grow very high if they’re given enough time to themselves, and eight years is a very long time.
After the halcyon days of the NES, and the X series’ golden era of the SNES and PS1, the Mega Man franchise has had a hard life. I’ve lost count of the canceled projects that were to star my beautiful Blue Bomber. Even the Archie-produced Mega Man comic got canned. Nothing was safe. Being a Mega Man enjoyer then (and still now) meant dealing with constant disappointment. Why do you think Mega Man being in Super Smash Bros. was such a big deal? Why do you think Mighty No. 9 got the funding it did?
That last paragraph was written because I need you to understand that any problem I may have with Mega Man 11 is minuscule compared to the sheer amount of gratitude I have towards fate for allowing this game to be made at all.
This may be cynical to say considering how at the time of writing this, Capcom has been on a serious roll with no signs of stopping, but i see the release of a no-nonsense, microtransaction-free Mega Man game in the modern age, as nothing less than a miracle.
Speaking of miracles, I am also very thankful that they chose to make Mega Man 11 so visually distinct. It looks like a great animated cartoon, and the backgrounds are just stellar. The first area of Torch Man’s stage is a particularly beautiful sight to see.
While being beautiful, the levels in this game are equally tricky. I’m a seasoned Mega Man veteran but I had a hard time early on during both of my playthroughs. But maybe that’s because I wasn’t making much use of the game’s new mechanic: The Double Gear System, the Speed Gear in particular. The Power Gear’s good for bosses but slowing down time with the Speed Gear made everything a lot more simple. At a certain point in the game you can take out Sniper Joes without them even noticing you’re there.
Speaking of not noticing things that are there, the music in Mega Man 11 is a shocking disappointment. With decades of games with numerous incredible bangers each, it's such a shame to get a Mega Man game where the level themes feel more like wallpaper in the room than the furniture. The sound mixing in Mega Man 11 is already so obnoxious that you can't hear the tunes as it is, but when you turn the music up, there's no strong identity. Bounce Man has a pretty nice song though. Not catchy enough to remember it by heart, but it's good.
Lackluster music is a small price to pay for another Mega Man game to be made, i suppose.
But that's just it, Mega Man 11 IS just another Mega Man game. Besides the Double Gear System, there's nothing so earthshakingly new that it paves the way for a new future of Mega Man titles. You DO get weapon that's a Mega Man X-style dash that can even be used in the air, which has the potential to be a huge game changer, if you're clever enough. But this isn't really doing anything that the Mega Man franchise hasn't seen before.....
It's just, more Mega Man, and at the end of the day, that's something i'm okay with.
I've beaten Mega Man 11 twice and had a decent time each time.
I recommend it to see Mega Man at its flashiest and most fully featured. There are better games in the series, though.
After the halcyon days of the NES, and the X series’ golden era of the SNES and PS1, the Mega Man franchise has had a hard life. I’ve lost count of the canceled projects that were to star my beautiful Blue Bomber. Even the Archie-produced Mega Man comic got canned. Nothing was safe. Being a Mega Man enjoyer then (and still now) meant dealing with constant disappointment. Why do you think Mega Man being in Super Smash Bros. was such a big deal? Why do you think Mighty No. 9 got the funding it did?
That last paragraph was written because I need you to understand that any problem I may have with Mega Man 11 is minuscule compared to the sheer amount of gratitude I have towards fate for allowing this game to be made at all.
This may be cynical to say considering how at the time of writing this, Capcom has been on a serious roll with no signs of stopping, but i see the release of a no-nonsense, microtransaction-free Mega Man game in the modern age, as nothing less than a miracle.
Speaking of miracles, I am also very thankful that they chose to make Mega Man 11 so visually distinct. It looks like a great animated cartoon, and the backgrounds are just stellar. The first area of Torch Man’s stage is a particularly beautiful sight to see.
While being beautiful, the levels in this game are equally tricky. I’m a seasoned Mega Man veteran but I had a hard time early on during both of my playthroughs. But maybe that’s because I wasn’t making much use of the game’s new mechanic: The Double Gear System, the Speed Gear in particular. The Power Gear’s good for bosses but slowing down time with the Speed Gear made everything a lot more simple. At a certain point in the game you can take out Sniper Joes without them even noticing you’re there.
Speaking of not noticing things that are there, the music in Mega Man 11 is a shocking disappointment. With decades of games with numerous incredible bangers each, it's such a shame to get a Mega Man game where the level themes feel more like wallpaper in the room than the furniture. The sound mixing in Mega Man 11 is already so obnoxious that you can't hear the tunes as it is, but when you turn the music up, there's no strong identity. Bounce Man has a pretty nice song though. Not catchy enough to remember it by heart, but it's good.
Lackluster music is a small price to pay for another Mega Man game to be made, i suppose.
But that's just it, Mega Man 11 IS just another Mega Man game. Besides the Double Gear System, there's nothing so earthshakingly new that it paves the way for a new future of Mega Man titles. You DO get weapon that's a Mega Man X-style dash that can even be used in the air, which has the potential to be a huge game changer, if you're clever enough. But this isn't really doing anything that the Mega Man franchise hasn't seen before.....
It's just, more Mega Man, and at the end of the day, that's something i'm okay with.
I've beaten Mega Man 11 twice and had a decent time each time.
I recommend it to see Mega Man at its flashiest and most fully featured. There are better games in the series, though.