Game Review: Mega Man 9
Justin Hoeger - Sacramento Bee
Oct 07, 2008
"Mega Man 9" looks, sounds and plays exactly like classic "Mega Man" titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System. But calling the game a throwback doesn't sound right.
It's like Capcom found a mothballed "Mega Man" project in its archive somewhere and decided to release it - except this is a brand-new adventure, made recently and on purpose. It's expertly made, charming and difficult, just as the series should be.
For anyone unfamiliar with "Mega Man" games, here's how they work: Players control the title character, a little blue robot with a pea shooter and the ability to cannibalize the powers of other robots. He always has a slate of evil Robot Masters to fight, usually in whatever order the player likes.
But there's a trick to it. While all the evil robots can be destroyed by Mega Man's popgun with enough patience and skill, each Robot Master's weapon is extra-effective against one of the other robots, making the battle against these menaces easier if they're tackled in a specific order.
Some of their powers are useful in other ways, too. Hornet Man's homing bees can snag otherwise impossible-to-reach items, for example.
Even tougher than the Robot Masters are the levels they inhabit. These are designed to wear Mega Man down, costing him lives or, at least, substantial energy on his way to the boss, and they do their job well.
Players will face obstacles and enemies both, and no small number of nasty surprises, such as gripper robots that try to drag Mega Man into spikes or little drones that rise up out of bottomless pits at just the right time to knock him in as he tries to jump over. But there is nothing truly unfair, nothing that can't be overcome with patience or timing.
"Mega Man 9" is a true return to a time when hardware power was severely limited and designers had only two dimensions to work with, so they focused their efforts on making the best games they could within those conditions.
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MEGA MAN 9
3 1/2 stars
Publisher: Capcom
System: Nintendo Wii; also for Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 (download)
Price: $10 (1000 Wii Points or 800 Microsoft Points); $9.99 for PS3
Age Rating: Everyone
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