gaming Mega Man Zero: The Best Mega Man Subseries

[Legendary Emerald 622]

TL;DR: How do you feel about the series?

 

Mega Man Zero Series - My thoughts

 

Ever since I first played Mega Man X4 on the original Playstation, I've been a huge fan of all things Mega Man, provided they didn't include the words "Battle Network" or "Starforce" in their titles. However, when I was still dipping my feet into the vast pool of Mega Man titles, I was still a young gamer learning to swim. Those games punished me hard, and challenged me more than any series had previously.

 

 

Even still, when Mega Man Zero was first shown to the world, I was hyped beyond belief. Zero was my favorite character to play as in the four X series games that he was playable in, and a whole game dedicated to him was a dream come true. However, the magazine preview I read stressed how this new game was meant to be the hardest Mega Man game ever made, and that "only the hardcore need apply".

 

 

I gulped. At that point, I'd still never managed to beat a single Classic, X, or Legends series game. Could I even beat the intro stage of THE HARDEST MEGA MAN GAME EVER MADE? I girded my loins, and as soon as possible, I did something I'd never done before: downloaded the Japanese version of a game before it was released in America.

 

 

The game controlled beautifully, the soundtrack was rockin', and even though I couldn't read a word of the dialogue, I could tell how much effort had gone into the world building. Plus, the game was violent. Not since X4's anime sequences had I seen blood erupt from enemies in a Mega Man game (unfortunately, this would be cut from the American releases of the Zero series games).

 

 

I managed to beat the intro stage easily enough, but got my robotic ass handed to me repeatedly by the first real boss of the game in the second stage. This really was a game for “hardcore” gamers, and I had tried to apply without the proper credentials. After failing for the hundreth time, I yelled at my computer and closed the emulator with as hearty of a left-mouse click I could muster.

 

 

But I still knew, without a doubt, that it'd be a day one purchase when it came out in the US.

 

 

When I got the game in my hands, I was able to squeeze a victory out of that damn boss, and slowly but surely got to see what the rest of the game had to offer. I threw myself into the game's missions time after time again, dying in a flash explosion and reloading from save so as not to waste my precious few continues. Unlike every other 2D Mega Man series game, lives were limited in this title, and if you used them all up, you were up the creak without a paddle unless you managed to luck out and find an extra continue in a mission.

 

 

Overall, the game was very similar to another popular Capcom action title, Devil May Cry. Both feature a pretty-boy antagonist with a gruff nature, dealing with enemies from his past, who wields a variety of guns and melee weapons. The world is large and nearly every area is connected, the weapons gain new abilities as you kill more enemies, the game ranks at the completion of each stage, and using healing items or continues hurts your rank. It's a great formula, and it translated perfectly to 2D.

 

 

Also just like DMC, the game was brutally difficult, but, not unfairly so. By playing the game long enough, you eventually learned it's tricks. Holding a charged shot ready whilest jumping into an enemy with sword drawn became second nature. Unlocking the elemental chips made boss battles more manageable, and if you were willing to put the time in, you could even collect and raise a collection of "cyber elves" who could provide you with permanent health bonuses or even sub-tanks, at the the cost of your rank going down the more you used them.

 

 

I played the game extensively, but still got stuck near the end of the game, when you are tasked with taking on the enemy city head-on. I still hadn't beaten the game by the second Zero series game would came out, Mega Man Zero 2. This time I decided to be a nice little customer and not give the Japanese version a test run first.

 

 

The game switched things up quite a bit. The interconnected world and mission based structure was gone, replaced with a more traditional level select screen. You got special abilities from beating all the 8 bosses like in the X and Classic series games, though you had to have A rank when entering the stage to get them. New "Forms" could be unlocked giving preference to certain weapons or styles of attack, and gave you new stats and abilities.

 

 

While the loss of the interconnected world was a shame, and the loss of the mission structure made the game a bit less original than the previous title, overall the game was an improvement. The soundtrack was more eclectic, the storyline more complex, the levels more devious, and the new forms, weapons, and abilities more fun to play around with. Overall, it was a great sequel, and it drew me in just as much as the first.

 

 

Eventually, Zero 3 would be announced. They were certainly releasing the games quickly enough, and that was perfectly fine by me, considering their quality hadn't disappointed me yet. However, I knew that I need to beat the first two Zero games I had sometime. So I started a new file on Zero 2, and by the end of the week, had managed to beat it. Holy sh*t, I actually beat it! Pumped up by my success, and the amazing ending theme to that game, I plugged in Zero 1 to see if lighting would strike twice. And yes, the final boss' lightning attacks struck me at least twice... but after close to ten attempts, I was able to put the boss in his place and conquer Zero 1 as well.

 

 

Around this same time, I started beating all of the old Mega Man Classic series and X games as well, because all of a sudden I seemed to have turned into an actually decent gamer. I beat as many old games as I could in the time before Zero 3 came out, and when it did, I was ready for it.

 

 

Not that Zero 3 was going to let me walk all over it, though. The game was just as difficult as the previous two, and it certainly knocked my ego down a few notches the first time I gave it a go. Most of the changes from Zero 2 were kept, though Forms were replaced with a new chip-equipment system that gave most of the same benefits, but with more room for customization. The music quality remained at the same supremely high level, the story was by far the best yet, and the game as a whole was a whole lot easier to jump into, thanks to Zero keeping his fully upgraded weapons from the past games; no more grinding against enemies for 10 minutes just to be able to do a three hit combo!

 

 

Zero 3 was a masterpiece; perhaps, objectively, the best yet. When Zero 4 was announced, I was actually a bit wary. How could they manage to top the third game? Whether they succeeded or failed, it was obvious that it was no cheap cash-in. Capcom truly went all-out for the final game in the series.

 

 

They threw in everything but the kitchen sink. There was a revamped and simplified cyber-elf system, a new weather control system that effectually meant there were 2 versions of each stage, the ability to steal weapons from nearly every single enemy in the game, a new home base after the third game had recycled the one in the second, and a vocal song (in the Japanese version) to close out one of the only Mega Man series to have a definitive ending. The game was also the hardest yet, in my opinion, though a pathetically easy “Easy Mode” was included for players who just wanted to experience the amazing soundtrack while lazily slashing at nonthreatening enemies.

 

 

While perhaps not quite as memorable as the third game in the series, Zero 4 provided a damn satisfying ending to what I had already dubbed the greatest Mega Man series of all time, if not the best 2D action series of all time.

 

 

The series has it all. Memorable characters, flawless musical compositions, a detailed world that expanded more with each game, tightly controlled action, tons of customization, and endless replayability thanks to the ranking system. I've beaten each game in the series more times than I can count, and have even challenged myself with all A-rank runs through all four of them, and come out on top.

 

 

Capcom and IntiCreates knew how special this series was as well. That's why no less than SIX arrangement albums were released of the soundtracks to the games, two of which were released once the series had already been long ended. The entire series of games was also collected on a single DS cartridge, which included an Easy mode that made the games more accessible to a wider audience of players who were not “hardcore” enough to apply for the original version.

 

 

Now that I've gone on for over 3 pages, I'd like to hear your opinions on these games. Did you like them as much as I did, or were you put off of them due to their difficulty or differences from previous Mega Man games? Discuss, please... or else I will have spent an hour typing this for naught.

[1mlpfim 70]

yeah men they also were my favorite, the 4 was veeery diferent from the others, but the final battle was epic!

[Haven Celestii 9,385]

I love these games as well, I need to finish and replay the ones I already beat to remember the story line.

 

Still I like the battle network ones better though.

[Discordian 6,015]

I absolutely adore the series. If it weren't for the Starforce series I would honestly say MMZ would be my favorite Megaman series of all time. I haven't played ZX and ZX Advent yet though.

 

My favorite final boss was Omega and his true form (who I won't spoil for those who haven't done it yet)

 

When I first played MMZ it was on emulator for GBA and I never beat it cuz it was so hard, plus keyboard controls + MMZ or MMX = hell. I stopped using emulators and then I got the DS Collection and I played through it all on Easy Scenario. About eight months later I decided to give normal mode a shot and so I played it then and I actually managed to beat the first one. Bolstered my confidence, like with you, and so I tried MMZ2 as well and eventually beat that, and then 3 and finally 4. Love that series. <3

 

My favorite level and music of the game comes from MMZ2: The air fleet level. That was the most epic level in a Megaman game ever.

[Legendary Emerald 622]

I absolutely adore the series. If it weren't for the Starforce series I would honestly say MMZ would be my favorite Megaman series of all time. I haven't played ZX and ZX Advent yet though.

 

My favorite final boss was Omega and his true form (who I won't spoil for those who haven't done it yet)

 

When I first played MMZ it was on emulator for GBA and I never beat it cuz it was so hard, plus keyboard controls + MMZ or MMX = hell. I stopped using emulators and then I got the DS Collection and I played through it all on Easy Scenario. About eight months later I decided to give normal mode a shot and so I played it then and I actually managed to beat the first one. Bolstered my confidence, like with you, and so I tried MMZ2 as well and eventually beat that, and then 3 and finally 4. Love that series. <3

 

My favorite level and music of the game comes from MMZ2: The air fleet level. That was the most epic level in a Megaman game ever.

 

I've never played the Starforce series, other than giving a few random battles a shot on a friend's copy of the game. It seemed very similar to the Battle Network games. I'd like the first Battle Network game alright, but it the gameplay got very stale for me very fast, and I just never felt the urge to buy any of the other games like it. ZX is an okay game, but it has quite a few problems (specifically it's horrible, horrible map system). ZXA was a vast improvement, even if you didn't unlock the form that played like Zero from the MMZ series until over halfway into the game.

 

Playing MMZ or MMX games using a keyboard is terrible, lol. I had the same problem when I first tied to emulate Zero 1. Once I had the game on an actual handheld, everything controlled much smoother. And since then, the only way I can play Mega Man X games anymore is with 'dash' set to the left shoulder button, just like in the Zero series. It's so much better than having to press the A or Circle button (on the SNES and PS1, respectively).

 

Ah, I remember the air stage from MMZ2. I got stuck on that level for the longest time, because I had trouble with the laser beams that blocked your path. I didn't learn how to use cyber elves until I reached the Guardian Fortress stages, so I couldn't take more than a handful of hits before I would die. It's still a really cool level with a lot of memorable parts to it, though, and it finally gives you a reason to use the shield.

 

My favorite song in the series would be "For Endless Fight", which I consider to be the main theme of the series, seeing as it appeared in the first three games.

 

 

(Rockman Zero Remastered: Resonance Vie)

 

Second favorite song would be the ending theme to Zero 2, "Awakening Will". The vocal version from the remastered album is pretty great as well.

 

[media=]http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbli2N9VfxI

(Rockman Zero 2 Remastered: Idea)

Edited May 31, 2012 by Legendary Emerald

[Discordian 6,015]

I haven't really played the Battle Network games much at all. Only played the 4th one for a few hours and then went back to Starforce. Starforce is so much better. The game is easier to get into when you know what you're doing and what all your cards do, especially when you get good cards early in the game.

 

The story is, without a doubt, the best part of the Starforce series imo. It's like a Saturday Morning Cartoon but it's just so amazing anyway.