Happy Hanukkah and almost Merry Christmas to everyone!
I cannot believe that we have finally made it through to the holidays and the New Year is practically upon us!
It just seems like yesterday we were awaiting our technological demise at the hands of the Y2K virus, and yet we will shortly be entering a new decade of the 2nd Millennium AD.
Anyway...back to gaming. VideoGamer.com announced today that Mega Man 10 will be coming to all major console downloading services in March of 2010. This time, the blue bomber is fighting the after-effects of a robotic flu epidemic known as Roboenza that is infecting robots and causing them to run-amok...sound familiar???
Once again Mega Man is called to task in classic stage-select style, but this time we are optioned with playing as fan-favorite Proto-Man from the start!
My big gripe is the inclusion of what is dubbed "Easy Mode" which VideoGamer.com quotes as "allow[ing] more gamers to enjoy what is traditionally a hardcore series." My question to Capcom...WHY NOT MAKE THE GAME DIFFICULTY SIMILAR TO MEGA MAN 2 AND 3???
As far as I am concerned, those two gems were the masterpieces of the series in story, techniques and difficulty. Mega Man 2 brought us the return of Doctor Wiley and the inclusion of more robot warriors to destroy in classic rock/paper/scissors format. It did include an Easy mode, however playing in Normal brought a satisfying feeling. Mega Man 3 brings us to the inclusion of Proto-Man and a slew of new gadgets and mega-techniques...including the beloved SLIDE! The game was a single yet gratifying difficulty that progressed me through the story until the climactic conclusion.
Did I play for hours on end?...YES! Did I die in certain spots?...YES! Did my friends and I consult in the lunchroom about how to defeat Wiley's minions?...HECK YEAH! And when I finally beat the games, did I play it again?...OF COURSE! AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AGAIN...!
This is not the case with Mega Man 9.
Look at any forum, and there will be some gamer commenting on the immense and ridiculous difficulty and how it becomes a turn-off. This is not what Mega Man needed. Call them neewbies or casual gamers or whatever...I have personally played the game and find myself critiquing the heck out of its booby traps and death wish stage areas. I even remember watching one of Capcom's representatives playing the game live during an interview and dying 5 times straight by falling into a pit! As far as I am concerned...not good marketing.
As for replayability...let us just say that I would rather be putting my time in to Call of Duty or Ace Attorney than replaying a designer's nightmare of a Mega Man 9 stage...which is sad to me.
Ditch the Easy Mode and give us consistent progression through the game. The newbies will stay and the seasoned Vet will relive their childhood memories.
My question is...what do you think? Should Mega Man 10 have an Easy Mode or have a single difficulty? Should the slide come back and what other gadgets would you like to see? Also, tell me about your own Mega Man 9 experiences and let me know if you were really satisfied.
In the meantime, enjoy the holidays and I will be stopping by before the New Year!
Peace to you and Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 18, 2009
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2 comments:
I agree. I love Mega man. My favorite will always be two and 3. There is no point making a game too easy or too hard. Make a game with one difficulthy level and with a great ending. Remember in the real world when someone gets shot once they die and don't get to regernerate themselves and fight again. Make the games real!!!!!!
I agree with your part on the one difficulty level and great ending...however, making Mega Man a "real" game would be disadvantageous.
That's why we have Rainbow Six! ;)
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