Mega Man: Anniversary Collection
Score: 92% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Capcom Developer: Atomic Planet Entertainment Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Platformer (2D)
Graphics & Sound: Just about everyone knows who Mega Man is by now. Probably the most prolific character in video game history, Mega Man has probably starred in more games than anyone except Mario. Not too long ago, Capcom celebrated his 15th anniversary with the release of Mega Man: Anniversary Collection. It has taken awhile for Xbox owners to get their version of the game, but hopefully the presence of additional extras will make up for the wait. Mega Man: Anniversary Collection is a collection of games that includes Mega Man 1-8, as well as the two Power Battle arcade games. Since the games in Mega Man: Anniversary Collection range in age from the early 80s to the late 90s, the graphics of the games included can range from simple, yet attractive, NES sprites to the massive color palate and vibrant animations of Mega Man 8 for the PlayStation. You won’t find any updated graphics here. All 10 games are true to the originals in every respect. The various graphical glitches haven’t even been cleaned up; these are 100% pure. Just as diverse as the graphics, the audio side also runs the gamut from the blips and MIDI tones of the 80s in the NES games to the full power of CD audio in Mega Man 8. As an added goodie, you also have the option of hearing upgraded versions of all the tracks for the six NES games. There are a few times when the new song isn’t the same as the old, but 99% of the time they match up. While it’s not necessarily stuff you’d listen too in your CD player, the various tracks of stage music for Mega Man games are catchy, if anything. I know in my youth I’d find myself humming various themes unconsciously pretty consistently.
Gameplay: In case you aren’t familiar with the gameplay of a Mega Man game, it’s pretty simple. There are a certain number (usually eight) of robot bosses you have to beat. You get to choose what order to tackle their stages in. After you beat a boss, you acquire their weapon which you can then use for yourself. Certain bosses are weak against certain weapons, so the game ultimately becomes much easier once you know the best order to fight the bosses in. In addition to this rock-paper-scissors game with the bosses, the stages themselves are pretty typical platforming. You run around blasting enemies while frequently performing very tricky jumps. When the game really works is when it creatively forces the player to make use of the various weapons and gadgets at their disposal to make otherwise difficult areas much easier to progress through. In later games there is also a sense of exploration as various stages may have hidden items and gadgets in them.
Difficulty: For good or ill, these are usually some pretty hard games. You’ll actually find that the Mega Man and Mega Man 8 are the hardest in the series, mainly because they lack the items called E-tanks. You can collect these and refill your health a few times during the harder boss fights. You’ll find that Mega Man 2 and 3 are the easiest in the series. You’re also likely to break a few controllers and walls due to the final boss of Mega Man 7 (an easy contender for most frustrating, unfair boss fight ever). Aside from difficult bosses, there are plenty of nasty areas where you must perform some very tricky jumps and plenty of hazardous areas with lots of spikes that kill you if you touch them. Prepare to be challenged by these games. There is, however, an easy option, which may help considerably.
Game Mechanics: The games are pretty easy to play. You move left and right, one buttons jumps, and one button fires. Later games incorporate a slide and the ability to charge up your default weapon. While the original games required you to go into a menu to change weapons, you can now, in all the games, make use of a convention added later that allows you to use the trigger buttons to cycle through weapons on the fly. One of the nice things about Mega Man: Anniversary Collection is the large amount of extras you can unlock in the game. Every time you complete one of the games in the main series, you unlock new extras. Aside from the two Power Battle games, there is artwork, songs, and videos to unlock. An extra bonus for Xbox owners is that their version of the game contains both the interview with creator Keiji Inafune and an episode of a cartoon, while the previous versions got only one or the other. If you’re a big Mega Man fan, this one is definitely a must buy. You’ll be hard pressed to find a game with as much bang for the buck as Mega Man: Anniversary Collection. Even non-fans may find they enjoy this game if they don’t find the game too difficult. However, if straight blasting/platforming isn’t or thing, or you just find the games too challenging even on easy, you will likely just find more frustration than fun.
-Alucard, GameVortex Communications AKA Stephen Triche
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