Released: September 22nd, 2008 (Wii), September 25th, 2008 (PS3), October 1st, 2008 (360)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Sidescroller-Action
Why am I reviewing this now of all times when Mega Man 10 has just come out and/or is coming out in the next few weeks? I have a week left until I can play Mega Man 10 and it's been difficult to not stare and drool at everything. Besides, Mega Man 9 was the first one in the series I played. I didn't look up anything and just decided to take a risk, as I had heard so much about previous titles, and bought it on the spot. It turned out to be one of the best impulsive purchases ever.
If you are reading this and are completely new, like I was, then have no fear. You can pick up Mega Man 9 and not miss a beat. Sure, the extra characters like Roll and Protoman has no explanation of how or why they are there, but it doesn't matter. Mega Man 9 is a roll back to the NES titles. The style, the art, the way it moves, the music, everything is designed like an NES game. There is even a Legacy Mode you can turn on so that the enemies and such will flicker if there are too many on the screen. Even the "cover art" is a throw back to the terrible English NES cover boxes. Since it's a downloadable title, they didn't even need a cover art, yet they went the extra step anyway.
The story really doesn't matter. Pretty much, the Robot Masters are acting up, Dr. Wily, the traditional evil guy, blames Dr. Light, the creator of Mega Man himself. We all know it's Dr. Wily anyway but you aren't playing for the story anyway. If you want story, go buy Dragon Age Origins. If you want a fun as hell, basic game, then Mega Man 9 is for you.
As with every single Mega Man ever made, you run left to right shooting everything in your way. There are some minor platform elements as well. At the end of each stage is a boss, one of the Robot Masters. Defeating them gives Mega Man more weapons to use. Items, such as healers and energy (ammo), can be bought using screws that can be found across the levels. You are free to choose any level you want to go through first. Each Robot Master is weak to another's weapon. It's up to you to play through each one and decide and figure this out. No matter which ones you choose to go through, you will always end up at Wily's hideout at the end of the game.
The music is catchy and so well done. I cannot help but tap my foot whenever I hear any of them. Every single song, except the main menu which is just a rehash of the game over screen, is excellent. You hear them and automatically think "Ah, Splash Woman's stage!" or "Ah, Jewel Man's stage!". The NES style was clever to go with. It gives old fans something familiar and new fans something to think about. A lot of people argue Mega Man 9 is just shit because it's running on pure nostalgia. That is not the case. Myself, and many others, have either never played a Mega Man title or only played one or two, and loved this game. It is a mix of the old, but not to much that it washes over and would leave new fans confused.
Like I said, the purpose of Protoman and such isn't explained but it doesn't have to. You won't care enough to be bothered by it. You'll be too busy dodging energy beams and shooting lamps to death with energy tridents or a ball that follows the walls. The game is very memorable. That is important as the later Mega Man titles were forgettable, such as 6. Mega Man 9 is a game that has natural replayability. It's so fun and catchy and just a pleasure to play. You'll be coming back to beat it again, and again, and again.
The other thing with Mega Man titles, they are notably difficult. Some people argue Mega Man 9 is too difficult or too easy. The first time through I did struggle and die and die and die and die and die and die and die and die and die. It's a bit frustrating but once you learn the bosses and the levels, you fly through them. The most difficult part of the game is Dr. Wily's levels. There are like four of them, all in a row, all with unique bosses, and you can't stop. What I mean is, if you save and quit the game on Stage Four of Wily's levels, you have to begin again from Stage One. Depending on who you are, that is either a good, or a bad thing. It can be good as it was that way with the early Mega Man NES titles. It can be bad as that's hard as hell and it will be frustrating.
The same is true for all the levels. You will run too far and slide off a cliff. Or an enemy will respawn at the edge of the screen when you ran too far from it. Or you keep jumping at the wrong moments and the disappearing blocks vanish and kill you. Or you run into that little dot that is heading your way while trying to fight off another enemy who you can only damage by shooting it's head, requiring you to jump and hit the ball. Little things like that will be your worst nightmare. But again, it was like that back in the day. Items will not save you either. You can only hold so many and it's best that you horde them until you reach Dr. Wily's millions of ending bosses.
The only other negative thing I can think of is the fact that they planned out DLC from day 1. In the game, you will see question marks. Downloading things like Endless Mode, where you play through a series of levels that never end, harder difficulties, and Proto Man fill up those question marks. This is only slightly bothersome however. I would much rather have it in-game, but the basic Mega Man 9 is fine the way it is. They are not very expensive either.
Mega Man 9 is not meant to be a revolution in the series. It was made for basic, NES style fun. That is it. Oh well, Mega Man can't slide the way he did in later titles. The game is mostly modeled after 2, which was regarded as the "best" in the series. Is it as good as 2? It depends on who you ask (and yes, since then, I've played the old school Mega Man titles).
Mega Man 9 is a brilliant game and gorgeously put together. I would highly recommended it for any one of the three consoles.
+ Awesome Music
+ Basic, simple fun
+ Different Items and Weapons are earned
+ Good for both old and new fans
+ Memorable
+/- Difficult
- DLC was planned day 1
Mega Man 9 gets a 4.5 for all three platforms.
"This or Mega Man 2?"
That comes down to opinion. Personally, I like 9 more than 2. However, 2 would be the second best in the series.
"I just bought/am planning to buy Mega Man 10. What do I do?"
If you have some extra coin, then why not have 9 as well? If you are planning to buy 10, I would hold off from buying 9 until after 10. The two games are so similar, that I suppose it really doesn't matter which one you play first. But the talk is mostly focused on 10 at the moment, so it might be in the best interest to buy that one in case you have a problem or something about it. I've been refraining from looking up anything about 10 except minor details, so I don't know about the difficulties. I imagine they would be the same.
