Mega Man battles the H1N1 pandemic

User Rating: 8 | Mega Man 10 WII
Mega Man 10 is a rather ironic release. Ironic in the sense that it's the direct sequel to a game most known for abandoning every gameplay change, new plot direction and franchise reimagining done to the ever-stagnating Mega Man series in the last twenty years. And if Mega Man 9 is not only intended to be a nostalgic homage but the starting point of a new franchise, then it shouldn't be long before the known world is fed up with the conservative direction of games like Mega Man 10. Soon people will begin to cry for a new revolution away from Mega Man 9's revolution. A Mega Man X revival, perhaps? Mega Man Soccer 2?

(And if roman numerals are in effect, Wouldn't Mega Man 10 be Mega Man X anyways?)

Fortunately, that time hasn't come yet and Mega Man 10 is a solid little poster child in favour of providing "more of the same." It's still Mega Man 2-redux. You still choose one of 8 stages themed after a diabolical robot master. You still run, jump, shoot and climb your way from one side of the screen to the other. You still get super weapons of varying usefulness for figuring out a robot master's attack pattern and toppling them with their own predictability. One of those weapons is the obligatory shield of balls that circle Mega Man that only make sense on a two-dimensional plane. You can still score easier wins over robot bosses by using their "weakness" weapon against them. What those weaknesses are is determined either through good old trial and error or Google. (And while you can probably guess, through bizarre video game element logic, what weapon to use against the fire boss or ice boss, determining which robot master succumbs to a baseball attack is another matter.)

And yes, Mega Man 10 is still nut-crackingly difficult. You will die many, many times over on your first playthrough. The obscene difficulty of Mega Man games has always been off put by the ability to just try another robot master's stage if one particular level is giving you migraines, or at least until after all the levels gave you migraines. The gameplay is still trial-and-error oriented, and once you grasp how to handle certain obstacles, you'll laugh in the face of the sandstorm of death.

Okay, there are some welcome new tweaks to Mega Man 10. For example, if Mega Man 9 humbled you, the option of an Easy mode exists, that modifies the levels in the name of making them more pro-life. You now have the option to play as Proto Man from the onset instead of paying some $2 for the privilege. Proto Man has the slidy-chargeshoty-powers of later Mega Man games but with the trade off in that he is more susceptible to damage. Certain levels have branching paths to let players choose how they wish to die. And a new challenge mode contains a series of obstacle courses to test your 8-bit-gaming wits and ability to jump off a platform you've tip-toed to the complete end of. And unlike Mega Man 9, none of the upcoming DLC comes across as features that should've been in the main game to begin with. Who really cares to play as Bass, anyways?

And Mega Man 10's best attribute is arguably how self-aware it is of the era it is paying homage to. NES-era games, with their walking turtles and flying Medusa heads, went in the direction of simple, easily identifiable characters of radical distinction in an era where realism was a fool's goal. And now, in the days of Uncharted and Modern Warfare, Mega Man 10's love of bizarre characters and scenarios seems shockingly fresh. Mega Man will match wits against giant mouse cursors with eye balls, American Gladiators-style ball racks with eye balls, runaway trucks with eye balls…and then my personal favorite. A giant, projectile-flinging fortress that raises a white flag after being defeated… with three pairs or eyeballs. How long before this series truly indulges itself by pitting you against a giant eyeball with eyeballs?

That oddball ideas carries itself out into the gameplay in more ways than you think. Even if you've seen variations before in other games, level ideas like swooping sandstorms and convoys of fireballs (with eyeballs) make for some rather creative scenarios. Considering how there are more Mega Man games than citizens of Vatican City, it's downright amazing that Inti Creations can keep conceiving so many danged ideas for a run-and-jump platformer.

Even the plot reeks of NES-ticity. All of the robots of the world succumb to a plague called "Roboenza." Mega Man must help Dr Light and Dr Wily research a cure the Leonardo Da Vinci way by murdering and dissecting the evil robots.

And my what 8 lovely robots we have. It may seem like Inti Creations had hepped a few magic mushrooms during development of Mega Man 10 upon witnessing a certain mammal-based robot. But as someone who's reviewed the previous nine official Mega Man games, I see nothing abnormal in a series that brought us Wood Man, Toad Man and Charge Man. Besides, these robots make perfect sense in a futuristic society.

Blade Man: Designed to compete in the Olympic sport of fencing as a gut response to Canada's sheer domination of the Winter Games. But the IOC deemed mechanical devices to be performance-enhancers. Thus, Blade Man sulks in his private castle, dreaming of what could've been.
Chill Man: Master of icy attacks and a chilled, laid back attitude. Presumed stoner, despite the irony of needing fire to light up.
Nitro Man: Designed to cash in on the popularity of street racing after the recent Fast and Furious movie revival. But robot development cycles being as long as they are, the fad has passed some XX number of years and Nitro Man spends his days cruising the streets, obeying speed limits alone.
Pump Man: He has a giant pump on his head. He pumps it and water comes out. Great at parties. May also come in handy for other oral activities.
Commando Man: Besides having a very redundant name, Commando Man is notable for having thick armour and rocket launchers for arms. What was he designed for? What else but a fireworks technician.
Sheep Man: His coat of wool generates electrical attacks. Presumably designed to educate children about static electricity. For all I know, he was probably designed as a rib on Nintendo fans.
Strike Man: I don't feel like I need to explain why Strike Man was made. What kid wouldn't want his own life-sized baseball-playing robot? The downfall in his design is that he can potentially kill basemen, and with child safety laws the way they are...
Solar Man: Finally, Solar Man was designed to promote alternative energy sources. For you see, pollution and energy conservation will continue to be a problem in the year 20XX. And solar energy will continue to be openly mocked as a viable energy source in the year 20XX.

After Mega Man cuts open the last robot master, the plot twist happens. If you've played these games before, you know what the plot twist is. You then proceed to the final series of levels and defeat a series of bosses, culminating in the one final boss you already know about. Tradition has its place, but even I feel that certain old standbys of this series can be revamped in the name of freshness. Bowser gets creative at the end of each Mario game, you know.

Mega Man 10 is a game that you may or may not already have an opinion on, based on your experience with the franchise. The new difficulty mode at least makes it more humane to the uninitiated. Your opinion ultimately depends on your thoughts of the NES era of games, both in difficulty and perverse spectacle. Eventually, this series will grow stale again if it stays in this direction. Fortunately, that day hasn't come yet. People that liked Mega Man 9? Buy it.

4 stars