Mega Man 3: Starforce: Black Ace is my first foray into the Mega Man franchise, and it's RPG qualities. I know Mega Man to be quite a large gaming franchise, and Mega Man 3:Starforce is one of just many installments in the game. So I didn't know what to expect, and as an RPG I expected turn-based combat, when with Black Ace i found that the combat played out with the use of cards in the game, and real-time combat on a grid layout.
As for it's story and plot, being new to the series I didn't know much about it's lore or characters, but quickly discovered that it involves new cyber monsters that Mega Man fought in the original games, have returned and you as Geo Stelar must fight them as Mega Man. To do this you must fight enemies as they are commonly called Viruses, and you must enter your Mega Man form to fight them in a cyber world.
Regarding it's game-play, it's not turn-based but real-time as you use cards you choose to use prior to battle, and during battle that give you powers and abilities. These cards constantly change, and require use as they can change during battle, and your chances can be lost very quickly. When not in battle, you can explore the world both in the normal world, and in it's cyber world.
Visually, and in regards to the graphics the game looks quite good; with many Nintendo influences as well as Anime visuals. Both in combat and exploration, the visuals are simple but do their job.
For it's musical score, it's quite a retro-dance influenced soundtrack that plays out in combat, but more of laid back exploration theme when traveling.
The Good:
- A fun, interesting plot and story-line to the game, with some nods for fans of the original franchise.
- A solid, fast-paced combat system.
- Anime influenced graphics and visuals.
The Bad:
- Without prior knowledge of the franchise, many characters and lore are unexplained for newbies.
- A hectic combat system that doesn't truly feel like an RPG should feel.
- There are not many interesting aspects to the game, exploration is bland and combat is too fast, and hectic to truly enjoy like other RPG games out there.
Mega Man 3: Starforce: Black Ace is one for the bargain bucket, if you can find it for a knock-down price. For fans of the series it's perhaps a must-have, however this is not truly a new installment in the series but a spin-off, and a separate sequel to the Starforce series of the entire franchise. Using the card-combat system, it's a spin-off from the original franchise's mechanics.