The same 4 Megaman Zero games you either love or hate depending on your skill level - only now ANYONE can beat them!
Since this is a compilation I'll sum up the differences between the 4 games.
Megaman Zero:
The first game doesn't have continues, tries to get away from the classic megaman 'stage select' formula and have more of a Metroid style overworld, though ultimately you can warp around without having to do much exploring. The boss progression is kind of disorganized, as there's 4 guardians and their 4 understudies, but you play them in an order that doesn't make alot of sense. The game is the shortest of the 4, but also the most difficult. Leveling up Cyber-elves is a major chore and pretty much neccessary if you want to increase your life bar to something respectable. A good game, but kind of a mess compared to the sequels.
Overall Score: 7
Megaman Zero 2:
The sequel is not as dark as the first game, though it still has genocide as a theme. This time there's a character that wants to kill all the humans too, so in a way it's more sinister. Continues are added thankfully, and you get a more traditional stage select setup. 2 sets of 4 bosses that you can pick from as the story progresses. Cyber-elves are still a pain to upgrade, but overall you are a bit more powerful this time around. Good story, very cinematic and the music is better this time around. My second favorite of the series.
Overall Score: 8.5
Megaman Zero 3:
From the start of the game, you can just feel that this is going to be a great ride. The music is epic and hits you hard, Zero has even more abilities to collect and the bosses are more balanced and it feels like you're really fighting them instead of just trying to outlast their ridiculously powerful attacks. Cyber-elves have been simplified so that they basically become equipable power-ups. Ha, and near the end you 'think' they are explaining why Zero doesn't look like he did in the X series, but then they kinda crush that revelation. See for yourself. If there's one game in the compilation I think you should play, make it this one.
Overall Score: 9.5
Megaman Zero 4:
This game feels alot different than the last two, which used the same base and most of the same characters. Zero 4 is kind of a brave new world, but clings most closely to the conventions established in the X series. Level select for all 8 bosses and cyber elves that you can use without being penalized make this game pretty straight-forward. However, there's a weather system which adds some risk/reward by making the stages tougher, but also giving you the opportunity to earn a special ability by defeating the boss. On the flip side, if you take the easy path, no weapon for you! Probably the best feature of this game is the ability to temporarily steal the weapon of ANY enemy! ANY ENEMY! You'll amaze yourself seeing some of the weapons you can find by pilfering common stage reploids. The music and the story isn't bad either. A pretty good ending to the series, but really Zero 3 could have easily been the end. This is just a bonus chapter.
Overall Score: 8
COLLECTION SPECIFIC NOTES:
All games are available to play in their original form, i.e. hard as hell. However, you can also play through the entire series in easy mode from start to finish, and when they sy easy... they mean easy. On my first playthrough I died only a couple times per game, and those were just missed jumps.
Megaman Zero 3 has the Japan-exclusive E-reader functionality added in. Basically just some unlockable options to make an awesome game even better.
There is unlockable artwork, but sadly, no music player.
The verdict is... you need to own this. Even if you ohave the original cartridges, this is just too nice of a collection to not own if you love Megaman. Easy mode isn't very challenging, but lets you experience everything without the constant swearing at the screen. I recommend this for those who can't handle the difficulty, but also for those who've mastered the original games and just want to feel powerful destroying reploids and take in the story.