Old school is poised to make a triumphant return. After countless years of sequels to derivative Mega Man titles, the original Blue Bomber is set to steal the spotlight from his spin-off brethren. Set as a multiplatform release via PSN, Wiiware and Xbox Live, Mega Man 9 returns the series to retro brilliance and gamers all across the world will once again take on the role as one of the most recognizable characters in gaming history.
Gathering from the game’s introduction, the story is as follows: Having renounced his evil ways, the once maniacal scientist, Dr. Wily has decided to protect mankind. It seems that his former enemy, Dr. Light, has built 8 robots which have begun to wreak havoc around the world. But worry not. Dr. Wily has a solution. Through donations, Dr. Wily promises to build robots of his own to stop the threat which Dr. Light has unleashed upon the world. And though the public is easily led to believe such nonsense, what with Dr. Wily airing a video recording of Dr. Light asking for him to join his pursuit of world domination, Mega Man quickly sees through this farce sets off to put an end to the robots’ destruction.
With the revival of such a celebrated character, comes the reawakening of a dormant graphic style. In an era of specs and hardware capabilities, the sight of such artistic simplicity is a much needed breath of fresh air. The 8-bit style is a brilliant approach and returns the classic hero to true retro form. The music isn’t a slouch in the old school department either. From what little snippets we’ve heard through trailers and gameplay videos, the soundtrack sounds to be as memorable as its Nintendo era counterparts.
Gameplay is pure and classic Mega Man. And with the absence of the Slide maneuver and Charge Shot ability, series creator Keiji Inafune and his team are keeping mechanics as simple as possible. “A decade has passed since the last Mega Man, and on this occasion, we specifically chose to go back to our roots. The idea behind it is that we wanted to reintroduce “simple and fun” characteristics of Mega Man to the users.” Keeping with Mega Man tradition, 8 Robot Masters will await our 8-bit hero. And though the game looks to remain old school by design, the inclusion of a female boss character, Splash Woman, will help introduce new ideas to classic concepts.
Fans have long clamored for a true sequel to the original Mega Man series. Set for a September release, Mega Man 9 looks to be all the fans have hoped for. “The aura of excitement around the classic title is coming back. The result will certainly meet the expectations of the fans that have long waited for it. I hope their passion will spark a fire in new generations.”
GameAbyss
Aug 9, 2008
Labels: Previews |
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment