Mega Man Takes On ... Centaur Man! Seriously, Centaur Man?
Written: Apr 08 '09 (Updated Apr 08 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: New jetpack system, alternate paths to beat levels
Cons: Lousy boss and level design, mostly feels recycled from older games
The Bottom Line: While not the worst in the Mega Man series, Mega Man 6 adds little new to the formula, and is only worth checking out for longtime Mega Man fans.
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| duke101's Full Review: Megaman 6 for Nintendo (NES) |
Probably the most interesting thing about this game is the fact it was made in the first place. I'm not sure how many people are even aware that they kept on making Mega Man games after the first three or four.
Mega Man 6 was the last of the series for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, although you can still play it easily today if you pick up a used copy of Mega Man Anniversary Collection for the Playstation 2, XBox, or Gamecube. Just as in the prior Mega Man games, this one requires you to take on eight different robot bosses in any order, and upon beating each boss, you obtain a weapon corresponding to their ability. And like the prior games, the biggest challenge is in figuring out which of the eight weapons each boss is weak against.
The first and most obvious problem with this game is the apparent lack of thought that went into coming up with the eight bosses. Any fan of the Mega Man series will tell you that a Mega Man game is only as good as its bosses. It was only a matter of time until they completely ran out of ideas, but bosses such as Centaur Man and Yamato Man really make you wonder why they couldn't have done better. And if the names alone aren't ridiculous enough, all you have to do is see Blizzard Man who attacks you while wearing skis to find it difficult to take the game seriously.
Another problem with the bosses is the uneven level of difficulty they present. Some of the bosses are so simple that you can easily destroy them with only the basic arm cannon you begin the game with, while at least a couple of the bosses are almost unbeatable even using the appropriate weapon that they are weak against.
Add to that a generally lackluster level design, which in most cases consists of climbing up and down ladders from one small room to another, most with no real gimmick other than a bunch of bad guys thrown in to get in Mega Man's way. The only thing that makes the levels a bit more interesting is the addition of two alternate paths to beat the same level, one of which gives you an added bonus upon defeating the boss.
Thankfully, the designers did salvage the game with one new feature not found in prior Mega Man games. On two of the levels, you can obtain different "Rush Adaptors." Although it would have been nice to see more than just two, these are the most enjoyable aspect of the game, and make it worth playing at least for longtime Mega Man fans.
First, there is the "Rush Power Adaptor," which buffs up Mega Man to allow him to break through special blocks and enter hidden areas. Better still is the "Rush Jet Adaptor," which straps a jetpack to Mega Man's pack, and allows him to fly for a limited period of time before recharging itself automatically upon landing.
Using the Jet Adaptor was fun enough to keep me playing the game through to the end, and in fact, you have to use it to get through many of the levels in the castle belonging to the boss of the game. In one of the most enjoyable parts of the game, there are several rooms that Mega Man has to fall through to progress, and you'll have to trigger the Jet Adaptor to avoid hitting spikes (that instantly kill Mega Man) placed at different points at the bottom of the screen.
But I'm afraid I've saved one last big annoyance with Mega Man 6, one so irritating that it may cause you to throw your control through the tv screen. Normally, in a Mega Man game, after beating the 8 bosses, you go to Dr. Wily's castle, where you progress through several stages in a row, and must start over from scratch if you shut off the game (whereas there are passwords to continue after each of the initial eight bosses). Therefore, you are essentially forced to play the entire dungeon in one sitting.
What makes the lack of an ability to continue in Mega Man 6 so frustrating is that after beating what appears to be the boss of the game's castle (belonging to a "Mr. X," what creative naming!), you learn that you have not in fact beaten the game, and must begin a whole new castle containing another bunch of stages. So you have to somehow set aside enough time to play through what amount to around eight or more levels all in one sitting. And not to spoil anything, but your reward for getting through all this is disappointing to say the least, as Mega Man 6 features one of the shortest and most pointless endings ever to grace the original Nintendo system.
Finally, since this game was for the original Nintendo system, you have to expect the graphics to look almost exactly the same as they did back on the original Mega Man (along with the repetitive music), albeit there was a significant improvement in the level of detail on the backgrounds. Personally, I don't find this to be a problem, but if you demand superior graphics, it's something to keep in mind.
So my final recommendation is that Mega Man 6 is well worth playing for Mega Man fanatics who have never experienced it (in fact, it's probably better than Mega Man 4 and 5, both of which were also severely lacking in originality), but most other gamers will be bored and unsatisfied.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
duke101
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Member: Adam
Reviews written: 174
Trusted by: 16 members
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