bridgetling's Full Review: Mega Man 8 for PlayStation 1
Mega Man 8 is a prime example of the golden age of gaming, but if you like your platformers cute and colorful, you're really going to love the antics of Capcom's hugely popular leading man.
Mega Man is the robotic creation of the righteous Dr Thomas Light and has volunteered to hunt down and eliminate his evil nemesis Dr Wily, who wants to take over the world.
To begin with, there is an introductory level where you can experiment with the subtleties of the control system. You've got the standard movement on the D-Pad of course, along with a primary and secondary fire buttons one for the default Mega Buster (which can be held down for a couple of seconds to charge it up before letting fly a huge globular plasma bolt), and the other to use the currently selected Mega Power (Special weapon, of which there are many).
You can also slide, jump, swim, climb ladders and use the Mega Ball. At the end of this level you get a taster of what the end of level bosses look like too. Consequently, by the time you reach the Stage select menu you're familiar with the controls and typical attack sequences of the baddies. Game on.
The in-game graphics are crisp and brilliantly colorful, complimenting the slick gameplay throughout. Many of the characters are extremely reminiscent of an infamous game starring a tiny Italian plumber, but that's no bad thing considering the incredible attention to detail that has been lovingly designated to every sprite. Each one is wonderfully realized and goes about its business in a charming and amusing manner.
Mega Man himself is surprisingly charismatic and mastering total control of him is seriously compelling stuff. Just when you think you've got it nailed, a new strategy for avoiding or dealing with enemies suddenly pops up and spurs you on.
There are a number of unique scenarios to battle through, each one culminating in a showdown with a big boss. We've seen this sort of thing a hundred times before, but Mega Man 8 is one of the most polished examples available.
Along with running and jumping you get to float around in a bubble trying to avoid deadly spikes, swim underwater, use a snowboard on the now customary ice level, and even ride a robotic sidekick. Mega Man 8 contains variety by the bucket-load if you can live with the fact that this is all pretty unoriginal stuff. If you've upgraded from a Super NES or a Mega Drive, this sort of thing will be horribly familiar.
Capcom certainly has an uncanny ability to create wonderfully cutesy characters and Mega Man 8 is no exception. From the moment you lay eyes on the whole world in which the action takes place, you're hooked. Add to this the Laboratory shop, where the total number of the 'Bolts' that you've collected en-route can be converted into power-ups, plus a number of convenient save points, and you have all the ingredients for a classic platform game. Well worth a look if this genre is your cup of tea.
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