maxlords
10-27-2005, 09:18 PM
It’s a bit difficult to call this one a sleeper. Anything with the Mega Man franchise stamped on it sells like gold and rarely gets ignored. However, the occasional game passes us by right before our eyes that’s so different that we simply ignore it. Mega Man Legends is one such game. In Legends, our favorite blue robotic hero isn’t even a robot. He’s instead an abandoned child raised by a “digger” along with the digger’s granddaughter, Roll. Diggers hunt gemstones called refractors that power everything in the world. Mega Man and Roll are searching for the legendary “Mother Lode” or refractors rumored to exist. Instead of a standard side scrolling action game, Mega Man Legends lets you take on the role of Mega Man in an action/adventure game where you hunt ruins for the dazzling refractors. Along the way, you become embroiled in a complex storyline while building up Mega Man’s strength and armaments. With a slightly Zelda-esque flavor, Legends draws you in to a three dimensional reinterpretation of the Mega Man series and concept.
Mega Man Legends takes place on a fairly large continent. Like any standard RPG or adventure game, the world consists of towns, overworlds and dungeons. Mega Man must hunt through the dungeons for refractors, fighting enemies in 3D. Yes, that’s right. This is the first fully 3D Mega Man ever made. Part of the reason it was so widely ignored was that it departed so radically from the standard Mega Man sidescrolling recipe. You’ll explore the huge town and make friends with different people in it as well, adding new depth to the Mega Man series. The dungeons are complex and challenging, and not easy to just blast your way through, and the integrated story elements are both amusing and very interesting. Other than the Mega Man name and the fact that you see lots of Mega Man inspired designs in the game, there’s really very little to do with the original series. However, all of these alterations and differences are part of what make Mega Man Legends great. Throw aside all your preconceptions about this one because underneath, no matter what anyone says, this is one really fun game!
Graphically, this is a mid-range PS1 game so don’t expect anything incredibly stunning, but the graphics are solid and the designs are great fun. The game is a bit blocky here and there, but being as everything is rather mechanical in the first place, it seems to fit right in. The music is great of course, with sort of a techno/pop mix and some electric guitar thrown in. The soundtrack is actually one of my favorite PS1 soundtracks…really kind of surprising. Control-wise, Mega Man Legends seems to lack a bit. The controls are slightly stiff and take some getting used to. You won’t be whipping around levels like Mega Man 2 for the NES, but you won’t have to suffer either. Just give it a bit of time and practice and you’ll get the hang of the controls and camera. Camera use is a bit tricky at first and the auto camera can really screw you in this game, but it’s not even close to the worst on the PS1.
Ultimately, we have a whole new style of Mega Man game in full 3D with a great plot and fun gameplay. The control is a bit rough, the music is great, and overall it’s a really entertaining if unpolished experience. Since everyone sort of ignored or dismissed the game (often even after playing it), few people really talk about it or even consider it part of the regular Mega Man series. If you can get past the uber-cuteness of the designs and the slow start of the game, this is one gem in the rough you won’t want to miss! As for price, Mega Man Legends won’t hurt your pocketbook much either. Expect to pay under $10 shipped for a PS1 copy of the game, even sealed. The same goes for an N64 copy which goes by the name Mega Man 64 but is the same game. For under ten bucks, you really can’t go wrong! Check it out if you get a chance! Oh yeah, and apparently Capcom is porting Mega Man Legends to the PSP in Japan, though it's unknown whether it's coming Stateside at this point!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/1f61fc52.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/172ec185.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/f87ba11e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/2025f8b6.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/c1689f16.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/7ce2008c.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/bf0ce592.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/dccc1626.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/8967b88d.jpg
Mega Man Legends takes place on a fairly large continent. Like any standard RPG or adventure game, the world consists of towns, overworlds and dungeons. Mega Man must hunt through the dungeons for refractors, fighting enemies in 3D. Yes, that’s right. This is the first fully 3D Mega Man ever made. Part of the reason it was so widely ignored was that it departed so radically from the standard Mega Man sidescrolling recipe. You’ll explore the huge town and make friends with different people in it as well, adding new depth to the Mega Man series. The dungeons are complex and challenging, and not easy to just blast your way through, and the integrated story elements are both amusing and very interesting. Other than the Mega Man name and the fact that you see lots of Mega Man inspired designs in the game, there’s really very little to do with the original series. However, all of these alterations and differences are part of what make Mega Man Legends great. Throw aside all your preconceptions about this one because underneath, no matter what anyone says, this is one really fun game!
Graphically, this is a mid-range PS1 game so don’t expect anything incredibly stunning, but the graphics are solid and the designs are great fun. The game is a bit blocky here and there, but being as everything is rather mechanical in the first place, it seems to fit right in. The music is great of course, with sort of a techno/pop mix and some electric guitar thrown in. The soundtrack is actually one of my favorite PS1 soundtracks…really kind of surprising. Control-wise, Mega Man Legends seems to lack a bit. The controls are slightly stiff and take some getting used to. You won’t be whipping around levels like Mega Man 2 for the NES, but you won’t have to suffer either. Just give it a bit of time and practice and you’ll get the hang of the controls and camera. Camera use is a bit tricky at first and the auto camera can really screw you in this game, but it’s not even close to the worst on the PS1.
Ultimately, we have a whole new style of Mega Man game in full 3D with a great plot and fun gameplay. The control is a bit rough, the music is great, and overall it’s a really entertaining if unpolished experience. Since everyone sort of ignored or dismissed the game (often even after playing it), few people really talk about it or even consider it part of the regular Mega Man series. If you can get past the uber-cuteness of the designs and the slow start of the game, this is one gem in the rough you won’t want to miss! As for price, Mega Man Legends won’t hurt your pocketbook much either. Expect to pay under $10 shipped for a PS1 copy of the game, even sealed. The same goes for an N64 copy which goes by the name Mega Man 64 but is the same game. For under ten bucks, you really can’t go wrong! Check it out if you get a chance! Oh yeah, and apparently Capcom is porting Mega Man Legends to the PSP in Japan, though it's unknown whether it's coming Stateside at this point!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/1f61fc52.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/172ec185.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/f87ba11e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/2025f8b6.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/c1689f16.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/7ce2008c.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/bf0ce592.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/dccc1626.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/maxlords/8967b88d.jpg