Evil Genius
Dr. Wily announces his intention to take over the world in this gameplay movie.
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LAS VEGAS--Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing. When it comes to classic
compilations and the revamping of existing characters or franchises,
the danger of mortifying longtime fans runs high. It's rare to find a
game that can avoid the minefield that's laid out when a developer
starts messing with a classic--case in point, Mega Man Powered Up, the
forthcoming update of the original Mega Man. At first glance, the game
appeared to be a cute and competent update of the original Mega Man
when we saw it at last year's Tokyo Game Show. A funny thing has
happened since then, however. Our look at the most recent version of
the game at Capcom's Las Vegas press event has revealed it to be a gem
of a game that smartly straddles old and new to offer something for
everyone.
As we've said before, Mega Man Powered Up is an update of the
original Mega Man and comes packing a graphical face-lift and two
versions of the game--a classic version, which trumps the original game
with its new visuals, and a new version, which includes more content
and a more involved presentation. Also, the game features a level
editor, which will let you create and share your own levels in the
game. Those offerings in and of themselves would be a solid package for
fans, however, our newest look at the game has revealed even more
content that's being thrown in.
The playable version at Capcom's event featured the bulk of the
content that will be in the final game, and it impressed us mightily.
The two versions of the original game now differ significantly, with
each version featuring selectable difficulty levels. The updated
version features extra bosses and a traditional story structure,
complete with in-game cinematics. Outside of that, we found a new Mega
Man Challenge 100, which tasks you with clearing 100 short levels that
become increasingly difficult. The one we tried had us perfecting our
platform jumping as we worked to reach a flag. In addition to all of
the above, you'll be able to play through the game as any one of the
eight boss robots, each featuring their own unique abilities and
endings. Sadly, we couldn't try this feature yet, but we're certainly
ready to give it a try when we get a playable version in-house. Control
for the game is almost as tight as we'd like it to be, although using
the analog stick on the PlayStation Portable can be challenging.
Fortunately, you can simply use the D pad if you do not like the analog
action. The levels we played handled like a dream, although we did
notice that playing in the classic mode offered a painful reminder of
how tough the series was.
The visuals are bright, colorful, and fun to watch. The face-lift given
to all of the familiar Mega Man enemies is cool, although it borders on
overdosing on cute. The audio in the game is fun and breezy, but we
have yet to hear that awesome, bouncy theme from the TGS demo play
anywhere. Based on what we saw, Mega Man Powered Up is a commendable
update of a classic game, and whose approach looks like it may well set
a precedent as the smart way to mine the past. Whether you're a
longtime fan or a newcomer to the series, you should definitely give
Mega Man Powered Up some of your time when it ships next month. Barring
any horrible disasters, this game should be a much needed gem for the
PSP library. Look for more on the game soon.
Source: GameSpot