Remember Mega Man 2?

A game too nostalgic for its own good, Mega Man 9 tested the waters to see if anyone was interested in a new Mega Man game after a while. It was also seemingly made for those Mega Man fans who had played so much Mega Man that the previous 8 games were Too Easy. I'm not sure if they wanted people to jump right into 9 as their first Mega Man or they wanted them to go back to the first one, but considering how bare bones this game is, it's a strange approach no matter what.

Mega Man 9, in an attempt to be like only a quarter of its past, removes Mega Man's ability to slide or charge his buster (two things i'm very fond of doing in a Mega Man game). This makes traversal and combat a more pure and challenging experience, but also, potentially, a pretty limited one. Your jumps have to be Perfect.

Your movement is not entirely limited though. While a whole lot more clumsy and scarce than the Mega Ball, the Concrete Shot allows you to scale walls and quickly jump off of frozen enemies, and the game demands you use it in some pretty creative ways. I love the Concrete Shot, i would love to have infinite ammo for it. Speaking of ammo, Magma Man has more health points than you have ammo for Tornado Blow, his weakness. What were they thinking.

I have beaten Mega Man 9 twice and hated it the first time because i was young and dumb. The second time, as a wizened sage, I appreciate it so much more. It's a decent time that rewards a really (emphasis on really) skilled player. There are better Mega Man games out there.

I can really only recommend Mega Man 9 for people who like Mega Man and have played the previous games in the series, and know full well 9 takes all your toys away and still expects you to play.

yes yes, Splash Woman is cute.

Reviewed on Mar 14, 2024


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