The Retro (Mega Man Legends)

What year was the most recent game you played made in? 2009? 2004? Try 1998. I recently picked up one of my favorite games for the Playstation this January. Why, when I have Dead Space in my current gaming queue would I play a game that's 13 years old? Because, it's awesome. 

These days it seems that retro is making a comeback, especially with virtual consoles and digital downloads of PSOne games, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, N64 and more. No matter how good the graphics get, how good the gameplay gets, and how well written the stories are, there's plenty of good times packed in the nostalgia of those dusty cartridges and discs. Of course, there are definitely drawbacks to playing your favorite old games: the load times, the fact that every character looks like Pokémon Porygon, the ridiculous dialogue including poor synching, and the lack of controls. Still, every once and a while we blow on those cartridges like harmonicas and wipe those discs down like waxing a car, just to get that feeling back once more. This is my tale of dealing with one of those games: Mega Man Legends.

So I've been having trouble actually writing about a post about a particular video game so cut me some slack and leave comments, whether you like it or not. And, as always, have a suggestion about a game you want reviewed or you have your own opinions and you want them heard, send me an email and we'll post it here. But for now, read on. 
Mega Man Legends stars our favorite Blue Bomber, but this time he's a bit different. How? Well, I've never been completely sure about the origins of Mega Man, and I'm sure that there are plenty of people that could fill me in, but I always believed he was built by Dr. Light. In Legends we gradually, and I do mean gradually since it doesn't really reveal itself until the end, discover that Mega Man is merely the name of a model of cyborg, and the Blue Bomber is specifically under the model heading Trigger. The different origin story isn't the only thing that's different, Mega Man is a digger, and Roll is his Spotter, making sure he's safe while he's on his digs. Keep in mind, Mega Man isn't really a man, he's more of a teenager I suspect. How in the world a teenaged archaeologist/digger/cyborg gets mixed up in these things? Well I don't know, I don't really play for the incredibly well written story (or the dialogue), more for the fact that I get to run around shooting things and saving people as an iconic video game hero.

Gameplay 

Speaking of shooting, let's discuss the gameplay. You play as Mega Man from the third person, performing the same old same old, blast this, run, jump, and open doors. It's kind of like playing Zelda if Link wore the Zora Tunic the whole game and had a Buster Arm instead of the Master Sword. Since I was playing it on the PS2 and I hadn't played it in probably a decade, I immediately took to using the dual analog sticks to control Mega. No dice. I completely forgot that the PSOne did not make use of those rubber nubs, which didn't make an appearance on the controller until months into its launch, and I definitely had some difficulties getting back into playing.

Another problem that I encountered, which I'm sure plenty of retro gamers have encountered as well, is button difficulties. I've gone through 3 PS2s in my time, and this third one is the slim version. However, the controller is closer to the first generation and after being used for years from various games like Need For Speed to Time Splitters, the shoulder buttons, particularly the R2 button, have seen plenty of wear. Much like Link, Mega also has a targeting feature which is used via, you guessed it, holding R2. My button would sometimes stick, keeping me locked on a target as it ran at me, causing my attempts to flee to end in me being tossed across the room. You get used to that sort of thing, but it definitely was annoying.

Lastly, motion mapping. Now, I don't know what it's actually called in the gaming industry, but having a character move oddly, and in large strides definitely can make this difficult and frustrating. Especially when you're trying to get in just the right place. For the most part, this isn't really a problem in Legends, but when you have to pick up certain items or kick certain cans (yes, you can kick cans) you need to be lined up just right, and Mega likes to lunge rather stroll. You can make him stroll, or awkwardly sidle to the left or right by holding down O, but it slows you down. Let's not forget that this same motion problem makes grabbing legends incredibly annoying. You need to be lined up with the edge perfectly, otherwise you can't grab it and you'll just look like an idiot.

Playing through 

For the most part, it's a straight forward adventure. You crash on an island that happens to have a mysterious treasure, then pirates attack, but the kind of pirates that are merely troublesome but not really evil. You are tasked with uncovering the greatest mystery and saving the island, which happens to be the only place in danger of what seems like could be a global problem, from certain annihilation.

You go around killing deactivating robots called Reaverbots. Some are easily taken care of, but there are others that are just annoying. Some have shields, some are cloaked (and those bastards come out of nowhere), and some are there just to cause you pain. It's in these last few that I exchanged quite a few choice words while playing. One of the earlier bosses caused me plenty of trouble, even though he could easily be dispatched if you just jump on his back and shoot him from there, but I had the bright idea that I could handle him from a distance. Big mistake. I encountered many moments like this in boss battles throughout the game.

Despite this, the difficulty seemed remarkably easier than I had remembered, but the final boss was just as bitchy as before. As in most classic final boss battles, the boss has more than one form, and like usual this guy, Mega Man Juno, tricks you into thinking he has almost no health. You fall for it and kick his but, letting him hurt you thinking "No big deal, he's practically dead already." Wrong again. His second form as a health bar almost as wide as the screen, and his attacks are twice as deadly. I had the best body armor plus max health and I died the first time through. The second time wasn't too much better, but I stuck with my homing missiles and kept my distance. I finished him off with my health tank empty and a heavy sigh of relief.

Completion 

My completion time was just under 13 hours, which by today's standards that's pretty short. And considering that about 4-5 of those hours were spent doing sidequests, playing mini-games, and of course collecting the millions of zenny (the game's currency) that are required to upgrade your ultimate weapons to ultimate weapons. If I recall correctly, on my second time through years ago, when I set it on Hard, I started the game with all my weapons and all my money, allowing me to complete the entire game in under 2 hours. How? All of the dungeons in the game are connected, and by having the drill arm, you can waltz right into the final dungeon called the main gate from the first level. Yup, you can bypass the entire game. Why would you want to do this? I have no idea, but that final boss battle was a bitch to put it kindly.

In conclusion 

Mega Man Legends is a fun game. A different take on the Mega Man genre that was remarkably undersold back when it was released, but worth the run through for a casual gamer looking for a fun adventure game. I'd say it earns the genre title "blasting and relaxing" but my heart was pumping a few times in there, still, it probably is fitting. The scenery is colorful and the story is halfway decent, and despite the annoying camera controls (due to lack of analog stick compatibility) and annoying enemies the game would fit in well in any adventure gamer's retro library. I'd definitely give it a 8.5 out of 10.

So, what retro games do you return to time after time?

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