Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Almost, but not quite"

Like many out there I was very upset that Capcom cancelled Mega Man Legends 3. The fact they let fans participate and give feedback was wonderful and it really was going to be a way to get me into the Mega Man Legends Series. Sadly it didn't come true and in the coming months it seemed that Capcom really wanted nothing to do with Mega Man, with cancelling projects left and right and not letting Mega Man join in any Marvel vs. Capcom games, it really felt like the end for the blue bomber. Then they announced Street Fighter X Mega Man, and that it was going to be free to play and was inspired by a build by a big fan of the Capcom games. Sure, this isn't the greatest start to building a bridge to fans everywhere, but it is still a start. And I for one welcome this new genre that Mega Man has crossed into.

As for the game itself, it really was quite wonderful. I probably put this game somewhere along the lines of MM3 and MM2 in all honesty. Sure it's a fan made game that Capcom help build, but it really it's an apology to Mega Man fans from Capcom USA. It has the same classic feel of older Mega Man games, along with the same level design and boss patterns to memorize. The fact it combines two franchises' style and makes them both work is very appealing as well. Street Fighter characters work well in a basic pattern mind set, almost following flow charts that are used to mock how some people play certain characters. Not to mention that, all the Street Fighter characters have cute little sprite animations that just work so well that it really feels like you're seeing an 8 bit Street Fighter 4 game. As well, Mega Man still has the same tight controls as before along with the same challenging gameplay. It really is just fun seeing Mega Man and Street Fighter characters go toe to toe, and really makes me want to see more of Mega Man versus games. I also love the fact you can now use multiple weapons at once which makes for an interesting way to play Mega Man than it is originally intend. The game is also just so atmospheric and pays homage to SF and MM so well. The music and stages are all so unique compared to the rest of the franchise and make for an interesting treat. This game really feels like Mega Man moved up to the next level in sprite designs, and uses the 8-bit graphics as more of a charm rather than for graphics.

That being said there a bunch of little problems I have with SF X MM. For one, why do I have to do this all in one play through? Seriously, I thought we were passed the days in which progress saving was not an issue. While I personally don't have an actual problem beating this game in one playthrough I know most will. Despite its levels being somewhat easier than most Mega Man games, and that your weapon energy is always refilled when you die, the bosses themselves are still challenging. So for some to beat the bosses and not want to move on to the second course of stages is an acceptable thing. So when you don't have the option to save or use a password it can really suck. Thankfully though the game is fairly short so it's not a huge problem, but it is one that can easily be fixed. As well, the last sets of stages are quite short. With only 3 stages and 2 possible boss battles I have to say I was hoping for more of a fight. I mean, it's supposed to be an anniversary, why can't I face Sagat? Or like where's bison's stage? Why is Balrog's stage so short? It really just seems like the ending half of SFxMM could've been more, but it's just played as an afterthought.

Conclusion: While there is still a lot of untapped potential and small fixes that should be made to Street Fighter X Mega Man there is still enough there to give any fan a few glees of excitement over. With lots of good music, some great level design, awesome homage to franchises, and wonderful boss battles: Mega Man is back.