Mega Man Legends
Mega Man Legendsby Capcom USA
Platform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: Everyone
ASIN: B000006OVJ
Check price @ amazon.com , amazon.ca , amazon.co.uk
GameSpot Review: After what seems like a mind-bogglingly endless procession of sequels, Capcom has finally decided to take Mega Man out of the 2D realm and into the world of 3D. Not a minute too soon either, because Mega Man had been languishing for over a decade with barely a hint of innovation during that entire time. Mega Man Legends, as it turns out, is no mere side-scrolling platformer; instead, it arrives in the form of an action RPG that delves further into the legend of Mega Man than any of its 2D brethren ever did. In Mega Man Legends you take control of our blue buddy and navigate him through a fully polygonal 3D world composed of brightly colored towns and sprawling landscapes. Along the way you'll meet a large cast of characters who will help define the story as you progress. Keeping you company is Mega Man's sister Roll, their Grandpa Barrel, and their hyperactive pet monkey named Data. At the beginning of the game you find yourself crash-landed on the island of Kattelox, in need of repairs. While attempting to find the necessary parts to fix their ship, our intrepid trio discovers that the island is under attack, and naturally, this is where Mega Man comes in. The controls in Mega Man function, for lack of a better comparison, like Tomb Raider. However, it should be noted that the game moves much faster and smoother than its curvaceous counterpart. Unlike the good ol' days, Mega Man can now jump, kick, do diving rolls to the side, and, of course, arm himself with a large variety of upgradable armaments. Unfortunately, controlling Mega Man in this game is a little like trying to drive a truck. The controls require you to use the shoulder buttons to turn, something that makes little to no sense when simple use of the D-pad would have been fine. Another notable exclusion is the lack of analog support. If Mega Man Legends had analog control, it certainly would have been a much improved game. Maybe next time. As is customary in the Mega Man series, you can upgrade Mega Man with a large number of enhancements. During the earlier parts of the game, Mega Man can add two parts to his Buster Arm. After he locates a certain part later in the game he can then add up to three. There are four characteristics you can enhance with the parts you obtain: attack power, range, rapid fire, and energy. Depending on how you balance your upgrades will determine how effective your Arm is. You can also have Roll augment certain parts so Mega Man becomes stronger. The gameplay itself involves exploring towns, where the locals will clue you in to what actions to take next. Once your course of action is determined, you will explore any number of locations varying from places like City Hall to industrial shipyards and underground dungeons. Combat also takes you to a variety of arenas as you engage in battle with your arch-nemesis Tron and her twisted white-haired brother Teasel, in the sky, on the sea, as well as on land. Indigenous to just about every RPG known are the item shops and merchants, which are all present here, to supply Mega Man with just about everything he needs. At certain points you will find parts for your ship that you must take to Roll, so that she can do the necessary repairs and upgrades. Then, whenever you're ready to take a break and recharge your batteries, all you have to do is find your dancing monkey, Data, and he'll save your game for you. Visually, Mega Man Legends is a mixed bag. Those of you used to the stunning graphic achievements of games like Tobal2 or Crash Bandicoot might find this a bit disappointing, as Mega Man Legends relies almost exclusively on flat-shaded polygons, giving everything a boxy, Crayola-colored look to it. The game benefits from this, however, as the horizon and the considerable amount of structures and buildings are rendered almost infinitely with virtually no pop-up. The backgrounds and textures, while simple, capture the essence of the old 2D games and do a fairly good job of bringing them to life in 3D. The characters, in that distinct Capcom style, are some of the most enjoyable yet seen in a video game. For the first time ever, Mega Man spends at least half the game with his helmet off. A small detail, certainly, but one that adds an immense amount of personality to the series. Roll, a charmer in her own right, is a vivacious and quick-thinking complement to Rock's all-action persona. Tron, the evil little witch that commands the invading forces, even elicits a smile from time to time, due to her feisty demeanor. Although Mega Man doesn't have a sidekick, ala Zero (room for that in the sequel, perhaps?) or Dash the mega dog, it does have Data the monkey. Watching this little bundle of polygons continuously bop back and forth is practically worth the price of admission alone. You'll have to see it to understand. The sound in Mega Man Legends is notable, because, while no particular aspect is outstanding, as a whole it is a remarkably complete package. The music is typical Capcom fare, better suited to the background in any case. The sound effects complement the onscreen explosions and whatnot quite well. The best part of the sound in Legends is the voice-overs. Everyone has an appropriately chirpy, amused, disgusted, gruff, infuriated, and/or confused sound bite to go along with the text onscreen. In the end, what Capcom has managed to do has been this: It's deftly avoided the pitfalls that await most platformers making the jump from 2D to 3D by creating an action/RPG instead. Relying less on twitch reflexes and more on exploration and storytelling, Mega Man Legends makes a graceful entry into the world of 3D, rather than the clumsy splash associated with other less-successful debuts. If Capcom continues to explore the paths that this series could follow, and enhance the graphic presentation and control somewhat, it just might be on to something special. Legends indeed.--James Mielke--
Manufacturer Description: Mega Man Capcom's favorite video game hero appears in his very first 3D action/adventure. Challenging shoot em' up action tons of secrets clever puzzles and huge bosses will keep you playing until it's time to go back to school.
Customer Reviews:
It's okay but its not all that, November 23, 2002
Reviewer: A 9-year old gamer
This is an okay game. You play as a boy named Mega Man who was found by an old man(forgot his real name, just call him gramps). But their ship starts falling onto an island named Katalox!That's when Gramps runs into the engine and try to fix the ship. But it is no use. On the island named Katalox Mega Man runs down a trail, but before he does a police car comes. Run back to the ship wreck and talk to the sheriff. He says later, One of you will have to come with us. Gramps answers, he will. Follow the trail which leads you to Apple Market. Sneak up in somebodys conversation and you will get a pass to a door you couldn't get to before. Inside that door is a city. A cut scene will appear. The city is divided into 5 pieces. Apple Market, Downtown, Uptown, City Hall, and Old City. In the Old City watch out for dogs... as they will attack you. Now I'm not going to tell anymore.You'll have to find the rest out by BUYING the game. That should have encouraged you.
BE WARNED! THIS IS NOT A MEGA MAN GAME!, June 6, 2002
Reviewer: Der Kommissar from america
[ALL OF THESE ARE TRUE STATEMENTS, PEOPLE.]
Don't let the game title fool you. Sure, that boy in the blue armor looks like Mega Man, but he's not. And the girl in the game looks like Roll, but she's not. Capcom just made this look like a Mega Man game by using costumes and characters from that series so they could rack in sales. Gameplay is extremely akward, with its reliance on camera rotation. If you can get into it, it's an interesting (but short) adventure. But, if you're looking for a full-3D Mega Man game, you'll have to keep hoping...
The original "blue-bomber" is back !, March 25, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer
This is the continuing story in the "Megaman" series but, with an all-new plot . Megaman must duel w/pirates, reaverbots etc. to save an imperiled island, while trying to find the mysterious Mother-Lode, which is a powerful treasure . I really liked the voice dubbing in this one . The weapons are awesome, the acting is PERFECT, and the mini-games are nicely done .(not to mention the missions) if you thought "Megaman" 1-9 was hard, just wait until you try this one ! p.s. Also be sure to check out "Megaman Legends 2" !
Loads of fun, January 26, 2002
Reviewer: dudeordie from Minneapolis
If you're a die-hard fan of the megaman games...well...then you probably already own this one. You would probably say that this is a mighty-fine game too. Legends is an entirely new story line but has plenty of refferences to the old games to keep fans satisfied. If you've never played it, I highly recamend you pick up a copy.
Games not that great, January 18, 2002
Reviewer: Nick Flory
i dont think this game is great its okay for a regular game but it doesnt meet the expectations you would think mega man deserved. The graphics arent amazing but okay as far as the 3d goes but the textures are terible. The game play isnt that bad its just not worth the money. This game is almost as good as the regular megaman series but its not as good as the mega man x series. this game is good for ages 7 - 12 but if your a teenager or adult get one of the mega man x games.
Mega man, December 12, 2001
Reviewer: vulpix1455 from USA
Mega man legends is a cool game. I love Mega Man. He is the coolest. I have some of his games(Mega Man 2,3,5,6 for the NES). If you like Mega Man to I'd like to talk to you by e-mail...
The Greatest Mega Man game ever made!, November 10, 2001
Reviewer: arlando909
As I mentioned in my review of Mega Man X2, the Mega Man games have become a big part of our culture, and now he goes on his biggest and best adventure yet in the PSX version that has Action, Adventure, Plot/Story, and RPG elements.
To me this is the greatest Mega Man game ever made! I know that graphics are a little outdated, even for a 1997 game, but graphics aren't important.
The game was very fun and the story was very involving with the characters. The characters were very unique and interesting. While I was a little dissapointed that Zero wasn't in this game, I quickly recovered when I found out that Sigma wasn't the final boss in this game. (Sigma is starting to bug me in the Mega Man X series now!)
Fans of RPGs such as Brave Fencer Musashi or Legend of Zelda won't be dissapointed with this. Mega Man quickly got away from its old formula and started anew that actually works!
The bosses are very challenging and exciting. The game was a hard game no doubt! While compared to other games this is short as hell (it'll take you about 6-10 hours) there are several things to explore and lots of sidequest that are hidden in the game. For example you can help the police stop bank robberies!
No more side-scrolling and that was OK to me. The game proved worthy on my list. While others are out there playing other games like "Devil May Cry" and "Resident Evil" (both by Capcom), they forget about old classics such as this.
Capcom gave us a gem with this game, and to me it was a treasure. (It would make about number 3 on my top five PSone games list) Keep an eye out for this. You surely won't be dissapointed by this game. Capcom has given us a true gem.
This is just as memorable as Final Fantasy VII
One Good Game, September 29, 2001
Reviewer: A 12-year old gamer from West Caldwell, NJ USA
I think that Megaman Legends is a really good game. The gameplay is good and so is the battling. Also exploring the dungeons is pretty good because you could use the cash you make to uprgrade your weapons. The problems were that the game is way too short. And the reaverbots aren't a challenge anymore when you get more upgrades. They become much too easy to kill. But overall this game is really good and I would recomend this game to people who have just finished a hard game like Final Fantasy 8.
A kid from virginia says, August 17, 2001
Reviewer: A 12-year old gamer from Chesapeake, VA USA
The game is okay at the beginning, but as it progressess it gets more and more boring and you get lost in the ruins. The bosses are kind of cheesy themselves. Plus the graffics aren't that great. But then again its just my opinion.
Legends is loads of fun, August 1, 2001
Reviewer: Lyver5 from Herndon, Virginia United States
Mega Man Legends is a great new series for mega man. The story takes him to an island searching for energy crystals on his dig adventures. Game play is fun and easy to learn. The game has plenty of secret goodies for you too discovery adding hours of replay value. easy and fun to play but not easy enough that you'll only spend oh...one week or so one it. Loads of fun a most have for hardcore mega man and new mega man fans of all ages!!!