Mega Man Legends 2
Mega Man Legends 2by Capcom USA
Platform: PlayStation
ESRB Rating: Everyone
ASIN: B00004XONL
Check price @ amazon.com , amazon.ca , amazon.co.uk
Features:
• New 3-D adventure features favorite characters from series
• Party includes Roll, Bonn family, Serbots, Data, and Glyde
• Adventure centers around Sealed Key that could unlock Great Legacy
• Mixes action-adventure with RPG and puzzle gameplay
• Travel to different areas via airship
Amazon.com Product Description: Mega Man Legends 2 continues the successful 3-D spinoff of the 2-D Mega Man franchise. It features familiar characters from the series, and mixes action-adventure, RPG, and puzzle gameplay. Accompanying Mega Man are Roll, the Bonne family, the Servbots, Data, and Glyde. The story revolves around the recently discovered Sealed Key, which could unlock the Great Legacy--a mystery that could be either a boon or a curse to mankind. There are several towns in which to explore, and a giant airship called the Flutter will transport the party there.
GameSpot Review: With the birth of Mega Man Legends, Capcom provided a classic 2D series with a smooth and graceful transition into 3D. While it may have lacked some refinement, Legends was an enjoyable action-RPG that was successful enough to warrant a spin-off (the recently released prequel The Misadventures of Tron Bonne) and now a true sequel. With improvements on almost every aspect of the original - most notably in the graphics and control categories, where Legends fell short - Mega Man Legends 2 is another step in the right direction for the series and a fun experience.
Like the original Legends, the sequel features an entertaining and overall lighthearted feel, but this time with slightly more serious overtones. An enigmatic girl and a legendary treasure have been discovered in an icy wasteland. The treasure is the legendary Sealed Key, which is said to unlock something known only as the Great Legacy. Almost all the major characters from the previous games return: Mega Man, Roll, the infamous Bonne family, the small army of comic relief known as the Servbots, the perpetually dancing monkey Data, and even the effeminate Glyde. After throwing some new faces into this already personality-laden cast, the story is primed and ready to go.
Mega Man Legends 2 features the same action-RPG gameplay as the first, but with a lot of expansion and substantial improvements. To begin with, the adventure isn't limited to a one-town island anymore. Mega Man's adventure now spans a sizeable chunk of world that contains several towns, a few remote areas, and gargantuan airships. You'll travel on a world map to different areas in your own airship, the Flutter, which is a small location in itself. Once you've landed, you can poke around town, explore the outlying areas, or descend into one of many dungeons for a dig. With emphasis on exploration and a world map comes increased longevity, making MML2 closer to the length of a standard RPG.
Like its forerunner, the action and RPG elements in MML2 compliment each other nicely. A good deal of RPG-style interaction with other characters is necessary to move the story forward, and there are a lot of additional bits of info and items to be gained for those willing to put forth the effort. The items you find in dungeons will often need to be combined with something purchased from a shop or found around town for Roll to create a helpful new weapon or accessory. Finding these special weapons - along with upgrading them, your armor, and the standard buster arm - will aid greatly in your progression in the action areas of the game. Mega Man has never been one to skimp on action, and you'll spend a lot of time in dungeons and above ground blasting through hordes of Reaverbots and solving the occasional puzzle. The dungeon layouts aren't quite as cerebral as those in Zelda, but they still provide challenge and variety. RPG-like status ailments will come into play, and many boss encounters will require a deeper strategy than strafing in circles and firing with the buster arm. Some action sequences come with specific objectives, like putting out a kitchen fire on your ship or holding off invaders until you can pull the switch to activate an antiaircraft gun. Many dungeons are large enough to require multiple trips to clear out all the goods, and you'll occasionally want to come back with a specific weapon like the drill arm to access certain areas or the homing missiles to deal with annoying flying enemies.
Control was one of the biggest problems in Legends, and the sequel offers the flexibility and Dual Shock analog support the first title screamed for. Four basic control schemes and several adjustable control options make it easy to find something that works for you, and you can take a short quiz that will help the game suggest a scheme based on your answers. Worth mentioning is the inclusion of a dual-analog layout that lets you move in any direction with the left stick and look and aim freely with the other. If you can acclimate yourself to using the shoulder buttons for jumping and firing, you can effectively control the view on the fly, which all but eliminates bad camera angles and provides ease and freedom in your movement. Additionally, the lock-on feature of the original has been upgraded to let you move freely while targeting an enemy.
The same bright cartoon-style graphics that really seemed to fit Mega Man Legends have been employed once again but come with substantial polish. The graphics, in general, look much cleaner than the original's, with much larger areas and more attention to detail. Environmental features like a fierce snowstorm and shimmering heat waves come together with small touches like lens flare and light produced from explosions. Complimenting these enhancements is a nice variety of environments. Each local has a distinct feel and music, and examples of thematic dungeons include an Aztec temple-style level and an organic looking level brimming with mechanical nature. Most of the music is catchy and varied, and the sound effects are very Mega Man. The cutscenes feature a wide range facial animations and emotions, and the voice actors do a nice job of injecting the characters with personality. Even with the limitations of the PS hardware, the game often manages to come close to a playable 3D anime.
As the Legends series is further refined, it becomes obvious that the series going 3D was not merely a gimmick. Mega Man Legends 2 fixes a lot of the flaws in the original and is a substantial improvement on the Legends formula. Capcom has turned what began as a mere spin-off into a worthy stand-alone franchise.--Justin Speer
Customer Reviews:
Mega Man 2, October 31, 2002
Reviewer: tony from Tacoma Wa
Just when you thought that Capcom couldn't improve on the Mega man Legends series, Mega man 2 brings back the same fun and adventure of the first. All of our favorite characters return as we find out more about our hero and his hidden past. Giant weaverbots, more powerful weapons. Challenging rooms and obstacles bring this adventure to life. The question is when will we see the next of the series?
Pure entertainment all the way through!!, September 6, 2002
Reviewer: Ixx from Hell - simple as that
While this game isn't very expansive and doesn't directly tie into the Mega Man timeline, it still contains the quality that Capcom has always given its games! I'm sure there's a way to link it to the other series timeline though. Maybe there's something Capcom hasn't told us yet. Still, they managed to take a spinoff and turn it into a full fledged series!
First off, the ruin designs are excellent - maybe even better than the 1st game's - but not likely. A couple of the key mazes in this game involve backtracking to the same place well more than once, which can get tedious, especially when the area is filled with water or the gravity is heavy or whatnot, and it slows you down. Other than that, the mazes are flawless!
There is a slight problem with the battles though, and I'm sure those of you that have played the game have seen it - the 'Ultimate Technique' of locking onto the prime target and blasting away while running in a constant circle. It makes many battles way too easy.
The graphics have been improved from the last game. The models have higher polygons counts and much better coloration (something the last gamewas really lacking). The music is much better too, and not quite as downright corny as the 1st game.
The plot goes into more depth, too. It's very slightly on the darker and more serious side, and the characters are cooler too (Sera is the most unusual villain I've ever seen, but she's devoid of any and all emotion, and definitely the perfect villain for this story. What makes it better is that you don't see it in her until it's too late). The plot explains more of Mega Man Trigger's origins and even the reason why he's on the planet - I won't reveal that though). The game definitely has its lighthearted moments. The Bonnes are still there, which is a definite plus! There are some new pirates too.
All things said (and I could ramble on longer about how much I like this game), the game is definitely worth getting if you're either a Mega Man fan, or if you played the first game and then left in the dark on what the hell was going on. It gives plenty of opportunities for free exploration, and you always find something the second time around you missed the first time (whether it's in a town or a ruin, I gurantee there's gonna be something new to see).
gamer since 1988, June 9, 2002
Reviewer: Tyrone Houston from Brandywine, MD
This game has improved since the first one. The graphics are better, the story is, and so is the action. You'll learn more about this new Mega Man. The only bad thing is I was left wanting more.
Mega Madness!(in a good way!), April 14, 2002
Reviewer: Craig from Summerville,Sc USA
This game is da best!!!If you liked MML1, your gonna LOVE this!Da bosses are bigger, harder, and have a greater population than before!I mean it bigtime!(not to mention Roll and Tron look TONS better than before!They still looked good in Megaman Legends 1...ok.maybe not Tron.She now looks good but not before).By the way, the Bonne family is still at it!They want you dead!They want treasure!THEY WANT COOKIEEEEEESSS!!!!!!(oops,sorry...!!!got a little out of hand...) Well, You'll figure it out.Later!
Mega Man Legends 2 Is Mega Better, April 3, 2002
Reviewer: Jester from Vacaville, CA USA
I own & have played MegaMan Legends so many times I could tell U from memory what its about. But when I played Number 2, I was amazed! MML2 is so much better and bigger. There is more places 2 go instead of just one little island. The sub-gates are bigger and you get stuff a lot quicker, You get 2 fight way more bosses too. Mega Man Legends 2 is the Best!
Megamans quest for the Mother-Lode continues....., March 25, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer
In this sequel to "Megaman Legends", Megaman continues to discover the secret to the mysterious Mother-Lode . But the evil Bonne family STILL won't quit to put him out of commission and claim the treasure for themselves !! Although, the original is somewhat better, this one is actually a worthy sequel . plus, the BOSSES, mini-BOSSES etc. are bigger & badder than ever ! Unfortunately, this could be the last in this 2 part series .
the BOM, March 16, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from Pembroke Pines, FL United States
The 3D grafics are realy cool the puzzles are realy cool man i could sit their and rot my head,,, but it is totley worth it!!! and if you have megaman legends 1 you'l have a blast on this one !!!!!!!
[Not Good], March 9, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from atlantic city,n.j.
The only thing I like about this long and boring game is the 3d effects.Basically your running around dodging stupid looking enimies until Roll can make you better weapons.What I cant seem to understand is how people actually like this game!!
Get the first one first, March 3, 2002
Reviewer: dudeordie from MN
This game rocks, but you really should play the first one all the way through before you start on the second. The bosses in the second are a lot more dificult so it's good to have kind of a hang for Mega Man's movement and weapons.
Luv It!, December 5, 2001
Reviewer: cpsugarhigh
The first instantly got me addicted. It began when I, a 2D RPG player all my PS years discovered something interesting and amusing...CAN KICKING! ...Er..anyways...
Megaman Legends 2 has a greater plot then MML1 and there is so much more to do than hanging around at one little town for the whole game. You can travel to new places and gather items. What I was very happy about was how they didn't edit out/cut a lot of stuff in this game. For example, Sera's first...appearance... o_O; and when you get a peek at Roll and not only see a black-out. (You don't see her, but after she screeches, Megaman throws his fist up in a 'Boo-ya! Score!!' sort-of way. ^^;;
As for the voices...I could've hung myself when I heard poor Meggy's voice...he's now...Sailor Jupiter!! I'm serious! (We call him Sailor Megaman at my site now, lol!) But the others voices, I'm VERY happy they didn't use that (...) Bon Bonne voice they had for The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, but his original voice! (In case you didn't notice, Pikachu's japanese voice actress does his voice). And Tron's voice actress has improved too. She doesn't whine and screech as much as she did in MML1. Roll's voice has improved too, including the funny whimpering she does while playing with her food in the beginning.
All in all, I'm very pleased with this game. I've beat it about 6 times now and once you play through it once, it seems a lot more easier. ^^