Welcome to a new edition of Retro Corner and we are only a few weeks away from Mega Man 11 coming out. We check out the last Mega Man title for this console and it marks the sixth game in the series. By 1994, the console surprisingly had Nintendo keep it on the market and its one of the few systems to last more than a decade. The only games that came out in 1994 for the NES included Wario's Woods, Star Tropics II and Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters. It wasn't an impressive list by any stretch of the imagination; I mean it was the console's last year. Honestly, I'm still baffled that Nintendo and the third parties supported such an ancient machine for this long. MMVI was Capcom's last game for the NES as by 1994 they shifted all their resources to the Super NES. The theme brings up a special robot fighting tournament hosted by Mr. X, an enigma man who sustains a special interest in this event. However, Mr. X reprograms the Robot Masters for his bidding and plans to take over the world. Mega Man discovers this and sets out with Rush by his side to prevent another mad man from doing what Wily set out to do years ago. Gameplay By now if you played five of the previous titles then the players know what they're getting from a new entry. MMVI has everything from blasting you through a stage to the classic platforming any NES game is often known to do. There isn't much change from the last two titles as Capcom reached its limit to how far they could take the gameplay. The level design, on the other hand, had great challenges as it’s something to expect from the Blue Bomber. There weren't ridiculous or tight spots to moved through as the stages' many challenges came off seamless. I also love how they included branching paths through these areas. It's something Capcom should've address a couple of times previously and the series needs to evolve a little. These parts allow for different challenges compared to the regular paths the players would usually take. The Rush adapters received the best updates as the jet function got turned into a jetpack. The best part of these updates is you can attack with the Mega Buster while in flight. It beats having to switch to the Mega Buster and back to the adapter. I enjoyed the idea of reaching other platforms and ladders at any angle. The one thing that annoyed me about later NES Mega Man titles was how they have repeated the same mistakes since MMIV. It's not the same gameplay that's the issue but the format used for the last two games. It's always beat the eight robot masters, play through four fortress levels and then go through a similar castle area again. Why couldn't Capcom make a fifth level after Wily revealed he was Mr. X in the same fortress stage? The format came off lazy and repetitive as by the second fortress I'm exhausted. The bosses' powers weren't the strongest this time as they seemed weak compared to what we would got previously. Capcom at times will fall out of their creativity and produce lack luster powers. Blizzard Attack just spreads four snowflakes at one direction while Flame Blast is just a small fireball. It was also a problem for the Yamato Spear and Knight Crusher which shoots a projectile in the same manner. When there are robot masters with warrior themes added to their characters I would expect these attacks to come off more destructive. I hated how they got reduced to a single weak projectile instead of something with power behind it. Rating: 8.5/10 Graphics/Presentation The one thing I always loved about the later NES games released from 1992 to 1994 was how they pushed the console's limits. MMVI certainly does that in spades as many graphical features got tweaked further that were never in the earlier titles. The sprites and textures haven't changed much since MMIII as the same art style brings them to life as always. The levels probably had the best diverse environments out of all the NES games. From the forest of Plant Man and the desert of Tomahawk Man to the castle of Knight Man and snow plains of Blizzard Man there wasn't one bad place. I also love the throw back Capcom gave to Wind Man's stage as it's a great reminder of Air Man in many ways. Unlike Gyro Man's level from MMV, Wind Man was the closest to Air Man we were going to get again. The sprites once again (six times counting) has been lively and representing the same wacky design that has become accustomed to this series. I don't have a favorite but the Pandeeta, Colton (gunslinger), Power Slam, Skull Walker and the Ben K (Yamato Warriors) were the ones that stood out the most. I also have to point out the huge sunset that shimmers in the background during the second part of Tomahawk Man's stage. That's what I love about the NES's later years and how these developers push the console's limitation in the graphics. The themes for each robot master being centered nearly on the fighting tournament came off interesting. I would have loved for all the robot masters to have a warrior theme instead of mixing it. I'm not sure what does a plant, ice or wind robot has to do with a warrior theme. The music sounded great as it did in MMV and the songs were really catchy to listen to while playing. The best tracks came from Plant Man, Blizzard Man, Wind Man, Tomahawk Man, Stage Select, Mr. X's Fortress and Wily Boss battle. I enjoyed how varied these themes are as you had the engaging Plant Man, Tomahawk Man and Wily Boss Battle. While the charming tones from Blizzard and Wind Man felt like Mega Man was experiencing another fun adventure. I would also love to talk about the song from Mr. X and Wily fortress stages. Capcom really match the feeling of what these areas represented as it felt like the last outing for Mega Man on the NES. Think about it the console was officially being retired that year so as I listen to these tracks would add to that emotion. It's hard to complain about a Mega Man game’s graphics at a time when the 16-bit consoles were on the market. When you bought a Mega Man game, it’s always for that classic 8-bit platforming we love. I can’t find that many things wrong with MMVI as Capcom nailed everything for the last entry on this console. I could point out that there wasn’t that much to the animation in the backgrounds. In previous titles, there was always cloud animation as seen in Gyro Man stage in MMV, but its missing in Wind Man’s level. It's not just one level but most of them and with the exception of the sunset from Tomahawk Man's stage was the only time it was ever there. I also noticed how the Metall didn't have their usual antics as enemies. Sure, that's not needed to make the game engaging but something fun from these techno critters is really something that stood out. Rating: 8.8/10 Features/Content Don't expect big changes for the sixth installment as Capcom never addresses extra content often in these types of games. There is some good news through as the developers designed the levels with branching paths this time. A certain bosses' power or the Rush adapters will be use to get to these other areas. Why it took them up until the sixth game to add these in is beyond me? It would've been great for them to have these in MMIII to MMV because its content like this is what creates replay value. I also love the hidden boss rooms they added for some levels and it's to obtain the Beat adapter. Beat the robotic bird can damage all enemies while you have him equipped. He truly helped in fighting even the Mr. X and Wily stage bosses, not that he's needed to destroy them anyway. Unfortunately, that's where the extra stuff ends as the branching paths and obtainable items were still limited. I still feel Capcom should add special passwords to the system as giving my monies worth is something I care about. Rating: 8.5/10 Final Rating MMVI was a great way to close out the NES and leaving an amazing mark on its legacy for years to come. Its obvious Capcom moved all of their development to the Super NES and planned for the fifth gen consoles by 1994. Nothing really has changed except for minor tweaks to the gameplay and level design. Mega Man has been that defining series in terms of classic gaming. The graphics just like the gameplay would only receive minor tweaks to the art style. That's how this studio released them annually and it's because of the great but simple art style. The 8-bit graphics for this series will always be iconic just as it was for Mario. I also have to give this to Capcom for addressing the idea of branching paths within some stages. It would add replay value especially when finding the special boss rooms (who have the same challenges as the regular versions). These special boss rooms let the player collect the Beat letters to call the robotic bird for help. The only real issues I had comes from the format of beating eight robot master, facing a fortress section but only to face another four castle stages. It's exhausting to reach Wily's castle stages in a gauntlet fashion which was truly lazy of them to reuse the same old format. The powers obtained from the bosses came off lack luster instead of impactful. I still found this a great way for the company to end the NES lineup and MMVI really delivers another fun adventure with Rock. Gameplay: 8.5/10 Graphics/Presentation: 8.8/10 Features/Content: 8.5/10 Final Rating: 8.6/10
1 Comment
|
Retro Gamer has over 25 years of gaming experience and played many classics since the Golden Age. She has been an avid fan since the day the NES graced her life and changed it forever.
Archives
Categories
The social media icon images and Vector Designs by Vecteezy, Medium and Onextrapixel
For More Please Click Below
|