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[Azure J]

MMZ2's boss fight vs.

Spoiler

copy X

and MMZ3's fight against

Spoiler

Omega Zero

are the closest 2D games have gotten to rival fights like Dante vs. Vergil and Bayo vs. Jeanne.

It's kinda funny too, I remember feeling at the time of the series' run and with things like DMC1 & 3 coming out during its run, that the Zero games were kinda coming from that mold of frenetic combat action but dialed back because they wanted to deliver a good MM platforming experience versus going into the stylish action genre.

Then I saw all the concept art and things that were gone into in depth in the art in the perfect works book and it's like "are we sure these guys *only* wanted to make a GBA game/series?"

 

[ZeroWil]

Loved the series, replayed 3 and 4 countless times. Though extremely unlikely I would love to see a ground-up remake of the whole series one day.

 

[SciencePilot]

Loved the series, replayed 3 and 4 countless times. Though extremely unlikely I would love to see a ground-up remake of the whole series one day.

Yeah, I think the replayability of the games is undersold. They're very replayable. If you know what you're doing the games are very short, plus you unlock harder difficulty after you beat the game once. Also the ranking system is an average of your performance across all stages, so there is an incentive to do repeat runs to get a better score. It really seems like the games were designed with replaying in mind.

 

[RadarScope1]

This thread has me watching the DS collection on eBay. Seems like a game that would rise in price some day. It can't have been a huge seller.

 

[leroidys]

This thread has me watching the DS collection on eBay. Seems like a game that would rise in price some day. It can't have been a huge seller.

Yeah, the Japanese non-best-price version is actually pretty pricy.

 

[Norris1020]

I loved this series back on the GBA, and they hold an even more special place for me now since they were essentially the swan song for the entire Mega Man franchise.

 

[Tarextherex]

I have the DS collection but I can't stand how the first game is, it's like there's a bunch of conflicting elements in the game's design. It got a hub map, things to collect and weapons to level up but at the same time the game encourages you to speedrun through the levels and not use any of the items for a better ranking which makes the bosses harder/apparently unlocks other stuff for the later games. I hate to rush through a level but I also hate to miss on content, plus iirc you can't replay a level for ranking, you have to access it through the hub if your goal was to get all of the elves, so your first run needs to be optimal for a good ranking. Forcing the player to do that "speedrun no item" stuff when the series is known for being about getting boss weapons/having the CHOICE to use them is honestly bad design, playing this game just felt really stressful due to that permanent ranking thing. Shame because I'm interested on how better the later games are/everything else is very good

 

[leroidys]

I have the DS collection but I can't stand how the first game is, it's like there's a bunch of conflicting elements in the game's design. It got a hub map, things to collect and weapons to level up but at the same time the game encourages you to speedrun through the levels and not use any of the items for a better ranking which makes the bosses harder/apparently unlocks other stuff for the later games. I hate to rush through a level but I also hate to miss on content, plus iirc you can't replay a level for ranking, you have to access it through the hub if your goal was to get all of the elves, so your first run needs to be optimal for a good ranking. Forcing the player to do that "speedrun no item" stuff when the series is known for being about getting boss weapons/having the CHOICE to use them is honestly bad design, playing this game just felt really stressful due to that permanent ranking thing. Shame because I'm interested on how better the later games are/everything else is very good

The game gives you the choice to either speed run and go for high scores, or make the game easier for yourself by taking it slow and using cyber elves. How is that inconsistent? I think it's refreshing that it actually requires work to S rank. The rank is there for challenge and replayability. This isn't an Ubisoft content tourism checklist.

Also, getting high ranks on MMZ1 does NOT unlock anything for the later games.

 

[L Thammy]

This is personally my favourite series within the Mega Man franchise. Love all the games, even 4. Ripping off enemy's body parts and then killing other enemies with them is stylish as hell.

The boss fights also just feel good. I think it's because it's not as easy to tank and you often can't just spam a move the boss is weak to, while at the same time the bosses attacks are easier to dodge with your increased mobility. The game forces you to play in a pretty stylish way, and so you end up feeling like you're just that good when you succeed.

I also like the story quite a bit. I might be wrong, but I think the original intention was that Copy X was the original X who took protecting humans too far. That was an extremely gutsy idea and I honestly wish they stuck to it.

 

[Tarextherex]

The game gives you the choice to either speed run and go for high scores, or make the game easier for yourself by taking it slow and using cyber elves. How is that inconsistent? I think it's refreshing that it actually requires work to S rank. The rank is there for challenge and replayability. This isn't an Ubisoft content tourism checklist.

Also, getting high ranks on MMZ1 does NOT unlock anything for the later games.

I meant that I heard you unlock skills by having high rankings in the later games

It's fine for your game to have things to motivate replayability but it just feels conflicting that the game constantly reminds you that your score is terrible for playing the game at your own pace/actually using the cyber elves, which are supposed to be one of the new/defining elements of this sub-series. You can't even use those powerups against the "enhanced bosses" because those are only for A/S ranks. If the game had a separate mission selection screen(in-game, like in the hub) that would be a much more convenient way to go for high rankings rather than having to start a new game+ that passes on stuff that you won't even use

 

[Miker]

I meant that I heard you unlock skills by having high rankings in the later games

It's fine for your game to have things to motivate replayability but it just feels conflicting that the game constantly reminds you that your score is terrible for playing the game at your own pace/actually using the cyber elves, which are supposed to be one of the new/defining elements of this sub-series. You can't even use those powerups against the "enhanced bosses" because those are only for A/S ranks. If the game had a separate mission selection screen(in-game, like in the hub) that would be a much more convenient way to go for high rankings rather than having to start a new game+ that passes on stuff that you won't even use

Yeah, you get EX skills by finishing stages w/ A-rank or higher in the later games. It's more of a nice bonus than anything else. I don't remember if I really used any of the skills. They're more akin to, say, the beam combos from Metroid Prime than must-have gear.

 

[leroidys]

I meant that I heard you unlock skills by having high rankings in the later games

It's fine for your game to have things to motivate replayability but it just feels conflicting that the game constantly reminds you that your score is terrible for playing the game at your own pace/actually using the cyber elves, which are supposed to be one of the new/defining elements of this sub-series. You can't even use those powerups against the "enhanced bosses" because those are only for A/S ranks. If the game had a separate mission selection screen(in-game, like in the hub) that would be a much more convenient way to go for high rankings rather than having to start a new game+ that passes on stuff that you won't even use

OK I got you. The EX attacks that are rewards for A/S ranking a mission aren't in Zero 1. I could see how the brutal ranking system in Zero 1 would get to you if you thought you were missing out on gear because of it.



On an unrelated note, can I give a shoutout to the Zero 3 status screen?

I love the pseudo-3D rotating sprite schematic of Zero.

 

[SciencePilot]

Not going to lie, I played through most of the games sitting at C rank. I didn't even see the EX skills in 2 and 3 (in 4 you get them in another way). Still had a lot of fun just getting through the games, ignoring rank.

 

[Reset]

Pretty sure in Zero 3 not all the ex-skills we locked behind the higher rankings. If you found some secret discs, depending on the disc it would unlock body parts, ex-skills, or enemy data.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

Not going to lie, I played through most of the games sitting at C rank. I didn't even see the EX skills in 2 and 3 (in 4 you get them in another way). Still had a lot of fun just getting through the games, ignoring rank.

Proud to say I've S-Ranked in all 4 titles. Having all the EX Skills is so fun.

Also,

Spoiler

Elpizo

gets lost in the hype shuffle, but I really enjoyed the game-long chase in MMZ2. His MMZ2 Final Boss V1 was dope as fuck. That riff.

MMZ4 has the best boss theme, though.

Any of you guys notice that the entirety of MMZ4's soundtrack has a very downbeat feel to it, compared to the other ones? The leitmotif is very somber.

EDIT Just gotta post that Crossover Station is such a great track... fell in love with it when I first heard it, along with Cyberspace. Fuck, MMZ4 has such a drastically different soundtrack from its predecessors, I love it so much.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I have such good memories of this series, although I didn't get it into it until way after their release, three years ago or so. Before that, I always liked the X and ZX series better for their more accessible difficulty.

One thing I really enjoyed about the Zero series is how concretely it tied itself to the X series. Unlike Classic -> X, the story went out of its way to tell us what happened in the intervening century. The story of The Elf Wars, Omega, and Dr. Weil unfolded nicely across the first three games, and was a huge step up from Mega Man's previous "lol, here's Wily/Sigma... again!" tendencies. I also liked the more oppressive atmosphere, heavier music, and faster action - it fit Zero, who was always a bit more "hardcore" than X. The only thing I didn't end up liking from an aesthetic perspective was the art style. It's a bit jarring to think that this little skinny humanoid Zero is the exact same guy from the X series, even though he looks completely different. I much preferred his bulky design from the X series.

I also didn't like how you could fail missions permanently in the first game. Capcom thankfully realized this was an unpopular mechanic and removed it in the others. Only getting skills from higher ranks made it so that I only ever got skills from a boss or two, as I could never really master or even get the hang of the ranking system.

I still listen to the soundtrack.

 

[Lord British]

Pretty sure in Zero 3 not all the ex-skills we locked behind the higher rankings. If you found some secret discs, depending on the disc it would unlock body parts, ex-skills, or enemy data.

Nah, EX-Skills are locked behind A/S.

 

[Omegasquash]

I managed to S rank them all, and thinking about the effort that took on MMZ1 makes me shiver.

God damn that game would punish you, but as a result it forced you to get good to get what you want.

 

[Chuckie]

Thanks but I'm just spreading the word of good games that deserve to be played! Hopefully you'll enjoy them too.

Well I bought it and it works, so you were right about the region free DS games!

I haven't really started playing yet...I feel a bit overwhelmed to be honest. There is this huge hub and I have no idea where to go. I have elves but don't know if I should feed them. And I can't save because I cannot talk to Ciel apparently.

I feel like I should inform myself a bit before really start playing this haha.