Mega Man 11 - PlayStation 4

It's been eight years since Capcom released a Mega Man game. Just as things were looking grim two major things happened. The first was that Mighty No. 9 turned out to be a colossal failure. The second was that near the end of 2017 Capcom finally announced Mega Man 11. This was met with celebration and, well, worry. Keiji Inafune was no longer going to be working on it (but after Mighty No. 9 would you want his team to be?), the art style was very different and what we saw back then was tiny. The demo came out, leaving a good impression, but worries still plagued fans. After all, if Mega Man 11 wasn't good that'd be it for the Blue Bomber, and very few gamers want that. Mega Man is one of the most recognizable gaming icons of all time. The drought of no Mega Man games was felt throughout the industry. While he made guest appearances in games such as Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS this was not the same as a full blown Mega Man game.The good news is Mega Man 11 is pretty good. It's everything I expected from a Mega Man game. It does play it relatively safe, however. There is no risk to the formula or design, but this is necessary because the goal needs to be to get Mega Man back on track. That being said, just because it plays it safe doesn't mean it has nothing to offer. The level designs are extremely good (with Block Man's stage being a near perfect tutorial on how to make use of the game's new Double Gear system) and the levels are fairly lengthy and challenging to keep you going. It makes the game inviting, but Mega Man hasn't lost its trademark difficulty. The game is hard. If the clever level designs don't stump you every now and then, some of the bosses will.The game introduces the double gear system. Using the shoulder buttons the player is able to activate either the power gear or the speed gear. The power gear makes your shots more powerful and the speed gear slows down enemies. You can only use each of these temporarily, because they'll over heat if you leave them active for too long. If this happens the double gear will will have to recharge before it can be used again. The game is perfectly designed so that you could make do without them, but it will push you to use these systems a lot. Some enemies are easier to dispatch with the speed gear, and most boss fights are made easier with the power gear. It seems gimmicky at first and upon first playing the game you'll often forget you have them, but once you settle in you'll find yourself using these systems more and more as you encounter hazards in levels that will encourage you to do so. There's another added benefit of the double gear system. When critically low on health you can press both shoulders at the same time to activate both the speed gear and power gear simultaneously. It's mostly a last ditch effort when low on health, and you can't actually turn this off, meaning your double gear will have to recharge without fail after its use, but it can help you out in a moment of desperation.It's the little things that make Mega Man 11 really good, though. For instance, when you acquire Robot Masters's weapons now, Mega Man doesn't just change color, but outfits. This is aesthetically pleasing. Also, you can use the shoulder button to switch weapons or you can use right analog stick to simply bring up a roulette wheel and select weapons that way. Changing between weapons in a Mega Man game has never been this easy or effective. The levels are also designed to encourage you to use these weapons outside of the boss fights where they're most effective. Not every weapon is great but they are creative, at least.The voice acting is surprisingly good. For fans of previous games in the series the voice acting has been laughably bad (especially Mega Man 8), but here they sound really good and well delivered. I wish I could say the same for the music. It's not bad, it just doesn't always feel like Mega Man music. A lot of it has this techno and electronica vibe. It's competent but there's nothing here that sticks out as well Wily's Fortress in Mega Man 2, the entirety of Mega Man 9's soundtrack or anything even coming close to some of the tracks you've heard in other Mega Man games. The music overall can be relaxing but you're not likely to find them sticking too firmly in your mind when all is said and done.The art style, though, is certainly a treat. It's a little different, but it works. The game is fairly bright and colorful, but this is to be expected from the classic Mega Man series. The games were known for being more lighthearted than the X or Zero series, so the art style feels appropriate. Most the stage backgrounds are also rather nice, as are some of the enemy designs. There are a lot of familiar classic enemies as well as new ones.Mega Man 11 isn't perfect. It isn't a severely flawed game, but some of its flaws can really stand out. For the most part the level design is really good. There are many moments that encourage players to use the double gear system and the levels are lengthy enough that they can keep you busy. The difficulty of some levels, however, is definitely going to get to some players. For the most part any screw ups are your own, but there's a lot of trial and error in learning some of the levels, and even worse is that Mega Man 11 has a limited life count. If you get a game over it's back to the beginning of a level for you. The levels put up a great challenge, but their length and (in some levels) hazards can make starting the entire thing over again feel like a test in frustration. Even Mega Man veterans will have to slow down and really take time to learn these levels.LIkewise, while many of the levels are incredibly well designed such as Block Man's stage (which makes a great tutorial for the double gear system) or Tundra Man's stage, this just makes it more obvious when level design falls short of expectations. Bounce Man's stage may be the single most frustrating stage to appear in a classic Mega Man game, and the flame wall in Torch Man's stage is more frustrating than challenging.As you can imagine, Mega Man 11 isn't a very long game. It adheres to a classic formula that relies on the player having to really learn a level to get passed it, and designing them well enough that you're encouraged to replay the game. To give you some incentive to revisit levels you can also engage in challenges. Some are standard fare, such as engaging in time trial modes. Other modes are more unique than that. One type of challenge, for example, is getting through a level with a limited number of jumps. It's nice to have the challenges, but you're not as likely to spend time with them. On the other hand, some levels are designed well enough that they warrant a replay just for the sheer fun factor. Mega Man 11 also features a New Game+ and multiple difficulty settings for players hoping to really test their skills. I've found the game is worth replaying again, even some of its more frustrating moments.Mega Man 11 is an exciting return to form. It may not try anything especially risky, but it's often a fun game to play, that can give you a good challenge if that's what you're seeking. This is a fitting return for the blue bomber and let's hope this opens to door to many more Mega Man games in the future.

If you like Megaman, this game is on another level. I have both the ps4 and Switch versions. The ps4 version looks better and has a more robust controller rumble effect. Love playing the Switch version hand held mode though too.

I’ve been a long time Mega Man fan, probably just like anyone who’s reading this review. Once Mighty Number 9 came out a couple of years ago, I knew it was only a matter of time before a new Mega Man was released. I liked the overall experience and it was pretty much what I expected. With that being said; this will be my last Mega Man (or Mega Man-like game) because I believe I’ve had my “fill” when it comes to Mega Man games. I know this could potentially bug some Mega Man fans but I thought Mighty Number 9 was an all-around better game, and that’s how I know this is the end of an era. As I platformed through each and every level, here are 8 things that stood out to me.[1] The Mega Buster (his gun) is a franchise staple and I was glad to see they added to it. I think some of the past games allowed you to shoot a charged shot, but Mega Man 11 took that to the next level by allowing you to use that shot without having to hold down the shot button (will automatically charge up once upgraded). I had zero interest in using the other weapons, once obtained from the robot bosses (more on them later). In past games, the Mega Buster was something I used to hold me over until I obtained other weapons; but in this game, I found myself using it most of the time.[2] I made plenty of use of Mega Man’s dog (Rush), and I know he was added to make the game more forgiving. He serves two purposes: To help you reach high places (usually to grab items) and to aid you in traversing difficult levels. Now, reaching higher places isn’t really cheating or cheesing the game because in some cases, he’s the only way you will be able to reach some of those places. Even though I think using him as a hover board to quickly traverse difficult levels is “cheap”, I’m not the least bit embarrassed to admit I relied on him more than I probably should have. Some of those levels are beyond cheap, and I’m from the school of thought that says “cheap begets cheap”. :)[3] Some good news is Capcom really made an effort to appeal to different types of gamers and possibly bring in new fans. Mega Man 11 has 4 difficulty settings. The 1st one is for Mega Man noobs, and I suggest that if you’ve never played the game before, or if you’re new to platformers in general. The 2nd difficulty is for people who have played the game before, but may be a bit rusty (the one I chose). The 3rd difficulty is for Mega Man vets who’ve been replaying the games for years and years, while the final difficulty is for the best of the best. I’m guessing the main difference between the levels is how many lives you start with and perhaps there are more checkpoints included? (more on that next).[4] Dude… The levels are EXTREMELY long in this game and some of them have poorly placed checkpoints. If you’re going to have long levels, then you should include several checkpoints, and not just one (in some cases). The level designs were done quite well, for the most part. With that being said, there are two that I took exception to. In no particular order (because they both sucked); Torch Man and Bounce Man’s levels can both go to hell. I HATE platformers that incorporate the “moving screen” that chases you, therefore forcing you to hurry up and complete the level. Torch Man’s level would have been ok if it would not have been for that damn wall flame chasing me through the level. Bounce Man’s level is just… dumb. I don’t feel I need to explain anything because “Bounce” should tell you enough.[5] Compared to Mighty Number 9, I thought the boss battles were a bit meh, and not really all that memorable. Look, I get one of the main attractions of the game is trying to figure out each boss’ weakness, but I didn’t really care. Outside of the boss rush portion of the game, I used the Mega Buster to take them all down. And like I referenced an earlier paragraph, I had very little interest in using their weapons after I obtained them.[6] The gear system is the biggest change to the game. In a nutshell, the gears are used to make the game experience more manageable. There are two gears: The speed gear, and the power gear (each has a cooldown period, so you can’t abuse them). The speed gear slows down time for a few seconds, and comes in handy with some of the more difficult platforming spots. I used it a lot while fighting the different bosses because it’s nothing quite like shooting a target who is damn near stationary. I didn’t use the power gear all that much because whenever I tried it, I always missed the target (they would jump over it), so I felt like I was wasting it. All in all, the gear system was a nice addition. And oh, the bosses have gears as well.[7] Hmmm, I read a couple of reviewers who said they beat the entire game in 5 hours, so I felt I would breeze through it as well. Now that I’ve played it, I believe those reviewers must have been those super players that I referenced earlier in the review because it took me close to 30 hours to beat this game. I died over and over again, and I had to attempt each level multiple times before getting past it. Sure, I could have made things a bit easier on myself if I would have purchased more extra lives from the store (more on the store in a bit), but I decided to stick with the 3 lives, for the most part. If you’re going to play this game the “right way”, don’t count on breezing through it.[8] I was surprised to find an in-game store (game currency, and not real money) in Mega Man 11, because I wasn't used to seeing that. You'll collect currency along the way, and you can use that to buy upgrades to the Mega Buster as well as extra lives and health packs. While I felt no shame in relying on Rush as much as I did, I refused to buy some of that stuff from the store because it was just flat-out cheating. For example, there’s a perk that’ll instantly revive you if you fall to your death because of a missed jump. Come on guys, it’s a platformer, so missed jumps are part of the formula. Not only will it revive you, but you’ll start at the exact spot where you missed the jump. I get why Capcom is doing stuff like this because they’re probably trying to change the narrative about how difficult these games are. I don’t believe this should be an issue for the die-hard Mega Man fans because although these options are there to make the game easier; you DON’T have to use them!Mega Man 11 is a game that had its fun moments, as well as its annoying moments. I think I’m just burned out because it took me so long to get through the early part of the game that I sort of ran out of gas towards the end. It’s very accessible now, so I most certainly recommend it for people who used to be “afraid” to try it because of its legendary difficulty. If you’re a longtime fan, you’ll feel right at home and probably appreciate some of the changes, such as the gear system. Although this will be my last Mega Man game, it most certainly didn’t leave a rotten taste in my mouth. Devil May Cry 5, you’re up next!

"11" is pure, it is real. It is everything you want in a modern Mega Man game. After a lengthy hiatus post "Mega Man 10", this new game merges old school Mega Man gameplay with modern HD graphics and a few new mechanics for good measure. These new mechanics, namely the Double Gear system, allow you to augment the gameplay in two separate ways - slowing down time or boosting the power of your arm cannon. This can be useful in a variety of situations, especially the slowing down mechanic, but honestly it often feels very tacked on and they could easily ditch it going forward.Luckily the levels and platforming are all there and still over a meaty Mega Man challenge. The graphics, while not high budget, make use of the classic art style to bring plenty of old and new enemies to life. The work they put into it is very charming, and makes you appreciate that they went with a 2.5D style instead of the classic 8-bit sprites again. It's colorful and the stage settings are pretty decent. The game in some ways invokes Mega Man 8, so if you retain any nostalgia from those PS1 days, you'll feel at home with this one, cheesy voice acting at all.