Mega Man Legends

by Capcom Production Studio 2

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• ASIN: B000006OVJ
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
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Product Description

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--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

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.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Legend of its Own, December 9, 2009

By 

Sean E. Chiplock "sonicmega" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Mega Man Legends (Video Game)

In the age of console progression from 2D graphics to a 3D world, so many developers and game series had trouble adapting to the drastic changes that took place - scenery required more in-depth thought than simple textures and scrolling backgrounds, and on a metaphorical level the character that a player controlled was no longer as detached emotionally; with the advent of 3D movement came a closer "bond" between the gamer and his character, a feeling that you weren't just controlling a protagonist, but working WITH him to accomplish what was done. In that respect, few companies truly managed to capture that essence in the games that graced consoles such as the Playstation (although many, such as Final Fantasy, more than proved their worth in storyline alone).

Not so with Megaman Legends.

Normally one would be worried about the substantial track that Legends takes off the main path compared to the other series - Megaman "Rock" Volnutt's origins are far from related to the events of the original series, he doesn't ever obtain the ability to copy an enemy's powers (although this is made up for with a large list of Special Weapons), and even "Wily" is reduced to an octogenarian boat shop owner. Yet it is precisely this fact that makes the game so enjoyable to both veterans and new players; the former will find within the game's content the same "Blue Boy" persona they've known, albeit with even more backstory and characterization, and the latter can jump into this game without needing to worry about prior knowledge or information.

The story, although relatively quick and straightforward, is still consistent enough in its endeavors that it's hard to find a reason to be bored - when you're not chasing down henchmen of the pirates as they storm the city's center, you're likely to be facing off against some giant Reaverbot or even simply exploring the eerie, isolated Sub-Ruins that dominate the island. And, oh, does the scenery attribute to this - no matter where you happen to go the environment and its sound effects are sure to match your situation beautifully. In the city, peppy uptown music jingles as polygonal cars drive the streets; in the underground ruins, the music changes to a solemn and eerily 'lacking' tune with only the occasional clank or grind, allowing you to focus entirely on the soft sounds of Reaverbot movements coming from all directions - it is the little details like this that help make the experience so memorable (if you don't believe me, try exploring the Clozer Woods Ruins alone in a dark room at night).

Megaman's primary weapon is of course his famous Buster gun, but the game goes about improving it in a rather interesting manner: Buster Parts. Rather than simply obtaining permanent upgrades over the course of the game, Megaman can instead collect a large variety of different attachments that increase the power of his shots, how rapidly he fires them, how far they can reach, or how many he can shoot before he must "pause" briefly to recharge, or any combination of the four. Thus, the player is invited to create and edit their own "build" to suit their needs based on the situation. Is the enemy close up but taking too long to defeat? Sacrifice some range to buff up your attack. Or perhaps they're just out of reach? Take away a little bit of your firing capacity to stretch out the range that little bit farther. The fact that there's no combination that provides a max-out of every stat (save for a particular item on Easy Mode) means that the necessity for these kind of choices is always apparent, and this further encourages experimentation and practice in a game that already involves the player so much.

However, Megaman also has some support in his efforts against the Reaverbots, in the form of Special Weapons. Ranging from explosive mines to homing missiles (and even a laser!), the options our blue-clad hero has to choose from to accompany him on his adventures remain as variable as ever. However, there is an important catch - he has to find them first. Each of the Special Weapons must either be obtained through a storyline event or by combining several different pieces together, most of which are found only through exploring the extensive caverns of the Sub-Ruins. Yet even after finally acquiring these instruments of power, there's still more that can be done - each Special Weapon has its own set of areas that can be powered up (such as attack power, ammo amount, or even a special ability). While these improvements can range from cheap to wholly expensive in cost (and thus might illicit in some a feeling of boredom from repetition of money farming), these improvements are entirely optional and absolutely none of them are required in order to finish the story, meaning the amount of time spent on them is left completely up to the player.

Perhaps what is by far the most appreciated aspect of this game, and most certainly appreciated by myself, however, is the voice acting. In a time where very few console games provided a substantial amount of voiceover work and even fewer did so WELL, Megaman Legends stands as a huge testament to just how much a great performance can enhance a character or the game experience overall. I can guarantee you any person who has played Megaman Legends beyond the first hour of gameplay will recall one or more lines spoken by the infamous Bonne family, from Tiesel's "I TOLD you....CLOSE the HATCH!!!" to Tron's infamous "It's a dog!" scene, or even just the adorable piping voices of the many Servbots. This is not limited to antagonists, however; Megaman himself is graced with one of the most fitting voices I have ever heard for his personality, and the Casket family themselves are far from monotonous. Yet despite all this character, the actual vocal performance is so spot-on that it's hard to not find yourself growing attached to both good and bad guy alike; lines are so well delivered and emotion so well conveyed, and both occur so often, that the game jumps to life long before the timeline of events becomes intense, and the clearer audio quality provided by the Playstation version of the game (which was lowered down for the port to the Nintendo 64) means that you get to hear these conversations in strikingly clear fashion.

If you are simply looking to kill some time and relax, this game can provide that - videos and evidence exist of players breezing through the game's story in anywhere from 1 to 3 hours (depending on difficulty level), and Easy mode, once unlocked, is literally the definition of "an absolute blast" for those who aren't looking to work too hard. If you want to spend longer, however, the Legends can provide that too - between the numerous sidequests and the SUBSTANTIAL number of upgrades one can make to the Special Weapons (only after you find the parts to make them, of course!), one could quite possibly spend more time on the sub-events than they do on the actual story - and yet, it is all still so immersive.

If you are already the owner of this unique and memorable installment in the Megaman timeline, I hope that you continue to enjoy its nuances even if it's a been a long time since you played it. If you're new to the series or haven't played this game, however, I honestly implore you to pick up a controller and give this a try. Though one can fully admit there are games out there with more intense fights and gameplay than what Legends presents, few can match the sheer memorability and ingenuity that surrounds so many aspects of this work from Capcom. Whether a Christmas present for a nostalgic or a blast from the past for yourself, Megaman Legends can really do nothing but good for the individual who allows the island of Kattelox to come into their life; though the light from Volnutt's Buster wasn't around for very long, it continues to shine in the hearts of so many still today.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good game with lots of heart..., June 9, 2005

By 

John. N (Big Run, PA USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Mega Man Legends (Video Game)

To me, Mega Man Legends is one of those games you'll remember years after playing it. The game itself doesn't break any new ground and has its share of flaws, but the overall experience is definitely rewarding.

Mega Man Legends pretty much plays like the earlier Tomb Raider games control wise. Unfortunately, there are a few problems with the control scheme, such as a lock on system that doesn't allow you to move while locked on an enemy (which was fixed in MML2), and the fact you also must contend with moving the camera manually in order to compensate for the lack of a better lock on system to hit your mark.

Legends also uses a pretty similar graphic engine as Tomb Raider as well, complete with all the flat, 2D scenery that rotates with the camera and all the pixilated surfaces and clipping problems that accompanied that era of Playstation gaming. Unlike Tomb Raider, the environments in Mega Man Legends are much brighter and colorful, adding to the games cartoon-like feel, rather than the dark, dank death-trap ridden tombs that Lara Croft raids.

The pretty low difficulty level of the game is also an important factor to look at as well. Considering this game is somewhat geared towards an younger audience, this isn't an error so to speak, but older, more experienced players will fly through the game in a handful of hours (especially considering most of the game bosses can be defeated by constantly circling around them and firing). Thankfully, Capcom added an unlockable difficulty setting to make the game harder for those looking for an additional challenge (oh and is it ever a challenge). Add to this Capcom increased the difficulty on Mega Man Legends 2 a few notches, and all can be forgiven here.

So with all these problems, why is Legends such a good game? Heart, and lots of it. Mix in a good story, a wonderful cast of characters (and enemies), and throw in some of Capcom's more respectable forays in voice acting department, and you got a winner. While some may claim that Legends carries a "kiddy tone", I actually find this to be one of the game's charms and strengths. Honestly, if you don't laugh when one of the Lego Men, err, I mean Servebots messes up and angers Tron, there is something wrong. Seriously, it isn't anymore kiddy than a Mario or Zelda game (or most of Nintendo's gaming library for that matter).

The other thing that makes the Legends series so great is the fact Capcom decided to quit while they were ahead. While I myself still wish they would churn out a Mega Man Legends 3 (considering some of the unresolved issues in Mega Man Legends 2's ending), at least Capcom didn't make a zillion sequels and drain the series of all it's fun and respectability, of which they have done a fine job of doing to the original series and X series.

In the end, Mega Man Legends is not a game you'll remember for amazing graphics, razor-sharp control, or challenging quests. Instead, you'll walk away with a overall memorable experience.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must BUY!, February 19, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Mega Man Legends (Video Game)

I bought the game to see if it was interesting. And what I found was a game that starts off in action and suspence! It is the coolest game and RPG I have ever bought. If you like Action/Adventures and/or RPG games, Then this is a game for you. This game really ROCKS! I just can't seem to get away from it. You gotta try it! I guarantee you will like it!