Customer Reviews

Mega Man Legends

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Not only is Mega Man Legends the best Mega Man game, it (along with it's sequel) is THE best videogame ever created. I experienced unfathomable ecstacy playing this game in my youth. Some of the very best moments of my life were spent playing this game. Wonderful story, characters, battle system, upgrade system, level design, music, and graphics (for the time). A very emotion inspiring game. It will live in my heart and mind for the rest of my life. I can't possibly say enough about how much I love this game. It is just that good.

Finally, after YEARS of seeing Mega Man in 2D shooter side-scroller gameplay, Capcom began to realize the video game scene was changing, and realism was becoming more important than ever. So in 1997 Capcom decided to take the classic gameplay of the old Mega Man games and bring Mega Man to an ENTIRE new 3D world. I finally got to experience the 3D Mega Man adventure a few days ago, in July 2006. So it took me NINE years to finally play it! What can I say? I'm slow!

I have a few problems with certain parts of the game but overall, I'm happy to report that the jump to 3D was a good one (not to mention a NECESSARY one!) Mega Man spends the entire time in Legends jumping and shooting through a unique 3D environment.

I'm surprised so many people hate the graphics in the game. They're quite wonderful if you ask me. Sure, the graphics may be dated because the game is nearly 10 years old (and walking around in Mega Man Legends is sort of like walking around in a giant land of legos) but none of that should matter because you have to take into account the amount of FUN a game provides. Mega Man Legends provides a LOT of fun.

I really loved one of the very first boss fights in the game where I had to keep running and hiding behind buildings because these giant walking blue, red and yellow machines were throwing bombs and shooting laser beams at me. The first time I completed this battle it took a good 30 minutes ONLY for a bigger, badder machine to come in and defeat me in seconds. At first I was angry because the game wouldn't let me SAVE before fighting this fourth boss. "A half hour of work flushed down the toilet" was the thought that went through my head.

That led me to think the game might be too hard for me to handle, but it turned out I just didn't have the right upgrades for my X-buster equipped (actually I didn't have ANYTHING equipped!) so when I went back to do the battle again I defeated him (her, actually) rather easily.

Most of the enemies throughout the game are rather easy to defeat (including the boss fights). Many of the boss fights will keep you on your toes, though. The strategy to defeating many of them is to KEEP RUNNING and only turn around when the moment is right and BLAST them! The only boss who isn't easy is the very last boss (who sounds like Michael Jackson) because he has TWO forms. The first form you can figure out with practice, but on the second form he turns into a giant machine and THEN the challenge increases. But it's possible to find enough money to carry up to 10 Sub-tanks to help you out DRASTICALLY. If you were to carry 10 Sub-tanks he would be a VERY easy boss! Despite that, the game provides a nice challenge because the way the story unfolds forces you to do a LOT of things. You have to go HERE, you have to go THERE! You have to collect THIS, you have to collect THAT! You'll find out just how many items and weapons are in the game when you hit the Start button and see everything in your inventory. It's borderline INSANE.

You see, to help make the game easier, what you have to do is go around searching for things (things located in treasure chests or holes in walls) and then you have to bring the things you collect back to this yellow vehicle where your female friend (or sister, I forget who she is) will be inside. She can find ways to turn many of the things you collect into important weapons for you to use. She must be smart!

I think I explained myself correctly, there. It's kind of confusing because there's so many things you have to collect and that's the main reason I can't give the game a perfect 5-star rating. TOO MUCH! In Mega Man Legends you will find SO many weapons and SO many upgrades that it can easily confuse someone (like me) who's normally not exposed to this much activity in a video game.

You have to find a little dancing monkey to save your game. When you're lost, he can also help you by telling you where to go, unfortunately many times he doesn't provide enough information. So you can be left wandering around for hours until you finally have no choice but to find a strategy guide on the internet to help you out.

The music in the game is nice. It's usually played quietly which is odd because most Mega Man music is RIGHT in your face. If you can actually hear the music, it's pretty much what you'd expect from a Mega Man game.

Listen to those sound effects!! Sound familiar? Think South Park! One of the children (or "pirates") sounds JUST like Butters, and a newswoman who appears later in the game sounds like Kyle's mom! Some of the animation looks like South Park, too. When did South Park come out? 1997? Hmmm, makes you wonder...

Once again, the graphics. They aren't as bad as I thought they'd be. Sort of blocky, of course (since this IS Playstation ONE we're talking about here) but I can't bring myself to really hate the graphics because there's a certain mysterious charm about them. Mega Man Legends LOOKS like a children's game but it's not, really. Most children wouldn't be able to complete the game because some boss strategies require careful timing and it would be difficult for a child.

The play control... goodness. It's definitely not easy to figure out at first. To make Mega Man walk straight, you have to hold down the L and R buttons (this rotates the direction Mega Man is facing) while at the same time you have to use the up, down, left and right buttons to make Mega Man walk forward. So, because you have to do a lot of running in Mega Man Legends, when an enemy is chasing you and RIGHT behind you, you have to turn around, use the L and R buttons to face him, and THEN hit him. In the middle of hitting the L and R buttons will probably be the time you take the most hits. It may take a few hours to properly pull off but you *should* become better at it with practice.

A trick to help you: when an enemy is chasing you, run as far away from him as possible and THEN turn around. Usually the enemy will be far enough away that you will have time to control Mega Man so he's facing the enemy directly. Then, simply wait for the enemy to get close and fire away! I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't figure out the controls- it's not the greatest way to control a character. I'm not sure if Capcom improved the play control in Mega Man Legends 2.

I find it funny and insulting that when you find a hole in a wall, many times a *very* small amount of money will be located there. Small enough to not be able to afford ANYTHING. It's funny because Capcom made it like "wow, you found money!" only to insult you with sofa cushion money. To find a LOT of money you have to run around shooting enemies.

Just running around shooting enemies and collecting zenny (money) is a lot of fun, not to mention addicting. A pretty good game worth picking up.

I am a big fan of Mega Man! I have loved Mega Man games ever since they were released on NES and Game Boy, but this game re-defines Mega Man. I never thought that Mega Man would make it in a 3D game, but this one is a lot better than I expected! You can choose different weapons like splash mines, machine guns, canons, vacuum and more! You can also use Mega Man's sister Roll to combine items you find to make special gadgets, such as rocket skates, spring shoes and a protective helmet! You can combine different buster parts that you find to enhance your buster gun too. There is also a pretty good story line to the game too. Unfortunately, the game doesn't quite follow the old Mega Man story, there isn't a Doctor Light or Doctor Wily in this game. If you like action/adventures or Mega Man then this is the game for you!

This is the best megeman game so far. It is alot of fun. HAs a nice twist, and cool and hard end of the game boss battle. For those who have never played it, but love the megaman games, buy this one. It has so much to do. You can find scrap parts to make new weaopns. I bought it (years ago) the day it came out. It took me about a year to beat it. I must have replayed it about 30 times. Its always fun and hard. A great gift for a little one (7 or above). I love how when your in the shoping center thing, that if you kick the can into the Bakery megaman becomes a darker color if you do it a couple of times.. great game it is.. bye

This is the continuing story in the "Megaman" series but, with an all-new plot . Megaman must duel w/pirates, reaverbots etc. to save an imperiled island, while trying to find the mysterious Mother-Lode, which is a powerful treasure . I really liked the voice dubbing in this one . The weapons are awesome, the acting is PERFECT, and the mini-games are nicely done .(not to mention the missions) if you thought "Megaman" 1-9 was hard, just wait until you try this one ! p.s. Also be sure to check out "Megaman Legends 2" !

I still remember my first time playing a megaman game, i was only 10 years old at the time and i remember it well.... There he was, a little blue guy who shot bullets at evil robots and machines, gaining new powers as he went along, then things changed, the future of megamna is still yet to be determined but i'm sure the Blue Bomber still has enough Juice left in him for many sequels for years to come! If you love megaman then this is they game for you! Also try Megaman X4 for Playstation!

This game is amazing and anyone that calls themselves a megaman fan should most definitly buy it. It takes a very different approach to gameplay in comparison to the original megaman and megaman X games. It is more of a adventure/RPG type game somewhat similar to the setup of Nintendos Zelda games. In my opinion out of all the megaman games this one has the best story line, probably due to its humorous tenacity. This game is rather childish however, and I would not suggest that anyone who can't block this out should buy it.