Megaman Zero Official Complete Works [Paperback]

Michelle Kirie Hayashi (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2008

Megaman is one of Capcom's classic franchises that appeals to all ages, and the artwork and designs of the Megaman Zero series are known to be the most innovative in the franchise. This inspiring art book is filled with character designs, concept sketches, location designs, event digests, data archives, character dialogue lists, item charts and exclusive interviews with the series' creators giving an in-depth look at the Megaman Zero world! A must-have for all video game fans and inspired artists!

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Udon Entertainment (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897376014
• ISBN-13: 978-1897376010
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.5 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Accompaniment to the Megaman Zero Games! June 15, 2008

By Vernacular Spectacular

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

After so many moons of waiting and waiting for this book to come out it is finally here! To put into perspective how long I've been waiting for this book to come out I believe that the first pre-order I put with Amazon.com was on February 20th, 2007. That's over a year ago! I can safely say that this book delivers on all fronts and is well worth the wait.

This book is 176 pages of filled with great art and information about the Megaman Zero Series. It provides inside information on the characters of the series as well as how some came about and more information about them that might not necessarily have been included in the games. It even provides great insight into characters that were cut from the final product of said series. Great art, great insight into the series and it's creators, what more could you ask for?

There are actually two things that I could ask for and those come in the forms of errors. On page 169 leading into page 170 there is a sentence that seems to have been cut off. "Since we had left the first game with such an open ending, I think we manage to pull of the..." Pull what off? Pull of the correct way to open the second game? Pull of the best way to start the second game? What is it? As soon as you hit page 170 a new question is asked and the previous sentence is never finished.

The second error comes in on page 153; there is a picture that was reused from page 152. The picture in question fits perfectly in 152 but not in 153 which a different scene is playing out entirely. You're reading scene after scene then you stop abruptly at this scene that doesn't even belong there!

These two errors make me feel a bit disappointed in the book.... For a book that was often delayed as this I feel like the book should have no errors in it what-so-ever. Very disappointing indeed.

Still this book makes a great accompaniment to the video game series overall with beautiful artwork and a better insight into the creation and the things that were created in the game. If you love the Megaman Zero series then you'll love this book. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of Mega Man's very best art design March 13, 2012

By Relytia TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mega Man, in all its forms, is truly a spectacular gaming franchise. A lot of aspects about the series are truly iconic, its extremely charming, stylistic art design not least of all. The Mega Man Zero series is no exception. I personally love the Zero series for many reasons, but one of the most compelling aspects for me has always been its spectacular art. To be able to have a book with the sole purpose of showcasing that art is truly a brilliant idea.

It's pretty interesting to see progression in a gaming series' art direction. In the Classic Mega Man series, you had more of an old-school, classical cartoon anime vibe, with Mega Man X taking it in a slightly more detailed, hardcore direction. Zero continues that trend, but instead of just adding a bit more edge and mature details to an already established design, it literally redefined the very core of the art design itself, taking it into radically new directions. It definitely still retains the spirit of Mega Man though. Personally, I find the art of the Mega Man Zero series to not only be some of the best in the Mega Man name, but in video games as a whole. It's that good.

The organization of the book is intuitive and the lay-out is quite pleasing. It's organized by categories, like main characters, bosses, enemies, cyber elves, extras, etc. The characters are truly brimming with life and personality. The enemy designs are super compelling.... The action shots are absolutely overflowing with kinetic energy and genuinely convey just how epic the events and battles are in the Zero series. In addition to art depicting finalized designs for characters, bosses, enemies, items, cyber elves, environments, and anything you can imagine, you also get to see some sketches and pieces so you can see the progression some things went through before a final design was decided upon. It helps you give you perspective on the series and its development. Throughout the whole book is commentary by the artists who helped shape this universe, and for the most part, it's all quite interesting.

There are quite a few things included in this book that I didn't expect for an art book. Sketches from the initial proprosal Inti Creates sent in to Capcom to get the greenlight for the game in the first place are included. There are extras in the back that are totally unexpected, like a group interview with four members of the Zero series team at Inti Creates, one of which could be give most credit for the art direction in the whole series, as his name constantly pops up in the book when accredited for his works. The interview gives some really great insight into what it took to make these games and gives a new perspective on the games themselves. That was a real highlight for me. There are other extras, like screen-shots depicting memorable moments/conversations in the game, a list of what possible ranking titles you can get in the various games and how to get them, a section showing what each character audibly says in-game, different logos used in the various region releases of the games, and art that came with the Inti Creates made remastered soundtracks to the titles (all of which are incredible, by the way). It's a great book, full of variety and including things I really didn't expect but was delighted to see in there. Some things like the ranking information is actually helpful when playing the games!

As far as the quality of the publication of the book itself, this is actually very high. Udon books have a tendency to have binding that wears out quicker than I'd like, but since this book is a reasonable thickness with 180 pages in total, that isn't a problem at all. The cover art is particularly worthy of mention. Not only is the picture incredible in its coloring and composition, it also has a glowing, almost ethereal sheen to it. It really catches the eye and entices you to pick up the book and enjoy its contents.

I have one single complaint that I must voice here. There is a lot of art that is repeated in the book, sometimes with one or two minor details changed, and sometimes literally copied and pasted again. Oftentimes these pieces are literally on the same page, or one or two pages away from each other. I am sure there was more work that went into these games' art direction than what was used in this book, and that's a big complaint. There's also virtually no environment designs either. It's pretty much a character design artbook. Again, it's some of the best video game chracter/boss design, period, but still, Zero's in-game universe is fascinating, and more would have been better. This was the first "Official Complete Works" art book Udon made for Capcom, and that lack of experience shows. Their later Capcom art books are much better in terms of content choice. It's still a great art book though, so don't let these complaints hold you back.

Overall, this is one of my favorite official release art books, and in my opinion is on-par with my other two favorite Udon video game art books, Okami Official Complete Works and Mega Man Tribute. That is entirely due to the incredibly imaginative, beautifully inspiring art design that fuels the Zero games. Now I just wish they'd release an art book for the ZX series, which continued in the same art direction of Zero. I hope enough ZX games are made to justify an art book, but I digress. I know I keep saying this, but seriously, the Mega Man Zero series has some of my all-time favorite art design, of any game, period. It's awesome. That been said, this book gets my highest recommendation. Buy it, take in its glorious splendor, and marvel at some of the very best art design in Mega Man's iconic history. Read more ›

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Freakin Awesome! April 21, 2009

By Bookworm

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been a mega man fan all my life, but that doesn't mean that I've been a big fan of all the different types of artwork for each series. The ones that have caught my eyes over the years have been the Mega Man X series and the Mega Man Zero series for the GameBoy Advance/DS.

This book in particular is a major showcase on how much time and thought is spent on making this game come to life. There are several pictures of the hero and the enemies in this book. From conceptual to the finished version, you get a pretty good look at what was included (and no included) in the game.

Many of the chapters are broken up into whatever title the Mega Man was created, and it shows you what bosses/characters were in that version. Towards the end, they show you some of the characters that were created but was never implemented into the game.

There are a few pages, however, where one reviewer mentioned that the words were cut off. No big deal, really. Most of the translated Japanese text was done well, although there are a few pages that don't translate it for you. This didn't bother me, since the artwork speaks for itself.

The cover of the book is like a holographic type, so it's nice and shiny. Trust me, you got to check this one out.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Megaman Zero dream book! July 10, 2008

By Lupe

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a fan of the Megaman Zero series. I love the hardcore gameplay and rating system and when I read about this book last year and saw it was sold out I was sadden but I kept checking to see if it restocked. Now after such a long, LONG time it is back and my goodness, I wasn't going to miss out a second time. This is a great book for the fans of the series. The art is what took me into the game as well, and there is TON of that in here. I love the reflective cover of the book and the interviews as well inside. If your a fan of the series, don't pass this up, a great buy!