MEGA MAN 8
Review by Paper Ace Chase (CWilley)
Mega Man 8 is by far, in my opinion, the best Mega Man game ever produced. It's got crisp, nice graphics. It's the first Mega Man game to feature anime cut-scenes, and probably the best anime cut-scenes in a Mega Man game. The music is very Japanese and very rememberable. All I wish is that CAPCOM would create a Mega Man 9 to satisfy my cravings! Anyway, on with the review.

Story Line (8/10): For the first time, I believe CAPCOM has actually developed a good Mega Man story line. It appears the same at first, unoriginal. But there's more to it. Duo, a good force from Earth, has been fighting with evil energy in space. The evil energy has been obtained by Wily, who is using it to power new robot masters. Duo is here to destroy the evil energy. Mega Man joins in to help before Wily gets too powerful!

Sound/Music/Voice (9/10): Perfect sound effects! They definitely add the mood to the game. Just the squishy noise when Mega Man lands from a jump is enough to give me (good) goosebumps. Plus, the music is outstanding! Frost Man delivers perfect catchiness, Sword Man has outstanding rhythm, and Aqua Man delivers the well-deserved calmness we need in a Mega Man game. The only thing stopping me from giving this factor a 10 was the voice acting. Mega Man sounds like a girl, seriously. He sounds even more feminine than Roll herself! Plus, the anime cut-scenes are dubbed badly. Dr. Light sounds like Elmer Fudd (''We ha'e to stop Doctow Wiwy.''). However, after playing through the game countless times, the voices grow on you and hearing a Mega Man with a manly voice seems awkward.

Graphics (10/10): CAPCOM can never fail at delivering perfect graphics for a 2-D platformer. The graphics are very colorful and characters are beautifully animated. Nothing goes wrong here. Even the little shots from Mega Man's buster gun have been updated to look nicer, now sporting energy waves around each one and a new color. No more gigantic balls, they actually look like something now! Plus, every action Mega Man does looks so nice. From jumping, to running, to sliding. Even the little balls that appear when he dies are perfect.

Gameplay (10/10): Another perfect factor. Everything is outstanding. It's classic Mega Man gameplay, but with new secrets and surprised. Mega Man begins at a Skull Island stage, where he gets a new weapon (the Mega Ball) to go with his Mega Buster. After finishing and the story line goes on some, he can choose to fight four bosses (Tengu, Clown, Grenade, or Frost). Like every Mega Man game, you defeat a boss and get their weapon. You then use the weapon on the boss who is weak to it, then get a new weapon and repeat the pattern. Each stage is long and interesting; nothing repetitive here! You get tons of other weapons, not just from robot masters, like Rush (even a new Rush Motorcycle). Also, you can find pretty-well-hidden Bolts in the game. You can give them to Roll and she'll build an upgrade for you. Some examples? Upgrade your Power Shot to a Triple Arrow Shot, or allow rapid fire by holding the button. You can also get little, unnecessary upgrades like the ability to slide and climb ladders faster. You can't get them all, so you have to decide on which upgrades to get yourself. After defeating the first four bosses, you play another stage and then unlock four more bosses to play. The game never gets boring, in my opinion, and is perfect for all Mega Man fans alike!

Difficulty (6/10): After playing through a few times, you can beat it in less than a hour without trouble. I can, at least. For a Mega Man newbie, or just a newbie to the game altogether, it can be a little frustrating to get used to all of the new features. But, even though it's easier after playing a few times, it's still fun to play.

Replay Value (10/10): You can always play through and find new secrets, like Bolts you never saw, and use them to get upgrades you've never had. Plus, you may develop new tactics for defeating enemies and bosses. Even five years after I got the game, I love to play it over and over again. One of the reasons is the ending that makes you want to cry w/happiness, or just being able to few the extraordinarily-animated cut-scenes. For a Mega Man fan, you'll be coming back for more.

Rent or Buy? In 1996, I rented it first and finished it. Even after I took it back, I wanted to play it more and bought it soon after. You may want to rent first, and if you are a true blue Mega Man fan, you'll end up buying it eventually.

In a few words, Mega Man 8 is incredible!