We try out the first playable version of Capcom's unique new entry in the Mega Man series at the Tokyo Game Show.
There's been much speculation on just what kind of experience Mega Man Universe would offer in the wake of the stylized teaser trailer that revealed its existence a few months ago. Capcom's finally offered a clearer picture of what to expect, thanks to the first playable version of the upcoming game in its booth at this year's Tokyo Game Show. We tried out the three levels on display in the work-in-progress game and found the title to be surprising in a number of ways.
Before we dive in to the game, we should offer some context around the demo on display at TGS based on a chat with Capcom reps. The three levels on display were made especially for the show, and at the moment, they aren't planned to be in the game, although they might be included as a bonus. The levels were intended to offer players an idea of what to expect from both the action and level creation in the upcoming title. It's an interesting choice for the game's debut, which covers a lot of ground.
Three of your choices are in the more traditional Mega Man vein. There's a classic anime-style Mega Man based on Keiji Inafune's original designs, an all new design for the Blue Bomber specific for MMU that's reminiscent of Tron
It sounds pretty logical; legs impact your speed and jumps, while arms impact your base shot type and the like. The special weapon slots will let you equip boss weapons as they become available. Finally, the item payload will let you equip different items, such as the always vital e-tanks, to use during the adventure.
We explored the three stages a bit more and found that they followed a pretty traditional Mega Man layout and had a decent array of ladders, spikes, enemies, jumps, and platforms. There were a few spots in the hard stage where it seemed like it was possible to get trapped if you missed a jump, which was actually in line with what can sometimes happen in user-generated content. The enemy mix was also on par with what you'd see in a Mega Man game and presented less of a problem than the actual jumping.
More importantly, we hope there's content for each of the different eras in between so that dedicated fans can go to town. As for Mega Man himself, we have to say that we were a little disappointed in the level of detail and animation for the iconic blue hero--although we're aware the game is a work in progress. After the trailer and the talk about what the game was going to be, we were hoping for something along the lines of Mega Man Powered Up in terms of art style and animation. Hopefully, the game will come closer to that title's level of polish as it takes shape.
Based on what we played, we're fans of the idea behind Mega Man Universe, but the execution is pretty rough right now. We like the customization of Mega Man and possibilities offered by stage creation. There's a lot of potential here, but it seems like the game needs more time to cook before it can deliver on its promise due to its shaky controls. Look for more on Mega Man Universe in the months to come.
Read and write comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
No comments:
Post a Comment