I'm Ryan, otherwise known as FistoftheWind on the internets. This is my personal space for retro video gaming, movie and television reviews as well as a lot of other junk from the 80's and 90's. Thanks for stopping by! When you're done reading be sure to check the forum link above and meet our other friends from the Mega Base.
It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but after Keiji Inafune left Capcom, their work on Mega Man has virtually stopped. With two huge titles, Mega Man Universe and Mega Man Legends 3, being cancelled, some have even argued that the company has become anti-Mega Man.
So I can't help but feel that this was a "crap I forgot our anniversary! Better grab some roses at the gas station on the way home" kind of gift.
Now don't take that as me saying Street Fighter x Mega Man was a cheap gift. Actually it's a pretty solid one. I just feel like Capcom dropped the ball with Mega Man's anniversary, especially in comparison to the things that were done for the Street Fighter 25th anniversary.
But regardless of Capcom's current lack of direction with Mega Man, let's talk about the game itself and see if it's a worthy enough product to wear the 25th Anniversary label.
From its obvious appearance you'll discover that the game is more Mega Man than it is Street Fighter. It once again sports the charming 8-bit look of the classic Mega Man series on the NES, in both appearance and gameplay, or at least it tries its best to. Instead of 8 robot masters to hunt down, this time the bosses are made up of various Street Fighter characters representing each series of its own 25 year history.
Of course each weapon you obtain is traditionally another opponents weakness, but I found the Street Fighters to be some of the easiest Mega Man bosses I've ever faced. The reason is because they don't really follow a patterned AI like a traditional robot master; they actually behave like computer controller opponents in a Street Fighter game. For example, Ryu will jump back and throw some Hadoukens, attempt some random hurricane kicks and unwarranted Shoryukens with no rhyme or reason, just like playing the computer on easy.
The stages of course are themed after each Street Fighter, including 8 bit remixes of their iconic themes. Each song is cleverly blended with past Mega Man stage themes making for some great Street Fighter tunes with that unforgettable Mega Man flavor to them.
Unlike the fairly recent Mega Man 9 and 10, which played closer to Mega Man 2, Street Fighter x Mega Man takes after Mega Man 4, giving you back your slide and chargable Mega Buster shot. Other than that, I can't really decide which game the physics feel like. Not that this is a bad thing, because it plays as closely as possible to the original games, there's just some things that are a little off. For example, when you take damage you aren't knocked away as far as in the originals. This is the sort of nit-picking that only die hard purists would concern themselves with. I've put countless hours in on the NES Mega Man series and I didn't find these small differences to be deterring from the experience at all.
What is a concern however is some inconsistent glitching with the handling in some of the stages. I'll cite Rolento's stage for example. In this stage on occasion Mega Man would keep walking for a few steps after I had let go of the d-pad. I tested this on different controllers with similar results. Unfortunately I only have one PC to test the game on, but the game runs perfectly with no hiccups so I can't be certain if this is something only I have experienced.
It's hard to complain about quality games with the cheap as free price tag, but one thing that really bugged me was the lack of a password or save system. This is the first 8 bit style Mega Man game that requires you to play through the entire game in one sitting, that is unless you don't mind to minimize the game and come back to it later. Mega Man games typically don't take that long to finish, but sometimes outside circumstances require you to leave in the middle of a game.
The game isn't as long as your typical Mega Man adventure either. There are only 2 additional stages to be played before you face the Street Fighters again for the second time. The first is with Balrog (boxer) which is an interesting new type of moving stage where he is trying to run you down while you dodge and blast enemies in your path. If he catches up to you it only takes one of his giga-ton punches to end you. After that is a more traditional stage that tests all the skills you've learned on the way which ends with a confrontation with Vega (claw). I was hoping there would be a Sagat stage after that but he seems to be missing from the game all together. Maybe this takes place after he wised up and left Shadowloo. After defeating these two grand masters you'll have to defeat all the Street Fighters again before facing the final boss.
So then the final confrontation is a one on one battle with M. Bison (dictator) himself. For being the last boss he was extraordinarily easy since he, like the other Street Fighters, seems to behave like a computer controlled opponent in a Street Fighter game.
For a more challenging end boss, try defeating at least 4 of the Street Fighters with a Perfect. I think it's pretty obvious who to expect...
At the end of the adventure what you have is a brand new Mega Man game that takes some risks in being a little bit different from the classic titles. I think the only way you can keep yourself from enjoying this title is if you're too much of a Mega Man purist to let yourself enjoy a fun and creative IP crossover.
Pros:
-The game is FREE.
-8-bit style Mega Man graphics we all know and love.
-Awesome Street Fighter music remixes with a Mega Man flare. Download the soundtrack from the artist for free here.
-The game offers lots of custom control options and window sizes to optimize your experience.
Cons:
-No password or save file system. (Though if you're a veteran Mega Man player you'll be able to breeze through this game almost as fast as playing through a Street Fighter arcade mode session)
-Possible control glitches in some stages (I'm not sure if this is actually confirmed, or just on my machine).
In the end what you have is a worthy new entry to the Mega Man series, even if there's some polish needed here and there. The great love the creators of this game show for Mega Man is clear in the final product, now let's just hope Capcom themselves can follow suite one day again.
Have fun and happy anniversary Street Fighter and Mega Man fans!
Animation by Junkpuyo
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