Mega Man 8

Mega Man 8
Completionist Info
Episode Number	144
Date Released	September 18th, 2015
Completionist Rating	Fini-Play It!
Link	Mega Man 8

Mega Man 8, known as Rockman 8: Metal Heroes(ロックマン8 メタルヒーローズ) in Japan, is a video game released by Capcom. It is the eighth installment in original Mega Man series, and was originally released in Japan on the PlayStation on December 17, 1996. The following year, Mega Man 8saw a release on the Sega Saturn and was localized for both consoles in North America and the PlayStation alone in PAL regions. Upon its release, Capcom reached the franchise's tenth anniversary. Mega Man 8 is the first game in the series made available on 32-bit consoles.

The plot begins as the robotic hero Mega Man is called to investigate a mysterious energy reading coming from a recent meteor crash on an island. Mega Man discovers that his nemesis Dr. Wily has beaten him there and immediately retreats with the energy source. Mega Man is charged with stopping Wily's evil plans to use the energy, as well as discover the purpose of a mysterious, alien robot found at the crash site. Along with new animated full-motion videos (FMVs) and voice acting, Mega Man 8 features improved graphics and sound when compared to previous iterations in the series. Aside from a few minor conventions, the game utilizes the same 2D side-scrolling andplatforming formula established by its predecessors on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems.

Many reviewers appreciated the aesthetic and gameplay qualities ofMega Man 8 when compared to its earlier counterparts. However, several other critics were dismayed by this same lack of innovation, finding that it does not utilize the full potential of the 32-bit platforms outside its animated FMVs. This resulted in an overall average or mixed critical reception. However, the game was a moderate commercial success and was re-released on best-seller lines in both Japan and North America. Mega Man 8 was followed by Mega Man & Bass, a 1998 spin-off game for the SNES and later Game Boy Advance. A true sequel to the game, Mega Man 9, would not be released until 2008 and would revert to the graphical and gameplay style of the early NES games.

Mega Man 8 was made available on the PlayStation Network as part of the PSOne Classics line on December 17, 2014 in Japan and May 27, 2015 in North America.

The Completionist

Jirard reviewed the game for the 144th episode of The Completionist, as well as the last of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection reviews.

Jirard actually finds the plot refreshing and deep. He compliments the game’s graphics, though finds the visual presentation doesn’t remind him much of Mega Man at all. Special criticism is given to the game’s infamous anime cutscenes, which are made especially hard to watch with the bad voice acting. He theorizes that the adults are drunk, and that Mega Man is the hero because he’s a kid and doesn’t drink alcohol. After this rant, though, he appreciates the level design, despite criticizing the boss concepts. He briefly compliments the shooting stages, and hates the snowboarding sections.

Jirard loves the gameplay in the game, as it builds on concepts of past Mega Man games. However, he’s critical of the game’s tempo, as the game as a whole feels slower to him. Though he does like the upgrade system and new swimming controls. Overall, he finds the game is still fun.

Jirard takes the Completion Bonus section of the review to talk about the two games unlocked on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection.

As a whole, Jirard finds the game better than its reputation suggests.

Trivia

• Despite Jirard professing to never having played the game before, the episode has a blue thumbnail.

• Ryan and Matt, who do art for the Mega Man Archie Comics, do some guest art for this episode.

• Whenever he talks about Dr Wily, he pronounces his name as “Why-wee” in reference to Dr. Light’s infamous voice acting in this name.

• Jirard completed both the Xbox and PS1 versions of the game for this episode, as his Xbox 360 had trouble emulating the game at points.

• The video ends with an advertisement for Crunchyroll, an anime streaming service.