Game Boy Advance

Mega Man & Bass

Mega Man and Bass is a terrific opportunity for Mega Man fans, since it’s a port of a title that never came stateside and is essentially new to us. While the game’s difficulty might shy away more casual GBA gamers weaned on games like Super Mario Advance, anyone looking for a challenging action game to play on their Game Boy Advance should give Mega Man and Bass a look.

In this particular title, Megaman teams up with one of his more mysterious enemies known as Bass, which would of course explain the game’s rather interesting title. With Bass and Megaman, it is the player’s job to select between either of them, with their own unique set of traits and abilities, and wipe out the forces of evil once again. Although ported from the Super Nintendo in Japan, the game retains its entire array of graphical luster it presented during its first run release. Seeing as how this is the game’s first domestic release, fans of the series should find plenty to appreciate here.

I wouldn't be surprised if the game designers at Capcom get some sort of sadistic joy when they're put to work creating another game in the Mega Man series. The franchise has always been known for its incredibly high difficulty curve, and the latest game in the series (at least on the Game Boy Advance), Mega Man & Bass follows the frustration/fun formula of the series to the letter. Don't go into this game expecting a quick romp; the levels that have been implemented in Mega Man & Bass are devious and difficult. But on the flipside, this game still has that "I know I can do it this time..." element that keeps players coming back, and when a game keeps you riveted to the system until you've completed the challenge, you know it's good.

In Mega Man & Bass, the evil android known as King is calling all the powerful robot warriors of the world to join his army and help him wipe out every single human from the surface of the earth, thus forming a world populated only by mechanical beings. Many androids accept King’s offer and set off to complete their task–kill every single human. Mega Man, as the hero he is, decides to stop King. But he’s not alone: Bass, the robot who claims to be the mightiest of his race and despises the blue bomber, is also after King for his own reasons.

In the end, Mega Man & Bass offers everything a solid action title needs. Unless you're burnt out on Mega, you can't go wrong.

Overall I gave this game an eight, keep in mind though that the only reason this game didn’t get a nine overall is because of the sound. I would definitely recommend this game to any Mega Man fan, or any fan of platform/shooters. This game exceeds expectations in both graphics and gameplay. It does what every game should do, it pushes the player to do better and challenges them in every portion. This game provides a fun challenge, which is something many other games lack. It is a perfect example of a great game.

Think how far Mario has come since Super Mario Bros. Now, ponder the evolution of Mega Man. Kind of sad, huh? This looks good and has the trademark Mega Man action, but I don't see much difference between this one and the dozens before it.

There's nothing particularly special about Mega Man & Bass other than the fact that it lets you play as two characters with different abilities that can actually make the game more difficult or less difficult. As such, if you're looking for a straightforward Mega Man action game, you really can't go wrong with Mega Man & Bass, but if you're looking for a game that puts more spin on the traditional Mega Man recipe, you might want to try out the Mega Man Zero games or the Mega Man EXE games.

Whether you choose Mega Man or Bass, though, the fact remains that the game is extremely challenging. Frustratingly so. It's difficult to play the game more than an hour or two at a time. You'll want to, though, because there are so many things about the cartridge that are polished.

I miss the old school Mega Man. Call me crazy, but there was something special about sticking that big cartridge into the NES and blasting countless foes to smithereens. It’s the kind of nostalgic magic that stays with you, even twenty years down the road. But while the current generation of Mega Man games is not quite as demanding as their predecessors, little seems to have been lost in the translation with this game. You’ve still got Mega Man blasting and platforming his way to victory, and Bass adds some much-needed flavor to the gameplay setup. Yet no matter how new and fresh this game may seem, it’s really an homage to the games of yesteryear. Mega Man & Bass takes us back to the old gaming formula, away from the RPG elements that now dominate the series. It’s a welcome blast from the past, the lost gem of the Mega Man GBA series.

At the very least, MM&B feels more like an authentic Mega Man game than MM8 does. MM&B is enjoyable enough—using Cold Man’s weapon to ride a block of ice across a floor of spikes is always a thrill, and questing after the Data CDs is a satisfactory diversion (even if the rewards are silly), and playing as Bass when he’s at full power almost makes up for what you have to suffer through to get there—but the game’s uneven difficulty is a definite turnoff, and the replay value is very low after you’ve collected all the CDs and beaten the game with both characters (which is quite a feat, let me tell you).