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Mega Man ZX Advent Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Thursday, January 17, 2008
Nice change of pace for the Mega Man series; looks stunning, especially with anime clips; plays great and makes proper use of touch screen.
Frustratingly difficult at times; voice acting could be better; you can't leave a level until you beat the boss or lose all your lives.
Mega Man's back. Well, OK, technically, the Mega Man feeling is back, as the character himself isn't really anywhere to be found in Mega Man ZX Advent. That's okay, though, as his spirit lives on in the form of Grey and Ashe, two young newcomers who look to rescue the future from a lunatic who's taken control of a powerful Biometal fragment that could very well push the future in a dark new direction. It's not as easy as it sounds...and that's one of Advent's biggest problems.
The game was clearly built for veterans of the series. You'll encounter more bottomless gaps, spiked walls and varied enemies than ever before, not to mention over-the-top bosses fully intent on crushing your hopes and dreams, along with your physical being. You'll need to be on your A-game to get all the way through this one. It's built with the more hardcore player in mind. Those of you new to the series may want to stick with Mega Man Zero instead, until you get the hang of what it has to offer. Then you're ready to upgrade to Advent.
Don't get us wrong, though - the game's very, very good, considering the change of pace in the Mega Man mantra. It still plays well, with varied differences between Grey and Ashe as they follow the same mission guidelines. Even though you still go through each level in the same straight manner, there's a terrific map system which comes into play with the DS touch-screen that finds significant use. Furthermore, each character has a style of attack perfectly suited for the game, as well as homing attacks that come in handy for bothersome, out-of-reach enemies. The level design is intuitive and the bosses are challenging, but not impossible. They're probably the best designed in the series to date.
Graphically, Advent looks like a pure winner. Besides using some full-blown anime clips that really sparkle on the DS, you'll also find colorful level and boss designs that really bring out the best in the system. The voice acting is also clear as a bell, although there are times it's just too cheesy for its own good. EVERY line is spoken, even considerably lesser guard speak that you wish you could just skip past. Unfortunately, most of these scenes are unskippable, as you'll have to keep hitting the X or Y button to just get past that certain line of dialogue. You actually want to get more into the action and less into the game's story, just because of the talky-talky stuff.
Advent also supplies the player with plenty of options. Along with the homing attacks and the two character styles, you'll also have plenty of Biometal-supported boss items to use during the game, and sometimes you'll want to go back and try again just to see the effects of the weapons themselves. Like previous Mega Man games, it's very impressive. Also, you can find hidden items and take on a higher difficulty level, just in case the default level doesn't eat you alive. There are other secret goodies to unlock as well, but we won't spoil them for you here. Mega Man fans will definitely appreciate this.
Overall, Mega Man ZX Advent reinvents the wheel in a way, but it still spins just as well as it ever has. This chapter in the series might be a bit too much for some to bear, and the dialogue could've been done away with in favor of more varied levels. Regardless, the gameplay, design and extras make it well worth your time, especially if you're an old-school Capcom fan that's never shaken free from its grasp. You know, the ones that play Bionic Commando and Strider on the hardest difficulty, saying you didn't break a sweat when you damn well know you have. You people.
