Features in Megaman games

A slightly different blog post this time around since I wanted to talk about features in Megaman games, and what I like and dislike about them.

The slide - This is a very good idea on paper since it seems to add a strategic element to the game. That is, you need to time your slides in order to avoid enemy attacks. However, since the Megaman game in question that has the feature needs to be designed around it, it renders it quite pointless. Because pressing the button combination to slide at the right moment isn't exactly 'hard'. If you design the game so that Megaman can walk to avoid the enemies instead of sliding it's basicly the same game except you have not added a feature that there is no need for. A better solution to lower the hitbox would probably be to enable Megaman to duck. But we all know Megaman can't duck, right?

The charge-up buster - A common complaint I've read about the buster is that it made the robot master weapons pointless in Megaman 4 since a charged-up shot was more powerful than any other weapon. While that could be true I think there are other aspects of the feature that are more important when determining whether it's good or bad (said reason is merely a balance issue I think since apparently this was not a problem in MM5 or 6). Basicly charging the buster is always the right idea, meaning you always hear that sound throughout the game which is less than ideal. Also it takes mashing the button to shoot lemons pointless which I think is a skill that should be promoted. Thirdly missing a charge shot is often really bad for you which means you have to shoot them really precisely, as opposed to missing with a lemon which is no big deal. Which changes the dynamic of the combat for the worse.

E-tanks - As a kid I loved the E-tanks because they meant I could farm them like crazy on Gemini Man's stage and finally complete a Megaman game! A few years later I realize how they break the game in half since you do not have to care about the RM weaknesses which is integral to the gameplay in the games. It also creates a vicious circle where the RM's need to be made harder in order to still be challenging even when taking E-tanks into account, which in turn makes them too hard to complete without using E-tanks.

Rush - I'm not against Rush per-se, but I'm not a fan of the way he has been used in the games. The Rush Coil makes you able to reach higher places, but since you have it from the beginning and have almost infinite energy, placing stuff higher up becomes kinda a moot point. Rush Jet was overpowered in MM3, but in the other games I think it was underpowered in that you move up and down too slowly and can easily run into stuff. Rush Marine obviously was extremely limited in when you could use it.

Items in MM2 - These I like. Turn Item 1 and 3 into one item like in Rosenkreuzstilette and I think it's the best solution. Not too broken and still useful.

Magnet Beam - I like the Magnet Beam, but the problem is you can skip entire areas by just using the beam, making it a bit too good. Perhaps limit it's energy more or design the levels to limit it's usefulness that way.

The Shop - Ewwww. Nope, Megaman is not an RPG or Action-Adventure game. I felt MM9 was balanced after people using the shop items, making going through the game without them a pain.