Today is the long awaited release of Mega Man Zero Collection in North America. The compilation includes all four games in the Mega Man Zero series, as well as some new features such as easy scenario mode, modification cards and an exhaustive official artwork gallery. All this for $29.99.Before heading out to your local retailer to pick MMZC up, it's a wise idea to call ahead and make sure the game's in stock -- more often than not, some stores don't carry newly released games till the following day.
If you've got the game, feel free to post you impressions in the comments!
Not out yet in Little Rock. I'm just gonna order it from Amazon.
ReplyDeleteOr not. It looks like amazon doesn't ship this for another 2 to 5 weeks?! Whats going on here?
ReplyDeleteLong awaited?
ReplyDeleteOkay, I knew something was going funky with my time judgment lately. Seems like this was just announced.
It was announced back in February and suffered two delays.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous #2:
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn it was announced back in January.
I can't wait until it gets here, I'm getting it from The MegaMan Network's contest. :3 Listening to the Onimusha Blade Warriors version of Departure now :3
ReplyDeleteApparently wal-mart in my area is pricing it at $39.99. That may change though because even though the mods are up, the game isn't even in yet, lol.
ReplyDeletemy store had it.
ReplyDeleteJust started playing a little while ago, and no problems with it yet.
I was already going into this and having the feeling that it was going to be bad. However, when the download was finished, I said "**** it, I'm better than this. Let's give this game a full chance, no bias."
ReplyDeleteAnd wow... I feel even more disappointed.
This is my short little "review" on the game.
The games themselves, there's no need for me to describe them, as you've likely played them before. The Zero games, we all know are really good games. They're fast paced, fun, challenging at times, great music, etc.
The Collection itself? Let me go into some slight details.
First, visuals. The menus are kind of nice. They fit seemlessly with the Zero 3 and Zero 4 menus the most, with the same teal-green/blue metalic (with pulsing laser lines) look those two games had.... See More
The game-visuals themselves, are bad. About 12% of the screen is not even used. It's a BIG black border around the top screen, meaning it's actually SMALLER than if you were to just stick the GBA cart and play it on GBA Mode. This makes the sprites squished and smaller.
Bottom screen displays random official artwork depending on the circumstances. For example, the first time you see Ciel in the respective game, her artwork will display at the bottom. Choose the Zero Knuckle in Zero 4? His artwork showcasing it will appear. It's a nice touch, but most of the time when a boss appears, their artwork is meant to be very large and tall. The game makes the artwork very squished and widened off. Not to mention, if you were to try and rip these images, they'd end up in pixel-sizes of 500x300.
Now here's the part that really sucks. The controls.
Capcom boasted about having "fully customizable controls" for the game. This is a load of bull****. The only controls, outside of the game's preset control change setups that were already in the original GBA versions, that are customizable are X and Y. These two buttons basically replicate a button of your choosing, whether it be A, B, L, R, or Select (for Zero 4 only).
So let's say you want face-buttons for Main Weapon, Sub Weapon, Dash, and Jump.
B is always Main Weapon and A is always Jump.
So that means you'd have to set Sub Weapon and Dash to either X or Y.
I don't know about you, but doing a Dash Jump with X for Dash then A for the jump, then trying to attack an oncoming opponent with either Y or B, is not meant for human fingers.
Not even SPIDERS can deal with these controls.
So yeah, to put it simple, this is a big waste of money. And I will laugh at ANYONE who actually spent money on this garbage and actually thinks it's good.
The review above is a copy-paste from a poster on GameFAQs who got her account banned, simply for posting that review. :/
ReplyDeleteI posted it here on her behalf because it still counts as an opinion of the game.
I though they had resized the gameplay screen? Looks like they're using emulation. If this is true, yeah, it's crap.
ReplyDeleteIf it's anything like Operate Shooting Star... I'd have to borrow it first, see what it's like, then consider maybe buying it. I mean, I have all the GBA carts, and a DS port would be convenient, but I'd love to see this for myself.
ReplyDelete@Saito:
ReplyDeleteYou know that if just set Y to be L and X to be R on the DS screen, you can change the fire and dash and all that in the top game screen under custom, right? Its a little screwy, but I got it to operate just like the original MMX games. The controls ARE fully customizable.
Wait. The screen is actually smaller than if you just put the GBA games in? Can anyone confirm this? It sounds wrong...
ReplyDeleteB is always Main-Weapon and A is always jump? So I can't use Y as Main Weapon and B as Jump like in ZX? That sucks hard.
I probably won't be getting this.
@ Gospel
ReplyDeleteYou CAN. Look at my post. You ahve to set Y=l and X=R or vice versa.
Then set the controls IN GAME to custom. Attack should be L and R should be switch weapon. B should be jump and A should be dash. Then you have the old school X series controls.
lol I always set my ZX and ZXA controls so that B was main weapon and A was jump so that I could always switch between them and my Zero games seamlessly! lol
ReplyDeleteI'll get this with only one exception: if the screen is compressed (why and how?? that would make no sense!) it sucks bad. But there's a big black border when you use the GBA carts anyway! The Advance had a smaller screen, ffs! It would be distorted if they made it use the whole DS screen!
@Gospel: Perhaps I should show you this Q&A post on TMMN recently put up: http://www.themmnetwork.com/2010/06/08/z-day-capcom-as-your-qs-on-mega-man-zero-collection
ReplyDeleteTo summarize: Mr. Joveth “JGonzo” Gonzalez (the Community Manager for Capcom Entertainment) answered that the Y&X buttons are programmed to mimic the A&B buttons' functions, if you customized the A to Attack and B to Jump, you'll be able use the control schemes of ZX.
Ah. I see. Well it's good you can set the buttons to whatever you want. Though I still don't think I'll be buying it unless it really goes down in price ($50 from Play-Asia for the Japanese version). I have Zero 1-3 on GBA anyway. I'll just look around for Zero 4.
ReplyDeleteIm playing Zero 1 now on the Collection, and having a roll of a time with Easy Scenario Mode. Though, does it get harder with progress?
ReplyDeleteZero 1 had me fuming on the missions about rescuing a Resistance Member in the Desert, and you have to protect the injured lad. Failed 3 times before i completed that mission.
Also, that mission in the Factory at night. Kept falling off the platforms after getting past the security cameras and big gate.
2 questions for those who have this;
ReplyDelete1: Does having the GBA games in the W-slot do anything? Maybe unlock the stuff you already unlocked like the Gyakuten Saiban DS games?
2: Does Zero 2 still have it's multiplayer mode?
I was hoping the viewing area would be expanded for the DS screen, but like others mentioned it's just GBA emulation. I'm glad Capcom got the customizable controls right for the emulator. Finally I can play a Zero game on my DS and have B as jump and Y as attack. I feel the collection could have been a bit more, but I'm not going to complain much.
ReplyDeleteNothing I'm hearing is really a surprise; I knew (as we all should have, since they TOLD US BEFOREHAND) that 12% of the gameplay screen isn't used, the "collection" part itself is pretty bare-bones, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who's a big enough Mega Man fan to frequent PRC and is still surprised by these details is silly. You really should have known better, because these details have all been available for quite awhile now.
That said, I'll be waiting on this. I already own all four original games, and though I love the Zero series, it's never been my favorite. If it weren't for X, I'd be a much bigger Zero fan, but... well, you know how it goes, being an X fan. I'll probably get this eventually just because I'm such a huge Mega Man devotee, but I don't feel the need to get it now.
But if I hadn't played and/or didn't own the origins? I'd have had Zero Collection preordered, for sure. As it is, there's just not much there for those who've already played through the series, to say nothing of those who already own it.
@Saito
ReplyDeleteStop putting down the game. You sound like a little immature child having a tantrum. Maybe if you knew how to control the game you would see that Zero Collection is better than the originals. Anyone who doesn't have the original zero games should get it instead of diving out 80 dollars for the four original hard to find GBA games.
It's emulation? Is that possible with how the bottom screen functions during gameplay? I dunno how these sorta things work. I'll pick this up eventually, I only ever played Z3 so playing the others should be cool.
ReplyDeleteScreen size is the same as the GBA version, I made a comparison by booting up my DS GBA expansion with MMZ and launching MMZC ROM later.
ReplyDeleteAs the people said, you can customize the controls to get MMZX scheme, it's not hard.
I also found the collection to work, like... a little better than the original GBA game. Like, a little bit smoother. Could be mistaken.
Also, the "cleaned-up" audio is a bonus.
I bought this collection today, since I've never played the Zero series before. I didn't want to play through the "Easy Scenario" since I wanted to experience each of the games fully first....
ReplyDeleteMEGA MAN ZERO IS A REALLY HARD GAME.
So, I'll just get back to my dying in the factory and farming for Weapon exp and energy crystals.
Easy Scenario sticks you in a full run of all four games in Ultimate Mode with full upgrades and no drawbacks to the upgrades whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteREALLY easy to S-rank it from start to finish. Which in turn means you can go fight bosses without raging like a nut(seriously, 90% of the time you'll get an A or an S).
They did a nice touch with the controls. Instead of making a completely new control setup, they maintained the original controls of the Zero series(which, by the way ARE completely customizable), then just had X and Y emulate what you need. It's not exactly something to enjoy, but it works pretty well for the Zero series.
The image size is mostly the same, and personally the black border actually gives an interesting feel to it somewhat like a movie.
I've yet to actually see if the character cards have OCW data in them, but so far things are looking good considering it's a port. A LOT more cost-worthy than OSS thanks to the basic content level of the Zero series and the random artwork from the OCWs stuck in here.
The intro music is the new theme from the Mythos soundtrack. The old tracks for the original games have also had their sound quality upped a small bit, with some of the songs having slightly different instrument and volume settings from what I can tell.
I've yet to see whether or not some of the songs have been completely remixed, but so far the slight tuning to the soundtracks make me hopeful for Cannon Ball.
I'm STILL not used to playing Zero or ZX on the DS. Buttons are a tad small, personally. But all in all, it adds to the fun.
Note: YOU WILL NOT get any cards or wallpapers if you play Easy Mode from what I can tell.
As far as I can tell, Easy Mode also gives you unlimited lives.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving this collection so far. Easy Mode is a great way to give me a Zero refresher without being merciless and frustrating, and then having to unlock wallpapers and cards in Normal Mode is enough incentive to play through them all again.
I wish I could somehow set A and B both to jump... Because then I'd have Y as the main weapon and X as the sub weapon. That'd be ideal, but I know that's asking for a lot.
A minor change I dislike is that to make the games "E for Everyone," they took out all the references to death in the dialogue.
ReplyDelete-Harpuia says "finish me" instead of "kill me."
-Elpizo says "time to meet your end" instead of "time to die."
etc.
But I am really enjoying the true quality of these games.
I'm enjoying it so far, but is it just me, or do the Zero 1 bosses have their Hard Mode attacks in Normal Mode?
ReplyDelete