Genre: Action, Platformer
Year: 2010
Developed by: Inti Crates / Capcom
Published by: Capcom
Platforms: PS3, Wii, XBOX 360, Switch PS4, XBOX One
#223
Feeling Like: Not X

This is the ninth Mega Man title on the 500. There are four more to go.

NINE! It’s too many. At a glance, Mega Mans 1,2,3,4,5,6,9 and 10 all look like they could be from the same game to anybody but the most scrupulous nerd.

But when I like something, I tend to like it a lot. Mega Man 9 was the surprise hit of 2008 and exactly what I’d hoped for when I heard retro games were making a comeback due to digital stores. Mega Man 10 is a step back from that, but enough to warrant spot #223, apparently.

This is going to be a tough entry, largely because Mega Man 9’s soundtrack, bosses and weapons are superior and those are pretty much the holy trinity of a Mega Man game. I’ll try to focus on what I did like instead of just a straight comparison.

It’s a NES style Mega Man game, which means the controls are perfect and the game is hard as a rock. If you want a relaxed experience, at least this time they offered an easy mode with more platforms and less enemies. The temptation was there, but I played this 13 years ago when I wasn’t afraid of dying 400 times in a game so I never tried it. Still, points for offering it.

I also enjoyed the story, as cheesy as it is. I’m just a sucker for those big sprites and cutscenes; I’m sure these types of images weren’t possible on the original NES, but I’ll let it slide since they’re so endearing.

I also liked the challenge mode, basically a gauntlet of rooms and the goal is to get as far as possible. Leaderboards are a natural fit for this type of feature, but I was too bashful to even attempt at cracking them. Ditto the achievements. That’s more of an Aslam thing.

One advantage Mega Man 10 has over the others is the fact that you can toggle your weapons via the shoulder buttons. I know some find this finnicky, but I vastly prefer this to pausing the game, selecting your weapon, back to the action, pausing again, etc. Mega Man is all about the flow and any improvement that reduces interruptions, I’m going to be a fan of.

And finally, Proto Man is a playable character. I didn’t last a single stage with him, since he takes double damage but he does have the benefit of charging and sliding. Pretty cool, although by the 10th iteration, you’d expect Capcom to pull off something like this to keep the game fresh.

That’s all I got. Mega Man 10 was another nostalgic rush, a perfectly designed game that’s held back by trying to innovate on a series that probably hit its peak decades ago. But for longtime Mega Man fans like myself, it was just another wonderful excuse to hop on Rush, grab another boss’ weapon and take down Dr. Wily.

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