Oh, Mega Man, what in the hell did they do to you?

By Stephen Munn | June 24, 2008

With Capcom’s announcement that Star Force 2, in its various collectible flavors, is now available at retail, I find only lament for what’s been done to my beloved Blue Bomber. Like most people, I discovered Mega Man at Mega Man 2, widely considered the definitive episode in the franchise all those years ago. I went on to play the original and when Mega Man 3 came out, I had saved up my pennies (I was 14) to pick it up at launch. This wasn’t three months after I had done the same with Castlevania 3… it was a good time to be a gamer.

Mega Man was an action franchise, a platformer with a lot of shooting. You leapt between ledges, climbed ladders, cursed at cruelly placed turrets and giant silly hopping robots. You took on a boss at the end of each stage who would kill you again and again until you figured out exactly how to take him down. X, Zero, and ZX continued with this formula, but Star Force is an extension of the RPG card-battling Battle Network subseries.

Time went on and the series weakened, as we all know. Now that X, Zero, and ZX have run their course (X is dead, Zero is dead, and it looks like ZX Advent was a flop if the mountain of discounted copies at Target is any indication) it becomes apparent that the Mega Man we knew… the Mega Man I loved, is dead. This is made even more apparent by the understanding that Mega Man Powered Up, which I got yesterday for PSP, sold too poorly to warrant a sequel. This is a damn shame, really, because Powered Up is really great. Sadly, the real promise of Powered Up was that we might receive the same treatment of Mega Man 2, giving us a game that looks as good as it plays. Unfortunate.

Recent rumblings of Mega Man 9 give us hope. That hope clearly must be that ten years between Mega Man 8 and Mega Man 9 is enough to bring a level of quality to the title that we haven’t truly seen since Mega Man 3 or 4.

If Star Force 2 sounds good to you, read on for the press release.

MEGA MAN STAR FORCE^TM 2 FOR NINTENDO DS^TM ARRIVES AT RETAIL

Two Versions, Double the Fun!

SAN MATEO, Calif — June 24, 2008 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Mega Man Star Force™ 2 for Nintendo DS™ is now available at retail. The second game in the Mega Man Star Force™ series will offer an updated battle system with new Battle Cards and diabolical enemies. Mega Man Star Force 2 will have two versions: Zerker X Ninja and Zerker X Saurian. Mega Man Star Force 2 is rated E10+ for everyone 10 and older and carries a suggested retail price of $29.99.

Developed by the team behind the popular MegaMan Battle Network® series, Mega Man Star Force 2 continues two months after the previous game left off. Geo Stelar and crew return to battle a whole host of UMA’s (unidentified animated beings) and a new rival character called “Rogue.” Amidst this new conflict, a mysterious organization emerges with plans to revive the ancient civilization of “Mu” by utilizing the force of an ancient heritage “OOPArt.” It’s up to Geo and his virus-busting buddy, Omega-Xis, to thwart this latest threat.

Each of the three variants – Zerker, Ninja and Saurian – offers its own distinct Mega Man transformations with unique special attributes and abilities. Players can harness the spirit of an ancient species known as “Tribe” and transform or “tribe on” into three different forms: Elec Zerker wields a large sword imbued with the power of lightning; Wood Ninja can throw a huge Shinobi Star and move at great speed; Fire Saurian reduces enemies to smoldering pieces with a swipe of his fiery fist.

Mega Man Star Force 2 blends a unique formula of RPG exploration elements with fast-paced action, as players travel and battle between the coexisting physical and virtual Wave World. While seeking to unravel the mystery around the appearance of new troublemakers, players will encounter enemies in the virtual Wave World and battle them on three-by-five battle grids with their Battle Card deck. Mega Man Star Force 2 also adds an upgraded “Transer” system.

Activating the communications application via the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection or local wireless allows players to connect with in-game friends regardless of their location. Once connected, players can add new friends to their network to create a “Brother Band” network where they can share cards, status upgrades, and even help each other to perform upgraded transformations. Wireless match application via the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection is also available for Mega Man Star Force 2 which allows players to test their skills against friends across the internet.