Product Description
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It is a world covered by endless water. Only small patches of
land still exist above the water and the people of Earth cling to
these patches eking out a meager existence. They rely on an
ancient power source driven by Quantum Refractorsa technology
constantly sought out by explorers called diggers.
From the Manufacturer
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In a world covered by endless water... People are forced to eke
out a living on the small patches of land that remain above the
sea. The people of this world rely on ancient technology driven
by quantum refractors, a powerful energy source. These refractors
lie in ancient ruins underground and in the sea and are sought
out by explorers called Diggers. These brave explorers are the
sole source of refractor energy which has become a cornerstone of
the emerging civilizations. Originally, this was the Diggers'
only purpose; to find refractors so that civilization would
endure. However over the years, the story of an incredible
treasure, the legendary Mother Lode, began to be whispered among
the Diggers. The Mother Lode...a treasure so great that were it
discovered, it would provide so much power that the world need
never fear of running out of energy.
In search of this Mother Lode, Diggers travel from one island to
another in their flying machines ever hoping that they'll find
what they seek just over the horizon. Who can say what truly
motivates the Diggers? One day a well known digger, Barell
Casket, found a baby in an archeological site. He named the baby
Mega Man Voulnut, and raised him with his granddaughter Roll.
Fourteen years have passed since the disappearance of Roll's
parents while they were excavating a site. Mega Man and Roll have
followed in the footsteps of Roll's parents in an effort to both
discover the truth of their mysterious disappearance and to find
the long lost family treasure...the Mother Lode.
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Review
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After what seems like a mind-bogglingly endless procession of
sequels, Capcom has finally decided to take Mega Man out of the
2D realm and into the world of 3D. Not a minute too soon either,
because Mega Man had been languishing for over a decade with
barely a hint of innovation during that entire time. Mega Man
Legends, as it turns out, is no mere side-scrolling platformer;
instead, it arrives in the form of an action RPG that delves
further into the legend of Mega Man than any of its 2D brethren
ever did. In Mega Man Legends you take control of our blue buddy
and navigate him through a fully polygonal 3D world composed of
brightly colored towns and sprawling landscapes. Along the way
you'll meet a large cast of characters who will help define the
story as you progress. Keeping you company is Mega Man's sister
Roll, their Grandpa Barrel, and their hyperactive pet monkey
named Data. At the beginning of the game you find yourself
c-landed on the island of Kattelox, in need of repairs. While
attempting to find the necessary parts to fix their ship, our
intrepid trio discovers that the island is under attack, and
naturally, this is where Mega Man comes in. The controls in Mega
Man function, for lack of a better comparison, like Tomb Raider.
However, it should be noted that the game moves much faster and
smoother than its curvaceous counterpart. Unlike the good ol'
days, Mega Man can now jump, kick, do diving rolls to the side,
and, of course, arm himself with a large variety of upgradable
armaments. Unfortunately, controlling Mega Man in this game is a
little like trying to drive a truck. The controls require you to
use the shoulder buttons to turn, something that makes little to
no sense when simple use of the D-pad would have been fine.
Another notable exclusion is the lack of analog support. If Mega
Man Legends had analog control, it certainly would have been a
much improved game. Maybe next time. As is customary in the Mega
Man series, you can upgrade Mega Man with a large number of
enhancements. During the earlier parts of the game, Mega Man can
add two parts to his Buster Arm. After he locates a certain part
later in the game he can then add up to three. There are four
characteristics you can enhance with the parts you obtain: attack
power, range, rapid fire, and energy. Depending on how you
balance your upgrades will determine how effective your Arm is.
You can also have Roll augment certain parts so Mega Man becomes
stronger. The gameplay itself involves exploring towns, where the
locals will clue you in to what actions to take next. Once your
course of action is determined, you will explore any number of
locations varying from places like City Hall to industrial
shipyards and underground dungeons. Combat also takes you to a
variety of arenas as you engage in battle with your arch-nemesis
Tron and her twisted white-haired brother Teasel, in the sky, on
the sea, as well as on land. Indigenous to just about every RPG
known are the item shops and merchants, which are all present
here, to supply Mega Man with just about everything he needs. At
certain points you will find parts for your ship that you must
take to Roll, so that she can do the necessary repairs and
upgrades. Then, whenever you're ready to take a break and
recharge your batteries, all you have to do is find your dancing
monkey, Data, and he'll save your game for you. Visually, Mega
Man Legends is a mixed bag. Those of you used to the stunning
graphic achievements of games like Tobal2 or C Bandicoot
might find this a bit disappointing, as Mega Man Legends relies
almost exclusively on flat-shaded polygons, giving everything a
boxy, Crayola-colored look to it. The game benefits from this,
however, as the horizon and the considerable a of structures
and buildings are rendered almost infinitely with virtually no
pop-up. The backgrounds and textures, while simple, capture the
essence of the old 2D games and do a fairly good job of bringing
them to life in 3D. The characters, in that distinct Capcom
style, are some of the most enjoyable yet seen in a video game.
For the first time ever, Mega Man spends at least half the game
with his helmet off. A small detail, certainly, but one that adds
an immense a of personality to the series. Roll, a charmer
in her own right, is a vivacious and quick-thinking complement to
Rock's all-action persona. Tron, the evil little witch that
commands the invading forces, even elicits a smile from time to
time, due to her feisty demeanor. Although Mega Man doesn't have
a sidekick, ala Zero (room for that in the sequel, perhaps?) or
Dash the mega dog, it does have Data the monkey. Watching this
little bundle of polygons continuously bop back and forth is
practically worth the price of admission alone. You'll have to
see it to understand. The sound in Mega Man Legends is notable,
because, while no particular aspect is outstanding, as a whole it
is a remarkably complete package. The music is typical Capcom
fare, better suited to the background in any case. The sound
effects complement the onscreen explosions and whatnot quite
well. The best part of the sound in Legends is the voice-overs.
Everyone has an appropriately chirpy, amused, disgusted, gruff,
infuriated, and/or confused sound bite to go along with the text
onscreen. In the end, what Capcom has managed to do has been
this: It's deftly avoided the pitfalls that await most
platformers making the jump from 2D to 3D by creating an
action/RPG instead. Relying less on twitch reflexes and more on
exploration and storytelling, Mega Man Legends makes a graceful
entry into the world of 3D, rather than the clumsy splash
associated with other less-successful debuts. If Capcom continues
to explore the paths that this series could follow, and enhance
the graphic presentation and control somewhat, it just might be
on to something special. Legends indeed.--James Mielke--Copyright
© 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole
or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot Review
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