Mega Man & Bass
Mega Man & Bass is yet another game released by Capcom to celebrate the 15th birthday of the Blue Bomber. However, unlike most new Mega Man games, Mega Man & Bass stars the original Mega Man and not MegaMan.EXE or Mega Man X. So does the presence of the classic Mega Man bring back the glory of the older games? Indeed it does; and with a new twist too!

Graphics:

Seeing as how this game was originally released in Japan for the Super Nintendo, Super Nintendo graphics is exactly what this game offers. The graphics are as good today as they were years ago when the game came out in Japan. If you've ever played Mega Man 7, then you'll know exactly what to expect from this game. If not, then I guess you'll just have to use your imagination. The levels are nicely designed and the character animations and designs are nicely done. Everything looks good, and the game is quite impressive for the GameBoy Advance.

Sound and Music:

Mega Man & Bass brings back the musical stylings of the classic Mega Man games. Bosses are introduced with the good old theme from the classics, which is definitely what I love to hear. The majority of the music, while all new, seems fitting and reminiscent of the older games in the series. As for the sound effects, I would assume the majority of them are taken from Mega Man 7. Recycling sound effects is always a good choice in my opinion, because there's no reason to mess with something that is already great as is.

Storyline:

In Mega Man & Bass, the enemy this time around is the nefarious Robot King. The Robot King has captured all of the data plans for Dr. Wily's creations. These secret plans will equip the King with all the knowledge he needs to build his own indestructible army of robots which he intends to use to destroy humankind. It is up to you to set out as either Mega Man or Bass and to stop the evil Robot King from having his way. The story isn't very in depth, but as I've stated before, Mega Man games don't tend to have very in depth stories, especially the classic ones.

Gameplay:

This is the category where Capcom added a little twist. Instead of playing just as Mega Man, they allow you to play as Bass as well. Both characters have their own pros and cons. For example, Bass is unable to slide or charge his shots, but unlike Mega Man he can auto fire and double jump. From what I've experienced, the game is quite a bit more difficult with Bass than it is with Mega Man due to his power level being lower. As for the actual gameplay, both characters have the same exact levels and bosses. The game plays like any other Mega Man game in that you will run, jump, and shoot your way through the levels. Capcom didn't release this game in the United States back on the SNES because they believed it was too difficult for American gamers too handle. While it may not be difficult enough to warrant it not being released back when it originally came out, they were right in the fact that it can be insanely hard at times. While I've managed to beat all the main bosses with both Mega Man and Bass, I have yet to beat King's Castle due to its length and difficulty. So for all of you out there who persevered through this game's difficulty, you deserve a round of applause. Hopefully I will join the ranks of you sometime soon.

Controls:

The controls in Mega Man & Bass are as simple as any other Mega Man game. As I've stated over and over and over again, it is really hard to have bad controls for a GameBoy game, let alone when your character can only perform four or five different actions. Therefore, Mega Man & Bass earns a perfect score for perfect controls.

Replayability:

There are a bunch of hidden extras to keep you coming back for more in Mega Man & Bass; around one-hundred to be exact. There are one-hundred different CDs placed throughout the game. Each CD holds the info on one of the many robots that have ever appeared in a classic Mega Man game. Also included are CDs with info about Dr. Light and Dr. Wily. In order to get all one-hundred CDs you will have to play through the game as both Mega Man and Bass. Requiring you to play as both characters practically adds an entire game as replay. Along with that, as I stated before, the game can be insanely difficult. You'll be playing levels over and over again until you finally conquer them.

When you think about it, Mega Man & Bass is practically Mega Man 9. It feels and plays like the originals, contains the original characters, and definitely fits in with them. For these reasons, Mega Man & Bass is definitely a welcome addition to the classic Mega Man series.
Graphics: 9.0/10
Sound and Music: 9.0/10
Storyline: 8.0/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Controls: 10/10
Replayability: 8.0/10
7.2
Out of 10