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Although the Mega Man series had advanced to the 32-bit PlayStation and Sega Saturn systems for Mega Man 8, developer Capcom had not forgotten about the many people who owned a Super Famicom (the Japanese SNES) at the time, where Mega Man 7, Mega Man Soccer, and Mega Man X-X3 all were birthed. So Mega Man & Bass came out in 1998, near the end of the console's lifecycle. Interestingly, many of the sprites used in this game (and two Robot Masters) were pulled from Mega Man 8, a technologically superior game. This time around, a robot named King wishes to create a utopian society for robots where they control the humans, rather than the other way around as it is now. (Of course, I'm sure there's someone else behind all this madness.) Gameplay is very similar to most other Mega Man titles, although the stage selection screen is a bit less open, requiring you to finish some stages before allowing you to attempt others. Furthermore, and more importantly, you can choose to play either as Mega Man or as rival Bass, who has his own agenda. Bass, unlike Mega Man, has a rapid fire buster and can perform a double-jump, making some platforms more easily accessed. As well, there are 100 CDs hidden throughout the game; collecting each one adds to your Database where you can learn about all the characters in the Mega Man history thus far. To celebrate Mega Man's 15th anniversary in 2002, this game was re-released on the Game Boy Advance worldwide, making it the first time Mega Man & Bass was released outside of Japan.
Check out our Mega Man & Bass (GBA) review for a more in-depth look!
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The Bandai WonderSwan was a Japan-exclusive handheld console that, while never the financial powerhouse that Nintendo's Game Boy line proved to be, still was able to hold a bit of the market share for a while. It was also popular enough to host a Mega Man game. Rockman & Forte Mirai kara no Chōsensha was released in 1999 and is somewhat similar to Mega Man & Bass on the SNES. Futuristic robots called "Dimensions" have appeared to take over Symphony City, led by one known as "Rockman Shadow". Of course, Mega Man can't have this going on, so he is sent out to make things right. Dr. Wily, not wanting to be left out of this, sends Bass to check out the situation, taking down oddly named Robot Masters such as Konro Man and Aircon Man. Sounds like terrible commercial mascots from the 1980s. Mega Man and Bass play in the same way as they did in Mega Man & Bass, with Bass' abilities to double-jump and rapid-fire. One neat feature is that, for certain stages, you can flip the WonderSwan sideways and play it vertically. Still, this game is rather difficult due to design choices and some awkward control moments, which truly affects the player's enjoyment factor.
And yes, I know. Symphony City. Really.
Check out our Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha review for a more in-depth look!
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