Megaman 11 is out! Your thoughts?

[Slumber]

18 minutes ago, omegaxis1 said:

Yeah, the Speed Gear is where it's at. You pretty much have no need for the Power Gear, since it's really the slowing down time that lets you get to where you need to.

I... haven't used the other powers I got. XP

Been beating the opponents at base form the entire way. 

Fuse Man's is insanely useful pretty much all the time, and Block Man's is great for enemies on platforms below or above you.

Also Torch Man's stage is the most adorable stage in the series.

Spoiler

Well, until it burns down. And Acid Man's stage... this game really has it out for Mets.

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by Slumber

[Yula]

16 minutes ago, Slumber said:

Fuse Man's is insanely useful pretty much all the time, and Block Man's is great for enemies on platforms below or above you.

Also Torch Man's stage is the most adorable stage in the series.

  Reveal hidden contents

Well, until it burns down. And Acid Man's stage... this game really has it out for Mets.

 

Block Man's weapon is insanely useful in general as it's also capable of attacking opponents that are currently blocking from the front as it strikes from above. It also does a good amount of damage and with the Power Gear... it eliminates the one weakness.

All of the weapons are pretty good and I used them all, but Impact Man's weapon and Bounce Man's weapons are fairly lackluster with the power gear.

[Rapier]

8 hours ago, BrightBow said:

On a related note, does anyone have any recommendations for gamepads with good D-pads for use on PC? The XBox controller seems to be really lacking in that regard.

The PS4 D-Pad is excellent, imo. It lacks the crowded directionals that will screw your movements on platformer games like Megaman 11 (and even X/Zero games).

I loved Megaman 11. The level design is very well done, the stage gimmicks are fun (if not a bit frustrating, as per classic tradition), the boss patterns are fun, the soundtrack is spot-on and the graphics are pretty enough. I'm having loads of fun with it, there are only 3 Robot Masters left to go (Rubber Man, Torch Man and the drill boss whose name I forgot).

I swear, if they make a X series game (doesn't even need to be X9) with these quality standards, I'll be more hyped than I have been for a decade.

[Slumber]

I'll also vouch for the PS4's d-pad. But as for what your BEST option would be for a quick, versatile plug-and-play, the Xbox One is the only mainstream controller that works natively on PC and has an actual d-pad.

The HORI Fighting Commander is also specifically designed for fighting games and 2D platformers like Mega Man.

Obviously you'll be pretty limited everywhere else without joysticks, so it's more of a luxury item in that regard.

[Yula]

I'll admit a mistake I made and will give some advice. If you've upgraded the speed gear, using it against Impact Man is a terrible idea. His hitbox is large enough while he's charging and you'll land if you try to jump over him while he's slowed down.

A younger me would've called foul at this, but to be honest, I do think it a bit clever. The game punishing an over reliance on the speed gear as a crutch.

 

Oh yeah, for an example of how powerful the power gear can be. Here's me doing a challenge.

Spoiler

 

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by Yula

[BrightBow]

Thanks for all the advice on controllers. If the PS4 controller is good, that seems to be a safe bet. A common controller like that shouldn't be too difficult to get working.

 

Btw, does this game still do that whole boss refight thing?

[Tryhard]

16 hours ago, Slumber said:

I'll also vouch for the PS4's d-pad. But as for what your BEST option would be for a quick, versatile plug-and-play, the Xbox One is the only mainstream controller that works natively on PC and has an actual d-pad.

The HORI Fighting Commander is also specifically designed for fighting games and 2D platformers like Mega Man.

Obviously you'll be pretty limited everywhere else without joysticks, so it's more of a luxury item in that regard.

Hey, I just got one of those, PS4 version (partly for SC6). I recommend it - it's good. My PS4 controller itself is a little worn and I prefer this layout for fighting games.

3 hours ago, BrightBow said:

Thanks for all the advice on controllers. If the PS4 controller is good, that seems to be a safe bet. A common controller like that shouldn't be too difficult to get working.

For PS4 you generally need an external driver called DS4 on pc to get it working, or at least that's how I've done it so far. It emulates a 360 controller. It's pretty simple to get working but is rather annoying.

http://ds4windows.com/

Edited October 3, 2018 by Edgelord

[Slumber]

Just beat it.

Spoiler

That Yellow Devil fight is possibly one of the hardest bosses I think I've fought in a MM game.

I felt like I cheesed it by buying a shield for it.

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by Slumber

[omegaxis1]

1 minute ago, Slumber said:

Just beat it.

  Hide contents

That Yellow Devil fight is possibly one of the hardest bosses I think I've fought in a MM game.

I felt like I cheesed it by buying a shield for it.

 

He was annoying as hell.

Spoiler

Also, now that I got the items to have infinite weapon charge and gear, now I'm pretty much invincible. 

 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

The gear system is honestly brilliant. This may be the first genuine evolution of classic Mega Man since 3's addition of the slide. "Hey, Mega Man's always jumping over stuff...but what if he could go under stuff once every other level?" And don't give me that charge shot addition in 4 as some kind of evolution. All that changed is how easy buster only runs are and how worthless your special weapons are against enemies that don't have an explicit weakness to them. Speed Gear let's you dodge attacks you otherwise couldn't while pouring on more damage than you could. The other gear...doesn't seem particularly useful. I immediately noticed you couldn't carry a charge shot into that gear upon activation. There's only time enough for one charge shot, going for a second one is too dangerous. And the rapid fire still follows the three shot limit for the mega buster. Though now that I've got more special weapons to play with I can see the appeal since you don't have to charge your shots with those. 

Musings

• Like every Mega Man game I've ever played with that feature, the first time I ever activated Beat I didn't know what to do and dropped myself back into the same pit. I couldn't ascend high enough to get back on that ledge.
• My first hour of the game was struggling to reach Block Man's stage before I gave up. Then I chose Fuse Man and got to him on my second life. From there I looked up the boss weaknesses and pretty effortlessly started breezing past stages. Pretty typical of most classic mega man games. Beat one stage, and with the proper order of boss weaknesses the rest of the game is cake until Wily Castle. But Block Man's stage sucks. Clear example of some of the worst approaches to difficulty in the series, replacing proper enemy designs with just instant kill pits. Going into that stage without one or two Beats makes the level an awful choice for your first. 
• I feel like you get way too many bolts. I felt decked out with gear by my third stage. I was surprised to see permanent, Mega Man 8 style upgrades alongside generic items. Thought they did away with those in 9 and 10. I guess it is pretty cool you can get these kinds of upgrades with regular bolts rather than through obscurely hidden collectibles. But now I can't imagine a reason to go back to any particular stage. Maybe the lack of collectibles is meant to ensure the Classic series isn't just a reskinned X game. 
• I didn't see the save menu before closing the game so I lost a bunch of progress. I know auto save isn't the standard for this series, but I'm still bummed that I closed the game without thinking. There really isn't an excuse to not have an auto save slot in 2018.

Despite hitting so many pitfalls, I really am enjoying my time with the game - possibly more than I did with 9 where the retro revival phase was just kicking off and the game was featuring honest to god the best level design and music in the series. When reviewers say it's "just another Mega Man game" I think that's appropriate, as it's meant to excuse some of the hostile design elements. These games are challenging, progress is unfairly difficult at the start if you happen to pick certain stages first, and even veterans will have trouble with the game if they're not taking religious consideration of the Gear mechanics. If you don't care for Mega Man, I can't see this one changing your mind unless your critique of the classic series is that there isn't enough depth in fighting enemies and managing resources. In which case maybe this one is worth a look. That's my current review of the game after four robot masters. Usually my opinion of these games dips considerably once I'm banging my head against Wily Castle.

[Yula]

5 hours ago, BrightBow said:

Thanks for all the advice on controllers. If the PS4 controller is good, that seems to be a safe bet. A common controller like that shouldn't be too difficult to get working.

 

Btw, does this game still do that whole boss refight thing?

Mega Man is the trope codifier for the Boss Rush. So yes.

Edited October 3, 2018 by Yula

[vanguard333]

On ‎2018‎-‎10‎-‎01 at 7:19 PM, AnonymousSpeed said:

Battle Network is actually my favorite Mega Man series.

That being said, I don't expect or desire sequels to Battle Network- or really even Legends, ZX or Star Force. Maybe that's because my expectations are set too firmly about reality, or that I haven't played any of those three.

Same; Battle Network is my favourite Mega Man series. I'm sad to say I only started playing it around the time of Battle Network 5 (so shortly before the series was ending) and only ever got 5: Team Colonel and 6: Cybeast Gregar. I really liked the combat, as well as the concept of NetNavis and the idea that (Battle Network spoilers)

Spoiler

Mega Man is Lan Hikari's deceased twin brother Hub. There was so much they could explore with that idea: literally having a sentient computer program for a twin brother, and it was very well-explored. 

However, the reason that I don't expect or desire sequels is the fact that they had already tried to end the Battle Network series twice with Battle Network 3 and Battle Network 6. And when they did revive the series after Battle Network 3... well; I heard it was bad. Was Battle Network 4 bad? While I absolutely love the gameplay and combat systems in Battle Network and would love to see them return someday, I just don't think that a Battle Network 7 is a good idea. 

It's the same story with Star Force: I enjoyed the series, but it was very obviously meant to end with the third game. Plus, I disliked that you could only go left or right, compared to the 3x3 grid from Battle Network.

I haven't played Legends or ZX, so I wouldn't know anything about them. 

[omegaxis1]

30 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Same; Battle Network is my favourite Mega Man series. I'm sad to say I only started playing it around the time of Battle Network 5 (so shortly before the series was ending) and only ever got 5: Team Colonel and 6: Cybeast Gregar. I really liked the combat, as well as the concept of NetNavis and the idea that (Battle Network spoilers)

  Hide contents

Mega Man is Lan Hikari's deceased twin brother Hub. There was so much they could explore with that idea: literally having a sentient computer program for a twin brother, and it was very well-explored. 

However, the reason that I don't expect or desire sequels is the fact that they had already tried to end the Battle Network series twice with Battle Network 3 and Battle Network 6. And when they did revive the series after Battle Network 3... well; I heard it was bad. Was Battle Network 4 bad? While I absolutely love the gameplay and combat systems in Battle Network and would love to see them return someday, I just don't think that a Battle Network 7 is a good idea. 

It's the same story with Star Force: I enjoyed the series, but it was very obviously meant to end with the third game. Plus, I disliked that you could only go left or right, compared to the 3x3 grid from Battle Network.

I haven't played Legends or ZX, so I wouldn't know anything about them. 

Starforce was my favorite series, though I started with Battle Network 4. The reason that Starforce ended with the third game wasn't because it was intended to. Rather, Starforce didn't do too well in regards to sales. Starforce 2 was especially bad in the sales department that Starforce 3 sadly had to be the last one. Which is a shame because Starforce 3 was the best gameplay out of the Starforce series. 

It was around this time of Starforce that Megaman wasn't doing too well.

I doubt that we'll have another Battle Network or Starforce series, but I would love if they could bring it back. 

[vanguard333]

2 hours ago, omegaxis1 said:

Starforce was my favorite series, though I started with Battle Network 4. The reason that Starforce ended with the third game wasn't because it was intended to. Rather, Starforce didn't do too well in regards to sales. Starforce 2 was especially bad in the sales department that Starforce 3 sadly had to be the last one. Which is a shame because Starforce 3 was the best gameplay out of the Starforce series. 

It was around this time of Starforce that Megaman wasn't doing too well.

I doubt that we'll have another Battle Network or Starforce series, but I would love if they could bring it back. 

I wasn't referring to the reason why it ended; I was just pointing out that 3 is clearly written as an ending. 

You say you started with Battle Network 4. If you don't mind; could you please answer my previous question about Battle Network 4?

[omegaxis1]

20 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

I wasn't referring to the reason why it ended; I was just pointing out that 3 is clearly written as an ending. 

You say you started with Battle Network 4. If you don't mind; could you please answer my previous question about Battle Network 4?

It wasn't bad at all. I actually really liked it, and it was a game I replayed a bunch of times. It's actually the only game where you are meant to replay multiple times. Maybe that's why it's disliked, but I feel its awesome.

[vanguard333]

9 minutes ago, omegaxis1 said:

It wasn't bad at all. I actually really liked it, and it was a game I replayed a bunch of times. It's actually the only game where you are meant to replay multiple times. Maybe that's why it's disliked, but I feel its awesome.

Interesting. I heard that it was bad because, among other things, the story was all over the place and that 4 was one reason 5 and 6 didn't sell so well. But I haven't played it. 

[omegaxis1]

32 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Interesting. I heard that it was bad because, among other things, the story was all over the place and that 4 was one reason 5 and 6 didn't sell so well. But I haven't played it. 

Well, given how BN went from 1-3, the first was the kickoff, while 2 and 3 were connected to things, and was like a development and conclusion to Lan and Megaman's story, where Lan has to move on losing Megaman again. Then 4 comes along and there's like a huge change in the stuff, a new evil, and many compelling characters before are just gone from existence. 

[vanguard333]

1 hour ago, omegaxis1 said:

Well, given how BN went from 1-3, the first was the kickoff, while 2 and 3 were connected to things, and was like a development and conclusion to Lan and Megaman's story, where Lan has to move on losing Megaman again. Then 4 comes along and there's like a huge change in the stuff, a new evil, and many compelling characters before are just gone from existence. 

Ah; that would explain it. Thanks. 

[Rapier]

On 03/10/2018 at 1:41 PM, BrightBow said:

Thanks for all the advice on controllers. If the PS4 controller is good, that seems to be a safe bet. A common controller like that shouldn't be too difficult to get working.

Alternately to Tryhard's suggestion, you can use x360ce to make your games think you're using a Xbox controller when you're not. Downloading it, placing a copy on your game folder and running the executable is usually all you need, although some games need a special xinput archive (usually, it is automatically generated).

So, I just finished Megaman 11, and now I'm trying to tackle the special challenges. I really, really hope this game succeeds on sales. We deserve more games on that quality standard, if not better. I'd gladly play double the price for a X game like that.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Just beat the game on Normal. This game was very strong from start to finish. The Sound design was very good - save for the lack of memorable music. The level design stayed strong rather than dipping during the Wily stages. The special moves all felt applicable to at least a few of the trickier rooms. And the ability to enhance those special weapons with Power Gear fills in the hole we miss from being able to charge up special weapons in the X series. It definitely took me a while to find uses for the Power Gear - like noticing how many enemies can be defeated immediately with that double charge shot since the first shot staggers them. The story was also oddly compelling, though I sort of wish it was resolved a little differently, I could see why they'd want to leave things open for more sequels. When they do make sequels, I sincerely hope the Gear System is here to stay. If both the Classic and X series end up continuing in the future, then the Double Gear will assuredly keep Classic games from feeling inferior to the X series in terms of gameplay depth. Although I do wish Classic games would try their hand at some secrets and environmental interaction. No reason to keep that exclusive to X. 

Also shoutouts to Roll's VA being the same as Celica's

[Yula]

13 hours ago, Glennstavos said:

Just beat the game on Normal. This game was very strong from start to finish. The Sound design was very good - save for the lack of memorable music. The level design stayed strong rather than dipping during the Wily stages. The special moves all felt applicable to at least a few of the trickier rooms. And the ability to enhance those special weapons with Power Gear fills in the hole we miss from being able to charge up special weapons in the X series. It definitely took me a while to find uses for the Power Gear - like noticing how many enemies can be defeated immediately with that double charge shot since the first shot staggers them. The story was also oddly compelling, though I sort of wish it was resolved a little differently, I could see why they'd want to leave things open for more sequels. When they do make sequels, I sincerely hope the Gear System is here to stay. If both the Classic and X series end up continuing in the future, then the Double Gear will assuredly keep Classic games from feeling inferior to the X series in terms of gameplay depth. Although I do wish Classic games would try their hand at some secrets and environmental interaction. No reason to keep that exclusive to X. 

Also shoutouts to Roll's VA being the same as Celica's

Funny you mention environmental interaction. There's a hidden achievement for doing just that in Block Man's stage.