I'll be honest: I haven't played all that many titles in Capcom's indelible X series, starring everybody's favorite little blue guy, and his sword-wielding buddy, Zero. For the record, I've played one- Mega Man X, which at that time, Zero wasn't even a twinkle in Capcom's eye yet. But because of my passion for Mega Man and looking for a new addition to my library - I couldn't resist.

When I first began playing (right after an intro that has me intrigued to play the rest of the series. Are they all that cool?), laying on the A-button, and tearing through the Japanese dialogue dropped me right smack into the first level; a trial run, if you will. When I had cleared that, I was brought to a screen with a girl. There's a lot of dialogue exchanged between the main character and the girl. You're issued five choices which naturally, due to my unfamiliarity with the language left me rather clueless as how to proceed. No matter, I was dropped off into another level; this one a full-fledged stage, complete with boss and all. Upon completing the level, I was unable to get a bearing on what level to visit next. I was disappointed to be randomly dropped off at numerous levels, and to heigten my aggravation - after losing all three of my continues, teh game takes you back to the beginning of the level; (note: I had no idea how to save) -- unbearable!

Another unfortunate repercussion of the language barrier was my inability to utilize the weapon power-up system. I'm sure most people are aware that it has been a longstanding tradition in the Mega Man series (note: Mega Man isn't even playable in this game as far as I can tell, but whatever) to attain the weapon of a boss that has been conquered. After defeating a few of the bosses I was awarded some special icons. Sadly, as of this writing I couldn't decipher how to employ them. Also, I should note that there is a tricky method (at least in Japanese) which increases the health bar. It involves puzzle-like pieces, and totally befuddled me.

Brace yourself, the gameplay in Rockman Zero has been completely altered just kidding. (Don't be ridiculous, if Capcom changed anything about the series gameplay they'd be hunted down like S.T.A.R.S soldiers Resident Evil style). It would seem Zero is the only playable character available. It's possible that Mega Man could be included (as a hidden character), but it's too early to confirm. In any case, it doesn't matter - Zero appears to be able to handle himself without the blue-bomber. Briefly outlining his gameplay actiions, Zero posssesses a regular shot (activated by pressing the B button), a powered shot (hold B, then release), sword attack (hold the R-trigger button, followed by the B button), a dash move (press the L-trigger button) and the obligatory jump button (A button). As highlighted earlier, Rockman Zero features several other attacks, I just haven't unlocked them as of yet.

Graphically Rockman Zero almost impresses. Don't be mistaken into thinking the game looks bad. In fact, the animation on Zero and the enemies is nice and fluid. Zero's hair waves back and forth while running; he has a solid slashing movement while using his sword; everything looks well drawn, so far.

Out of the few levels (four in total) I've played through, backgrounds are less then appealing and showed no evidence of utilizing the GBA's capabilities. I understand that Rockman/Mega Man X series has always taken place in cold, detached worlds that appear on the brink of destruction. That's fine, but would it have killed Capcom to throw in some multiple layers of parallax? Then again, I'm not even 30% finished with the game, so I'll reserve final judgement until then.

The box art was yet another incentive that whacked me in the head. The visual integrity is retained throughout the game. The story looks very interesting. Sometimes it plays out from a gameplay perspective, other times the classic cinema scenes of yore help imbue that old-school feeling-just like when Ninja Gaiden first came out. The character designs are, sincerely, some of the best I've seen in the genre for quite some time (Do you hear that Treasure?). The few bosses I did battle all had the staple attack patterns that veterans have come to know and love, and novices have come to fear and loathe. Each design was as unorthodox as the last. I can't wait to take them all on.

If there's one aspect of Rockman Zero that I can praise wholeheartedly, it's the soundtrack. Not because I found it dynamic, but due to the nostalgic vibe it created. Overall, the themese reminded me of a time when soundtracks felt fresh and exciting, and never became redundant and irritating. It's classic stuff all the way, and I love it.

Final Notes:

I hope no one is taking this preview as forewarning of terrible things to come. I just don't want anyone getting burned with an import copy when the domestic version is on target for a September 2002 release.

There are two things you should have taken from this preview: a) Lay off the import. B) Await my domestic review. I'll have it up a few days after its release. Keep your hopes up. This one looks promising.

· · · BebopLover