Reviewed by Matt Weise - PLAYSTATION
Posted on 1/31/01

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First Impressions:

Graphics:

Graphically, Mega Man Legends 2 embodies, I believe, exactly what is wrong with American game design. It is a crystal clear example of how, when correctly applied, an abstract, simplified cartoon style can do wonders for digital storytelling. Playing Mega Man Legends 2 is like playing a living, breathing animation cel. The range and application of facial expressions and body language is perfect and has been expertly fitted for the PSX hardware so that it stretches the technology without bending or breaking it. I wouldn t be surprised if this game looks as good in five years as it does today.

Sound/Music:

This is due in no small part to the jaw-droppingly excellent American voices. While most American voice work in games has historically misinterpreted the nuances of their Japanese source material, the ones in Mega Man Legends 2 are almost dead-on. The men aren t too gruff and the women aren t too low. And the entire cast gives it their best and seems to maintain a consistent and acute understanding of how these people should sound. The only way they could possibly fit better would be if they were speaking Japanese. Just shy of perfect.

Gameplay:

Gameplaywise, as I said, the game is quite good, although I wouldn t quite say perfect. The control scheme plays like a bizarre, but effective mix of 2D and 3D. Since all of the architecture is built on 90-degree angles, the game is designed in such a way that it can be played only by making instant, 90-degree turns, which means you are almost always moving along a 2D plane. The result is probably the only 3D game where you don t feel like you re driving. The only time you experience true 3D movement is when you use the auto-aim feature, which allows you to lock onto an enemy and move freely in all directions while keeping it in view continuously. Unfortunately, this is the one aspect of the game that could have used some additional tweaking. With few enemies on the screen, it works well enough, but when there are more than 4 or 5 it seems to have trouble deciding which enemy to lock on to, and oftentimes locks on the one farthest away from you, without regard as to whether you are separated by walls or not. Although this can easily be dealt with with a little ingenuity, it can be extremely annoying at times, as you constantly pound on the R1 in hopes that it will lock onto the enemy that is endlessly shooting you in the back.

Enjoyment:

One of the best aspects of Mega Man Legends 1 was the way it took the tired and boring Mega Man mythos and utterly transformed it into a genuinely charming tale about a series of characters that were impossible to dislike. Mega Man Legends 2 continues this tradition flawlessly, and even goes a few steps farther into some surprising seriousness, giving it a much broader scope and more epic feel than the original. Not that it s anything terribly new if you are someone even the slightest bit familiar with anime (incidentally, a lot of it seems suspiciously inspired by Laputa: Castle in the Sky), but for a Mega Man game this is practically unheard of since the series hallmark has always been mindless franchise repetition. Mega Man Legends 2 is probably the only Capcom sequel I ve ever played that dares to actually do something with its story. (It even achieves *gasp!* closure.) All the characters are cute and/or cool and attractive, and serve the story well. I especially liked how Roll s domestic relationship with Mega Man was more emphasized this time as a counter-point to his romantic tension with bad-girl Tron Bonne in the first game. It s all very cute and warmly effective.

Multiplayer:

n/a

Overall Impression:

The bottom line is this: Mega Man Legends 2, like the first, is a cute and charming game with tons of personality to spare. Fans of the original, as well as those of Tron Bonne, should be perfectly happy here, especially considering the expanded locations and numerous tweaks in gameplay. Now the rest of you out there who are under the impression that there is something silly about cartoons and/or are having difficulty letting go of the notion that all 3D games should play like Tomb Raider& you should do yourselves a big favor by picking up this game and finding out what the rest of us know: that Mega Man Legends 2 is about the closest thing you ll get to an old-school adventure/RPG here in the twilight months of the PSX.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

It's kinda hard to discuss whether or not this game is being marketed towards women when it scarily seems to be being marketed at all. If MML2 does make any money it will be a sleeper hit, like the first. Those who do pick it up will find that the women are pretty much portrayed the same way as the men: cute as well as capable. Tron Bonne is the same quick-witted, devious, yet compassionate pseudo-villain, and Roll is the same cheerful, brave, and trustworthy friend and pilot. Una, a new, more mysterious character in the series, is easily the most powerful and authorative character in the game who plays a major role in the plot. If I had to mention anything about it, though, I suppose I could say a few words about the game's occasional "boy's" mentality concerning the love triangle between Megaman, Tron, and Roll. There are a few scenes involving some deliberately awkward moments between characters that are certainly designed from the male point of view. Yet, quite frankly, these parts are so good natured and play off the embarrassment of each gender equally I can't imagine people getting very upset with them.

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