I've actually wanted to do an update sooner than this. Unfortunately, as the header suggests, there's nothing to write about. Seriously, nothing. Want to know what games Polas is playing right now? None, he's typing this. But the only game I've touched in the last two weeks is Battle Network 5, and I'm sure you're just itching for more Mega Man after the last 2 updates. If for some silly reason you aren't, just skip over the blue (bomber) text.
The trepidation I felt about upcoming Mega Man games has subsided, I'm happy to report. Battle Network 5 is a lot closer to the glory days of 2-3 than the cesspool of mediocrity that was the last game. No multiple playthroughs, it's back to getting everything in one run, and that's just spiffy. For hardcore players, you'll notice that Capcom has made things a bit more difficult by only allowing one Program Advance per battle, changing the colors and sizes of certain helpful NaviCust programs, and so on. I approve of this, as it forces you to get better and figure out good combos that don't rely on PA's.
The obvious big change is the addition of Liberation Missions. There are quite a few, so I urge you to play through at least one before making a purchase to make sure you enjoy it. They offer an interesting twist on the system, delve into a whole new level of strat-egery, and best of all, let you play as navis other than MegaMan (6 per version). You can read a more detailed analysis of Liberation Missions at the always helpful MMHP. Worry not purists, only the bad guys are reached this way. To recruit several of your teammates, you'll go through the tried-and-true 3-4 section "find different color things to put into other things or number codes to open that annoying pink line door" areas.
If you played the last game, you know that the DarkChip system was a decent idea but needed some tweaking. Tweaking it got, as no longer do the DarkChips appear automatically when you're getting your ass kicked, but rather you can collect them and put them in your folder as you would other chips. You still lose 1HP permanently for unleashing their cheap amazing power, but this time, you can get around it. In addition to the Soul Unisons introduced last time, you can now use Chaos Unisons.
As you can see, ProtoSoul is back, you still sacrifice a sword chip to fuse, and you still get the WideSword as your charged shot. HOWEVER. If you fuse with the DarkSword chip, ChaosProto is unleashed (in stylish dark blue!), and your charged shot becomes the 400 damage-dealing DarkSword. Basically, you can use the effect of the original darkchip as many times as you want while you stay fused, without losing any HP. Drawbacks: Chaos Unision only lasts 1 round as opposed to the usual 3. Even worse, once your shot becomes charged, it fluctuates between blue and purple. Release on purple, you attack. Release on blue, you not only lose your Chaos Unison, but MegaMan DS leaps from your body and starts fighting you from the enemy side. HUGE pain in the ass, so you'd damn well better get the timing down, especially considering it gets tougher each time you pull it off.
The one thing I would complain about is that they're getting lazier with the bosses, and navis in general. There are only four true "bad guys" in the main quest, and one is recycled from the previous game. Also, another is BlizzardMan. You fight all of your teammates at some point in the game, and 4 out of 6 in each version are recycled from previous games. True, they have some new moves, some more than others. Compared to 1-3, however, the boss fights have severely tapered off. And of course, there's the greedy Poke-ish money-grubbing "two version" deal again. Neither is really better, it depends on your playing style. All in all though, it washed BN4 out of my system, and is a worthy installment.
Well, if you skipped here due to lack of interest in Mega Man, you're pretty screwed, since that's about all I have to talk about. Ever. Blame the gaming industry, the newswire is totally dry right now. If you're a Mortal Kombat fan as I am, you may know that a new MK game is coming out later this year, and it's not a fighter. I know what you're thinking - you're thinking this (which wasn't that bad, and this (which was. Oh, it was). Before you run for the hills, take solace in the fact that Ed Boon and Midway/Paradox have done a spectacular job of convincing every major gaming outlet that Shaolin Monks will not suck. You can find a synopsis of the game here, and an interesting journal from one of the top guys working on the project right here. I'm looking forward to it ... with caution.
