Street Fighter X Megaman Review and Tips

Behold, Excalibur!

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Megaman, Capcom has released Street Fighter X Megaman for free. You can find a link to the download here ( http://www.capcom-unity.com/mega_man ).

I've been a fan ever since the original, and he was my primary character in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. And yes, I miss him in UMVC3. But while we're waiting for that new, current gen Megaman game, we might as well bust out our USB NES replica controllers and dive on in.

Before I even star the game, I already love 8 bit Blanka. It's probably the cutest sprite I've seen in a very long time. Just look at him! I'd pinch those cheeks, but I've already had enough electroshock therapy for a life time.

8 Bit Blanka

The game itself feels and runs well on my laptop. There is nothing to suggest that it was originally a fan project that eventually gained Capcom's official support. The chiptune themes of the Street Fighter characters are great. My favorite is Vega's theme; it just works really well in 8 bit.

The Stages themselves are pretty simple and easy to beat. Only a couple had some challenging elements, and that's not a bad thing, IMO. I don't mind actually playing a Megaman game that doesn't make me rip my hair out. I think a lot of the more hardcore guys will bash its difficulty. But it didn't seem any harder, to me, than something like X2.

Megaman vs Ryu

The bosses can be a bit tricky, especially if you're a veteran Street Fighter player. You may find yourself getting rocked a lot because you instinctively want to punish them or predict the usual attacks. So if you find yourself getting a bit frustrated, remember that Megaman is all about zoning.

You're going to have to get through Blanka, Chun, Li, Dhalsim  Rolento, Rose, Ryu, Vega, Viper, and Urien, just to get to Bison a la the original Megaman style.

Another one of my favorite 8 bit incarnations is Dan! He shows up after you beat a boss and helps you learn their power in the SF4 training stage.

8 Bit Dan
Saikyo Power!

Now, here are some quick tips: Even if you suck, you'll only need a couple of E-Tanks to get through Bison. But if you want to make things easier on yourself, save a few for the final showdown with the eight bosses. Speaking of which, here are the power matchups to beat them: Ryu beats Chun Li, Chun Li beats Viper, Viper beats Dhalism, Dhalism beats Blanka, Blanka beats Rose, Rose beats Rolento, Rolento beats Urien, and Urien beats Ryu. I found Ryu to be one of the easier bosses to beat with the mega buster and recommend you start with him.

There is a part in Viper's stage that will give some people trouble. A laser wall comes at you, and you have to take out these little floating orbs that control force fields blocking your path. I recommend using Rose's power to fly right through it.

In Urien's stage, don't be afraid to toss Rolento's grenades at the robots using Aegis Reflector.

To regain some health and ability energy in between boss fights, all you have to do is shoot the black and white orbs floating around the statue of the hands; they'll drop both a large Energy Ball and an extra weapons power charger.

Finally, abuse the hell out of Viper's optic beam. It can cut down lots of annoyances, like a hot knife through butter.

For a free game, I think Capcom hit a homerun. It might not appease the more hardcore players that like to torture themselves, but as a casual player, it's just fun. I don't know if there was a story here, I'm assuming Bison either made evil robot versions of the good Street Fighter characters or found a way to control them. Either way, that's about it. Now go download it, kick some butt, and walk off victorious into the sunset!

The Ending of Street Fighter X Megaman