It's been a rough decade for Mega Man. But there's no need for me to lean back in my chair, puff my pipe, and recount how Capcom exiled the Blue Bomber when the man closest to his name, Keiji Inafune, left Capcom in 2010.

With the release of its latest entry, the Mega Man series continues its struggle to remain artistically relevant. Although Mega Man 11 features a 2.5D graphic style, a first for the series, the game otherwise offers little that we haven't seen from its predecessors.

A side from a few recent game bundles, it's been about eight years since Mega Man's had to equip his mega buster and punch a few holes into Dr. Wily's over-inflated ego. It's been a while, but long-time fans should be able to hop into the Blue Bomber's latest adventure without missing so much as a...

The Blue Bomb

Great soundtrack and visuals; Challenging boss battles; Fans will (probably) love it

Poor platforming; Some cheap level design

One of gaming's oldest mascots finally gets a makeover, but how far does Capcom go in modernising its beloved platforming franchise

Cleverly designed stages and boss battles that really pop in 3D, all the while evoking that classic Mega man feel; By far the most accessible game in the series to date

Core gameplay is still rigid and awkward in spots; If you never liked the way Mega Man runs and guns in those original 2D platformers, 11 won't change your mind

As a Mega Man fan since the beginning I'm a happy camper. Capcom outdid themselves with this new entry by finally giving us a modern Mega Man experience on modern consoles while retaining everything we love about the Blue Bomber.

It's been eight long years since the Blue Bomber's last entry in the series and I, like many other fans, feared that the Mega Man series had been relegated to the dusty back shelf of time, unable to maintain the momentum created by the surprise success of retro throwback Mega Man 9 , itself...

Buy Mega Man 11 It's been a long time since we've seen the Blue Bomber in one of his own adventures. The NES mascot may have spent time on mobile games and Smash Bros. , but his solo adventures have been few and far between.

The year is 20XX, Dr Wily is causing trouble, and only you can stop him. I won't go deep into the plot because you know it's a case of getting from A to B via a load of enemies who all need taking down.

Capcom has been on the quite the reimagining spree so it's only natural that Mega Man saw some sort of new awakening. Or maybe it isn't quite so natural, give how the Blue Bomber has been the publisher's blue black sheep.

Simple yet beautiful visual style that evokes new and old; Great level design that ramps up appropriately; Challenging boss fights; Double Gear system is a great addition for skilled and unskilled players; Multiple difficulties let players find the mode they want

Tags