Those of you familiar with the backstory of the ongoing development of the Mega Man X series may be aware that Zero – the sabre-wielding, long-haired secondary protagonist – was, in fact, the original design Keiji Inafune wanted to use for Mega Man. That idea got shot down because of how different Zero looks from the design of classic Mega Man, but Inafune never completely let go of the idea of making Zero a series lead. 2002 came around and Zero finally got his due with Mega Man Zero on the Game Boy Advance, kicking off a short sub-series that would then go on to spawn its own sub-series with Mega Man ZX. Now, Capcom has seen fit to release the whole six-game saga again for the Switch as Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection, and we’re pleased to report that it’s everything you could have possibly hoped for.
Mega Man Zero picks up about a hundred years after the events of the Mega Man X series, taking place in a utopian society called Neo Arcadia, built by X himself. Though it initially seemed to start out fine, the society has taken a turn for the worse in how it persecutes and hunts innocent reploids, who are being retired (read: murdered) in mass numbers. Zero is woken up from an induced sleep by a woman named Ciel, who acts as a key member in a resistance group against Neo Arcadia, and he’s soon swept up in the fight against the oppressive regime X has built. Although the storytelling isn’t anything groundbreaking, it does a solid job of continuing the heavier tone of the Mega Man X series, while introducing a wealth of new characters and conflicts to spice things up.
There’s a clear maturation to the gameplay of the Mega Man Zero series, which has made a name for itself for its astoundingly crushing difficulty. Though they’re all excellent releases, the first entry in the series proves to be a rather rough and unrefined cut of the unique formula the series defined. With each new entry, then, it’s clear that the developers had an ever-clearer idea of what they were trying to do with the gameplay and level design. Each stage you run through in the Mega Man Zero games has you jumping and slashing your way through all manner of enemies and obstacles, culminating in a tough boss fight that occasionally can grant you extra boons to make later levels easier. The key thing here, however, is that your performance in every stage is graded based upon damage, speed, and kills. The margins for reaching the highest rank for a stage are tight, and things are made a little less approachable considering that you can’t redo a stage once you’ve completed it.
As the series wore on, the ranking system became more than just a badge of honour, too, with high ranks in the later games granting you exclusive weapon and armour sets from the bosses you defeat. This ranking system at the heart of the Zero games proves to be both its greatest strength and weakness. On one hand, a huge part of the addictive nature of the gameplay stems from replaying levels and learning them by muscle memory. There’s nothing more satisfying than the feeling of earning an S-rank in a Mega Man Zero stage, knowing that your raw skill and knowledge of the mechanics carried you to that victory. On the other hand, the ranking system leaves almost no room for error and actively discourages you from using some game mechanics. Case in point the “Cyber Elf” system is a series of collectible consumables that can grant you a mixture of short and long term benefits, but using a Cyber Elf in a stage immediately disqualifies you from earning top rank.
Even if you don’t go for top ranks, however, the Mega Man Zero series proves to be a wonderfully enjoyable experience from stem to stern. The controls are tight, the level designs are varied and interesting, and the boss encounters prove to be some of the most memorable in the whole Mega Man series. This is a rare case of a Mega Man sub-series that remained consistent in its quality throughout its run, and while it may be that everyone has a favorite entry for their own reasons, it’s tough to objectively argue that any of these four releases are less than high-quality sidescrollers. The collection would be worth its cost just based on these alone, but then there’s also the two ZX entries from the DS to consider.
With a story that takes place two hundred years after the Mega Man Zero series, Mega Man ZX largely continues the work of its predecessor, but with the addition of Metroidvania elements to expand the gameplay options. The tight controls and action-focused gameplay are still present, though the ranking system has been tossed out in favour of the new open-ended design. Unfortunately, the first Mega Man ZX fumbles this overworld; it’s difficult to navigate and the map you’re given doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. This was largely fixed, however, in Mega Man ZX Advent, which retooled the map system while reining in the open-world elements a bit more. On the whole, the ZX duo doesn’t hold up as nearly well as the Zero series, but these two games still have some great ideas and fun gameplay.
Those of you that struggle when it comes to sidescrollers will be pleased to know that there are a few options included in the collection to make these releases more palatable. There’s a “Casual Scenario” mode that buffs you up with better offensive and defensive features so you can effectively steamroll through the games and just experience the story. On top of this, there’s a new “Save Assist” feature that drops a few checkpoints into levels, usually before tricky platforming segments and boss fights. Critically, these are not save states that you can trigger at will; you still have to overcome boss fights and obstacles on your own steam. Rather, think of them as a means of cutting back on the tedium of the old-school design. If you lose, you now don’t have to traipse back through an entire level just for another crack at the boss that beat you. Both these new features can be completely ignored, of course, if you want the ‘pure’ experience, but we’d encourage you to at least see what they add.
Another feature brought in with this collection is the all-new “Z-Chaser” mode, which is essentially a time attack. You can compete locally with friends or against online ghosts, and the goal is to complete a selected portion form any of the six games as fast as possible. Though your mileage may vary with this, it’s a nice way of adding more value to the overall package, and having the ability to have a second screen displaying your competitor’s run is a nice way of adding to the stakes while teaching you things you might not have thought of. Once you complete a run in this mode, your data is then uploaded to the global leaderboard, so there’s potentially hours of enjoyment to be had here if score chasing is your thing.
This truly is the complete package when it comes to these releases, as Capcom has seen fit to throw in everything but the kitchen sink. A substantial gallery with all manner of art and music from across the games can be browsed at your pleasure, offering interesting insights behind the scenes of the development of each game. You can play all games in either their Western or Japanese versions and a few filters can be added to tweak the look of your experience.
We preferred the low-res look of the base resolution, but you can also enable a pixel-smoothing filter or a more retro filter that adds in a slight static effect reminiscent of old handheld screens. On top of this, all the Japan-only e-cards for the latter Zero games are included here, alongside a bunch of achievements for hitting various milestones across the games. Also, the dual-screen setup of the ZX games is neatly handled by putting the second screen as a smaller, windowed portion of the display, which you can navigate via the right stick. It’s clear throughout the experience that the developers put a lot of time and love into making this collection a complete package, and the extra mile they went with all the customization options and supplementary content is not something to be overlooked.
Conclusion
Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection is everything that you could’ve hoped it to be. This is ultimately six great Mega Man games presented to you with a slew of customizable features, extra content, and quality of life updates. If you’re a fan of either Mega Man or sidescrolling action games in general, you owe it to yourself to give this release a go and see what all the fuss is about. These are hard and occasionally frustrating games, but they offer up some rewarding, action-heavy gameplay that even today stands among the best of its class. Don’t pass this one up, it’s definitely worth the punt.
Comments 59
value should make it a 10
I already have the Zero Collection on DS....but the ZX games and being able to play it on my tv are both VERY tempting.
That new save assist feature is a Godsend for anyone who has played the OG games. I own 1, 2 and 3 on GBA, and ZX on DS but I have to say this collection demolishes them lol. Though having the OG GBA boxes in perfect condition is nice too with full inserts and the OG receipts from EBgames lol.
I remember playing these games on my GBA and later on my DS back in the day. Really enjoyed them from what I recall; although I never finished them. (I had a ton of games, even more so now. Not much has changed...) I might pick this collection up soon. Looks and sounds a treat for my Switch. Now if we could somehow get Zero for Smash Bros Ultimate...
I really like that they're doing these kind of collections for the big screen. Really gives people the chance to check these games out if they missed them, like me. I might check it out in the future.
I appreciate that by what I've seen, the DS's cutscenes aren't compressed and the amount of layout choices you can choose for the DS games is very forward thinking, heck the amount of options the collection has is very appreciated. Sure, I think the smoothing filter makes the games' art look ugly/muddy, but good thing you can turn that off.
It's a job well done. I hope there's a Mega Man Battle Network Collection in the future, since there's like six games in that series.
This is easily the best Mega Man collection that’s been put out yet. I don’t mean the quality of the games themselves (although I think it wins in that regard too) but in terms of filters, options, extras, emulation quality, etc. I can only imagine how great the BN collections that are totally coming will be.
@SteelSunglass the Mega Man franchise is a fascinating time capsule isn’t it? Seems like there’s something for everyone with every series and sub series released. How perfectly fitting.
Picking this up next week 😊
You said that it contains both the Japanese and International editions; however does that mean the Voice Acting in the Japanese edition of ZX isn’t available in the English version? Or in ZX Advent for that matter that sounded atrocious with English VA’s?
I’m guessing the slight increase in gore of MMZ also remains only in the JP version.
AND it's only $30? Off to Amazon I go.
The remixed songs are a nice touch, especially Trap Phantasm. Love that song.
Now I just hope we get a Mega Man Legacy Collection 3 with Mega Man I - V on Gameboy, Mega Man & Bass (Super Famicom version), and The Wily Wars.
I'm a big fan of the Zero series. I got the first one when it was new, then got the DS collection much later to play the rest of it. I do agree that the first one has more issues that they went on to fix for the rest of the series and makes the sequels better and make the series as a whole very strong. I never particularly cared about performance rank and I did not hesitate to rely on the cyber elves. I wasn't able to get into ZX when I tried it several years ago. It seemed less focused, but I may go back to it, or at least give the second one a shot. It sounds like they did a good job with the collection, which isn't always the case, so it's good to hear they did this right and offered some good options. The DS version was always a great value, and this one sounds like a great value as well and worth the purchase for those interested in games like these.
The Zero games would have been so much fairer if upgrade Cyber Elves didn't permanently deduct from your ranking. It would have even nice to see something between the Casual mode which gives you every single elf with the upgrades already applied, maxed out weapon skills, full sub tanks and 9999 crystals right at the start and the standard difficulty.
European fans be aware that there isn't going to be a European physical release.
If you want this, you'll have to import the JP or US physical release.
Luckily, they're near-identical in content, both having the full range of US/JP releases of all six titles in a multi-language package.
Nice. Now I just have to wait until my Japanese version arrives 🙄
Lovely review, @SwitchVogel!
I'll be absolutely rinsing this collection over the next few weeks or so.
I think I will eventually grab this on physical I've got the first 2 collections and 11 would be nice to have the switch be able to house every megaman game ever, but we've got quite a few missing still. Hopefully we next see a Battle Network collection & Mega Man legends collection would be great.
@RupeeClock It’s annoying that Capcom continues to ignore Europe. I’d buy this if it got a regular European release, but I’m not going to pay $70+ for an imported American version. I’ll might as well hold out for the 70% off on the eShop in two years time.
A score deserving of these series
Awesome games. Now we just need the Legends Collection and Battle Network Collection and we're all set!
I'm decently skilled, but I always felt the MMZ games were a bit too punishing. Fun to play, but getting those top ranks requires damn-near perfect skill that few will be able to match.
I actually enjoyed the ZX games a bit more, but on the whole, this collection will be a welcome addition to my Switch library, particularly since I never played MMZ4.
@Dualmask The thing I remember throwing me off the most was the hitboxes were so much different with the Zero games compared to X4.
The Z-Saber doesn't have as much range as X4-6 Zero, so that's something I'll have to adjust to when my copy gets here.
@Giygas_95 PLEASE CAPCOM!! Also powered up, power battle, soccer, and translated rockboard. I would be content for a long time with that.
@Sinton
If you shop around it shouldn't cost you too much.
365games often import stock to sell domestically in the UK for example.
https://www.365games.co.uk/nintendo-switch-games/mega-man-zero-zx-legacy-collection-nintendo-switch-game-ntsc-version
It's out of stock right now, but they'll probably open orders soon.
@RupeeClock Sure, but then there’s additional shipping costs, VAT and customs to where I live. That’s more than $40 alone.
I'll be getting this game after I finish with my tax stuff.
I've had all of these since their original release and i can tell you they are excellent! The ZX games are still very good too! They feel like a direct continuation of the zero series. I always loved the intro in the first ZX game! It gets you so pumped to start blasting bots!
I'm curious if there's any significant input lag and if they increased the field of vision at all. Judging by the screenshots, I'm guessing the screen is still incredibly cramped. Honestly if they widened the view so that I didn't constantly bump into everything 5 inches in front of my character, this would be a must-have collection for me. As it stands, I own all of the games in the original boxes and all, so I have no real reason to go for this collection right now.
It’s important to highlight the ZX games do NOT have a pixel-perfect aspect ratio, or something that translates the DS screens properly. This is really annoying. Also, I don’t get why all the games have inferior versions of the title screen, with a cheaper font and distorted text.
That said, I’m enjoying all of them, the performance is simply perfect (actually better than standard emulation) and the ability to quicksave during missions should make the progression a breeze for newcomers.
My take on this is best is if you did buy from Amazon Japan the full series as there are two in it that was never physical release.
Mega Man Legends Collection (with bonus unreleased MML3 prototype demo) when?
I have one big complaint: the non-game menus (tutorial Windows that pop up as you starting the game) have ridiculously tiny font size. Hard to read on handheld mode.
I’m liking the collection a lot, but kinda wish they gone a bit further. This is not just an emulation but more of a port, I feel (they changed it with the save points and competitive modes.) I wish one of the features considered had been to use the full screen area for a bit more viewing space. At least the Zero games feel a bit cramped, and text pop ups hilariously chunky.
How is it the lack of a proper d-pad? I'm curious as it kinda hinders Mana Collection ever so slightly.
@Jokerwolf Zero 1 is such a brutal experience and actually killed my interest in the Zero series for years up until this collection.
Think I'll use save assist for now until I learn the games enough to be able to break them over my knee like I can with the first 4 X games.
@Zeraki yea zero 1 is hard. Tutorial boss killed me like 3 times! And not more because I eventually remembered doing it months ago in an emulator. That save assist point right outside bosses is golden.
@Zeraki Use the assist feature 100%, it doesn't make you a bad player it actually makes you better because it keeps you focused on the things that kill you or give you a hard time.
I played Mega Man Zero a lot during the GBA days. Hard as heck, but I loved the game. I’ll pick up this legacy collection.
@imgrowinglegs I sold my DS Zero collection to fund my purchase of this one.
@oats-81 I played all four of the other MML Collections on Switch with no problem. Never missed the D-pad.
@Dualmask Eh, it's not that hard. Just takes a bit of practice. I was able to S-rank all four Zero games. I do think the cyber-elves were poorly implemented until the third game, though.
Incredible. The complete MMZ/ZX Collection in one slick package, all playable on your TV (finally!).
Fantastic.
I played all of these back in the day and if you've ever been a real fan of "The Blue Bomber" then these games are also a must.
I mean come on, we all loved Megaman, but we always wanted to Be Zero.
I'm gonna have Alot of fun with these. I'm actually most looking forward to playing the ZX games again.
I'm not a big Mega Man fan, but I love seeing these collections of classic games and I really hope more companies follow suit!
(Game Freak? Intelligent Systems? NINTENDO??? where are you guys?)
@AstralSoul64 With the Mega Man kick Capcom's been on lately, I'm totally convinced they'll do Battle Network next; it's such an easy win. However, I also believe they'll split it into two collections, like with X and the Classic series, so they can include all the dual versions from 3-6.
@Juga None that I've noticed, though my only experience with these games was the Zero Collection on DS; never played ZX before. If there is any, it doesn't really hinder the experience.
@oats-81 I'm one of those that never understood the hate for the Switch D-pad. To me, it's a non issue and doesn't affect my enjoyment at all.
@oats-81 I haven't played in handheld yet, but I also haven't had any issues with the split direction buttons for a long time now. The X collection was the big test for me to see if it works and it does, so I imagine it won't be too bad in the Zero games either.
Capcom's Mega Man Collections keep getting better and better.
What makes this collection stand out for me is the fact that they even implemented all the little knickknacks most people didn't even know existed, like the e-Reader Cards in MMZ3 or the ability to slot in a MMZ cartridge to fight their bosses in ZX.
Plus, the save assist function is, as someone said before, an absolute godsent. It's basically just a checkpoint system on the surface, which removes one of Zero 1's biggest design faux pas entirely (finite extra lifes that act more like continues anyways).
It makes the earlier games so much more enjoyable without being "cheaty".
Plus, they are optional too!
@SwitchVogel
Capcom teased Mega Man 11 via a gallery image in the classic collections before.
This collection features recreations of Battle Network artwork that featured the MMZ Zero design.
So if the MM11 tease is anything to go by, it's fair to say that there might be a BN Collection in the future.
And just imagine them putting this much care into it...
Working online battle mode, script touch ups for BN4, heck, maybe even quality of life features like linking with your own safe files (this would be super nice for Star Force's Brotherband System...)
Ah, a man can dream ^^
@Jokerwolf it makes going for higher rankings SO much easier, which is awesome if you're one of those people (like me, sadly) who WANT to try to get every EX Skill or form in a run. Messed up badly in a section or a boss? With save assist, you just have to go back and redo that one section and not the entire stage.
Granted of course these stages aren't super long to begin with. Still, it definitely helps
I had never played these games before, but so far Zero is great. I’m using the save points, but not the casual setting. I do wish they would’ve expanded the screen to not be so cramped, even if they had to raise the price. Also I love the rewind feature on Mega Man Legacy Collection 1, too bad none of the other collections got that feature.
I was going to wait a while to get this physically... then noticed it’s sold out on Amazon (third-party sellers only) , and all but one GameStop near me don’t have it. Walmart probably has it; a lot of the Targets had shipping only.
If there is a "Battle Network" collection in the future, it better include the "Network Transmission" GameCube spin-off, which I consider to be the best game in the sub-series. Also, it will be interesting to see how they handle the Pokémon-style dual releases from the later games in the series.
@Onion It stretches to widescreen so its not cramped. If you've bought any of the GBA games for the WiiU then you'll have a good idea of how they'll look.
There are options to mess with the screen to suit different tastes although full screen puts some dialogue partially out of view.
Oh and I dunno what system your playing it on, but as a switch player I haven't noticed any lag or slowdown. Its still silky-smooth.
I picked it up Tuesday. Been having a ball replaying it. Halfway through Zero 4 already and started the other Zero games last night.
I'm not crazy about the way the ZX portion is done though. The wallpapers and secondary screen feel intrusive and block part of the scenery unless you put it in its original ds mode. Ran right into an enemy I couldn't see and had to stop and fiddle with the screen ratio.
I gotta say I'm not loving it with the Pro Controller, Zero will sometimes turn for no reason and the stiff sometimes unresponsive joysticks aren't conducive for a series that require precise movement and twitch reactions.
Hopefully the SNES controller will feel more natural.
I still remember exactly how pissed I was when I realized that the score was docking my grade for using the upgrades it offered. It felt so disingenuous.
I'm all for rewarding skill, but I never respected when easy modes literally crop out parts (usually the end) of the core game. So I'm sure as hell not going to pat them on the back for a jerkass design that actively calls the player a wimp. Especially when the grade was out and proud at all times, just in case you forgot the game thought you were a loser.
When I bought the other MegaMan collections on Switch, I was very disappointed to find that they couldn't even put all those tiny games on the actual cartridge.
There's almost nothing on the cartridge, talk about cheap Capcom.
I buy physical games for reason and they still find a way to screw you.
@GamerDad66 Fortunately all the games in the collection are on the cart this time.
Played them all on their original platforms and loved them all. I wish these were HD remasters
Mega Man ZX should have been released on the ZX Spectrum.
Been playing this collection non-stop since release. I love me some Mega man and the fact that there are no duds in this bundle is a huge win. Yes, I even love ZX advent. Fight Me!
@Tempestryke In regards to controllers, I know people are gonna give me crap for saying this, but I prefer using the joycon "D-pad" for 2-D platformers. Sticks have never worked and should never be used for these kind of games and while a traditional D-pad is generally better what I HAVE come to appreciate about the joycon buttons is that they have very little "action" to their press. There's a bit of "analoguey" feel to most controller buttons, whether they're D-pads or face buttons, but joycons have a very rigid digital feel to them. The button is either being pressed or its not; this stiffness helps me tremendously when playing platformers as I feel like I never miss a desired input.
@Chowdaire I agree with you wholeheartedly. There's a precision to them that joysticks can't replicate for certain games and vice versa.
The only game of the collection that I have is ZX advent, so its worth it to download it someday to experience the other 5 games.
I was seriously excited when I first discovered that they were creating this collection, as I never had a GBA or NDS so I couldn't even play the games until now. I played all 4 Zero games to their end and both ZX games as each of their respective heroes. Essentially I played the latter series twice. Heck I'm still playing them, and now we'll be able to play the entire Battle Network collection, something else I couldn't do before. Please oh please remake StarForce and Legends, Capcom. And seriously, GET VOLNUTT OFF THE MOON! If I was stuck up there for twenty years I'd be going bananas.
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