Mega Man 4
Mega Man 4 | |
---|---|
Mega Man | |
Platform(s) | Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, Mobile phone, Android, iOS |
Release | |
platform | |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Mega Man 4
The game's story takes place after the third defeat and supposed death of
Similarly to its predecessors Mega Man 4 was remade for PlayStation in Japan. In later years it appeared on mobile phones and as part of game compilations, including Mega Man Anniversary Collection. The emulated versions were also released through PlayStation Network and Virtual Console. A sequel, Mega Man 5, was released in 1992.
Plot
Mega Man 4 takes place in an unspecified year during the 21st century, described as the year "20XX". One year after the events of
Upon defeating the eight Robot Masters — Toad Man, Bright Man, Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Dust Man, Skull Man, Dive Man, and Drill Man — Mega Man makes his way to Cossack's icy fortress. However, in the middle of his battle with Cossack, Mega Man's brother
Gameplay
Mega Man 4 features similar gameplay to the previous three games.[11] The player must complete a series of eight stages in an order of the player's choosing. The protagonist, Mega Man, is able to run, jump, shoot, and climb his way past obstacles and enemies; the game also retains the slide ability which debuted in Mega Man 3. At the end of each stage is a Robot Master boss. Upon defeating a Robot Master, Mega Man gains the Robot Master's signature weapon, which can then be used by the player in subsequent stages.[11][12] Once all eight Robot Masters are destroyed, two separate sets of linear stages must be completed to finish the game. One major addition to the gameplay in Mega Man 4 is the "Mega Buster", an upgraded version of Mega Man's arm cannon. By holding down the firing button, the player can now charge a shot, resulting in a blast far more powerful than the standard shot.[10][11][12][13] This feature was later used in subsequent incarnations of the franchise.[14]
The hero's dog Rush makes a return from Mega Man 3 with the ability to transform into "Coil", "Jet", and "Marine" modes for navigating different environments.[11][12] Aside from Rush, two additional support items called the "Wire Adaptor" and the "Balloon Adaptor" also aid the player in reaching areas not normally accessible. However, these hidden adaptors must be found in the stages rather than being awarded for defeating a Robot Master.[10][11][13] Like the Master Weapons, the three Rush modes and the two adaptors are each limited to an amount of weapon power that drains when in use. The character "Flip Top" Eddie is introduced in Mega Man 4. Eddie, who went on to appear in later Mega Man games, provides the player with a random item (such as health, ammunition, or an E-Tank) at designated points in some of the levels.[10][12]
Development
Mega Man series artist Keiji Inafune, credited as "Inafking", stated that the development team had very few problems while working on Mega Man 4.[15] Inafune designed Dr. Cossack and Kalinka as two new storyline characters for the game. Cossack, who was originally named "Dr. Vice", was made much younger than Dr. Light and Dr. Wily. Inafune also considered giving him American traits, but decided upon influences from Russia instead.[2] Kalinka was created because so many male characters already existed in the series at this point. However, Inafune did not intend for players to compare her to Mega Man's sister Roll.[2] The idea for Eddie originally came about during the development of Mega Man 2. Eddie was designed as a supporting character that "would behave like a lottery", either pleasantly surprising or disappointing the player with the item he gives Mega Man.[2]
Mega Man 4 was the first game in the series for Hayato Kaji, credited as "K. Hayato", a prominent designer for many later Mega Man games. Kaji was responsible for the chargeable Mega Buster, a gameplay mechanic that would become a staple of the series.[2] "We knew adding a two-level or three-level charge would change the whole flavor of the game in some respects, and we were very mindful of that," Inafune explained.[2] The Robot Masters in Mega Man 4 are a result of a design contest for fans held in Japan. With over 70,000 character submissions, the development team spent an extended period of time narrowing them down to only eight bosses.[2] According to Kaji, the team was very satisfied with many of the chosen designs and almost no changes were made to their original illustrations. They were so impressed with Skull Man that they scrapped an entire level being created just so they could restart it and devote it to that Robot Master.[2] The winning eight contestants of the design contest were each issued a special "golden cartridge" edition of Mega Man 4. As there are only eight of these cartridges in existence, they are extremely rare and fetch a large collector's price today.[16] The musical score for Mega Man 4 was composed by Minae Fujii, credited as "Ojalin", while the sound programming and sound effects were handled by Yasuaki Fujita, credited as "Bun Bun", who had composed the soundtrack for Mega Man 3 the previous year.[17]
Reception and legacy
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Famitsu | 27 out of 40[18] |
GamePro | [13] |
IGN | 8 out of 10[20] |
Nintendo Power | 3.95 out of 5[19] |
Nintendo Magazine System | 81%[3] |
Total! | 88%[21] |
Publication | Award |
---|---|
Nintendo Power Awards '92 | Best Overall Game (NES)[22][23] |
Mega Man 4 has received mostly positive critical reviews. Reviews contemporary with the game's release by the United States magazine Nintendo Power and the United Kingdom publications Nintendo Magazine System and Total! all found Mega Man 4 to have high quality graphics, sound, and gameplay.[3][19][21] However, they also noted very little improvement over previous entries in the series. GamePro was satisfied with the lack of changes. "Mega Man 4 continues the tradition — crazed robot baddies, good character graphics, great background art and warped, mechanical music," the reviewer said. "When you have a good game, why make radical changes? Capcom sticks to the blueprints in Mega Man 4 — guaranteeing happiness for Mega Man fans everywhere."[13] Mega Man 4 made it into IGN's "Top 100 NES Games" list at number 95, with staff writer Matt Casamassina praising its attempt at better narrative and an essentially similar experience to the first three Mega Man games.[24] Lucas M. Thomas of IGN stated that, as a stand-alone title, the game is one of the best experiences available from the NES library, although not when compared to its superior predecessors. He enjoyed the use of a second set of castle levels to significantly extend the length of the game, a tradition carried on by the next two titles in the series.[20]
Numerous video game journalists and enthusiasts including Thomas, Craig Skistimas of
Mega Man 4 was re-released for the
A fanmade
Notes
- ^ known in Japan as Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! (ロックマン4 新たなる野望!!, Rokkuman 4 Aratanaru Yabou!!, lit. "Rockman 4: A New Ambition!!")
References
- ^ Nintendo staff. "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-897376-79-9.
- ^ ISSN 0965-4240.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-897376-79-9.
- ^ a b Osamu, Takizawa (September 1, 2005). "カプコン、iモード「ロックマン4」や「バイオハザード ストーリーズ」新シナリオなどを配信" [Capcom releases, i-mode "Rockman 4 and Biohazard: The Stories scenarios] (in Japanese). Game Watch. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Dotson, Carter. "'Mega Man' 1-6 Releasing for iOS and Android on January 5th". Touch Arcade. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^ Rockman 4 Aratanaru Yabō!! manual, December 1991, Capcom.
- ^ Capcom (December 1991). Mega Man 4 (Nintendo Entertainment System). Capcom.
Narrator: Dr. Cossack, a mysterious scientist, has invented eight powerful robots and sent them after Mega Man. Mega Man starts for the battle again, this time equipped with the powerful New Mega Buster!!
- ^ Capcom (December 1991). Mega Man 4 (Nintendo Entertainment System). Capcom.
Kalinka: Please Mega Man don't!! My father is not really evil. Dr. Wily took me hostage and forced my father to fight you. Please Mega Man, don't hurt my father any more.
- ^ ISSN 1041-9551.
- ^ ISSN 1058-918X.
- ^ a b c d Capcom, ed. (January 1992). Mega Man 4 Instruction Booklet. Capcom Entertainment, Inc. pp. 6–15. NES-4V-USA.
- ^ ISSN 1042-8658.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Lucas M. (February 16, 2010). "The 10 Steps to Mega Man 10". IGN. Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
- ^ Inafune, Keiji (1997). "Rockman 10th Anniversary Celebration Plans". CFC Style Fan-Book (in Japanese). 3. Capcom: 24.
- Retro Game Master. Season 7. Episode 45 (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. Fuji Television.
- ^ Gonazales, Joveth (February 5, 2010). "Japanese Mega Man 10 Soundtrack Details". Capcom Unity. Capcom. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
- ^ Staff (December 13, 1991). クロスレビュー [Cross Review]. Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 156. Tokuma Shoten. p. 38. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ ISSN 1041-9551.
- ^ a b c d Lucas, Thomas M. (April 23, 2010). "Mega Man 4 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ ISSN 0964-9352.
- ^ "Nintendo Power Awards '92: The NESTERS". Nintendo Power. No. 48. May 1993. pp. 36–9.
- ^ "Nintendo Power Awards". Nintendo Power. No. 46. March 1993. p. 99. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt. "95. Mega Man 4 - Top 100 NES Games". IGN. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- Viacom. Archivedfrom the original on February 10, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ^ 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the originalon July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2004. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on March 21, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ Nintendo staff. "VC ロックマン4 新たなる野望!!" [VC Rockman 4: A New Ambition!!] (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ East, Thomas (April 8, 2010). "Mega Man 4 coming to Virtual Console next week". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ IGN staff (April 19, 2010). "Nintendo Download: April 19, 2010". IGN. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Spencer (February 10, 2011). "PSN Is Burning With PsOne Fighting Games". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 12, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
- ^ a b Ponce, Tony (July 6, 2012). "The Mega Man 4 ROM hack to end all ROM hacks". Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ Piedra, Josh (November 14, 2015). "Editorial: Is It Time For A Mega Man Maker?". Retrieved April 27, 2024.
External links
- Official Rockman website (in Japanese)
- Mega Man 4 at MobyGames