The retro return of the 'Blue Bomber'

It has been 12 years since the release of "Mega Man 8" and now the Blue Bomber is back with a vengeance and he's never looked so good in high-definition graphics.

In a tribute to the "Mega Man" games of old, Capcom decided to invoke a retro-era feel to the game. This retro-revival features 8-bit graphics, simplistic music, a straightforward plot featuring series' villain Dr. Wily, and merciless platforming, all hearkening back to the "Mega Man 2" era. To further the nostalgia, there is even an option to turn on the sprite flicker glitch that bugged the series before, causing slowed game play when multiple enemies were onscreen.

The set-up remains the same: choose a level, beat a boss, gain their power, discover the strategy with which to beat all eight bosses by figuring out their weaknesses, then go on to a stretch of levels that ends with beating these eight bosses again followed by the final boss.

The classic rock-papers-scissors formula that the "Mega Man" series follows is so ingrained now that the joy of a "Mega Man" title is that of discovery. The eight bosses of the game include "Concrete Man," "Jewel Man," "Hornet Man," "Tornado Man," "Plug Man," "Galaxy Man," "Magma Man" and "Splash Woman." The archetypes for bosses remain since the initial "Mega Man": "Concrete Man" is the new "Guts Man," "Plug Man" is the new "Elec Man," and "Magma Man" is clearly the new "Fire Man." This doesn't simplify the mechanics, since certain powers don't necessarily make sense. Logically, whatever "Splash Woman" gives should work against "Magma Man," but this isn't the case. Given that this is the ninth iteration of the franchise, some ideas of what to do with the weapons seem farfetched. Since when did concrete freeze magma? How can a hornet be the new boomerang?

Also featured prominently in the game is an unforgiving difficulty level. Just like in the original Nintendo days, there is no option of which difficulty to set when starting a new game. Most stages are laden with instant death pits, spikes and magma, alongside the occasional disappearing block, and each requires skill to complete. When creating the game, producer Hironobu Takeshita was quoted as saying, "'Mega Man 9' is very hard. We didn't want to do 'Mega Man' but easy."

Mission accomplished.

The three P's of "Mega Man" are on full display here: patterns, precision and patience. Every boss has a pattern they fight with. After a certain amount of time, these patterns repeat and as the player gets more comfortable with dealing with the boss, the battle becomes easier. Recognition is key to anticipating patterns. Precision is a necessity for navigating through every level. One misstep could be the difference between making it onto a ledge and instantly dying in a spike pit. Exact reflexes are also important for fighting enemies. Despite being a straightforward action shooter, patience is the overwhelming practice for the game. Patterns and precision can only be accomplished through patience.

Despite the excruciating difficulty, it is rewarding when one makes it through a level -consider it an appeal to the masochist in every gamer. Levels can be made easier by purchasing single use items. Energy tanks ("E" tanks) can be bought to replenish health. Beat the bird can be purchased to save Mega Man when he falls into a hole. Spike shoes protect one from a misstep into a spike pit. A half-damage item cuts any damage inflicted in a level in half, but is only good until one dies. There are also superfluous items, like changing Mega Man's hair and Roll's outfit. Rush, Mega Man's trusted dog, returns to help out in the form of Rush Coil, which acts like a spring, and Rush Jet, which transports Mega Man through the air.

There is also a natural progression to the levels. Normally, the easiest boss or the boss that is meant to be beaten first has the easiest level. For those frustrated with the game, the first female robot boss in the series' history is also, unfortunately, a good starting point. Levels then get progressively harder, especially during that final stretch. Though one can save the game during the last span of four stages, the player cannot exit the game. By exiting, the player has to start back from the first of the last stages again. The shop cannot be accessed during this time either, so be sure to stock up on items before plunging into it. This can lead to further frustration if you played for an hour and realize you should have bought an extra "E" for that last boss.

In response to the advent of achievements, the game features in-game challenges, including beating the game in under an hour. There are 50 challenges in total, ranging from going through an entire level without stopping to jumping less than 50 times to defeating each of the eight bosses in under 10 seconds.

Though the game features retro-style game play, it includes the trappings of current generation software. Downloadable content will be available in a few weeks, beginning with a $2 downloadable playable character during the week of Oct. 6 (Protoman). Other planned content includes "Endless attack," "Hero mode," "Superhero mode," and "Special stage." The game manually clues players into the existence of these modes, which will all to be released by the end of October. The fact that mass profiteering still exists in a retro title like "Mega Man 9" is slightly disheartening, especially since most of this content would have been available on disc or as a code in the Nintendo days.

"Mega Man 9" appeals to hardcore gamers who have been pining for classic, unrelenting gameplay. It takes a while to get used to the game's difficulty, leading one to wonder whether the difficulty of current games has been substantially lowered. "Mega Man 9" features no learning curve, which might explain this huge difference. For fans of the series, there really isn't any reason not to download the game at its meager price of $10.