Proto Man busts his way into Mega Man 9
By now I’m sure you’ve all read our review of Mega Man 9, right? Well, what I didn’t mention at the time is that there is some downloadable content for the game that is now available on your virtual gaming service of choice. While some are just difficulty upgrades (right, as if we wanted it to be harder than it already is), there is one that stands out not only for its challenge, but for its protagonist.
He’s so badass he doesn’t care to look at you.
For an extra $2, you can play through the game as Proto Man. Mega Man’s long-lost brother, who first leapt onto the scene way back in MM3, brings some cool new abilities with him, and one major drawback. He’s able to charge his shots for a more powerful burst, and apparently he’s the one who picked up the slide feature that Mega Man forgot how to do in the last fifteen years or so. Proto Man is also equipped with a jet from the first level, so you don’t have to beat a certain number of bosses before getting this upgrade. These abilities make some of the levels a bit easier, or at least give you some new options for going about the same challenges.
That one big downside, though, is that Proto Man’s health is seriously weak. Some of the enemies take half your health away with one hit, and if you get shot while too close to a ledge, you’re probably going to slide off because Proto Man forgot to wipe the Teflon off his shoes I guess. These drawbacks can get a bit annoying, but after a while you come to understand how they work, and it’s pretty obvious they were put there to handicap the more offensively-minded Proto Man. While you do get to utilize Proto Man’s shield when he’s jumping - allowing you to block most simple bullets - it’s hard to stop everything, and you’re still going to want to stock up on E-tanks before you take on Wily’s stages.
Yeah, I can fly.
Speaking of stocking up, Proto Man can not enter Roll’s store as Mega Man can during the game. In fact, the entire story segment has been wiped, and you’re left to just run, jump, and kick ass on your own. The game does allow you to revisit defeated stages, however, and that’s where your stockpiling can take place. I’d recommend going back to Plug Man’s stage after beating all 8 bosses. There’s an extra life and an E-tank just waiting to be grabbed up, and if you play through the level enough times you’ll become an expert - I’ve gotten through it in under 2 minutes (minus the boss part, of course, since you don’t have to fight him again when you’re replaying a level).
Proto Man likes to face evil with a shit-eating grin on his face, instead of his brother’s blank stare.
The Proto Man DLC is definitely a fun addition to the normal quest and provides a different sort of challenge from the standard Blue Bomber fare. While it doesn’t add anything to the story, it’s cool seeing someone else follow Mega Man’s path to the end, and having the slide function alone is nearly worth the $2.
