It lacks some of the ambition of its predecessor, but it's a robust sequel with classic Mega Man gameplay.
Pros:
+Entertaining, challenging gameplay
+Varied levels and fun bosses
+Wonderful visuals
+Fantastic music
+Lots of extra content
Cons:
-Level design isn't as memorable as in previous titles
Review:
In 2008, Capcom rejuvenated the cIassic Mega Man series with Mega Man 9. It was a superb platformer with charm, brilliant levels and a wicked difficulty. Needless to say, it brought the series back on the map, and Mega Man 10 came out as a direct result. The title doesn't disappoint, having the same great gameplay, charming presentation and music. Probably the only thing it lacks is the same vigor in the level design as in some of the former entries. However, with a bevy of extra content and an extra easy mode, MM10 is both accessible and challenging in equal measure, and should please any Mega Man fan.
A calamity has befallen humanity in the year 20XX. It's a deadly "virus" called Roboenza that affects all robots, causing them to go awry and become aggressive. Though everyone suspects this to be the work of the infamous Doctor Wily (previous villain of MM1 to MM9), the doctor himself comes forth and claims to have been working to fix the problem. After Mega Man's pal Roll becomes infected, matters become personal and once the robots start vying for global domination, it's up to the blue bomber to save the day once more.
MM10 doesn't at all deviate from the series' conventions in both terms of plot and structure. To finish his quest, he must fight eight "robot masters", which are all preceded by a unique level adorned with their singularities. MM10 is an action-platformer, and Mega Man must master both precise platforming and accurate shooting to get to the end. In terms of mechanics, MM10 is incredibly simple. You can jump... and shoot with the standard mega buster (a quick-fire pea shooter of sorts). It's really that simplicity that makes the formula work so well, since the player has all that more time to focus on only those two functions. It's also incredibly satisfying in practice, being easy to learn but difficult to master. Once a robot master is defeated, you gain a special sort of ammo, which you can equip and use in any level after that. These range from barriers made out of bubbles to three-way knife assaults. It gives you a more strategic approach to the game, since you'll need to go easy on the ammo lest you lose it all in a flurry of virtually useless attacks.
There are a few more tools to assist you as well. You can go to a shop between levels to spend gears (currency) that you've collected during your adventure. You can buy lives, energy tanks (which you can use to heal yourself while in a level), weapon tanks (to replenish ammo for a weapon) and more. You also start off with your dog Rush, and can use him to traverse great distances. These are all helpful towards reaching your goal and somewhat alleviate the great challenge (if that is what is desired).
The levels are suitably clever, demanding both particular pattern learning and sheer reflexes, while implementing the tell-tale characteristics of any given robot master. They're also quite difficult, though perhaps not as brutal as in previous iterations of the series. However, the difficulty never comes out of cheapness; if you lose, it's your fault entirely. When you finally manage to overcome a nasty obstacle, there are few moments as satisfying. However, there seems to be a slight lack of flair to some of the levels here in contrast to a number of older games in the series. It might seem like a very baseless account on this reviewer's part, but there's a looming sense of simplicity to it all, and not in a really good way. What defined many of the previous efforts is the subtle complexity of the layouts and it appears to be missing here in more noticeable degrees. It's not a blemish as much as a minor annoyance, but it's still just that: an annoyance.
The robot masters are more interesting, however, in traditional fashion. It's in these battles where pattern recognition is paramount, since they'll almost unconditionally follow a set routine and play it out verbatim every time. This is much more fun than it sounds, and these fights are a fitting crescendo at the end of each level. Each robot master also suffers from a particular ammo weakness, so one approach is to defeat all robot masters in a set order so that you'll have the weakness of a certain master after every fight. These secrets go a long way in keeping the flame alive in MM10, and makes return attempts at finishing the game all that more rewarding.
If there's one thing MM10 does splendidly, it's extra content. There are many novelties here that players can take advantage of at their leisure. First off, you have the option from the start of playing as Mega Man's partner, Proto Man. He has radically different abilities in comparison to Mega Man and playing as him is in reality a completely different experience. There's also the option of playing the game on Easy, which is a first for the series. This is a good way to usher in initiates to the series and is a clever touch. Even when the main adventure is over, there's still much to do. There are plenty of challenge levels to complete, where individual skills are tested to their limits. There's also time attack, where you play to improve your time in certain levels. This makes MM10 one of the more fully featured MM games in regard to replayability, which is good since the storyline itself shouldn't take gamers more than five hours to finish with all the deaths and retries.
Where Mega Man 10 truly shines, though, is in its visual and aural presentation. As with MM9, the tenth installment boasts gorgeous 8-bit visuals, which are both reminiscent of the old games of the series and a reminder of how truly great a game can look with such simple technology. The music is similarly retro, being simple yet exciting beat tunes which lend much charm to the game's already beguiling visuals. It's not for everyone, surely, but fans of anything from the Nintendo Entertainment System era should love the attention to authenticity present here.
MM10 very much rides the coat tails of its older brethren. It neither branches out much in terms of gameplay, level design or presentation, but for the most part that works out splendidly since the core concept is so strong. The only weakness lies in how uninspired it sometimes feels. It's not just a simple "been there, done that" feeling, but more a "this could've been better" one. It doesn't hamper the enjoyment to be found in the game, not at all, but it puts added pressure on the developers to, next time, make something a tad more memorable. However, even if that doesn't work out, we'll still have a Mega Man game on par with MM10. And that's not a bad thing at all.
Story: Negligible
Gameplay: 8.2/10.0
Graphics: 9.7/10.0
Sound: 9.3/10.0
Replayability: 9.2/10.0
Final score: 8.0/10.0