Rockman EXE WS
Rockman EXE WS (ロックマンエグゼ WS) is a platform video game, part of the Mega Man Battle Network subseries of Mega Man video games. The game was released on the WonderSwan Color, only in Japan. This game is a platformer like Mega Man Network Transmission, rather than a role-playing game.
Story
The storyline of Rockman EXE WS follows most of the story beats from the first season of the MegaMan NT Warrior animated series. Each stage from the first 5 chapters of the game loosely adapts an episode from the show, and Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 have branching paths that lead to different episode adaptations. After having his plans foiled by Lan and MegaMan.EXE several times throughout the game, Dr. Wily has Roll.EXE kidnapped to draw out the heroes. Lan and MegaMan.EXE track down WWW's base, beat Chaud and ProtoMan.EXE in a duel, defeat Dr. Wily and his Life Virus, and save Roll.EXE.
Good Qualities
- While not the best seen on the WonderSwan Color, the graphics look pretty nice and full of detail for a 2003 game on this console.
- The controls are very tight, which helps make the game fun, even if the jumping can feel floaty. It can also be seen as an improvement over Mega Man & Bass: Challenger from the Future.
- The story is pretty good, mostly because it is based on the animated series Mega Man NT Warrior, even if it's not as great as the NES game (especially 6.
- Awesome soundtrack for a WonderSwan Color game release in 2003; it's also an improvement over the poor remix of Mega Man & Bass: Challenger from the future.
- While the execution was average for Mega Man Network Transmission, here it's better executed with a gameplay that resembles the NES Mega Man games in some ways, even if it doesn't really play the same.
- While annoying, some boss fights can be fun, like network transmission.
- Due to how good the game is, it can be considered one of the best games on the WonderSwan Color, which says a lot.
- There are plenty of additional passages that allow you to go to other environments and levels, which is a nice touch.
- The game can sometimes be challenging, even if most of the time it's easier.
Bad Qualities
- As said in GQ #2, the jumping is a bit floaty, which can result in some cheap death if you mostly play the NES titles (not counting Rock Board).
- The game is a bit too short, even by Mega Man standards, as the game can be finished in only under an hour (not counting the different paths).
- As said in GQ#9, the game can sometimes be too easy, especially for people who love the hard difficulty of the NES and SNES Mega Man games like Mega Man 3 and Mega Man X3.
- The boss fights are pretty annoying most of the time; they're as bad as FireMan in Mega Man Network Transmission, if not worse (especially when you play the game for the first time), Bass is the best exemple of this.
- The additional chips are most of the time useless and can be confusing to use.
- The level design can be subpar sometimes, kind of like Mega Man X3. Sometimes it's got some places where if you fall to them, you have to intentionally kill yourself to try again as there is no rush to use, and sometimes you will fall in a spike place and die because there is no platform where you can jump to.
- The ending is pretty poor, especially for a Mega Man Battle Network game.
Videos
Comments
- Platform games
- 2D Platform games
- Short length games
- Easy games
- Games made in Japan
- Japan-only games
- Mega Man games
- Action games
- WonderSwan Color games
- Decent games
- 2000s games
- Funny games
- Games for everyone
- Games with a non-human protagonist
- Underrated gems
- Unfinished games
- Good games with bad reviews
- Good media
- Good games