Mega Man 8 Anniversary Edition (PlayStation) review "The Wie-Wee Wars"

Younger gamers have asked me what it was like playing games before voice acting. I usually tell them you can still check out modern indie offerings that have no voices (usually due to budgetary constraints), but I also say something that makes them smirk and roll their eyes: “We used our imaginations.”

As a kid, I had no idea what Mega Man sounded like. The closest thing we had to an official voice was Doug Parker's performance from the cartoon “Captain N: The Game Master,” wherein our robotic hero sounded like he chain smoked regularly. Needless to say, I forbade myself from thinking of Mega Man traveling through Wily's castle, sounding like emphysema was going to take him any minute. I always imagined Rock as having a somewhat mature, twenty-something voice because he looked like a young adult or a teen. Ian James Corlett gave us what sounded more in line with the voice in my head when he starred in the Mega Man cartoon from the mid-'90s.

But then Mega Man 8 came along...

I fired up the game back in the '90s, exciting to check out what was then a modern take on a beloved franchise from my childhood. Its presentation looked crisp and vibrant, bursting with bright colors and lively backgrounds. You didn't merely see a static image in the distance, but objects that moved and sometimes even interacted with the action. Clown Man's stage especially stuck out, where you moseyed past an assembly line of toys that resembled foes from previous games, then battled through a gauntlet where a background automaton occasionally rang a bell. Upon doing this, he activated the floor you stood upon, which was a jack-in-the-box structure with a design on it. Boxes with circles were harmless, crosses damaged you, and skulls dropped you—sometimes onto killing spikes.

However, the most recognizable change reared its ugly head in the opening animated cutscene. Yeah, I was excited to see an anime FMV play because previous system generations didn't do anything like this. It felt so cutting edge and new; damn it, I was watching anime while playing a video game. Then Mega Man opened his mouth and shattered the spell: he sounded like he was all of seven years old.

He didn't only speak in this cutscene, either. Any time he took a blow, he sounded like a little kid with indigestion gagging. When he died, he belted out an obnoxious “WAHHHHH-AHHH-AHH!” However, he wasn't the only one that grated my nerves. You also had a new character, Duo, whose voice was not only flat, but extremely quiet. I had to point my ear at my television to properly hear him. And don't get me started on Dr. Light, whose voice called to mind Elmer Fudd. He even referred to Wily as “Doctoh Wie-Wee.”

People have died on the hill that Mega 8 is awful because of its voice work. Personally, it's a huge sticking point for me and part of what prevents it from being considered an top-tier entry. However, it's not such a deal breaker that I would consider throwing the entire title out. Honestly, you get used to the voices before long, and that's when you can appreciate how this title tried to be everything its immediate predecessor was not...

Mega 8 lived the part of a “modern” Mega Man in almost every sense without going the 3D route. Its mechanics remained smooth and swift, allowing you to fire a string of repeated blasts very quickly. Though that sounds like a small feature, it added graciously to the pacing and action, delivering exciting segments and battles. Hell, for once I actually looked forward to mini-boss encounters. I'd run afoul of a giant coin or a massive water bug surging its way down an impossibly tall waterfall, fighting them off with fast moves, the occasional slide, and tons of rapid-fire shots.

Levels felt more fully formed than in the previous outing. Granted, you could only choose from four stages in the beginning, but four others became available later on. Tengu Man, Frost Man, Clown Man, and Grenade Man offered up their digs as battle sites initially, decked out with standout moments and memorable segments. Tengu Man's, for instance, initially smacked of Air Man's stage from Mega Man 2, but eventually began to feel like I was infiltrating a flying fortress. Turrets and airborne security bots met me as I advanced. Eventually, the experience segued into a scrolling-shooter section, with Mega Man riding Rush and blasting birds and dragons out of the sky. On top of that, prize machines gave me additional firepower from friends like Beat, Flip-top, and Auto, who provided additional firepower.

Frost Man's region earned itself an ill reputation for provoking profanity from its players. I could understand that because my initial playthrough saw me dropping many an F-bomb while I controlled our hero on a rocketed snowboard. Now and then, a robot would appear on the screen and say either “Jump! Jump!” or “Slide! Slide!” I had mere seconds to respond or else die. It grew more frustrating later on, when these parts would pick up speed and require the utmost of my concentration.

Eventually, the other four levels opened up. I found myself riding on boats that floated on lava, controlling their movement with switches I had to step on. For my valiant effort, I got to face Sword Man, who skinned me alive. Another area took me through a surreal world filled with mazes, appearing/disappearing platforms, and artsy backgrounds, eventually culminating in a challenge where I ascended a tower sinking into sand. My toiling saw me stand up to Astro Man, who fell victim to one of my weapons.

Yeah, this affair plays similarly to other titles in the series. Each Robot Master gives you a weapon that works effectively against one of his kin. Astro Man, for instance, doesn't like Search Man's weapon, which you can easily acquire if you have Sword Man's strike, which is an easy get if you obtain Aqua Man's blaster, and so on.

Honestly, the only other misstep this game made came later, when I entered Wily's Tower. I decided after the second Wily level to call it a day, save my progress, and get some sleep. When I booted the disc up in the morning, I had to start at Wily level one all over again. Yes, I actually had to finish the entire tower in a single sitting, which felt like an outdated move even in the late '90s. Weren't we past the “making a player sit through a lot of drawn-out nonsense” phase?

Regardless, Mega Man 8 is an under-appreciated addition to the series. Yeah, it's a bit cartoony, but it's not like the previous games were all grimdark or anything. This was a brand mainly aimed at kids, so it's not hard to understand why this iteration of the concept, which was released on more advanced hardware than its older siblings, would exude more of that Saturday morning cartoon style. None of that, not even “Doctoh Wie-Wee,” diminishes this game's snappy action and lively vibe.

Staff review by Joseph Shaffer (April 06, 2024) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.