In April of 1998, Capcom released a sequel to the not-so-beloved Mega Man 8. It was only released in Japan for the Super Famicom and was one of the systems last games. It did however, recieve a North American release on the GBA four years later, but i digress. Let's take a closer look!

Plot: A year after the events of Mega Man 8, Mega Man is called back into action after a mysterious robot by the name of King attacks Dr. Lights lab and the Robot museum in order to steal the blueprints for Lights creations. Upon hearing of this, Mega Mans rival Bass, who is a creation of Mega Mans nemesis Dr. Wily, decides to take care of King himself. I have to give Capcom credit, the character of King feels like a worthy replacement for Dr. Wily. I also have to applaud the introduction of Bass, a fascinating carecter who really keeps the game interesting. My only problem is that, in the end, it turns out to be another "temporary villan disguising return of Wily" story.

Graphics: For the Super Famicom, the graphics are top-notch. The textures for things such as enemies, bricks, pipes, and even rocks look like much effort was put into them. Major characters also look amazing. I also enjoy how the look of the stages match the nature of the bosses in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Sound: Just like the graphics, the music matches the stages. For example, the theme of Dynamo Man, an electric-themed boss, is dramatic and slow, representing the dangers of power plants. The music actually proves to be quite enjoyable to listen to. Even hardcore fans of the 8-bit Mega Man games can enjoy the soundtrack once they acclimate to the improved sound. My only problem is that the sound effects can often become repetiteve. This is because the majority of the enemies have returned from MM8, and transitioning to a less advanced console can have unexpected consequences.

Addictiveness: True to the title, you can play as both Mega Man and Bass. The difference between these two characters is that Mega Man can slide and can charge his shots, while Bass can fire in eight directions, dash, and double jump, but his shots do half as much damage. Playing as either of these characters is fun experience. One glaring problem, however, is that the game feels slanted towards Bass. Because of this, Playing as Mega Man can feel like a drag and it really wears away at the experience.

Depth: During the course of the game, you can collect 100 CDs that were stolen by King from the robot museum. These CDs hold data of Robot Masters from previous games as well other characters like Mega Man. There are also items that provide certain buffs to our hero. These can be purchased from a shop manned by Auto, a robot apprentice of Dr.light, who will give you the items in exchange for a certain number of bolts. Bolts are dropped by enemies, and act as money. As for the stages, they also have their fair share of secrets....

Difficulty: It's rare for one to label a Mega Man game as "difficult". However, this is one of the best words to describe the game. The problem is not so much with the stages as it is with the bosses. Unlike previous games most, if not all bosses have no predictable pattern. This makes them incredibly difficult, even with their weakness, because you'll be trying to hit them, but they keep jumping around and attacking you. Some bosses also have a few dirty tricks up their sleeve, like Dynamo man who even trys to heal mid-fight! The worst part of all this is that the game is significantly easier with Bass. His ability to shoot in 8 directions as well as his improved agility leaves Mega Man, the very reason many bought the game, in the dust, and playing as him feels as if you're being punished.

All in All, Rockman & Forte is a great attempt at making a Mega Man installment with 2 playable characters. It's an addictive and fun game with great graphics and music, but with a serious difficulty gap. It's great if you're looking for a different kind of Mega Man game, but there are superior platforming titles.