Mega Man’s first original adventure on Nintendo’s handheld system is one of the best games available, and is a great addition to the franchise.

Graphics: Although some might argue that the graphics haven’t changed from the Gba series Mega Man Zero, I believe they really have. The character sprites have really improved, and the backgrounds are very nice, and almost all of them are animated. This game has beautiful graphics if you’re able to look over the *gasp* 2D sprites.

Gameplay: If you’ve ever played any traditional Mega Man game, then you should know what to expect. If not, the series is a of sidescrollers that revolve around action over exploration, with some item collecting involved. In almost every game in the series, you fight 8 bosses, and gain a new, unique weapon from each. Zx takes the formula and changes it for the better. Instead of simply picking your stage, Zx places you in an “overworld”, and instead lets you explore at your own pace.

The different “forms” in the game are similar to the weapons of previous games, but they too are changed. At any time, you can switch between forms, to better fight bosses, to explore more easily, or maybe just because you like one over the other. The forms vary from a very agile, air-dashing suit, to a power house gunner, to a stealthy ninja form. All the forms are great, and have very differnet abilities, giving the game more variety that previous games in the series.

Play/Replay Value: I beat the game the first time on Easy in around 12 hours, which is about average for a handheld action game. However, as I noted in an earlier review, Mega Man games revolve around replayability. There’s a Normal mode, and once that’s beaten, there’s a hard mode. Add to that a load of in-game unlockables, two secret forms, and some insane challenges, and you’ve got over 30 hours of gameplay for a more than casual gamer.

Rent or Buy?: If you want to try this game out to see how it handles, rent it. Otherwise, buy this game. It’s definitely worth the $30.

Will I Buy The Sequel?: If there’s a Mega Man Zx 2, then Capcom will have an extra $30-40 in their pockets. All in all, it’s an excellent game, one of the best I have for my DS.