You may not like it

but this is what peak Mega Man looks like.

>Pass/Fail mechanics that impact how the story plays out.
>Style ranking system that actually judges you harshly, but doesn't lock you out of content: all you miss are harder bosses (that you would have died to if you're such a fucking bitch that you can't get an A rank) and a cheat code item.
>Game calls you a bitch ass murderer for using items as crutches and refuses to call you a cool guy.
>The entire gameworld is explorable on foot.
>NPCs and story and lore without that gay sidequest bullshit up the ass.
>Tons of replay value.
>Has a hard mode in case you master the normal game as well as a full-power mode with adjusted rankings as a reward for mastering hard mode.
>Perfect soundtrack.

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Still best zero game to date.

3 > 2 > 1 > 4

We can just agree Zero is the best Mega Man series and move on.

Yes

I got the Zero 1-4 cart for DS recently dirt cheap due to the new compilation on modern consoles. Are the ZX games worth it?

The ZX games are an entirely different kind of game than the Zero games in such a way that playing them in sequence is going to make you feel like ZX is worse. The big difference being that Zero was AGGRESSIVELY hardcore while ZX was way more of a casual series. Zero focused on replaying the games until you really mastered them and being really slick and fast paced. ZX and ZXA are attempts to turn Mega Man into a metroidvania proper (something Zero only kinda sorta half stepped into) and both games are fairly easy and friendly. I'd say you're actually better off playing ZX and ZXA before the Zero series, as it'll get you familiar with how these games function and a sense for the world. ZX(A) also focus on backstory heavily, so it'll also give you some context for the Zero games and lead to some cool "OH! THAT!" moments without spoiling anything.

The fucking map requires a knowledge (arcana) check to read

Zero is overrated shit. maybe if they were console games with a full screen view where you could actually see what is going on they'd be good.

as it is they're autistic memorization fests that are closer to racing games than action platformers.

>Baby whining that game is too hard
Wouldn't be a Zero thread without it.

Only in the first one. ZXA actually has decent maps. The problem is the game is full of gimmick transformation checkpoints now.

I would like Zero infinitely more if it weren't for the fact that the screen is too small, leading to unreactable enemies swooping in at full speed if you're dashing. It forces retrying to get anything that isn't a shit rank due to having to slow down to not get it hit, or ramming face-first into every single enemy on a new stage. Just zooming out the screen a bit on the legacy collection would have improved the games for me immensely. I don't mind retrying a stage for a good rank, but this issue essentially turns the game into trial and error gameplay unless I deliberately go slow, and that I can't do.

>difficulty=good
nah, I'll take the classic series and SNES X over Zero any day.

I liked the first one, playing as Harpuia and Phantom was really satisfying. The second one failed to grab me, but I recently picked up the X collections an the ZX collection so I plan to try it again. Currently on X3, so a ways to go

The difficulty is tertiary compared to the enjoyability of the experience
as it stands Zero is an autistic memorization fest where you have to know the level inside and out before playing it or the game treats you like you're a fucking loser asshole even if you manage to win without dying. That's garbage and not fun.

You can play Zero properly and reactively if you're good enough. Actually getting better with each successive game and doing better on your first playthrough is a great feeling.
There's no element of memorization and if you autistically grind levels little by little like a stupid trannyrunner instead of just focusing on the basics, playing for fun and getting better and better you're honestly just robbing yourself of a fantastic experience. I get that videogames can be hard, though, but c'mon.

>SNES X
>Implying X3 isn't complete fucking trash
>t. "I have to get S Ranks on my first run, or else the game is bad!"
Try playing the game like a normal person. The ranks don't even mean anything in Zero 1 and Zero 3 hands out S ranks like they're fucking candy.

The problem is the bullshit ranking system that demands you play perfectly or you never get permanent moveset additions.

I beat 3 of them as a teenager, and I used to think the X series was too hard

>>Pass/Fail mechanics that impact how the story plays out.
no they don't you just miss shit that you are more than capable of beating the game without. Of course failing the missions means fucking up whatever shit the resistance was trying to do but they always just brush it off and the endgame remains unchanged

>Try playing the game like a normal person.
The game actively punishes you and makes fun of you for doing that user.

>Punishes
Not even remotely. The only "punishment" is not getting the invincibility elf on your next playthrough and bosses not being as hard as possible. And if you wanted things to be as hard as possible you wouldn't be using elves.
>Makes fun of you
That's right, the game calls you a bitch ass pansy, like all normal players. Are you upset? Are you gonna cry? Or are you gonna try to git gud?

In 2 and 3.
And 2 has more lenient rankings than 1, and 3's ranking system is extremely forgiving. It's not like having four weapons to choose from if you're too much of a bitch is a bad thing anyway, buster only runs in OG Mega Man are fun.

>optional moves that are not required to beat the game whatsoever.
You don't need them and most are situational at best. Are you a fucking games journo lurking or what?

Reminder to faggots that 4 >>> 2 >= 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 1

All four games are excellent, even 4 is great despite some questionable level design and the shitty fist weapon.

>unintentionally beat Zero 1 without any health upgrades long ago without much trouble
>Zero/ZX collection gets released
>'alright I've done this before I can do it again'
>almost got filtered by Aztec Falcon
Felt like I was 12 again and not in a good way. Eventually killed Falcon, but it took 10 tries and finding a way to lock him into a definite pattern. Still it's fun going back.

The game is made for the hardcore megaman fans, it was meant to be replayed multiple times until you unironically get good. No one expects you to get good rankings the first time you play it. You sound like fucking "game journalists" who want everything spoonfed to them.

I see it as the exact opposite if X5's colony system. Both games let you make decisions that let you skip to the endgame if you like. X5's can change the ending, but is RNG dependent and adds nothing of value to the game. Z1's is skill dependent and changes story beats/effects your game experience, but doesn't change your ending.

Again, the only people who think this are egotists who can't deal with being told to get good. Or people who want more than five stages in their video game.

>shitty fist weapon
Don't remind me because it still hurts. We could've gotten a literal knuckle to gut check the fuck out of anything that looked at us funny.

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Grabbing Metool hats was cute.

I'd prefer a bigger screen, but I think it's only an actual problem in a handful of stages. Despite being easy I actually think ZX and ZXA needed it more due to being metroid-esque. The screen is way too close.

My man, the gripe is that I wanna go fast, but without prior knowledge that will just set my face for impact. I also don't consider trial and error gameplay to be a Mega Man trait as a rule anyway, and rather is a bad part of MMZ.