Mega Man Zero 4 Review
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- #megaman #megamanzero #megamanzero4
It's now time for the final game in the Mega Man Zero Series, Mega Man Zero 4. From everything I have read, I can only gather that this game is pretty divisive, I myself have had like three opinions on this game in the last three...almost four years. But with these recent playthroughs I think I can finally say with confidence how I feel about this final MMZ game!
Follow me on Twitter! / jsreviews2
Yes, I now know that you can pull the vines with the Zero Knuckle...I still think the stage is really boring and lame unlike the forest levels from the last two games.
And yes, I am reviewing ZX. I don't blame you if you didn't see the 2018 update video or the community tab posts before Zero 1, but...I said this in Zero 1 and...the end of this very video.
Also I didn't come up with the Wily/Weil theory. I just thought it was call, not that it was confirmed.
Hey pall, dont forget the legends series, they're the last one's in the chronology in the megaman series!!
I really hope your reviews of ZX games are positive. I owe my love of the franchise to them, Maverick Hunter X, and of coarse, my first intro in to Megaman, Megaman NT Warrior.
Like, i know you'll do zx, but most people who review the game usually negate zx advent. If you're gonna review zx someday, please don't skip off advent.
@@yosef4974 i men i absolutly disgussed the idea of getting an a rank to get the abilitys
Bring on the ZX review!
I always laugh in the scene where Weil tells Zero that if he kills him, he'll be nothing more than a Maverick when Zero is literally the origin of it.
Oh the sheer double irony. Wily's best ironies is when he made Zero unintentionally a better hero than X & MegaMan in terms of Zeroth law.
@@Samanosuke2727 what's the Zeroth law?
@@lusitaniarequiem7048 A science fiction writer named Zeroth made 4 laws.
The 4th law is "A robot may not harm humans/humanity."
From Within the Three Laws of Robotics, "The Zeroth Law" (I'm not kidding, that's the actual name of it), which states:
"A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm."
And that's exactly what Zero did by overriding unknowingly and knowingly the first law of robotics. He didn't let humanity perish at the hands of a human because he was intelligent enough to understand it was for the best for both machines & humans and in that sense he surpassed every other Reploid and even X. Even Dr. Wily in the end realized that he created a better hero than Light's (Mega Man & his little bro X.) X even admitted that Zero was more awesome than he is even as a Neo Arcadian leader.
Qruis S. Clone mega man probably had a imprint of signals personality matrix.Noticing it was the very thing they were afraid of from the 1st mega man x.
While I don’t think Weil=Wily, I do think that the ending is even more poetic. Think about it: Wily’s original goal wasn’t taking over the world. It was surpassing Dr. Light. Eventually his ambition got the better of him and he ended up SO ambitious that he wanted to conquer the world to show his superiority. Zero is the one who made that dream a reality. By saving the world, he brought long lasting peace to the world, something that even X couldn’t do. Therefore he made the dreams of both Light AND Wily a reality. If that’s not poetic I don’t know what is.
And in Mega Man 11 back to the college years, Wily really wanted to make robots pushed beyond its limits to become heroes via double gear system and he would've done further expanding and evolving into infinite gear system if Light hadn't shitcanned his project despite its initial risks (if done wrong), but if done right and proper, it would've been his true dream to surpass Light even Zero didn't need a Maverick virus to prove it.
@@Samanosuke2727 or be the equal of light and its the fact that both X and Zero actually compliment each other X with his morality and Zero with his rational. Also ZX shows that combined they are pretty much the ultimate powerhouse.
That's a really poetic way to look at it but I wouldn't back it, personally. While it's true that Zero was created by Wily I would have a hard time trying to attribute Zero's accomplishments to Wily. Wily didn't create Zero. He created a mindless killing machine that eventually transformed into Zero with the help of Sigma (who essentially stole the virus off him and became the badguy instead), and X (who's friendship inspired Zero to a higher purpose).
X in particular has always held onto the ideals of humans and reploids embracing peace together, a message he carried from Dr. Light. If anything, the ending of Zero-4 here with Zero saving the world was the ultimate spite to Dr. Wily. Not only did his ultimate creation fail to perform it's original function (slaughter everything), but it, instead, became influenced by Dr. Light (through X) to become a force for good.
Ironic enough Wily himself is so full of ironies through Zero and the whole gear meshing together (through meeting X after the Maverick Virus merged with Zero mind and body together during the first fight with Sigma.) that he unintentionally created a hero that surpassed Light. And let's not forget that he had a total of 5 girls (Iris, Layer, Leviathan, Ciel (surprisingly enough she's human btw oh dear), & *giggle* Alouette/Prairie who had developed feelings for him sightly beyond the older brother- little sister thing.... Hoo boi, Zero, you got more of em goldilocks waiting for ya) while he still had his pride, if there are some random Resistance girls looking for a E-Crystal kiss and two X-Guardian bois in his life to fight him to the death. Oh noes! Since he kept popping back from the dead! Even as a Cyber Elf, (he got it from Wily) life's not been so good on him especially when ya got two battle hungry bois & 5 girls. X only got one blonde navigatin' girl and he's still worries about his pal. What a blue worrywart.
DJFlare84 While that’s true, what I was saying is that the thing that started everything was Wily’s ambition to build something that surpassed Light. Zero was the one that finally made that ambition come true. ZERO’S the one that that brought long-lasting peace, not X. Therefore, though it wasn’t EXACTLY what Wily had it mind, I believe it still satisfies his TRUE original goal of doing something that even Light couldn’t do.
Here's one interesting bit: Within the Three Laws of Robotics, there's one called "The Zeroth Law" (I'm not kidding, that's the actual name of it), which states:
"A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm."
And that's exactly what Zero did. He didn't let humanity perish at the hands of a human because he was intelligent enough to understand it was for the best and in that sense he surpassed every other Reploid and even X.
I'm surprised that this comment is so low in this thread. Why so low?
He's an android who choose to follow the robotic laws as freely as he feels and the Zeroth law via Maverick virus and how he was designed is in par with Light's tech on X. So....Wily is full of ironies alright.
To be fair, X would do the exact same thing as Zero did : Blow Weil all the way to Hell. He just wasn't there tho.
X was the original Android, who possesses far more potential than any other Reploid, as the Reploid are mere imperfect replica of him. And so does Zero. Dr. Light knew that making a robot this powerful without making him follow the rule is incredibly dangerous, so he ran a plethora of testing and simulating for years just to make sure that X would not go rogue. This also explain why Copy X, who is supposed to be a perfect replica of X, does not share the same vision as the original one, as he did not undergo any of the afore-mentioned testing. But yeah, the Original X does not have to follow the Zeroth law as the rest of the Reploid tho.
I wonder if when they created zero they actually named him that with the zeroth law in mind. I assume so
@@devinriou2527 I don't think they were thinking that far ahead. When they created Zero he was basically just X's Obi Wan Kenobi but he was popular enough to stick around (and Inafune created him and was fond of him). In the original game he was really nothing more than that.
It's just a happy accident in the same way X can stand for the mathematics variable X signifying his limitless potential but anything multiplied by zero is zero meaning Zero has the capability to nullify that potential.
Megaman Zero 4
aka
Sonic & Zero Knuckles
... Get out.
Take my like and get out
Unlike X I don’t chuckle, I’d rather flex my muscles.
@@justinc.5591 Should've said "unlike X I don't chuckle, I'd rather flex my zero knuckles."
8:30 Sigma lost his effectiveness after a WEIL.
*STANDING OVATION*
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
lol saw that too
Booo
Oh the X-era Mavericks are gettin' triggered by this review!
Something cool with the Z-Knuckle is that there are still stuff being found today where it can yank stuff like the squid boss out of his holes and the intro boss by pulling out its tubes. A shame Z-Knuckle couldn't do more than just cool tid bits, at least it affected stages and bosses making it cool.
i mean those examples are far from close to being new but i used z knuckle almost exclusively playthrough 2 essentially just being 1 punch man
ps axe best weapon, it does the same dmg as zsaber charge
If you want to maximize damage in hard mode you have to learn how to use the knuckle
suggested a flame sword(faital)
I... I should've tested the z-knuckle more on my first playthrough...
The range is still pathetic and most of the weapons ARE useless; more importantly “it’s good in Hard mode” isn’t a defence when Hard mode takes tools away to make other options good - the Z Saber does the damage better with more range and useful EX Skills. There are neat niche interactions with the Z-Knuckle, but those also exist for the Recoil Rod (universal flinch on most bosses; can push back the one boss it can’t flinch), and it’s platforming uses are limited to using elements to interact with certain environmental hazards (which ele chips could do before anyways, and EX Skills can do better even in the same game) or extended grab range on ropes, compared to the puzzles and swinging of Z2 or pogoing and pushing in Z3.
As much as "regressive" Zero 4 was, all four games are still phenomenal. Easily my favourite games in the whole franchise, alongside X and X4.
Agreed 100%
Dr Weil: "Im a human, and you as a reploid cannot kill me!"
Zero: "Yeah, I was actually build by a guy crazier than you to kill everyone so.... I can absolutely kill you and never feel a thing"
Dr Weil: "Oh... errors have been made in my calculations..."
Zero: man, you suck at math, worst than me *slashes through weil*
“The first victim of the robot apocalypse says what?”
There is probably something wrong with my ears but music sounds nice
Yeah, except for the composition aspect, my opinion regarding the music is pretty much the exact opposite of J's: I think Zero 3 has the worse soundfont (not by a whole lot, but still) and comes off as underwhelming to me.
Really, up until 4, this series' soundtrack was pretty hit and miss to me. Some legitimately good listens here and there -- 1 has Zero's theme, Resistance and Enemy Hall, 2 has Departure, Gravity, Combustion and Power Born and 3 has Break Out and Curse of Weil... and that's pretty much it (sorry, I'll take the Mythos version of Cannonball over the original any day) -- but mostly unremarkable when listened to in a vacuum (some work better as an 'atmospheric' music instead, especially in Zero 1), with thankfully ony a few that I'd consider downright ear grating (mostly from Zero 3, like Reborn Mechanics... ugh, that one especially was saved by remastering).
By contrast, Zero 4 had, um, let's see: Caravan, Esperanto, Showdown, Celestial Garden, Deep Blue, Magnetic Rumble, Max Heat, Queen of the Hurrt, Crossover Station, both themes concerning Craft and what I think it's best rendition of Crash. My point is I actually need more than 1 hand to count my favorites from this game alone, more than the previous games combined.
But more on the compositions, since that's on par with the story as my favorite aspect of Zero 4: it has a similar 'whining guitar' thing X2 had, but the composition more than makes up for it. It rarely feels grating to me. Plus, the percussion... Zero 4 actually has actual cymbals in there for many more of its themes. Mino Magnus' theme is one of my favorite themes just for that. For real, the cymbals by themselves really enhance the compositions and make the sound feel more complete to me, which is especially noticeable because it felt like they were nearly absent in all of the previous Zero games.
Long post, I know, but I had to elaborate on it for I feel strongly about this franchise's music because it's shaped my music preferences for videogames since Mega Man X.
Not really, the Mythos version just sounds 'cleaner' to me. It's not bad, but it lacks the GBA charm. So no, they don't feel empty to me, it's more like the opposite of that, cymbals and all.
the remastered tracks are godlike
nope, you;re fine. I like the music as well. When he was complaining about it, all I was doing was boping my head
I don't see any problem with soundtracks either
Racism is always narrow minded. So I think it is represented pretty good. Also Neige obviously judges reploids individually.
At first, but she had a lovey relationship with Craft.....whoops! Ya should've told Ciel about what Zero's love life with her like Neige!! *starting to giggle*
Once again, good retrospective. But you ever compains against GBA audio makes me think if ou knew that this little portable has NO ACTUAL SOUND HARDWARE. Just a pretty advanced "PC Speaker" to sound off multiple channels. Yes, CPU cycles are used to "emulate" sound as well, and that was resolved with the NDS having actual sound hardware. So don`t be so harsh on MMZ soundtrack, I'm sure IntiCreates did their best to make music sound as good as the tiny little GBA speaker could give.
They manage to faithfully recreate the sound of a freaking electric guitar
On a GBA
They more than tried their best
He’s being harsh because IntiCreates successfully made amazing soundtracks in Zero 3 despite GBA’s flaws. So Zero 4 is a step backwards from 3.
Step backwards mainly on gameplay, but outside from the remarks on the composition, I don't agree with J at all regarding the music. I think Zero 4 is where the soundtrack is at its best within its series. There are some actual cymbals in more themes, for one.
You say that but then you have absolute gba masterpieces like the Sonic Advance 3 character selection screen, or the Wario land 4 title screen that even has vocals in it
I notice that it's the larger, lengthier and more layered samples from Mega Man Zero 4 that sound the most compressed. Makes sense, considering they probably dumbed down the quality of them to get them to fit into the game. I _think_ I understand why this happened in the first place. Correct my understanding of the Game Boy Advance' sound and how it works, but I believe they wanted to squeeze more instruments into fewer channels so that the sound would still end up more intricate and full, while saving CPU time. Apparently, the more sound channels you pump out of the Game Boy Advance, the slower the CPU gets.
Zero's biggest struggle was that he was created for the sole purpose of destruction. Which is why he asks the question "what am I fighting for?". Whoever he turns his blade on, he destroys. His fighting only caused him to kill someone he loved even though he was fighting to save her. In the Zero series you see that his way of dealing with this is that he fights only for those he absolutely trusts. And their enemies are only his obstacles. Even a human is just an obstacle, because he was never bound to the law of robotics, since Wily created him only to destroy. That's why I think this ending is very poetic. Dr. Wiel was confirmed to not be Wily by word of god, so that means Dr. Wily ended up saving humanity in the long run.
And yet he never mentions her here. I feel like Weil bringing her up would have been a fun idea, just to see which side of the equation she’s on.
Honestly, I liked the fact that changing the weather would guarantee the EX skill. In Zero 3 I could NEVER get a good rank.
The point was to git gud
Haters better explain or else.
@@NeoGio87 The
Problem with that, is once you’re good enough to get them, you don’t need them. That’s always been the problem with MMZ’s rank philosophy. The rewards are locked behind such a high skill level that the rewards themselves become worthless. They won’t help you, you’re good enough without them.
@@darklordxerinic That is, until you account for the combo system, in which case you'll quickly see how vital EX skills are.
@@soni-switch5270 I don’t see how that opposes my argument. What’s the combo system worth if you’re already good enough to get the highest ranks without the EX skills?
I can see their potential value in speedruns or self imposed challenge runs, but I think we can agree those incredibly niche categories aren’t how you judge a reward/rank system.
Huh. First time I've unambiguously disagreed with you. I thought the GBA soundtrack worked quite well with the limitations of the device.
Having watched your full Zero review set so far, you and I disagree on our opinion of grinding which makes a rather significant difference in our opinions on the games. I'd agree the grinding in Zero 1 was oppressive but I didn't mind the rest. I found it somewhat rewarding actually and a welcome bit of "Prep can take the place of skill" which is a game design element that I personally (and am in the minority about) like a lot.
I find your reviews well put together and set an appropriate tone. You're not trying to come off as impartial, which is *good.* You don't try to speak like you're the voice of the entire fandom which is *great.* I find your reviews to be a good length and I've enjoyed them so far. I feel like you and I could have some beer and spend way too much time discussing games. Not sure why this devolved into a review of your reviews but I felt like I should offer feedback, even if it is mostly positive.
I don’t mind “prep in place of skill”; prepping in and of itself is a skill, but if it ain’t fun it ain’t fun.
@@meathir4921 My grinding In Zero 1 Made my 2 hour playthrough a 5 hour One and made A good game into a alright one.
What grinding in zero one, you gain more experience by doing specific moves like doing your air slash unlocks the rolling slash faster, you level up faster by just playing the game
@2d fighter fan just play the game, levelling up in zero 1 is based on the moves your preform so if you want rolling try jump slashing more, if you know what your doing the games are a lot less painful.
@@jettlucashayes8508 the real problem are not the weapon skill points, it's the cyber elves asking for ludicrous amounts of E-crystals on a game that has awful and slow grinding spots (seriously the desert is as good as it gets and it still takes forever) which basically turns almost all the Upgrades you find useless if you don't grind because well you can't use them
You know, it always struck me as poetic that in the end, Zero's final act was to become what he was created to be: a Maverick. But instead of being from a virus, it was on his own terms, to save the people he cared about, and I think that's a truly beautiful ending.
I never liked the whole change that Mavericks were because of viruses. I liked it better that through free will they opposed humanity.
A couple of things. Reploids dont adhere to robot law. Their ability to think for themselves literally put them on par with humans with X having the deepest of reasoning skills. Only the robots of light's time had such a limitation and actually physically could not harm humans.
Also the guardians canonically died in the explosion after Omega's defeat. The reason only Zero was sparred was because he was saved by the mother elf.
Oh that explains what happens to the guardians I thought Dr. Weil killed them
I just noticed this is the only Mega Man game I know of without any incarnation of Mega Man in it at all. Huh.
Nope. Zero still fits the bill. IRL, his design was actually supposed to be the "Mega Man" of the X series, but they decided to play it safe and created X instead. In the fiction, Zero isn't a Light-built robot, but he clearly assumed the role in the Zero series and really shared it with X (and later Axl) in the X series. If we get so pick we exclude anything that is not a "Blue Bomber" built by Dr. Light, then Hub (MegaMan.EXE), Volnutt (I think), and the one from Star Force don't count either. I confess I don't know much about the Legends, Star Force, or ZX series, though.
Oh, and then there's that one cell phone game that was supposed to be a crossover between multiple Mega Man franchises, and had its own unique Mega Man X character...
@@KamisamanoOtaku I think what he meant is that there wasn't a character named Megaman or X here, unlike all the other Megaman titles. Even ZX has Model X, but Zero 4 doesn't have any of that. Sure Zero was conceived as X, but it doesn't change the fact that he himself is his own character, and not a Megaman like X, Volnutt, or Starforce and EXE
@@RayShadow278 "Even ZX", ffs, everyone who can use a biometal is called MEGAMAN lul
@@SKKaelth in my opinion the ZX series tarnishes classic megaman's name by making everyone be a megaman who can use the biometals since you have characters like serpent, prometheus, and pandora causing all types of chaos and mayhem.
@Vazazell to be fair some of them are inferior copies of zero
I very honestly prefer the way Zero 4 handled the EX Skills.
Sure, levels and the bosses therein are made harder (sometimes for the worst) in order to have access to elemental attacks, but they're arguably not much harder than some of the hardest ones in the Zero series, and, most importantly, I don't need to bring out the literal A-game every single time just to accomplish them all like in the previous games.
The loss of the Recoil Rod is also unmistakably unfortunate, and the way they went about the body chips is *technically* worse than Zero 3 (and only borders on the acceptable because you can tell what you'll get before you use the materials), but I'd rather have it this way than the way the other Zero games -- even Zero 3 -- went about getting everything.
I have this little challenge where i have to rebeat the games before you review em, Z1 and Z2 where the ones i spent most time, 1 week spent for both, and Z3 and Z4 where 2 days long each, im gonna probs spend at leasr 2 to 3 days with ZX and ZXA, but when i beat a game, i have to wait before you review it to move on to the next title, and its kinda fun.
anyways, this was one good review, i too like Z3 over Z4, time to wait for the ZX review.
Have fun with Area F subtank.
ZX and ZX Advent will take 2 hours each if you know what you're doing.
@@anexplosion5436 WHY INTICREATES?!?!?!?! JUST WHY?!?!?!?!? T_T
@@anexplosion5436 It should take about a week to get that subtank. A day or two to beat the game.
I'm also playing it through! It was such a coincidence, I took the Zero Collection and while playing it I looked for a review to 'have somenone to talk about that experience'. It was on the first week and I was planing to marathon too! Z1 killed me on the last boss. Z2 was hard on boss rush. Z3 I couldnt stop playing and replaaying!! And now Z4 is painfull!! The difficulty curve is everywhere! And I was trying Rank A for the EX Skills or anything (cause everygame haad cool stuff for top ranks). I'm so slow on this one, I aint enjoying that much.
The humans viewpoint makes sense if you've seen all the material that never left Japan. Even as far back as the X series the government was censoring information about Reploids and the war. In fact Ground Scaravich's execution by Alia was because he simply stumbled into Dr. Light's lab and the pod where X was originally sealed away. Apparently you are shot on sight if you enter the lab according to Alia and Alia was forced to do the deed because she was the only one who had security clearance. It's also theorized that the reason why Zero is treated as a hero is because after WIly died he was erased from history and his links to Zero and the virus were all covered up. Ciel, Weil, and everyone in the games have no clue that Zero was responsible for the Maverick virus or that the virus was a human creation. Which is why Weil is such a bigot in the first place. And of course there is Elpizo whose path to villainy started because he simply knew too much and Harpuia ordered him dead. He never had a reason to rebel and in fact loved Neo Arcadia but Harpuia's paranoia over a possible loose end caused him to kickstart the plot of the series.
Well written. Even though I personally think Ciel and Weil knew more than they actually told you in dialogue, but especially the humans were completely clueless.
Ahem Ciel's ancestor and a whole science community from the end of Maverick Wars ya mean? Yes both machines & humans besides Dr. Wily are just borderline clueless & naive.
@@Samanosuke2727 Which is why I appreciate the existence of "Vile's Incident: Eden dome, its sin and rebirth" so much, it's basically humanity's mea culpa. Humans reflect and acknowledge how much they took away from Reploids by essentially forcing humanity's safety over their own and how many, many past mistakes led them into complacency and ignorance.
And to think the whole reason Weil came back was because humans preferred to modify him into a near immortal being rather than outright execute him, like any other war criminal...
The humans viewpoint might make sense but it is still unreasonable - all the wars they're complaining about? Humans are partially (if not wholly) responsible for them. For nearly major conflict that has occurred from the Classic MegaMan era, through the X series and up until Zero 4, in each and every case humans were either wholly or partially responsible - the sole exception being Zero 2 where everything is Elpizo's fault.
Everything else? Either Weil started the whole damn thing or the conflict exists because of human *and* Reploid choices (Maverick wars were both human and Reploid, everything else save Zero2 was all Weil).
Alia killing Scaravich was a conspiracy against Gate, it didn't actually have anything to do with X nor Zero nor any of that information.
Also the Maverick virus was never confirmed to be Wily's creation.Though it's strongly implied that he did *not* create it.
Also, Harpy's paranoia didn't kickstart the entire series plot. Harpy's actions pushed Elpizo to leave Arcadia, which led to the events of Zero 2, which led to Zero 3 and then to 4, but Harpy didn't kickstart the *plot*, his actions *helped further* the plot but they didn't kickstart it - furthermore Harpy didn't start anything pre-Zero2.
And though Harpy may be to blame for Elpizo joining the Resistance, he certainly didn't push Elpizo to taking military action - actually in Zero 2 it seems Harpy's been playing it pretty chill with the Resistance. During Zero 2, there is not a SINGLE instance in the game where Neo Arcadia takes action against the Resistance preemptively, every official action Harpy takes in Z2 is a reaction to Elpizo's actions.
Whoa, that's very cool
I don't like the weather system, but it's a fact that it makes internal sense.
You see, Zero learns EX Skills the exact same way that MegaMan and X did up till now -- by watching his opponents perform them in battle. However, he has the problem of getting his opponents to use them. In Z2 and Z3 (and Z1 except that you don't get the skill), the bosses have a special attack that they only use if your rank is A or S, because they see you as a higher threat so they pull out the stops when trying to deal with you. Those are the attacks Zero learns.
In Z4, however, the bosses' EX Skills are weather-powered. So they can only use them if the weather is adequate. So Zero can only learn the skills from the bosses by watching if the weather is adequate.
Or so I've read, I can't give you any examples right now but I do think it's a good reason. It's still really unfun though.
Well two examples are Pegasolta Enclair and Mino Magnus using lightning powered attacks when you have their stages set to stormy weather, Enclair even raises his arms up to the sky before activating them as if he is collecting power from the storm
So to have those ex skills in z4 i should
- playing in normal difficult
- rank A and S
- having extreme weather instead normal
I like the weather system, adds some variety to replaying stages
@suprise buttsecks spy Nope, just play on Normal and have weather effect on.
Which is why I think zero 4 is a lot more accessible to casuals than the other games in the series.
In the other games you have to replay the stages multiple time just to learn the level and the boss move sets just so you can nearly perfect the stage so you can get EX skills. Most players will not have all EX skills on their first play through in those games while in MMZ4 its easily obtainable by anyone as long as youre willing to play the harder version of the stage.
I never got the point of Ranks tbh, I think the weather system is better and much more intuitive and reliable
Neige = Nej (like Raj)
It's French for "snow".
The way he pronounced the name in the video bothered me too! Ha ha.
It bothered me too but I always pronounced it Neej so who am I to judge? neat to learn of the origin of the name
@@VGInterviews Neej is still better than how J pronounced it lol. I used to pronounce it like that too
She's snowing on Craft & Zero! *giggle alot*
Mythos MUGEN Just like Ciel, which is French for sky
Using the Mythos soundtrack as an example for "this is what a GBA game should sound like" is a bit disingenuous.
Yeah, that's expecting a wee bit too much from what GBA can actually deliver in terms of music, J. They did rather well with what they were given and even when the soundfont isn't the best for some of the instrument samples, they did manage to give us some good themes throughout.
@@Tsuchiryu Straight Ahead, Power Field, and Falling Down being my personal favorites; The former being probably in my top 5 Mega Man tracks, actually.
A year late but a lot of people are overly critical of GBA music imo. It was never that bad in my experience. Like any game regardless of medium you listen to it for a while, then turn it down or off unless it is an ABSOLUTE slapper or the game relies on sound greatly.
@@haruhirogrimgar6047 As an ex-fire emblem rom hacker, I agree with you. I worked a lot in importing songs for various projects in the community and I learned a lot about the sound engine (the gba has no sound cpu, all the sound is handled by the main cpu itself, along the game engine, the graphics, etc.) and how good it can sound. In fact, I have a video in my channel that kinda shows that (I made it public right now, you should see it as my last video). And I say kinda because what I did for that video is far from what someone could actually do with the engine.
@@Tsuchiryu The thing is, Zero 4’s guitar sampling is just ATROCIOUS. And this problem isn’t in the prior games! Listen to the Remastered version of the Magnet Mine OST or Nothing Beats, the boss battle theme. The guitar isn’t this weird whining like it is there, and those are the soundtracks that are closest comparison to the GBA OST (I’m not saying they compressed those versions; they didn’t, but they give a good impression of what the OST is “meant” to sound like). The songs that dodge these issues like Esperanto, Holy Land, Power Field (honestly I don’t know why he played it; it’s one of the songs that didn’t get botched IMO), the first half of Straight Ahead, the Hanging Gardens song or water maze song (idk all their names I’m sorry) all sound fine on the GBA. This problem is exclusive to Z4, and I know it had a new composer, but what happened here?
While I think Zero 4 makes some less than favorable decisions (the Cyber Elf system, mainly), the way the story is told, the set pieces, and that ending is what makes Zero 4 my second favorite Zero game overall. While the Classic series is my favorite Mega Man series, the Zero series is a very close second. It definitely has the best story out of any Mega Man series.
My are favourites are
ZX
Zero
Classic
I agree completely, the narrative in MMZ 4 is stellar. The classics are hard to beat
you poor unfortunate soul, they either never a gave a second thought or lack the brain capacity to understand what a horrible, plot-hole ridden fuckfest of a disaster Z4's story is. i am truly sorry for you
Yosef Yonin Ow the edge Let me guess you like the X series XD Nobody cares at the end of the day as long as there haveing fun! I'm tired of people like you thinking they're a critic and all pieces of entertainment have to be fucking masterpieces when that's impossible you're not a critic and overall critics are pointless Bullshit and it would make alot more sense if companies just had a refund period for digital copies of games or a demo people could get for free and let customers make their own dam decisions!
Yosef Yonin no need to talk down to him over an opinion buddy
Some points:
How many GBA games have you played, because you overreact in the eargrating department I find. Tho that might be subjective
The Vines in Mandrago's stage are to be torn with the Z knuckle, which is why it is there, the level design wants you to use the knuckle.
Your complaints about the weather system makes no sense. The EX skills being tied to an arbitrary rank was a far worse system. Why? Well, you lose the rank once, good luck getting it up again. Here? YOu beat the hard mode of a stage. That's it. It still is skill.
No complaint about the crafting system, that one sucks, I have no excuses for it.
Worse bosses? Feels like you just aren't good enough at boss fights in general. But this is another subjective thing.
A thing I noticed in your Reviews...they feel incomplete and rushed. Good effort, keep going, but be also more thorough.
Fully agree with you man. This is a great game and I think he was way off on this one.
The music is fine for a GBA game, it just might not hold up well when held to modern standards, it's up to the listener if they want to interpret that way, comparing it to the arrange version could be a bit much considering that level of quality is theoretically impossible on GBA.
I haven't heard the music for the game in years and hearing it in this video I thought it was jarring, worse than I remembered. However I've been spoiled by the mythos arrangement and certain other GBA games with surprising sound quality.
He could've gone into more detail with the weather system, you're punished for picking the wrong type, however this could be a reason to replay the game. I you want to rush through and get everything all in one playthrough it would be frustrating and would lead to resets, it's good or bad depending on interpretation.
As for everything else, it's been years since I've played the game and my memory of it isn't really holding up, so I couldn't really say if he's right or wrong. Until I play through it again.
Both EX skill unlock requirements have flaws, he didn't go into detail about it in the previous 3 games, probably because he didn't attempt to get high ranks, which is understandable considering the practice required.
Had he done that though, J might have realized how flawed some of the requirements actually were in 1 and 2, they can deduct points not just for less enemies killed, but too many, which is awful in the factory level where you need to hit bombs to open up passages I gave up on a perfect run last time I played 3, because the game decided to deduct points because I beat the level too fast. It's all guesswork until you beat the game enough to memorize an exact route through each level.
They expected you to play EXACTLY how they wanted you to to S rank, the problem is there's not enough room for error. Zero 3 fixed some of these problems in several ways but it's still more dedication than most players will want to put up with.
I can see why you'd prefer the execution of it in Zero 4, no inconsistent variables to worry about, it's straight to the point.
@@JetWolfEX I agree there is hardly any room for error when you want to S rank the Zero series, but you do not have to be perfect just to get the EX-Skills, since you still can get them if you're A rank, so that widens the window from an average of 96-100 points to 86-100 points. You only go for the S rank if you want to fulfill yourself otherwise just avoid it, because some stages suffer badly from it. While I personally enjoy the ranking system, I would've prefered it was gone or at least done differently.
I usually go for A ranks now, it's just more fun and a few mistakes won't ruin it, you're right about that.
I’m sorry but I’m going to disagree with you about the music. Even before they were remixed, I thought the music was pretty top notch for a GBA game.
Same. Not sure if my ears aren't as educated or something but, on a gut feeling, I'd say this game has the best soundtrack of the entire Zero series overall. My favorite tracks surpass in numbers my favorites from the previous 3 games combined.
i love how when i make a comment about him not liking the music i get attacked lmao i agree with you dude
I've heard some awful GBA soundtracks. Z4 is not one of those games
Zero 3 is the comparison to go, and zero 4 sucks compared to it in terms of music.
Of the Zero games, my ranking goes as follows (best to worst): 3, 2, 4, 1.
I love all of them to death though.
The same placement I would give them too. 2 was a massive improve.
Mine is zx zxa 4 2 1 3
Agreed completely.
Honestly I would have to go with your rating, makes the most sense to me as well.
Honestly Mine is 3, 4, 2, 1.
Sure, 4 was a step back but I always preferred it over 2.
Doctor Weil having any connection to Wily seems unlikely given that while we saw Wily had left an AI version of himself behind in X5, it was not brought up again after that. Especially seeing as in the Japanese version, Weil's name is Dr. "Vile." It was changed in the localization to avoid confusion with Vile from the X series, who is called Vava in Japan.
Regardless, Doctor Weil is easily my favorite Mega Man villain. For starters, he gets enough screen time to show how damn evil he is. You can't help but love to hate him. He caused an apocalyptic war, and because he was forced to live forever in the wasteland, he sees himself as the one who was wronged. He cannot admit when he is wrong, so he rationalizes his actions by saying that all humanity and Reploids are exactly like him, to the point where thoughts that aren't about evil are incomprehensible to him. And if anybody thinks getting mad over living forever is a dumb motive, people locked in solitary confinement have suffered psychological damage the isolation. Weil spent a hundred years on his one a mostly dead planet. That would drive anybody insane. Like you said, it doesn't make him sympathetic because of how evil he is; in fact, having a hundred years to look back on his actions and see himself as the victim just shows what a monster he is.
Also unlike Sigma, or Dr. Wily, Weil avoids appearing too often. He wasn't in the first game, but we see him teased in the second. He appears as the main villain in the third, and originally, it was planned for the game to end with his death, but I think somebody realized that would be too anti-climatic when Omega was built as the main threat. The final entry properly set for his death. Regardless, even though he doesn't have a direct role until the third game he is nicely set up as the main villain of the Zero series by causing the Elf Wars, the corruption of the Mother Elf forcing X out of action, leading to the creation of Copy X and the conflict that set the series in motion, and the theft of Zero's original body leading to the Resistance finding him.
Take notes CoD Modern Warfare, that is how you establish properly establish a new villain as the main villain of your entire series. You do not simply say your villain was always around and aided the acts of previous villains to the point where he's somehow responsible for the original game despite being introduced in the sequel. Especially not when your supposed main villain already had a game establishing him as so evil that saying he was responsible for events in the original Modern Warfare just looked silly.
@@machovalkarie7896 Modern Warfare 3 with Makarov. His villainy in Modern Warfare 2 wasn't enough for someone so we get some scenes explaining that he was responsible for the original game's events.
It would be like if in the sequel to Across the Spiderverse, we got a scene explaining that The Spot was the one who inspired Kingpin to create the Super Collider.
@@machovalkarie7896 OG trilogy, I am not familiar with the reboot or if it changed anything.
@@machovalkarie7896 You're welcome.
I realized something in Megaman Zero 4. A recurring theme in that game was believing/trusting in positive change. This is partially supported by the fact that the elf in the game had the name Croire (assuming the player doesn't annoy Alouette with changing the name). Notice here that this elf was a new type of cyber elf developed by Ciel that had the abilities of all the elves (except Jackson cuz he too gud). This was possible since the resistance members (including Zero) believed/trusted in Ciel. Then, we go all the way to the final battle in the game where Ciel tells Zero that he has to teleport out. Zero, being the selfless man that he is, decides not to teleport out so that he could destroy Dr. Well once and for all and save Area Zero at the cost of his (Zero's) own life. The important part here is where Zero tells Ciel to believe in him before he defeats Weil for good (unless we talk Model W, of course) and supposedly dies. Indeed, Ciel says that she believes in Zero at the end as his helmet is broken and in the ground. My main question has always been this: is Zero still alive? Initially, I thought that he would come back and show he was still kicking, but it never happened. The extensive research I have done on the franchise all add up to say that it is unknown as to whether he survived the Ragnarok explosion. I finally (well not finally since I've been holding this in for awhile) feel like I know how this whole thing connects. I feel like Capcom put this all together to add up to this: Zero's fate depends on how much we as fans believe in him (with lots of belief=he managed to survive, and vice-versa). The reason that I think this? Megaman ZX Advent's ending is the very reason that I think what I do! In the ending, Model Z (which is Zero in biometal form) does another selfless act of staying in an exploding Ouroboros (which is the final stage of the game that is created with the pieces of Model W, aka Ragnarok) to freeze the biometals so that Vent/Aile and Grey/Ashe can escape the explosion (how selfless is this dude). Model Z seems really confident that he will not get destroyed by stating that it wasn't his day to meet his maker. Fast forward to the end, and Model Z is not mentioned and is nowhere to be seen. My question here, as you can guess, is this: did Model Z die? Did he overestimate his durability or did he simply say what he said to get Vent/Aile to not hesitate? I mean, it seems perfectly clear that Vent/Aile believed/trusted in Model Z in this scenario. And this instance is reminiscent of MMZ4 where Zero died on Ragnarok (since, to repeat, Ouroboros = All Model W's combined and Model W= Weil + Ragnarok). In my mind, I thought that if Model Z says that he wasn't going to die, he wasn't going to die. Zero, since the very beginning was that type of dude who would never say things lightly; he would keep all the promises that he made (examples from MMZ series: MMZ2, promised that no more Resistance member would die as long as he was around, MMZ-MMZ4, kept the promise he made to X to believe in humans and reploids, especially those he cared about). So, why wouldn't I believe/trust him, knowing all of that?? He's a selfless, caring hero (though he doesn't consider himself as such) who fights for what he believes in and gives it his all 100% of the time in the process. I felt that Capcom put this deep meaning in the Zero series to develop this idea: if we believe Zero is alive, well he very much may be. I mean, how could Zero die in MMZ4, but not in MMZXA under pretty similar circumstances? Both scenarios were if you stay in exploding fortress, you die (with the exception of, I guess, the four biometals? Secret ending is a bit unclear to me). X has always trusted Zero to fight for the greater good (with an exception to X5, but they were both overprotective of each other being exposed to the Sigma Virus for so long, to be fair), even in biometal form since Model X also told Vent/Aile to trust him. and the many people Zero has met ended up believing in him (ex: Ciel, the humans in Area Zero that thought he was a bad guy due to Dr. Weil, Vent/Aile, etc). So why shouldn't we? In conclusion, I thought that the in-game events had a deeper meaning that alluded to how much we as fans can have a say in whether Zero (or Megaman in general) is still alive. My ending statement is that I still believe in Zero and the Megaman franchise. Btw, sorry for this whole wall of text everyone! And please give some opinions on the ideology. The meaningful comments made me want to type this. My final question: Do you still believe in the Megaman franchise?
“ RISOU DATO?
ZAREGOTO DA! “
- Dr. Weil
*Evil laughter spam throughout the fight intensifies*
*RISOU DATO!? ZAREGOTO DA!
Can someone tell me what this is about?
@@nottelling9444 Eh, you never played the game did you? Well, it's Weil's starting quote: "Risou Dato? Zaregoto da!" Which in english means "Ideal? (Forgot what Zaregoto means but its saying something is bad)" and Weil laughing is because he teleports everytime laughing
磯田と
砂利がとだ！
I've always loved that Zero answers his own question of "What am I fighting for?" at the end. He says it himself, he fights for who he believes in.
I think you misinterpreted the whole deal about weather and EX-skills. They basically went back to the weakness chain concept of Megaman X - no elemental chips, you NEED the boss skills to have an edge against the other bosses, but instead of the "pro-challenge" of getting high ranks they give you the option to play harder versions of the levels. In other words - you either play easier levels OR have an easier time against the next boss (and ESPECIALLY during the boss rush).
But I also admit that while the idea was okay the execution was flawed, some weather effects are just bs and don't change up the gameplay in interesting ways. F*ck that magnet level and boss.
I personally didn't mind the Zero knuckle that much (I prefer my buster to begin with). And you can look up the recipes for the parts online - which was very much a thing, at least when the collection dropped. I know some people automatically scream "bad design" as soon as you have to ask Google for help, and they are partially right, but I don't really mind.
While the remastered tracks are lightyears ahead (seriously, Straight Ahead and Esperanto, I want that at my funeral) I think you made the GBA tracks look (well, sound) worse than they actually are, IMHO.
Small nitpick: I'm pretty shure both Craft and Weil are supposed to be pronounced the German way.
So in conclusion I'd still rank Z4 a tiny bit over Z2 (Z3 > Z4 > Z2 > Z1) even though they are very close. Also, congrats to your next milestone. Are you gonna try Azure Striker Gunvolt after ZX Advent?
Regarding ZX: I'll already throw out that it's an awesome game really dragged down by the stupid idea of basically making it a Metroidvania. I don't like the genre that much to begin with, that's why I play Action Platformers, but it was even badly executed.
You can make a chip to negate the gravity mechanic
The path to the subtank is technically isnt blocked by the snow.
1. Steal the fire buster from the first enemy
2. Stand by the wall next to the snow patch.
3. Fire your Fire buster, the bullet wont go through but the heat will melt the first layer of snow to the left.
4. Make your way up then fall to the first layer of snow you melted then fire away your Fire buster then you can now get to the path towards the subtank.
im so glad the v fire guys were there. thats pretty much how you get the tank in hard mode.
fun fact: you can also use the flame fang to melt the snow
tbh, i rather have the weather and part systems, im not the kind guy that plays megaman to get an good score, i rather get powerups through playing the game in an harder setting than trying to keep my "rank" always at A.
but i think it would be great if they had you store the weapons you get by using the zero knuckle, then converting them into parts, and giving more clues towards the recipes, i really hated that i had to look them up.
maybe selling them in an shop or making small side quest with some npcs, while allowing you to making them right away without needing the recipe.
21:09
You're right about it being annoying, but just letting you know you can use the knuckle to pull those things instantly, and it's the fastest way.
Also to let you know that you can hit bosses in their invincibility frames, I wonder if you didn’t know that
It's funny how both X5 and Zero 4 were initially J's favourites, have Eurasia in them, are a step back from their predecessors, Zero dies in them, and after playing the others more they fell off from being J's favourite.
The ending of this game and this series made me cry lol
Be honest didn’t we all?
IMHO, the order is, MMZ3, MMZ2, MMZ4, then MMZ1 ranked from best to worst.
All together though they tell the best story in the mega man franchise
Imo
3, 4, 1, 2
Nah 4 is the best since you can easily get ex skills so you can do 5-6 hit combos to quick kill bosses due to the combo system that nobody mentions
@2d fighter fan you clearly never played zero 4 hard mode or used the axe
In my opinion: Z4>Z2>Z3>Z1
I'd rather the weather system over that god awful ranking system.
Don't get me wrong I like the ranking system in games. I had a fun time S ranking DMC 3 , Shinobi for ps2 and the Sonic games but S ranking Zero 3 is one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had in a video game.
Probably my favorite game in the series gameplay-wise. The story and characters throughout this series was great, just overshadowing the mess that was the X series and the formulaic OG Megaman, even though both had a very memorable cast.
The ending though... First time in my life that a game made me cry. Especially since I played it after finishing the entire franchise.
Weil's motive goes even deeper with the Perfect Works books. As but a scientist for humanity, when the Mother Elf was created to finally cure all of the Mavericks and restore peace, he refused to allow it to pass so easily. A slap on the wrist for the robotic humanoids that basically turned most of the world into a desolate wasteland of war and destruction? His response was to corrupt the Mother Elf into the Dark Elf, hijack Zero's original body, and the rest is history. He's 100% pure megalomaniac and sociopathic, but he actually has motivations for his genocides and chaos that have sound logic were they not used by such a madman.
So basically it was a ruse just to destroy/punish all the converted Mavericks/Reploids that played a part in the destruction of The Maverick Wars, simply because he felt they got off scot free? I understand wanting justice, but for him to go this far seems a bit much and this theory of his seems not only flawed but beyond dangerous. It even proved so considering it made the situation worse by wiping out roughly 90 percent of the reploids and over 60 percent of the human population. He made things far worse than better all for the sake of "justice".
10:00 to bash your theory, Weil from the megaman zero series his name actually is Vile the localization thought why not name it similar to doctor Wily so fans feel more costerble
Actually the reason for that change was that Vile from the X series was originally named Vava. So while on japan Dr Vile was the only character with that name, on the west it would have been confusing since we actually had an antagonist named Vile, and they didn't want players to think that there was any connection between the two.
please make a review for the battle network series.
-Thank you for doing this series a service with your in-depth reviews. I agree with the general ranking of Z3,Z2,Z4,Z1. They are a great set of gems and i love them all though.
To add to the story. I feel Zero's interactions with Weil and Craft are both a nod to the beginning of Z2 and X series. What i notice and adore is that Zero has had this whole identity crisis thing bothering him and has been trying to find the purpose of his existence especially because his origins are vague to him and even more so thanks to his amnesia in mmz. He spends the X series hard focused on doing nothing but fight mavericks, the very thing X eventually grows sick of as stated in Z1. Zero continues his fight at at the end of Z1 but year later grows tired, finding it neverending and lacking a greater purpose.
This is a great reason why i like Ciel's character and the resistance. They make an even closer knit family Zero hasnt really had. Ciel asking him for missions was a way to move forward towards a greater purpose aside from just killing maverick after maverick in the name of justice. In a way she represents the wishes of X, his best friend realized and finally going into motion and why he follows her.
Zero berates Craft for his actions of violence, because again, he is just doing the same thing he used to do. Eliminate the enemy/maverick no matter what. However, as Zero says. They are just reploids made for war. It is not their place to change the world. They needed to be guided by people like Neige and Ciel who are trying to serve a grander purpose through other means.
Just wanted to get my two cents out there. Again. I'll probably comment on the rest of the technical points you made later after my work.
Also. Weil aint Wily. Interesting that would be.
Hey, J about the ending
It was confirmed by Inafune that Weil is NOT Dr Wily. (They're not the same character)
He is an expy of him, however
Wily indeed came back ... AS THE MAVERICK VIRUS.
Weil being wily would be a little bit narmy, honestly
Even though it's head cannon I still prefer Weil being Wily
@@staraptorflock3661 I'm not saying that anybody should stop following this headcanon if they like it
Just dropping trivia
The maverick virus was the zeros concious thet spread to other reploids,incliding sigma,creating the sigma virus. Unless zero is wily,that wouldn't make sense.
@@isauldron4337 what is marverick virus?
12:30
"We had Megaman X1 through X6"
Now that's just rude.
If I said X7 and X8 then the people who got mad at me saying that X7 onward were never supposed to be canon would strikea gain.
@@JsReviews I'm just joking my man, but thanks for the reply
@@JsReviews Hell even X6 wasn't supposed to exist. X5 was the intended finale.
If you beat the levels on worse weather, you gain the ex-skill of that levels boss rather than needing to A-rank. Frankly I disagree with most of your criticism in this game and the video felt kind of rushed, unpolished and lacked research.
@@RockEsper despite that, he doesn't seem to understand how EX Skills are even received in the other Zero games. Getting an A-Rank in a stage does not get you an EX-Skill, starting a stage with an A-Rank gets you the EX-Skill, regardless of how well you perform. It was a jank system that punished players being cautious in an action game where screen real estate was non existent, and was a waste of time when random Story stages would show up and risk your chance at the next EX-Skill. The weather system actively gives you the choice as to whether or not you wish to challenge yourself or not, and the game very explicitly tells you not to enter levels that are glowing red unless you believe you can handle it, and it rewards you for it. Notice that the weather modifiers typically only affect platforming and not combat (aside from the bosses), because fast-paced precision combat+platforming in order to A or S-Rank just didn't work on the GBA and people complained throughout the entirety of the series at the time at just how ridiculous the game's expectations were for unlocking expanded moveset options.
Are you going explain why ? Is that your only reason ?
Leviathan, Fefnir, and Hapuia died in the Omega Explotion protecting Zero.
+J's Reviews "I never cared about justice, and I don't recall ever calling myself a hero... I have always only fought for the people I believe in. I won't hesitate... If an enemy appears in front of me, I will destroy it!" That single line is why Zero is one of my favorite heroes in all of fiction he doesn't do it for glory or to protect the masses he does it to protect those he loves and to do what he thinks is right and if are his enemy no matter what others may say or deam him a villian or hero if you threaten his loved ones he will strike you down nomater the cost.
I love that part because it's a call back to it's X game counterpart, X4. Where Zero questions what he is fighting for, but now, when he is ready to face death, he knows the answer for that question
About Fefnir and Leviathan being barely in Zero 3, in the Japanese audio drama of the Zero games (I highly recommend to listening to those) both were critically injured after their battle with Omega from the intro stage of Zero 3 to the brink of death. They were recovering the whole game and just shows how powerful Omega was before he fused with the Dark Elf
I like this one more than 3 due to the flippin ranking system being less restricted, now i can finally use cyber elves to a highr degree without getting punished for it.
The ex skills are better to get in my opinion, since you get rewarded for playing a harder version of the stage instead of having to perfect run it.
The ost was fine to me compared to pokemon it is bearable.
The elves should have stacked, agreed but it is a minor nitpick to me.
Drop rates, yea no excuse. Parts i like it since you can just look up the recipes and yea the game does not tell you them that well but honestly, i never go in blind into games, i like having some knowledge beforehand.
ultimate mode is fun for the max stack elf.
Play ultimate mode. All restrictions are removed in ultimate mode
@@omegazeroINFI yea but i need to 100% it in the first place to do that
@@starscorpia4005 true, though zero4 is by far the easiest zero game to 100%. 2-3 runs is enough to unlock everything in the game. if nothing else, i blame nostalgia for me defending it as much as i am.
Seems like a classic case of GITGUD, I liked how ranks mattered before(you dont need to perfect run to get it), elves? whatever, i just find it charming to have one following like a pokemon
25:24 Getting EX skills in exchange for beating a harder stage is way better than having to do near-perfect runs of stages just to get new tools you used to get for just beating bosses in the X series. Maybe the weather system is a little excessive but at least EX skills can actually be earned by normal people.
I can't agree with this review at all:
1) NEVER put theories when summing up a games story, and in this case he makes it seem as if it's a fact that Weil is Wily, even though it has never been confirmed. Don't get me wrong it's a good theory, but it doesn't belong in the section where the story is being summed up.
2) Showing an arrangement, without any limitations, against the compressed ost, which is also being limited by the gba sound chip, doesn't serve the ost justice. The soundtrack has the same style which is used throughout all of the zero games.
3) The buster is still an optimal choice even though it has received a nerf in firing speed. the charged shot hasn't been affected whatsoever
3) The weather changes are awesome. It makes it so that casual players can acquire all ex-skills and upgrades without problem. Sure it makes the stage harder, but it's still way easier than having to get a rank or above. That also doesn't mean that getting a good rank is meaningless since it contributes to the fun replayable factor of the game.
4) This is the only game which doesn't punish you for having an elf, and the way that the elf was implemented is ingenious, being incredibly customizable, and straight forward. Yes you can't upgrade the elf while in a level, BUT you can customize it!
5) The main problem with stages isn't that they are forgettable, it's that they are too gimmicky and the gimmicks don't seem fun, but if you take the time to learn them and understand how they work it's not bad at all.
6) Yeah the grinding is back, but it isn't nearly as intense as it was in 1 and 2, in fact you could get the elf to almost max level, without revisiting a single level, provided you have some rng on your side.
7)The way that the elemental chip was implemented in this game is awesome. It gives you all of the effects on the ex skills, and since they are easier
I understand that it's his opinion, but it sounds like he didn't take the accessibility tweaks that the game has received, most notably the weather and elf changes. Yes there are a lot of good points in the video for example the stupid crafting system, but that doesn't change the fact that the review is flawed. I realize that i am three years late to this, but still wanted to give out MY opinion on the topic of zero 4.
He finally finds what he is fighting fooooooorrr
I really loved Zero 4 as a kid, and even to this day it's special to me. ZX also was a pretty fun game for me as a kid, can't wait to see your thoughts on that!
ありがとう あなたの感性は素晴らしい
I can appreciate what this game did as a finale to Zero's saga, but the game play changes like the lame parts system and the fact that the Zero has next to no practical uses and takes the place of the cool rod and chain weapons sucks. No elemental chips either and using EX skills to exploit weaknesses isn't worth it in a lot of scenarios because of the boss patterns and how the moves are executed don't gel together. The elf system, while still better than the first game's, felt more restrictive than the Satellite elves.
I do like the game still but I really don't see why it unfixed so much of what the 3rd game did right.
Anyway, I'm glad I stuck out the wait, these were some really solid reviews on your end!
I think maybe they have to make it in advance due to fans demand. The series were supposed to end at 3, 4 was just to wrap everything up.
Ex skills being easily unlocked is the best thing ever since you need them to preform a charge saber into triple slash into rising slash into down ward slash
Feels like you're being a bit of a drama queen about how bad the weather system actually is. You can play the easy version of the stage and not get the EX skill, or play the hard variant and get it. I know a lot of people who prefer it because it doesn't require you to play flawlessly without dying to get the skills, but rather prove they've bested the challenge of the hardest version of the stages.
Zero was likely programmed WITHOUT the first rule of robotics. The first rule was likely modified to be “don’t kill Doctor Wily,” and was supposed to not only kill Megaman, but Doctor Light.
Also, I believe the it’s confirmed that Weil is not Wily. But the story has indeed reached a great conclusion prior to ZX.
Am I deaf or something? This soundtrack is really good, Craft's theme and Crossover station being some of my favorites, I don't really mind the GBA soundfont, I think it sounds well
"The path to peace can finally be created"
*Model W default dances*
Also, the guardians died back in Zero 3 soooo
Wait, how did the guardians die? Die along with X or during the Omega explosion?
13:Solitudine:22
Yes. It was a lazy plot point on Capcom’s part, it’s like they just forgot about the Guardians in Z4, realized after release that they forgot they existed, then just said “eeeeh they died with omega thats why they didnt appear ok bye”
Eh, the GBA version of Esperanto sounded great to me. May actually be my fav GBA track of any GBA game - Battle Network had some great ones too but Esperanto is just beautiful.
Sure its not orchestrated but that should not be a standard to measure quality of SNES, NES or GBA OSTs - those systems have some of the most memorable tracks ever (Mega Man series, Terranigma etc) with some of them turning out superior to their later remasters (majority of Secret of Mana tracks for example).
Regarding Falling Down - I actually prefer the GBA version to the remastered version - I find the pitch of the guitar quite unpleasant to listen to. Granted, that part ain't great in the GBA version either but the rest is all fine and I find the lead more annoying in the remastered version than the GBA one so there~
Nice story recap - some of the stuff really eluded me back when I was playing the game.
The only thing I disagree with is the weather. I like that it's a less punishing difficulty system then ranking. If you are able to clear the harder stage, you get an EX Skill. If you don't want to or can't, you don't get them.
It invalidates ranking, and I do like ranking more, but it also let's people who aren't gods at the game earn the skills.
You dont have a lot of room to expand your abilities outside of the new elf system and the poorly handled parts system for chips and the z knuckle in situations. EX skills matter more in this game bwcause you have no elemntal chips. It's only fair that the way to earn skills is easier. That said, the weather system could use more substantial polish.
I Love This Game It Really Has A Tone Different From Zero 1 To 3 But Similar To The ZX Series,Oh And Also There Is References To Nordic Mythology Like For Example Ragnarok
Vendedor De Jabones There are multiple references to Mythology in general, not just Ragnorok. All the bosses of the series: the Mutos Reploids are all references to a mythological or religious figure
ありがとう あなたの感性は素晴らしいです
The part mixing system, while not perfect, isn't random. The game contains all the recipes you need to make all the useful items you want, it's never been random.
Also, in the vine section of the forest stage, you can just pull them out all out once with the Zero Knuckle. No need to endlessly slash at them or grind up Croire to get the fire shot. In fact you could totally play the entire game without using Croire at all.
If they make a Zero Legacy Collection, I hope it also contains the ZX games
RayShadow278 I know I’m late on this (since J commented on the vines thing in the comments) but I think J didn’t convey this well either. I think he knows it isn’t random since set recipes give you set items, but it feels random since unless you look them up or stumble onto the right combination and memorize it, you don’t know which combinations of parts give you what. It’s a frustrating and baffling change that forces you to grind and either get lucky with your combos or look up what to get (which has only gotten easier over the years but still, you have to grind in order to get the chance of getting these parts, and certain parts can be rendered unobtainable if you don’t get them the first time since some stages can’t be revisited).
Well theres a legacy collection coming out that granted your wish fren.
Zero and ZX collection boi
Falling Down > Cannonball
Preach!
Neither of them ranks as my favorites and yet I agree.
I just love how they had the balls to really kill zero, they could just say that he hid himself so that he could repair himself, and then there would be a happy ending. But they actually were committed to write a GREAT history, it's just beautiful, and they deserve a lot of respect for that
Nice retrospective. I really hope that you actually go in-depth on the differences between Vent/Aile and Ashe/Grey in ZX and Advent respectively, since most people tend to gloss over it given the gameplay is mostly the same (especially in ZX), especially since there are differences story-wise, at least when it comes to explaining backstory and foreshadowing future events.
heres a fun difference you might not have known. when playign grey, one of ailes lines is not compressed giving you an idea how how the game COULD have sounded. the voice line is when she gives her name and model x, then back to compression.
"Zero doesn't care about the first rule of robotics"
*Mega Man 7 flashbacks*
Man that translation, what were they thinking?
@@SeekerLancer they were thinking really good. it was awsome to see megaman snap after all these years of fighting wily over and over again.
it also serves as the perfect transition to the megaman x series since Light, now knows megaman can hurt humans, must put him in the capsule to make sure he will never want to do that ever again
I would’ve blown his skull clean off halfway through his first sentence.
Yosef Yonin Except Mega Man can't harm humans, he cannot break his programming, he does not have free will. That ending was total nonsense.
I can't believe this comment section is still alive.
Yeah you way off about the music
Zero 4’s OST is frustrating because the music itself is fucking amazing, but neither the GBA, the DS, nor the remixes can do most of it the Justice is deserved. They are all just missing something, especially the remixes, which often seem to use entirely different instruments in some cases instead of clearing up the music. If they actually did that right, it would be my favorite OST in the entire Megaman franchise, bar none.
There are a few tracks not hampered too heavily by the GBA or DS, such as Holy Land, Esperanto, the theme of the turtle guy, Ragnarok Cannon theme, Subspace, Weil’s final battle theme, and the credits theme (stretching it but better than the remixes) but honestly, I’d want to see them adapted perfectly outside of the GBA/DS.
I agree. The remasters, in terms of their instrumentation and sound mixing, didn't cut it for me the last time that I had heard them. I genuinely prefer the Game Boy Advance arrangements!
I like the composotions in the game more than in Zero 3. I'm more of person who appreciates compositions more than instrumentations, so I never really noticed or care about the "whiny sounds" in Zero 4. Which reminds me of GBA Castlevania games, I enjoy Harmony of Dissonance's soundtrack more than Aria of Sorrow's.
Zero 4 also has one of my favorite stages in the whole franchise, Teleport Station, or I call it same as in soundtrack, Crossover Station.
funny pronouciation of Neige
i think the GBA version of the area zero theme is fine. but it's also one of the few songs from MMZ4 i remember. also the remastered lyric version of it, Freesia, is so fantastic
Originally Zero 3 was supposed to be the last game but story wise Zero 4 answered questions and left nothing open for debate.
Zero 3 had the big backstory reveals and ended Zero's character arc about coming to terms with who he really is. Zero 4 FINALLY gave us the perspective of more humans and tied up major loose ends, namely Weil by letting us take care of him directly at last.
Next is ZX.
And gunvolt after? maybe? please sempai
@@MaxinRudy nah,not part of the timeline and not even an actual megaman game,still a good game tho
still he should review them (switch version)
@@LTDLetsPlays Not saying he shouldn't review them considering they are such nice games(smol Lumen is best,fight me),but that he should review them right after ZX as if they were part of the Megaman series.
ah yeah i agree with you then he must play with Japanese voices on though otherwise story is heavily cut
I havent played these games since the original gameboy advance release. Gotta admit, it looks a LOT different on a youtube video.
Hey J! Big fan of your work, I've been enjoying your run through the Zero series since they've been an integral part to developing into the gamer I am today. I'm curious, though; are you going to get into reviewing the ZX games? I'd be interested to know your stance on them and contrast it with my own. And, on that note, same goes for the Azure Striker Gunvolt games, since they too were developed by Inti Creates. Anyways, stay awesome, man!
Did you watch the video until the end? He said he's reviewing the ZX games starting next week.
@@luigimario1991 No, can't say that I did, BUT
YAY :D
Probably unlikely you'll see or read this but I came from the video you were in with EPG and your excitement for the Mega Man series as a whole made me get all the collections and games that were available, including ZLC. You earned my sub and your videos seem very level with what I've played through.
I always loved classic but never played any of X and only played Zero 1 at release and not since.
Keep up the videos!
The Megaman Zero series is the first series I remember getting invested in. The ending hit me harder than how Eurasia hit the Earth... I remember being sad for days. Man, it'll always have a special place in my heart... At the very least, Zero, X and the rest finally had their goal come true, and will be able to finally rest easy... *(Until ZX)*
Overall...I can only be happy...
Great videos by the way! Been watching for a while and eagerly waiting for the Zero reviews! Imma enjoy the ZX ones.
yeeeeeaaaaaahhhh...This game is a bit divisive, considering Zero 3 was meant to be the last one but Capcom demanded one last game. And to be honest, while I love both games, I prefer the Zero 3 finale more than Zero 4. I like Weil how how much of a cunning mastermind he is, but he wasn't suppossed to be a threat without Omega, Harpuia said this in Zero 3. Here, he is probably even more powerful than Omega, which always felt odd to me (still one of my fav villains ever). I also think Zero really didn't need to die (again...) to close the Zero series, he already gained my whole respect when he defeated his original self, his sacrifice was still pretty epic and sad tho...
Oh well, the things I really liked of Zero 4 was Craft (awesome design, theme and boss battles), the Z-Knuckle (personally prefer it over the chain rod and other bonus weapons) and the weather control. Also, best regular boss theme IMO.
Thanks for the reviews! It was nice reminiscing about these awesome games...
The fans demanded another game to close the story, not Capcom.
I never felt such sadness, these games are incredible, the storyline is so amazing but it does make me sad about how Zero sacrificed himself but then again made me happy. Zero and X were true heroes and that’s for sure.
Another half hour down for the Smash Ultimate wait time.
I love how Weil summons his "numbers" in his boss fight that was pretty cool
mrgaman zero 4 ending makes me cry a bit
When fighting Noble Mandrago or that kraken boss, they both tend to hide. Mandrago pops up from the ground or ceiling, and the kraken attacks while hiding inside those dark whirlpools. You can actually drag them both out of hiding with the Z-Knuckle.
Can we talk about how Craft is basically the Big Boss of Megaman Zero
i disagree with some things
1 the elf system i like that zero 4 removes the pain of having to find the elves and you can be more powerful without effecting your ranking
2 the ex skills i like them being easier to get because it does not require you to be a perfectionist just to get them
Zero 4 being regressive was.... initially intended; The game was developed with the story taking place between Zero 1 and 2, in which Zero is still on the run and left to his own devices, hence the Z-Knuckle, lack of Guardians, ect. For whatever reason it was re-purposed into the final chapter and give the time it came out it could have been many reasons.
Still, I like this one.
Wait why would "robot racism" be ham-fisted in megaman games? I mean sure the hero is always a robot but so are most of the bad guys (even when they are controlled by a human). Hell in a few games you start off by going through a city that was destroyed by robots. It can take way less then that to make people hate you or your kind. Not to mention people judging others not by their own merit but by them being a part of some group is a everyday thing. I don't even mean things like judging someone by the skin colour but even by their job, clothes or freaking hair colour.
Because racism is a serious social topic and doing it in a Mega Man game needs to be ah flex with care and they did.
Mega Man Zero 4 started it's development as a midquel, Mega Man Zero 1.5, the game would have detailed Zero fighting Neo Arcadia during the year between Zero 1 and 2, and the Z-knuckle is a remnant of that
Oh noes, how dare you not like Mergamern Zerrerr ferr
It's the best game of allll tyyyyyme and if you disagree you're wrooooooong
But it still plays fucking great and is miles more complete than Zero 1
Read this with Tommy Wiseau's voice
@@michag798 yeah zero 3 and zero 4 are both great it's just preference on what you want as story
@Jeremy Osorio 4 is a funny way to write 2
"Ecs sics is gud cosit's a shity ekz ferr/fiyv WOM hak"
Holy shit. Ciel is so damm adorable in her character portraits!
While the GBA certainly doesn't do the soundtrack any favors, and I'd say the same applies to all of the Zero games, I really think your issue with the soundfont is incredibly personal. Your example with Esperanto in particular doesn't really hold up to me, as I find it to be one of the best sounding songs on the original GBA soundtrack. Of course the remastered one is going to be incredible by comparison. In fact, I think Zero 3 is more guilty of killing some otherwise amazing compositions. Cannonball comes off incredibly muted compared to what it could be -- what you see in the remastered track. While its counterpart in Zero 4, Falling Down, still maintains its strength and emotion on the GBA -- actually partly due to the higher pitched electric guitar-esque instruments you seem to have an issue with.
All that to say, your assessment is fair as it's your own personal taste. But I think you were a little harsh.
It's NOT a soundfont. Vintage game systems are absolutely, 100% incapable of using soundfonts and MIDIs for realtime sound playback.
One of the reasons I know why people hate the game is because Zero works so hard to make a good future for everyone but doesn't get to see the Future X talked about its gonna happen but it feels unsatisfying he doesn't get repaired nothing cause he is gone it feels like no hope cause the hero dies so no one can do anything if a problem ever Arises causes humans are pathetic in the Zero series
I’ll never get over how great Zero’s last speech was not how it was Willy’s last creation that made Light’s dream reality.
The fact it ends with Zero killing a human, a maverick act, is a damn near Godly act of irony.
Zero for smash dlc!
Or so I'd like to wish. I'd love to see this zero as a character with his weapons and grabby hand...
But anyways...Good review on the series. I'm not sure which Zero game is my favorite but 4 definitely has my favorite soundtrack...on the remastered album anyways. heh.
Very nicely done reviews. Keep the great work buddy, hope your channel grows a lot, you deserve it.
I gotta agree that the weather system wasn't incorporated very well. It isn't anywhere near X6 levels of bad, but it should've been used in a more enjoyable fashion to entice replaying the same levels, like say, changing the weather would open 1 route with 'x' hazards and stage gimmicks, maybe a different sub boss, while weather does etc. etc.\
The parts and chip system is a big step down from Z3 for sure. The grind for parts isn't really an issue imo because it's not like the drop rate is RPG levels of rare. My main issue is that schematics for the chips have to be hinted, and on top of that, they are only for a select few and you have to unlock dialogue through progress to trigger NPCs to give you the hint. I was fortunate enough to have a guidebook that lists all the chips and recipes when the game came out YEARS ago. Also, why the game does not have shadow dash? Idk. If they are gonna make chip crafting tedious, they should at least double the amount of upgrades you can get. Many of the power ups here are just way too redundant from past games.
I feel you downplayed the Z-Knuckle a tad. Like the triple and chain rods, it was definitely a weapon that could've used much more polish, but it has bit more flexibility than you mentioned. Certain stages can make proper use of the knuckle depending on the order you play them. Ex: Fenri's stage in the Hibernation chamber. If you did not get any Flame EX skills prior to entering the stage, the Variant Fire Troopers carry a fire weapon you can utilize to help you for example to deal with Fenri. The cyber elf enemies in same said stage can be killed for parts by knuckling one of the lamps in the conveyor section so that you can push them towards the sunlight assuming it is sunny weather.
Also the knuckle has use during some of the boss fights. In the magnetic zone, you can use one of the small magnet enemies to trigger some of the magnetized bombs the sub boss drops at you. You can use it to pull out Noble Mandrago and her seeds during her boss fight, you can rip out the cables during the intro stage to weaken its laser, and even grab one of the blades Weil drops during his 1st form. Some single weapons like the axe are very useful, even more than the Z saber at times. I don't think the knuckle itself is the main issue, but rather stage design could've been better to utilize it more. That and I guess better attack strength for most the weapons you get.
Lastly, as it is, the Z knuckle also plays well with the series' combo system. A speedrunner I saw at AGDQ often made use of charge knuckle, following it with triple saber slash for massive damage.
Recoil Rod is still king though.
I gotta disagree heavily on the soundtrack. The use of guitar and piano in the pieces you get are just amazing throughout. Power Field, Esperanto, Caravan, Falling Down, honestly it has the most amount of soundtracks that I enjoyed, while Z3 and Z2 had less but carry more of my top songs for the series. Most of the remastered versions and fanmade version simply make them better.
NOt sure what else to add, but again, I just gotta say, great work J. And I am looking forward to the ZX reviews. Way to end the series with a bang, and glad you still like the whole series package.
What was the song when j said... "you know what play the music?"
It sounds familiar...
I also want to know
Great review man I love the megaman zero series I even have the cartidges of megaman zero 1 to 4 of course zero 4 being my favorite I don't why but its probably nostalgia being its my first game that I tried