Mega Man Zero series
Encyclopedia
The Mega Man Zero series, known as in Japan, is the series succeeding the Mega Man X story-line, and the fifth series in Capcom
's Mega Man
video game franchise, co-produced by Keiji Inafune
, and directed by Mega Man Legends series director Yoshinori Kawano. Consisting of four games developed for the Game Boy Advance
by Inti Creates
, the series began with the release of Mega Man Zero
in 2002
. The story follows Zero
who is awakened from hibernation by Ciel to face X who has began genocide on the reploids.
with run and gun elements that places a heavy emphasis on memorising boss
patterns and selecting the correct weapons to use against enemies. Unlike previous series, the stages of Mega Man Zero
are connected, with the player being assigned missions. However, Mega Man Zero 2
and later entries returned to the standard format that allowed the player to select a mission from a stage select screen. Zero is also able to level up his weapons and gain new skills by defeating enemies, though the levelling up of weapons was eventually discontinued from Mega Man Zero 3
onwards.
The Zero series also introduced a brand new Cyber Elf System, which allows Zero to equip small helper beings known as "Cyber Elves" to assist him in combat. This system can cause permanent changes such as increasing Zero's life bar or even covering dangerous spikes, or grant temporary enhancements, such as the ability to deflect bullets for a short time Zero can use three different types of Cyber Elves, but your overall game score will be deducted for every Elf used. Later entries in the Zero series had more lenient prerequisites for the usage and consumption of Cyber Elves.
A new addition to the franchise is the presence of elemental
weapons; in every game except Zero 4, Zero gains three element chips that can be attached to any of his weapons. Doing so adds elemental effects to his attacks and allows him to use them to attack bosses' weak points for massive damage.
is awakened to help the Reploids who are being pursued by the government body, called Neo Arcadia. Unsure of who he is, Zero helps the band of Reploids, who in turn marvel at his skills. Ciel, a human who lives with the Reploids, explains that Neo Arcadia has begun destroying all Reploids due to a shortage on energy. X is revealed to be the leader of Neo Arcadia and Zero confronts X in battle. Finding that the 'X' he defeats is only a mere copy Zero destroys him and a huge explosion follows with Zero managing to escape. He finds himself in a desert as a group of Neo Arcadians surround him, ending the game.
, the first game in the Mega Man ZX series, takes place 200 years after the end of Mega Man Zero 4. The sequel, Mega Man ZX Advent
, takes place 4 years and 8 months later.
titled Mega Man Zero Collection (Rockman Zero Collection in Japan). The game was released in North America on June 8, 2010, two days later in Japan and Australia, and was slated for release in Europe on 11 June 2010, however, release in the European region has been patchy, with the game not being released in some nations.
No changes have been made to the games in comparison with the original versions, other than removing words such as "kill" and "die" the few times they were used, but a few new features were added to the compilation, like an artwork gallery and the ability to remap certain actions to different buttons, as well as an "Easy Scenario" mode that allow the four games to be played as if they were as a single one, with some alterations to make the game easier (e.g. blocks covering spikes, no need to feed Elves, etc.).
In the original Japanese version (Rockman Zero), robot characters that were wounded by being cut in half or sliced up would spurt oil. Due to the oil's resemblance to blood, however, much of this was removed in the North American and European versions (Mega Man Zero) in order to obtain an E rating for the game. This is most notable in the opening sequence of Mega Man Zero.
The English version of the Mega Man Zero series has also edited some instances of words such as "die" or "death," replacing them with terms such as "perish," "destroy," or "retire," most likely in order to maintain an E rating.
Mega Man Zero games have earned generally positive reviews from most review sources, with metacritic scores averaging in the high 70s to low 80s for most games in the series. Review sources both criticized and praised the high difficulty level of the game, and remarked that they were similar in nature to earlier installments in the Mega Man Series. Positive reviews noted the variety of abilities and customization while negative reviews focused on the series repetitiveness and lack of originality. Review scores were lower for the last two titles in the series, with critics pointing out that the games were just using the same gameplay without introducing anything new.
A manga series was authored by Hideto Kajima and serialized in CoroCoro Comic
in 2003. However, the series diverges greatly from the video-game series in terms of storyline and tone. Whereas the video-games are always dark and serious, the manga is light-hearted and comical. Zero and Ciel in particular experience greatly altered personalities. Ciel is much more dominating and callous than her video-game persona, while Zero now experiences a sort of split-personality disorder: typically, he is weak, frail, and cowardly (indicated by a lack of a helmet), but when danger arises, his helmet appears and he transforms into the powerful "Rockman Zero." This usually occurs in order to protect Lito, a young boy who accompanies Zero throughout the manga. The series has since been released across three tankōbon
.
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
video game franchise, co-produced by Keiji Inafune
Keiji Inafune
is a video game producer and illustrator. He was the former head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production at Capcom, best known as the illustrator and co-designer of the character Mega Man, as well as the producer of the Onimusha and Dead Rising video game series...
, and directed by Mega Man Legends series director Yoshinori Kawano. Consisting of four games developed for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
by Inti Creates
Inti Creates
is a Japanese video game development company formed by ex-Capcom staff in May 1996, best known for the creation of the Mega Man Zero series and Mega Man ZX series...
, the series began with the release of Mega Man Zero
Mega Man Zero (video game)
Mega Man Zero, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It the first installment in the Mega Man Zero series, the fifth series in Capcom's Mega Man video games franchise...
in 2002
2002 in video gaming
The year 2002 in video gaming saw the release of many games to sixth-generation video game consoles, predominately, the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.-Events:...
. The story follows Zero
Zero (Mega Man)
is a video game character present throughout the Mega Man franchise. First appearing in the 1993 game Mega Man X for the Super Nintendo, Zero has since been the star of the Mega Man Zero series and has played a supporting role in other game series such as the Mega Man ZX series.First developed by...
who is awakened from hibernation by Ciel to face X who has began genocide on the reploids.
Gameplay
Like the Mega Man X series, the Mega Man Zero series is a two-dimensional platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
with run and gun elements that places a heavy emphasis on memorising boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
patterns and selecting the correct weapons to use against enemies. Unlike previous series, the stages of Mega Man Zero
Mega Man Zero (video game)
Mega Man Zero, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It the first installment in the Mega Man Zero series, the fifth series in Capcom's Mega Man video games franchise...
are connected, with the player being assigned missions. However, Mega Man Zero 2
Mega Man Zero 2
Mega Man Zero 2, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console...
and later entries returned to the standard format that allowed the player to select a mission from a stage select screen. Zero is also able to level up his weapons and gain new skills by defeating enemies, though the levelling up of weapons was eventually discontinued from Mega Man Zero 3
Mega Man Zero 3
Mega Man Zero 3, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It is the third video game in the Mega Man Zero series of Mega Man video games....
onwards.
The Zero series also introduced a brand new Cyber Elf System, which allows Zero to equip small helper beings known as "Cyber Elves" to assist him in combat. This system can cause permanent changes such as increasing Zero's life bar or even covering dangerous spikes, or grant temporary enhancements, such as the ability to deflect bullets for a short time Zero can use three different types of Cyber Elves, but your overall game score will be deducted for every Elf used. Later entries in the Zero series had more lenient prerequisites for the usage and consumption of Cyber Elves.
A new addition to the franchise is the presence of elemental
Classical element
Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
weapons; in every game except Zero 4, Zero gains three element chips that can be attached to any of his weapons. Doing so adds elemental effects to his attacks and allows him to use them to attack bosses' weak points for massive damage.
Mega Man Zero
Approximately a century after being sealed away in the Megaman X series, ZeroZero (Mega Man)
is a video game character present throughout the Mega Man franchise. First appearing in the 1993 game Mega Man X for the Super Nintendo, Zero has since been the star of the Mega Man Zero series and has played a supporting role in other game series such as the Mega Man ZX series.First developed by...
is awakened to help the Reploids who are being pursued by the government body, called Neo Arcadia. Unsure of who he is, Zero helps the band of Reploids, who in turn marvel at his skills. Ciel, a human who lives with the Reploids, explains that Neo Arcadia has begun destroying all Reploids due to a shortage on energy. X is revealed to be the leader of Neo Arcadia and Zero confronts X in battle. Finding that the 'X' he defeats is only a mere copy Zero destroys him and a huge explosion follows with Zero managing to escape. He finds himself in a desert as a group of Neo Arcadians surround him, ending the game.
Mega Man Zero 2
Set one year after the events of the first game, Neo Arcadia still actively hunts Zero, and the battle comes to a head out in the desert. Zero survives the assault, but collapses soon afterward, and is rescued by Harpuia. He is brought back to the Resistance Base, where he meets the new leader of the Resistance, Elpizo. Zero assists in various missions against Neo Arcadia, but Elpizo becomes mad with power with the baby elves, copies of the Dark Elf. Elpizo eventually revives the Dark Elf by finding and destroying X's physical body, which acted as a seal. As Elpizo powers up with 2 baby elves and the revived Dark Elf, Zero confronts and defeats him. Elpizo is transformed to a cyber-elf and flies away, while Cyber-elf X appears, explaining the origins of the Dark Elf to Zero.Mega Man Zero 3
Two months have passed since Elpizo's betrayal, Ciel has finished her research on a new energy supply allowing them to end the feud over the shortage of energy. Zero leads the group towards Neo Arcadia to make peace but are interrupted by a massive Reploid called Omega, and the enigmatic Dr. Weil, the one X spoke of who controlled the Dark Elf. Weil has built a new Copy X under his control and instates a new regime in Neo Arcadia. Weil refuses to make peace and continues Neo Arcadia's attack on the resistance. Zero eventually confronts Omega and finds that Omega has Zero's true body with Zero himself using a copy. Zero kills Omega with the help of the remaining 3 guardians and The Dark Elf breaks free from Weil's control and becomes the Mother Elf once again.Mega Man Zero 4
Weil's dictatorial reign over Neo Acadia forces the residents to flee from the haven. A group of humans known as the caravan migrate to Area Zero in hopes of starting a new life. Zero protects the caravan as Weil sends reploids to attack them. Weil reveals his plan to use a space satellite Ragnarok to make all but Neo Arcadia uninhabitable. Zero defeats Weil on Ragnarok but is seemingly killed when he is unable to escape the falling satellite of Ragnarok. Ciel, watching the pieces fall to earth, promises to recreate the Earth as a better place where there will be peace between reploids and humans. The series ends with an image of Zero's shattered helmet on the ground.Mega Man ZX series
Mega Man ZXMega Man ZX
Mega Man ZX, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is the first game in the sixth series of the Mega Man video game franchise. For the first time in the Mega Man series, the game features both a male and a...
, the first game in the Mega Man ZX series, takes place 200 years after the end of Mega Man Zero 4. The sequel, Mega Man ZX Advent
Mega Man ZX Advent
Mega Man ZX Advent, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Inti Creates and published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is the sequel to Mega Man ZX...
, takes place 4 years and 8 months later.
Mega Man Zero Collection
Capcom bundled all four Mega Man Zero games in a single release for the Nintendo DSNintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
titled Mega Man Zero Collection (Rockman Zero Collection in Japan). The game was released in North America on June 8, 2010, two days later in Japan and Australia, and was slated for release in Europe on 11 June 2010, however, release in the European region has been patchy, with the game not being released in some nations.
No changes have been made to the games in comparison with the original versions, other than removing words such as "kill" and "die" the few times they were used, but a few new features were added to the compilation, like an artwork gallery and the ability to remap certain actions to different buttons, as well as an "Easy Scenario" mode that allow the four games to be played as if they were as a single one, with some alterations to make the game easier (e.g. blocks covering spikes, no need to feed Elves, etc.).
Content editing
The English version of the Mega Man Zero series has also edited some instances of words such as "die" or "death," replacing them with terms such as "perish," "destroy," or "retire," most likely in order to maintain an E rating.
Critical response
When the first game in the series came out, reviewers were quick to hail a return to what they considered "the Mega Man roots", however some fans criticized that the lack of knowing which boss the player will face next was a change for the worse, and that it "takes away what made the series unique in the past".Mega Man Zero games have earned generally positive reviews from most review sources, with metacritic scores averaging in the high 70s to low 80s for most games in the series. Review sources both criticized and praised the high difficulty level of the game, and remarked that they were similar in nature to earlier installments in the Mega Man Series. Positive reviews noted the variety of abilities and customization while negative reviews focused on the series repetitiveness and lack of originality. Review scores were lower for the last two titles in the series, with critics pointing out that the games were just using the same gameplay without introducing anything new.
Manga
CoroCoro Comic
is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, starting on May 15, 1977. Its main target is elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga...
in 2003. However, the series diverges greatly from the video-game series in terms of storyline and tone. Whereas the video-games are always dark and serious, the manga is light-hearted and comical. Zero and Ciel in particular experience greatly altered personalities. Ciel is much more dominating and callous than her video-game persona, while Zero now experiences a sort of split-personality disorder: typically, he is weak, frail, and cowardly (indicated by a lack of a helmet), but when danger arises, his helmet appears and he transforms into the powerful "Rockman Zero." This usually occurs in order to protect Lito, a young boy who accompanies Zero throughout the manga. The series has since been released across three tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
.