Megaman ZX DS Review

So here's a rambling review, that I did at work instead of doing....well work. So I just bought the black DS lite yesterday and Megaman ZX to go along with it. Now let me start off by saying that ZX is hard and the save system is bad and it sometimes takes awhile to get to the right mission (the map is horrible). That pretty much sums up the entirety of the negatives of this game. I could not put this game down. Granted I was a huge SNES Megaman X fan and have liked hard games such as PS2 Shinobi, so some of the negatives of the game do not bother me at all. The Gameplay is absolutely perfert! It is oldschool goodness to its best, Twitch addictive gameplay. The ability to change into 5 different megamen is also really cool. You can even turn into your human self (though I wish the Human had more abilities, he can just crouch into small spaces and doesn't scare people when he talks to them). The Graphics are sweet in my opinion and look really good, though I doubt they are really straining the DS hardware. The bosses are tough and everything is slickly animated. In fact, one of the megamen can shoot with either hand and the way you are facing accurately changes which hand animation-wise fires- very nice touch. There are 2 characters- guy and girl and although I am only past the first 7 or so bosses on Easy, I definitely have not found it overly difficult (though I have died) and look forward to replaying the game as the girl and on harder settings. Love this game. If you loved any of the X games you have to absolutely pick this one up. Currently, Metascore has this game at 80. I would says it is more of a 89-91. It sucks that there isn't a decent map on the bottom screen (or even in the menu) but I like not having to look at both screens all that much. Anyway, you can read the other reviews and complaints yourselves. I think most critiques are valid but are not that big of a deal. I'm pro difficulty, the save system is fine, but the map system - walking around finding where the missions are- definitely needs a huge improvement.

BREAKDOWN:
Gameplay: 10/10
Pros: Absolutely couldn't put this game down for the first 5 hours. I'm even itching to play it again now, but I'm at work and the DS is at home so I'll have to wait. The only reason I stopped is because I only have 1 mission left available to select and I don't know where section J is! Excellent control very responsive, classic megaman with 5 different versions!
Cons: Some may find it hard or just not like the Old School and difficult gameplay - NOT for CASUAL GAMERS!!

Graphics: 9/10
Pros: Crisp and excellently animated sprites. Great Anime Sequences! Lush backgrounds with excellent scrolling aspects (foreground and parallax backgrounds). In the vein of great SNES games like Super Metroid, but crisper! with more colors!
Cons: Nothing that is truly next-gen...minimal graphics on 2nd Screen

Sound/Music: 8/10
Pros: All the classic sounds of dashing, shooting, etc. return. Music is good and fits the mood of the game.
Cons: When you complete a mission there is an annoying beeping until you file a mission report. Music/Sound doesn't really stay with you.

Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Pros: 2 Different characters, drastically more difficult difficulty levels, 5 different Megamen with different play mechanics. Huge world - lots of levels to explore. Only $30! SICK gameplay!

Cons: Too difficult- Too hard to explore and find next area or mission. Gameplay is tough for newcomers to Megaman games. Extra playtime attributed to re-traversing areas to find the next area or get back to a save point.

Average: 87.5%
Tilt (+/-): +2.5%

Verdict: 90%