The technical limitations of the Game Boy Advance sometimes come as more of a blessing in this current age of 3D obsession. The fact that the machine is more akin to the SNES and Megadrive means that it is the ideal host to the multitude of side-scrolling platformers and shoot-em-ups that would otherwise have no other reason for development. Whilst the downside to this means that there's an abundance of similar titles on the market (and a great many of them are admittedly second-rate) the upside is that 16-bit classics like this get to be remade in their original form.
Subsequently, Capcom's latest MegaMan title, MegaMan and Bass, is a conversion of the 2D action game, originally released for the SNES back in 1998. As is often the case, the world needs saving and it's up to our super-powered hero to step up to the challenge, this time accompanied by a second playable character, his sidekick Bass.
To be more specific, a new enemy has issued a declaration of war and is planning to take over the world. Who is this new threat? Robot King. King has stolen ultra top-secret robot creation data to build an army of evil robots and is under the impression that any robot who can prove himself to be superior to humans should rule the Earth. The government is taking this threat with extreme seriousness and has called upon the daring duo to investigate.
And so begins the classic 2D side-scrolling action with players running, jumping and shooting their way through numerous levels, whilst avoiding the game's myriad obstacles and threats. Throughout the game, players can collect various power-ups that come in the form of screws. Power-up items can be traded for more powerful weapons with which to defeat difficult bosses and, in turn, each boss defeated will yield a new weapon derived from one of their unique attributes.
This game is in no way original or unique, which means it's nothing but pure and simple retro gaming action. Some gaming icons should never change - MegaMan is one of them.