Brandon F said:
Is there one game that clearly stands as superior to the rest? I played through most of the first Zero, but the ultra punishing continues and my stubborn resistance to touch any of those bloody cyber-elves put me off the blonde bomber completely these past years.
I know relatively nothing about Zero 2-4, and am curious about the evolution, but most importantly which is the Megaman 2 of Megaman Zero?
Hmm I don't know which one really, but I'll explain all the fixes and improvements to each game since 1.
Zero 2: EX skills introduced (Recieve them by beating a boss with A/S ranking, they're basically the same enemy skill/saber techniques Zero had in the X series)
Subtanks outside of the elfs available
Triple Rod upgraded to Chain Rod for some more platforming fun!
Forms introduced (Basically lets you improve as certain aspect of yourself when youre using that style. Like X form means the handgun will be more powerful, or Rise form changes Zeros final slash into a rising slash. You gain forms by meeting the conditions for the form, IE use the handgun for however so many during the mission. And only one form per mission)
The mission structure is also more like the usual Megaman titles now with boss portraits.
Zero 3: Forms gone, EX skills still around with same objectives to gain them.
Weapon leveling is gone! All weapons are at full usability.
Secret Disk system introduced. These disks contain elves, chips, enemy bios, and plot data.
Cyberspace introduced. Basically, there are doors scattered all around that lead into a cyberspace version of the stage that is essentially easier and all your elves are activated at no loss besides your rank. No secret disks will drop while you're in cyberspace though. Think of this as the first easy bit for folks that have difficulty with completing the game.
Chain Whip is now the Recoil Rod, lets you do some high jumps when fully charged and also push enemies.
Armor Chip System introduced *basically replacing form system
Elf system finally usable!! In Zero 3, you can upgrade your elves into satelites that'll never disappear or hurt your rank.
Zero 4: EX skills can now only be recieved if you clear a stage with bad weather conditions.
Weather changing system introduced! Sort of similar to the nightmare system in X6, you can change the weather conditions to a stage to make things easier or harder for you.
Easy mode introduced, cyberspace gone.
The triple rod, its variants, and the shield boomerang are totally gone now. The Zero Knuckle replaces them. This odd weapon lets you steal weapons from enemies or solve environmental puzzles. It also introduces the hanging mechanic from X5-X6 to the Zero series.
Elf system totally revamped. No more collecting! You get one elf at the beginning that can copy the abilities of other elves as you level it. It won't affect ranking either as long as you're within the max level capacity for its current abilities.
Parts system introduced. Modified from the chip system. Basically, you find spare enemy parts and use them in a item recipe to make armor/abilities parts.
Last thoughts? Zero 4 is supposedly the most polished of the 4 so far, but also the hardest. To quote a magazine: "Zero 1-3 were hard as granite, they're going for diamond with 4". Also for added fluff, they redid the voice samples in Zero 4 as they're much more clear now. Infact, in the japanese version of Zero 4, they had a voiced narrative as the intro and even a end theme song for the credits. Which were all slashed from versions outside of japan.
