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Mega Man Zero Collection is a video game compilation that has all four Mega Man Zero games released for the Game Boy Advance between 2002 and 2005.

Games[]

Critical Reception[]

Mega Man Zero Collection received generally favorable reviews, mainly on the strength of the four original releases that make up this compilation. Opinions were divided, however, over the added and removed content overseen by the developer.

Every critic mentioned the intense difficulty level found in the Mega Man Zero games, which almost always led into their thoughts on the new easy mode. Tim Turi of Game Informer wrote that "while insane difficulty should satisfy the most sadomasochistic gamers, the implementation of a brand new easy mode offers respite to those who want an unhindered cake walk through the game." He adds that "this mode robs much of the games reward factor, but it makes playing all four games back to back a much smoother process."

Lucas M. Thomas of IGN was critical of the easy mode, noting that "you're given all of his upgrades, enhancements and extra abilities from the very beginning -- and while that does work to make the early-going easier, it also cheapens the experience. The satisfaction of earning rewards on your own is lost, and it ultimately feels like you just used some kind of cheat code.” Meanwhile, in this corner, Zachary Miller of the Nintendo World Report felt that the easy mode was "much-appreciated" and liked that you could have "...all of Zero’s upgrades from the get-go. This makes each game not only much easier, but enjoyable, to boot!"

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 77.22% (based on 9 reviews)
Metacritic 78 (based on 13 critic reviews)
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP B
Game Informer 8/10
GamePro 3/5
IGN 8/10
Nintendo Power 9/10
Nintendo World Report 8/10

The most positive review came from Destructoid, where Jonathan Holmes praised the individual games, the series as a whole and the additions included in this compilation. "First, you get some additional art", wrote Holmes, "some of which shows up on the bottom screen while you're playing, some of which is unlocked as you play, and all of which is viewable in gallery mode. The art is all at DS resolution, and it looks pretty nice." He also appreciated the ability to change assigned moves from the L and R buttons to the X and Y buttons writing that "playing with the 'S's four face buttons is almost as big of an upgrade as going from a regular analog pad to a fight stick for a fighting game." The implementation of the e-Reader card bonuses for Mega Man Zero 3 was also praised by Holmes. When Mega Man Zero 3 was released in Japan, e-Reader cards were sold to players that allowed them modify their game. In Mega Man Zero Collection the cards "...are now unlockable in the game itself, with their in-game activation handled via the DS's touch screen." According to Holmes that "makes this the definitive version of Mega Man Zero 3."

The most critical review came from Gamepro. Despite technically giving Mega Man Zero Collection a good score, John Constantine found disappointing aspects in both the series and the actual compilation. He disliked the Cyber Elves and their apparent Pokémon-esque appearance in the series. He wrote that "Cyber Elves drag down the action thanks to their random appearance (Zero 1) and the hub-level, talk-to-everyone adventuring and exploration (Zero 2-4) required to catch 'em all." As for the compilation he wrote that "the DS cart features a few throwaway extras, like a wallpaper gallery and a strange assortment of cheats that only affect Zero 3." The "strange assortment of cheats" he wrote about is most likely referring to the e-Reader bonuses mentioned by Holmes in the Destructoid review and mentioned by others elsewhere on the internet.

IGN's Thomas had further gripes about the compilation, not only what was done to the games. but also what wasn't done. "The games all play with a black border around the screen", wrote "Thomas, running at the original GBA resolution when they could have been expanded to fill the DS screen. And the button assignment, while versatile, is confusing to handle." He did, however, like the music which he felt was "richer and fuller" and the "excellent concept artwork" that's featured on the bottom screen of the Nintendo DS.

In the end, basically every reviewer felt that Mega Man Zero Collection was a great value considering the total combined value of the games now. Jeremy Parish of 1UP wrote that "...MMZC gives gamers four good (and increasingly rare) action games in a straightforward package. The presentation won't blow anyone away, but the convenience of having the entire series on a single cartridge...counts for a lot."

Mega Man Zero Collection currently has a score of 78 on Metacritic and a score of 77.22% on Game Rankings.

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