Rockman Dash 2

By Spencer . October 6, 2005 . 6:01pm

aka Mega Man Legends 2 outside of Japan.

 

Purchase at Play-Asia

 

With so few games in the PSP library the technically impressive system has been reduced to a ground for PSPorts. Classics from the PS1 era are popping up left and right. Capcom was quick to jump on this bandwagon and re-release Breath of Fire III and Rockman Dash. Since sales of these two titles were high enough it was natural for Rockman Dash 2 to be ported too. Can this five year old game still entertain? Yeah of course, but compared to actual PSP games it doesn’t really hold up.

 

If you haven’t played Rockman Dash 2 before, be forewarned it is not a side scrolling, spike dodging, weapon stealing Mega Man game. It is actually an action RPG where you’re in the shoes of Rock. He’s a digger, kind of like an archeologist, who collects old relics. His faithful friend and pilot, Roll can use these parts to create all new weapons and tools for Rock. Always following Rock is the spunky Tron Bonne who has a crush on the little blue guy. The first game ended with a bunch of questions around these characters like who is Roll’s mother? And sillier ones like will Tron ever get Rock? Rockman Dash 2 closes the story by answering all these “pressing” questions.

 

The game plays sort of like Ocarina of Time, if Link had a cannon strapped to his arm. You’ll run around plains, snowfields, or whatever else Capcom designed blasting away at polygonal nightmares like the one eyed green monster bots up that pop up randomly. Most enemies drop zenny, a type of currency, when they explode. Collecting zenny is essential to Rock’s development because zenny is required for purchasing parts for each upgrade. Rockman Dash 2 doesn’t expect you to trek around the map for hours to get to each dungeon. Instead you’ll use the Flutter to travel around the world. Once you land the Flutter Rock is smack in a town or dropped down for immediate action. This speeds Mega Man Legends 2 up to more of an action pace.

 

Completing dungeons not only progresses the story, but it nets Rock the parts to make a shiny new secondary weapon. You start out only with the aqua blaster, it’s useful for putting out fires, but worthless for everything else. Soon after Rock will be endowed with a homing missile and later on an energy sword. Secondary weapons are necessary to defeat most bosses. Bosses don’t have specific weaknesses like in the platform Mega Man titles, but sub weapons normally do more damage. When you’re up against Tron Bonne’s giant robo armor it might be a good idea to try using missiles instead of basic energy blasts. Boss fights are one of the best things in Rockman Dash 2. Rock appears to be an underdog against a lightning fast wolf-bot or against a robotic goddess. This makes each successful defeat a true victory. Kudos to that.

 

Although, the transition from PS1 to PSP did suffer due to a lack of buttons on the system. You still move Rock around with the D-pad and fire with square. Since there is no L2 you need to hold down both L1 and R1 to lock on. Imagine trying to dodge left and right while keeping a lock on. It’s more of a clunky control system, which can’t be helped. Another change from PS1 to PSP is the game is shifted into widescreen mode. However, Capcom merely stretched the game out so it looks a little warped. It isn’t horrible, but it is obvious that the game is stretched out. While you’re playing on the go you’ll be shocked to find out that there is no quick save feature. Sure you can throw your PSP to sleep mode, but with the short battery life a quick save option would be a lifesaver. You don’t want to have to journey deep in a dungeon just to find out that your lunch break is over and can’t save the game. If you want to jump straight in the action there are a few missions you can play from the Misadventures of Tron Bonne to check out. It’s a nice addition, but these were already packaged in the Japanese game.

 

Rockman Dash 2 is the same game it was five years ago, a light hearted action RPG with plenty of things to shoot. As of today with tons of new games Dash doesn’t seem as great as it once did, but with the lack of PSP titles out there it is worth picking up if you have fond memories of the game.

 

Import Friendly? Literacy Level: 4

Of course the voiceovers and text are entirely in Japanese. But non Japanese literate gamers can press through the game with some katakana knowledge or a really good FAQ.

 

US Bound?
While Capcom PSPorts are prevalent in Japan, none have been announced for the US.

 

+ Pros: Voiceovers and movies make Rockman Dash 2 a step up from other handheld RPGs.

 

- Cons: A port of a dated game with absolutely nothing new.

 

Overall: If you played the original there’s really no need to plunk down your money to buy the same game again. But if you haven’t played Rockman Dash 2 before and you’re dying for a new piece of software for your PSP Rockman Dash 2 is worth a look.

 

< Screenshots >

 

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