Chumps Preview is a special kind of post where we unofficially preview games in Early Access, Beta, or are otherwise “unfinished.” This kind of preview is meant to be a first impression rather than a definitive review where we provide a rating to determine a game’s value. As such, we fully expect a game covered in a Chumps Preview to have room for improvement, some bugginess/incompleteness, and other features associated with similar games in the category.
A cybernetic locomotive has gone off the rails when Geo Stelar, an 11-year-old fifth-grader, was out looking at the stars. The locomotive has not only trapped Geo, but threatens his neighborhood. A blue galactic being has told Geo that in order to save his town from imminent destruction, he is to perform an “Electromagnetic Wave Change” and enter an orange portal (a “Wave-Hole”) to destroy the virus that has caused the locomotive to go haywire.
This little segment is part of Mega Man Star Force: Pegasus’ introductory tutorial. Pegasus is one of the seven titles included in the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection which is set to release later this month. This is also the newest entry in Capcom’s Mega Man Legacy Collection series that has seen remastered titles from Mega Man’s three-decade-long history brought up to modern gaming standards for today’s players. I’ve spent a few hours previewing Pegasus in this collection, but I’m eager to play for a smidge more time along with trying out some of the other titles prior to this game’s release.
Star Force was originally released on the Nintendo DS in Japan in late 2006 (2007 worldwide). It takes place 200 years after the events of the Battle Network series, incorporating several familiar elements (like the real-time action battles and Battle Cards) despite utilizing a third-person combat perspective. Rather than the 2D plane and 3×3 grid used in Battle Network, Star Force positions the player behind Mega Man and restricts him to using left and right. I hadn’t played Star Force prior to this period, so it felt relatively jarring to lose some freedom-of-movement. The shift in perspective didn’t take too long to get used to, though.
Now you’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute, this was a DS release. How exactly does a dual-screen title work on a single-screen Nintendo Switch 2?” Great question, curious mind. The default setting has the main screen positioned front and center on my screen while the second screen is shrunk down and positioned in the corner. When I press the ZL button, the secondary screen increases and becomes the focus while the main screen shrinks. This screen-switching function can be done at any time, keeping gameplay fluid. Thankfully, what I’ve played so far doesn’t require too much swapping between the screens. Let’s see how things shape up when I am able to play further in the story (when things assuredly heat up) and in the other titles.
Star Force Legacy Collection follows suit with previous Mega Man Legacy Collection titles by adding remastered audio and some graphical updates. From my initial impressions, the “High Resolution Filter” (enabled by default) smoothens out the graphics to an almost unreal extent. The “High Resolution” pixel art of the overworld smooshes out some of the finer details that can be discerned with the original art. Battle cards look far better with the upgraded filter, though. Luckily, it’s possible to select which portions of the game get the HD treatment, so it’s not like it’s all or nothing.
I’m eager to dive back into Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, as a few hours definitely aren’t enough time to get a handle on Capcom’s newest collection. No score from us, yet – check back in later when the game releases on March 27!
