The Misadventures of Tron Bonne

The Misadventures of Tron Bonne
Platform:	Playstation
# of Players:	1
Developer:	Capcom
Publisher:	Capcom
Features:	Analog Control, Vibration Function
Ratings:	Everyone
Memory Req.:	1 Block
Info:	www.capcom.com

Mega Man Legends was one of those games that took gamers by surprise when it came out. Rather than being a basic 3-D incarnation of a classic 2-D franchise, MML was more of an action-RPG set in a rich and colorful world filled with some truly unique and endearing characters. One of these said characters proved herself popular enough to warrant the MML team to create a game based around her. The character is Tron Bonne and her misadventures are some of the most original, entertaining, and refreshing that I have come across in recent years.

While most games these days seem to focus on overtly dramatic (and subsequently corny) storylines, TB goes the way of the classics with an upbeat and heartwarming tale of the mischievous Bonne family that terrorized Mega Man during the events that transpired during MML. The story takes off after Tron puts the finishing touches on her latest robotic creation. The leader of the Bonne family/gang, impressed with her handiwork, decides to take the mech (which is an “awww, that’s so cute:” pink) for a test spin. Tragedy strikes when he runs into a debt collector and a battle ensues which ends in the boss’ kidnapping. From there on in, we take control of Tron as she desperately works to accrue the 1,000,000,000 “zenny” needed to free her leader by stealing and pillaging.

The gameplay revolves around piloting your various mecha through various levels of peril. You can use the standard “Buster,” pick up large objects (cars, rocks, telephone poles) and throw them, send your Servbots (aww, they’re so goldarn sweet), and create other various forms of mischief with large robots.

While the game runs on the original MML engine, the graphics have been remarkably updated. Ugly polygonal warping and break up are virtually non-existent. Considering the vast scale of some of the environments, that’s pretty impressive. The character models have also been worked on extensively. Tron’s ---- looks almost as good as Slave Zero. The enemies are large and well detailed though geometrically simplistic, but the sheer number of them is staggering in and of itself. Explosions are big and have that nice “SEGA Saturn” feel to them, but it’s passable.

The most prevalent form of sound in the game is the voice. While all the actors seem to have been stolen from their Dragon Ball Z dubbing sessions, they don’t annoy too much. Which is surprising to me because I remember my blood pressure went up every time Mega Man spoke in ‘Legends.’ Aaargh. Maybe it’s because everything sounds so goddamn cute. I feel drawn to it…..

The gameplay definitely gets a major thumbs up in the originality department. Like MML, it mixes elements from RPG’s, action-adventures, and puzzle games. Only this time, you’re in a big robot so it’s that much cooler.

Tron Bonne is another one of those “fun” games that I seem to find myself reviewing a lot nowadays. I cannot recommend this game enough if you’re one of those people that likes “fun” things. Not only is it one of the most entertaining games that I’ve had the pleasure of playing, but it’s also one of the most intuitive and creative.

Robert Cirkeljirque