Quick question: what have Pete Waterman and MegaMan got in common? Got it? Okay, if you answered 'dress sense' you're officially an idiot. But if you said 'Easy. They're both churning out the same thing they've always done without realising that times have changed' then you'd be right. Now go and write your own mag, genius.

Let's face it: these days, MegaMan is struggling with modernity like a pensioner on a micro-scooter. For instance, this is the first time the series has poked an uneasy toe into 'proper' three dimensional play, but it still sticks in 2D for big chunks of the game, with some shoddy fixed camera-moments causing havoc. Similarly, play's dogged by instant deaths and leaps of faith that are almost unbelievable after games such as Prince Of Persia, with loading pauses and a lack of restarts that'll aggravate all but retro stalwarts. The awful dialogue's not charming any more, the unskippable cut-scenes are sloppy and the driving sections, well, we've never wanted to play Jak II quite so much.

The single decent innovation is the team dynamic: you take two people on each mission - typically one with a double-jump and close-range weapon, and another with a hover button and shooter. It's a nice tactical touch that makes rescuing hostages and defeating enemies slightly more interesting - but if that's all MegaMan has to offer, he'd be better off retiring gracefully. Still, at least he looks better than Waterman in a spacesuit.

Graphics 50%
Cute in 2D, but prone to wonky camera in 3D

Sound 40%
Irritating voices, forgettable music

Gameplay 60%
Solid but dated platforming dynamics

Lifespan 80%
Well-hard with a load of bolt-on extras

Overall 40%
Fine for an afternoon's jumpy fun. But compared to the scope and scale of the PS2's best platformers, it looks practically medieval.