Mega Man 11

This is a post about commitment, stubbornness and spite. It’s a post about Mega Man 11, but I’ll get to that.

Let me preface this post by saying that unlike my husband (or my colleagues) I’m not a gamer. I’ve never been a gamer. My husband is (hi Martin) and has been since he was 5, but I’m not. I’m a movie fanatic. I know movies, I love watching movies and love to write about movies. And I must add that I adore doing that here at IndieGala.

However, today I gave myself a new challenge. If I’m going to work here at IndieGala, I must also join in on the action. And I must attempt to finish at least one stage of this game that I choose, from the Capcom catalog. I thought to myself. If I’m going to write about it, I might as well familiarize myself with it.

And yes. I’m very well aware of the fact that I mostly write about movies, but I figured… It’s always good to expand my horizons right? Like I said… I love a good challenge and the Blue Bomber seemed like a decent start.

Likewise, I see Martin play on his PlayStation console almost every day. So what can go wrong? Well, apparently a lot of things went wrong with my game-play of Mega Man 11.

Mega Man 11

Mega Man 11 and a rookie gamer

I had to prove myself that I can. I just had to play Mega Man 11. So, I nagged my husband into buying it. Now that I have it, to say that my gameplay sucked is a huge understatement.

First of all, I quit after 5 minutes of struggling through the Block Man boss. Not to mention that I struggled with the basic controls of the game. Even though they were pretty fluid, I couldn’t pass the first 5-6 minutes of the stage.

So, most of the time, I was frustrated and on the verge of tears. At one point I even threw my arms in the air and said I GIVE UP. I was like Conan O’ Brien during the Clueless Gamer skit. Except I was the clueless and very frustrated gamer.

However, I have to thank my husband who convinced me to keep going. Not to whine like a child and quit.

And after I cursed that adorable Blue Bomber, I composed myself and just kept going. As a result of my stubbornness, it took nearly 2 hours to finish the one stage. Just one. But, eventually, I got the hang of it. The movements became much more clear and fluid and so were the different power-ups (I’m told that’s the proper lingo).

A also learned to control my temper through the constant attacks. Not to mention that I developed a Buddhist monk level of patience, but I did it.

For example, the amount of time it normally takes to finish the entire game, it probably took me to finish just one stage. Personally, now I realize why Martin gets furious when he loses at some point or his character gets killed in games.

Feels like you want to punch the wall. Am I right?

Mega Man 11

Mega Man 11 and the rookie mistakes

Moreover, it was very naïve… (well of me) to think that I can instantly become good at playing Mega Man 11. Crazy right?

Yup. I saw a short YouTube gameplay tutorial prior to my attempt and I thought to myself. Oh… I got this. It’s cool.

It has a great set up to the story, it’s an interesting premise and it has a great character. And I honestly thought it’s going to be a piece of cake. Besides, I quite enjoyed the intro banter between good and evil, between Dr. Light and Dr. Wily.

Well, the game really tested my patience, my reflexes and my brain cells, for sure.

It was hard with a capital H. Cut to 2 hours later, when I finally finished the Block Man stage, I felt a strange mix of emotions. There was a sense of accomplishment because I finally finished the task and likewise there was a sense of shame. How could i possibly think that i can do this? Seems like I’m a little (OK a lot) full of myself. But the thing that I learned from this experience is… that despite it all, I really enjoyed it.

I can finally see the appeal. They’re not just a form of escapism. Certainly, for me, Mega Man 11 was a great test of my tenacity, stubbornness, and spite. And frankly, I also enjoyed it because it was an excuse to be part of my husband’s interest.

Video Games such as Metal Gear Solid (and yes sometimes even Mega Man 11) are a huge part of his life. And and I’m glad that I got a chance to take part in some of them.

Mega Man 11

Astro Boy is next for me

Finally, with all the trials and tribulations that I endured playing the Mega Man 11, I thought it would be best to end the day on a more familiar note. Certainly with a fun movie. So, with that in mind, I thought it would be best to take another viewing of the 2009 movie Astro Boy.

Personally, I haven’t seen it since forever, and in honor of Mega Man 11, I thought that it’s the closest thing I could find to the video game. Besides both the movie and the video game have a flying, jumping and shooting robot boy in the middle of the story.

I know that Astro Boy is not the best movie out there, but it seemed fitting for the occasion, I must admit. So, it will have to do for now.

Your thoughts

What’s the best advice to give to a rookie like myself? And did you enjoy playing Mega Man 11 as much as I did? With a lot less blood sweat and tears in contrast to my experience? Tell us all about it in the comment section. We’d love to hear about it.

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