As you could probably see from my review of Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, the Blue Bomber has a great chance for success on Sony's portable game machine. After all, that game rocked in the house in terms of going back to its old-school roots and kicking some robotic ass. But that was merely the beginning, as we were offered a taste of what's next in line, with Mega Man: Powered Up. This game takes a different direction than Maverick did, but should still be a must-have for the system all the same.

As Maverick Hunter X was modeled after the original Mega Man X, Powered Up is modeled after the original Mega Man game for the NES. But you shouldn't give yourself the let-down notion that it will merely be an 8-bit upgrade, because it's not. The game features a sweet, distinct 2-D art style with a super-deformed Mega Man making his way through a series of levels, all of which have been touched up to give the game a current-gen sheen.

There are two ways to play a level in Mega Man: Powered Up. There's the original mode, which features the fanciful full-screen graphic style and a remixed soundtrack with fantastic grooves; and then there's the classic mode, which intentionally shrinks the screen down a bit and plays the old 8-bit Mega Man soundtrack as you blast away at enemies. It's good that Capcom hasn't forgotten their classic roots and is giving something to the old-schoolers who still remember their NES days.

The gameplay feels just like the original Mega Man did. You don't have access to a chargeable cannon but you do have the power of your blaster and new weapons you pick up from defeated bosses. For instance, if you take out Cut Man, you gain access to his Cutter weapon, able to shred enemies more efficiently with a flick of the wrist. There are new weapons for each enemy you defeat, all of which come in handy once you get to the final battle with Dr. Wily. (HIM AGAIN?!)

I didn't get a chance to try out the Level Customizer yet, but it looks pretty solid from what we've seen of it. You basically get to craft your own dream level, complete with enemy and object placement, and then transport them off to friends wirelessly to see if they'll eat your challenge alive. This should add nicely to the game's longevity, and give you programming types a chance to show your wares without having to invest in a supercomputer. It's not like Capcom will call you tomorrow, but at least you can have local infamy, right?

Mega Man: Powered Up will arrive for the Sony PSP next month, and we'll be back with a full review faster than you can say "Fighting robot!". Well, OK, faster than you can say "Fighting robot!" a thousand times. These things take time to write, you know.