A.R.E.S. is one of those games you can only recommend to a certain few. There isn't anything particularly special about A.R.E.S. and although it attempts to be a solid platformer, it falls short through a frustrating "crafting/shop" system. The majority of items in the game require nearly all three of the specific currencies to construct and unfortunately, one of those currencies is in very short supply throughout the game. After three full playthroughs, the needed currency is always scarce. So farm if you must, though like any hardcore platformer fan, you'll persevere without the upgrades -- even if it kills you.

The game itself is rather short and each successive playthrough becomes shorter because you can keep your unlocked items. My final run through of the game was a little over 40 mins. The cutscenes are decently created in a typical "fanime" style. The story tries to be more than it is and is mostly ignored except in between chapters. There are only 5 chapters with none of the stage environments or enemies revealing anything about the world A.R.E.S. is set in.

I had hoped A.R.E.S. would've been more than what I played and because there is really nothing memorable about the game, I can only recommend this to those that play for the learning experience of game development.

As far as Mega Man clones go, this one can be quite enjoyable. Before you buy it though, be aware that the Xbox 360 version, A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda EX, has a ton of worthy extra content not found on this version such as a new playable character, expanded story and improved graphics.

If you happen to own a Xbox 360, get that version. Otherwise, grab the PC version here on Steam instead. While it may lack all of the 360 version's extra content, it's still worth to play.

A great side-scroller with upgradable weapons. Great for those who like side-scrolling and action games.

It was not the game of the year, but it is pretty entertaining. Music is good, difficulty is very well balanced, and it has some very cool features. Is was a bit short though, but highly replayable.

A crappy low-budget Megaman clone. The level design is very classic. The game requires tedious grinding to upgrade stuff (i.e., health, ammo, and weapons). The graphics are uninspired and unpolished.

Don't waste your time with A.R.E.S., get the latest Megaman on console or get an emulator to play the original... Or even better, wait for Mighty No. 9 to be released soon!