Just as a bit of introduction, I've posted these 'reviews' at Legends Station, generally sparking interesting discussions about the games. Depending on how things go, I may start posting ones based on different series' as well. That said:
Welcome to the 1st topic in the "Rate and Discuss" series. This topic is about a weapon that really puts on the hurt, the Shining Laser!
In its first appearance, The Shining Laser is made from three parts, the X Buster (wow), Weapon Plans & Prism Crystal. It also carries a rather pungent price tag, with upgrade costs set to a total of 835,000z. This makes it the second most expensive weapon in the game, only exceeded in cost by the Active Buster. You do get this weapon pretty late, though, so depending on your tastes, you may not end up using or upgrading this thing at all.
The Shining Laser fires a white laser ahead of Megaman. The laser quickly drains the HP of any foe who is unlucky enough to be in its path. It has quite the reputation for being able to pretty much school Juno (as well as any other boss), so it really helps when you're having trouble. It also goes directly through any enemy, so it's entirely capable of taking out multiple enemies who are lined up. It doesn't penetrate enemies with invincible frames, however, so Gorubeshu is still a pain to take out here.
This weapon actually has impressive range when full upgraded. I was actually surprised to see it take things out from distances that would normally be unreachable to most weapons (besides the Powered/Active Buster). It's energy also has the benefit of being able to upgraded to infinite, which really adds to its versatility. The weapon isn't anything spectacular in the visual department. This very well may be the most boring weapon in the game, despite the fact that it's power is almost unrivaled.
Come Legends 2, the Shining Laser got a makeover. In addition to the physical difference, the laser itself got itself a visual upgrade. The weapon makes a spiffy effect when fired initially, and the laser is now a greenish-white tint.
The weapon is now crafted from the Laser Manual and the Green Eye. The Shining Laser in this game is known as the single most expensive thing in the series, with upgrade costs that add up to a rather ridiculous sum of 18,249,999z. In my personal opinion, I really don't recommend upgrading this thing, as you'll probably kill yourself trying. However, if you have the PSP version where all of the prices are cut, then knock yourself out.
This weapon is just as powerful as (if not more than) the original weapon from the first game. It actually does pierce shields this time around, and it's also useful for battling Sera (the Crusher's more fun IMO). It does drain quite a bit of energy, but if you have the time/patience to actually pay the total energy cost of 11,099,999z (it's 9,999,999z for the last section alone 0_0), then that part is actually negated. The recharge time is pretty fast, though, so that helps. It's range is pretty nice, too, so you can catch enemies from a nice distance with relative ease.
Really, the Shining Laser is just plain nice. While I personally rarely use it due to the lack of challenge, I still have to respect it's statistics. The MML1 version gets a 9.5/10 (losing a half point due to the visual effect), while the MML2 version gets a perfect 10!
Post your opinions/ratings/thoughts here!
P.S. If you want me to rate a specific weapon next, let me know!