Mega Man 1-6 (NES, 1987-1993)
Classic Capcom run 'n gun platformers that make you want to pull your hair out.
Nostaliga Factor: Medium. I played a lot of Mega Man X as a kid.
Difficulty: So so hard. Especially the first Mega Man. Get ready to rage.
Wait, all of them? You’re reviewing six games at once?
Yes, dear reader. This is the height of my laziness, a review of six games at once. I recently cheesed my way through Mega Man 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Even brute forcing my way via save state abuse still had me ready to chuck my controller at the screen. These games are so hard, especially Mega Man 1.
Having played a lot of Mega Man X in my childhood, I was thrilled to go back to the beginning and play these Capcom classics that first introduced the Blue Bomber. There’s not too much that needs to be said about this collection of games. Capcom, even from the beginning, have proven their adeptness at creating super smooth and satisfying platforming experiences. Mega Man games just feel great to play. Capcom have mastered this simple chemistry of run, jump, and gun in tandem with their great level design. All of the extra weapons and additional features are just icing on the cake.
These six games are very similar, yet Capcom has introduced new features with each release. Mega Man 2 introduced the energy tank and the password system. Mega Man 3 introduced the beloved slide move and Rush, the robo-puppy companion. Mega Man 4 introduced the Mega Buster with the ability to charge up powerful shots. Each game features a whole new array of different levels and challenging bosses.
By far, I had the hardest time with Mega Man 1. Is not the Yellow Devil one of the hardest bosses in gaming history? Even with save state cheese, it felt like it took me forever to finally take this guy out. Gee. Whiz. The disappearing blocks in Ice Man’s stage also had me grunting like an orc, nearly crushing my controller in my hands.
Side note: the laughably bad box art for the NA release of Mega Man 1 has an interesting story. Apparently, Capcom USA (after changing the name from Rockman to Mega Man, simply because they didn’t like “Rockman”) had only 24 hours to create and submit box art to Nintendo. Keiji Inafune, a Capcom character designer, asked a friend of his, an art student, to complete this impossible task. The result is a middle-aged man that looks nothing like the in-game character donning a weirdly wrinkled yellow suit while waving a PISTOL. If only they had just edited and reused the Japanese cover art, which still looks great today.
Mega Man 2 and 5 were more accessible for mere gaming mortals like myself. Aside from the ridiculous insta-kill lasers in the Quick Man stage, Mega Man 2 turned the difficulty knob down quite a bit. That may be why MM2 is a fan favorite. The overpowered Metal Blade weapon gives players an easy out for some of the trickier bosses. Plus, the MM2 composer, Takashi Tateishi, gave us some killer tracks like “Main Title” and “Wily Fortress 1”.
If you’re looking for a real challenge, or if you just want to experience some classic Capcom platforming, pick up a copy of the Mega Man Legacy Collection.