Hi all,
In advance, sorry this is so long, but I hope it's a good read for Mega Man vets or those who, like me, are still new to the series.
Also, I know that series ranking and *especially* favorite music are hotly debated topics, so please understand that I do love most of the music in this series, and my selections were the first that came to mind. I'm sure there are better or more popular ones.
So with that out of the way...
I've previously written about games that I never quite understood until later in life. Dragon Quest was one of them. That series went from one that just existed in my periphery to one that is now at the top of my all-time favorites list. It's crazy how much I love that series of games now.
Mega Man has been another one that I've only dabbled with over the years, but never really *played*. The first ones I ever tried were Mega Man X on the SNES and Mega Man 8 on the Saturn. I appreciated both for their polish, animation, and sound, but the gameplay just didn't do much for me for whatever reason. I remember getting crushed early on in the Saturn game, and I think I got distracted by Square RPGs on the SNES. Plus all the years of reading about how hard/unforgiving these were. I figured I'd just never play them. There was something there, though... I kept my PS2 disc, bought some on Wii VC, and have MM9 and MM10. Must have been a sign.
Anyway, fast-forward to today. Brashnir's excellent 2012 Backlog Blitz thread has really encouraged me to stop constantly buying new games and instead focus on stuff I've had shelved for years... sometimes decades. I've had some great travels back to 16-bit, 32-bit, and PS2-era titles, but it wasn't until I fired up the first Mega Man last month that I dipped my toes back into the 8-bit pool.
Well, it took some time to get acclimated after repeated ass-kickings, restarts, and "WTF-this-is-so-unfair!" controller-throwing moments, but by the time I was a few games in, it was like the clouds parted and I could hear a choir from the sky... or was that Proto Man's jingle?
-----
Mega Man 1 -- I decided to start this after beating what I thought was one of the most challenging platformers I'd played in a while: Donkey Kong Country 2. I felt pretty good after 102%'ing it, so I figured I'd ride on the coattails of whatever skills I'd regained and tackle this.
I was humbled rather quickly.
It was really rough at first, and that Yellow Devil tested my sanity, but I finally conquered. There were times where I thought it was a bit *too* brutal, but I made it to the end, so it's not impossible. It did give me flashbacks to some of the toughest areas in past NES games, and this installment exhibits a lot of old 8-bit annoyances and restrictions in design, but I thought the overall package was good, especially as the first game in the series. Score: B
Favorite music: Bomb Man, Cut Man, and Elec Man.
-----
Mega Man 2 -- I know it's cliche and utterly predictable to say, but seriously, this game is amazing, and is deserving of the praise it receives. Presentation, music, level design, etc. are all so much better than the first game that no wonder it blew people away (and continues to do so). I remember this being a game my friend had that made me so jealous, even when I had my "better" Sega Genesis, and yet, I didn't play it until now.
What's interesting is how they toned down the difficulty for the US release by including a "Normal" setting. That's how I played it, and while it was significantly easier than the first game, it was still quite a challenge for this still blossoming MM player. I have yet to try it on Difficult (the original Japanese setting), but I plan on doing so before too much longer.
But yeah, the music... holy crap, it's good! It's no wonder that MM2 (and MM3) tracks regularly show up very high on "Best NES Song" lists. Score: A
Favorite Music: Metal Man, Wood Man, Intro/Title, and of course, Dr. Wily Stage 1, one of the greatest pieces of 8-bit music ever.
-----
Mega Man 3 -- I was pleasantly surprised by this one! There are some really nice improvements in this game and it was definitely a throwback to the difficulty of MM1. It probably wouldn't have been so pronounced had I played MM2 on Difficult, but whatever. I had to walk away from some stages & bosses to regroup myself, but eventually I learned their patterns.
Although folks will say luck has no place in MM games, I *did* get lucky a couple times with unplanned jumps that worked out in my favor, or getting a shot in just a millisecond before the boss' shot would've taken me out. Those moments - like defeating a boss with only 1 tick on your life bar - make victory feel so much sweeter.
Music was excellent, and I liked the different style compared to MM2. This game introduced 2 cool things: the "slide" move (pushing down and jump) and your dog, Rush! While MM2 had something kind of like this with the generic Item 1, 2, and 3, Rush is a much better implementation of that idea, giving you a companion through your adventure. So, both this and MM2 were fantastic, but I have to give a slight nod to MM2 just because of what an impression it made on me. Score: A-
Favorite Music: Title (so good!), Top Man, Magnet Man, Get a Weapon, and Dr. Wily Stage 2.
-----
Mega Man 4 -- Having been released late in 1991 (well into the 16-bit era), it's cool to see touches of those games in 8-bit titles like this: Presentation took an even bigger step up from MM2, the music is good (although starting to feel derivative), and the animation and little details are superb.
It also introduces one of the series staples, the New Mega Buster, which allows you to charge-up your standard lemon shooter. I think this is used in pretty much every MM games going forward. I would agree with some of the critiques I've read that it diminished the importance (and effectiveness) of the weapons you obtain from the 8 Robot Masters. The cannon is also more convenient and powerful than some of the other weapons, too, so you tend to just default to it and use it instead.
It's interesting to look back and discover that things like this and the slide, which are considered core parts of the overall MM design, didn't exist in the earlier games.
Maybe it was the boss order I took, but I found some parts to be much more difficult than MM3... some real frustrations, but in the end, I was able to defeat them. The game had some cool levels and some story twists throughout, so I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as MM2 and MM3. Score: B
Favorite Music: Pharaoh Man, Dive Man, Skull Man, Dr. Cossack Stage 1 and Staff Roll (both nice nods to MM1 & MM2).
-----
Mega Man 5 -- You'd think that after 4 games on one system, they'd start to slide, but I actually found this game to be one of the stronger entries in the series! They also did some crazy-cool stuff, like 16-bit parallax scrolling backgrounds in some of the stages, and color use that also looked very much like early 16-bit games in terms of how much depth and detail they had. Really good stuff.
It also had some awesome level design, like the Gravity Man level, which looks to be a direct influence on Super Mario Galaxy's side-scrolling gravity levels (the ones with the scrolling arrows in the background that dictate which way you'll fall). Very cool that they were still introducing some fresh new things this late in the game. The "driving" level was questionable, though. Too many cheap hits. Great music, though. Beat saved my ass a few times, too.
Only real "ding" against it is that it was really short, and it felt much easier than 1, 3, and 4. That lack of difficulty also contributed to making it feel shorter due to how little I had to replay... but I could see that being a good thing, too. Although it made some passages of the game feel a bit empty (you come to expect enemies when you least expect them in this series, if that makes any sense), that made it easier to really appreciate what they did graphically and musically. My favorite MM game after 2 and 3. Score: B+
Favorite Music: Gravity Man, Wave Man, Napalm Man, and Ending.
-----
Mega Man 6 -- This one, more than any other in the series so far, is the one that feels like the team just ran out of steam, and were perhaps frustrated that they weren't working on 16-bit titles (or maybe some were already working on Mega Man X?). Being released in 1993, this came out the year before the Saturn and PlayStation... a full console generation later! Crazy that they were still making good NES games for so long, but in true Capcom fashion, they really milked this series, ending on a rather dull note.
That's not to say that this game is bad. It's still a quality game with some standout music tracks that for some reason brought back memories of the first game. But it just isn't as fresh as the others, and none of the ideas and additions/tweaks are all that memorable. Production-wise, it just felt like a big step down from MM5's cool ideas and tech.
It bugs me that even though it's the most recent one I played, I'm having a hard time remembering anything that stood out in terms of gameplay or level design. So it's stuff like that which diminishes the overall experience and memorability for me. Score: B-
Favorite Music: Plant Man, Tomahawk Man, and Wind Man.
-----
It's been a great journey so far. I do want to play the rest of the series (main series and the X series), but I'm going to take a break. The formula for each game so far has quite literally been the same: Defeat the Robot Masters (8 stages), fight through a fortress or two (4-6 stages), refight the 8 Robot Masters, battle Dr. Wily, and watch what's usually a really short ending and staff scroll. That's not necessarily a negative, though. In some ways, this appeals to me in the same way that the Dragon Quest games do: They don't stray very far from the core mechanics that defined the earlier games. I can respect that feeling of familiarity.
In closing, the Mega Man series is a *lot* of fun to play, and I'm glad that I've finally overcome what has been a longtime gaming intimidation. Bring on the rest!
Thanks to Izick's Mega Man 9 thread. Your post inspired me to finally get off my butt and type up this novel.
In advance, sorry this is so long, but I hope it's a good read for Mega Man vets or those who, like me, are still new to the series.
Also, I know that series ranking and *especially* favorite music are hotly debated topics, so please understand that I do love most of the music in this series, and my selections were the first that came to mind. I'm sure there are better or more popular ones. So with that out of the way...
I've previously written about games that I never quite understood until later in life. Dragon Quest was one of them. That series went from one that just existed in my periphery to one that is now at the top of my all-time favorites list. It's crazy how much I love that series of games now.
Mega Man has been another one that I've only dabbled with over the years, but never really *played*. The first ones I ever tried were Mega Man X on the SNES and Mega Man 8 on the Saturn. I appreciated both for their polish, animation, and sound, but the gameplay just didn't do much for me for whatever reason. I remember getting crushed early on in the Saturn game, and I think I got distracted by Square RPGs on the SNES. Plus all the years of reading about how hard/unforgiving these were. I figured I'd just never play them. There was something there, though... I kept my PS2 disc, bought some on Wii VC, and have MM9 and MM10. Must have been a sign.
Anyway, fast-forward to today. Brashnir's excellent 2012 Backlog Blitz thread has really encouraged me to stop constantly buying new games and instead focus on stuff I've had shelved for years... sometimes decades. I've had some great travels back to 16-bit, 32-bit, and PS2-era titles, but it wasn't until I fired up the first Mega Man last month that I dipped my toes back into the 8-bit pool.
Well, it took some time to get acclimated after repeated ass-kickings, restarts, and "WTF-this-is-so-unfair!" controller-throwing moments, but by the time I was a few games in, it was like the clouds parted and I could hear a choir from the sky... or was that Proto Man's jingle?
-----
Mega Man 1 -- I decided to start this after beating what I thought was one of the most challenging platformers I'd played in a while: Donkey Kong Country 2. I felt pretty good after 102%'ing it, so I figured I'd ride on the coattails of whatever skills I'd regained and tackle this.
I was humbled rather quickly.
It was really rough at first, and that Yellow Devil tested my sanity, but I finally conquered. There were times where I thought it was a bit *too* brutal, but I made it to the end, so it's not impossible. It did give me flashbacks to some of the toughest areas in past NES games, and this installment exhibits a lot of old 8-bit annoyances and restrictions in design, but I thought the overall package was good, especially as the first game in the series. Score: B
Favorite music: Bomb Man, Cut Man, and Elec Man.
-----
Mega Man 2 -- I know it's cliche and utterly predictable to say, but seriously, this game is amazing, and is deserving of the praise it receives. Presentation, music, level design, etc. are all so much better than the first game that no wonder it blew people away (and continues to do so). I remember this being a game my friend had that made me so jealous, even when I had my "better" Sega Genesis, and yet, I didn't play it until now.
What's interesting is how they toned down the difficulty for the US release by including a "Normal" setting. That's how I played it, and while it was significantly easier than the first game, it was still quite a challenge for this still blossoming MM player. I have yet to try it on Difficult (the original Japanese setting), but I plan on doing so before too much longer.
But yeah, the music... holy crap, it's good! It's no wonder that MM2 (and MM3) tracks regularly show up very high on "Best NES Song" lists. Score: A
Favorite Music: Metal Man, Wood Man, Intro/Title, and of course, Dr. Wily Stage 1, one of the greatest pieces of 8-bit music ever.
-----
Mega Man 3 -- I was pleasantly surprised by this one! There are some really nice improvements in this game and it was definitely a throwback to the difficulty of MM1. It probably wouldn't have been so pronounced had I played MM2 on Difficult, but whatever. I had to walk away from some stages & bosses to regroup myself, but eventually I learned their patterns.
Although folks will say luck has no place in MM games, I *did* get lucky a couple times with unplanned jumps that worked out in my favor, or getting a shot in just a millisecond before the boss' shot would've taken me out. Those moments - like defeating a boss with only 1 tick on your life bar - make victory feel so much sweeter.
Music was excellent, and I liked the different style compared to MM2. This game introduced 2 cool things: the "slide" move (pushing down and jump) and your dog, Rush! While MM2 had something kind of like this with the generic Item 1, 2, and 3, Rush is a much better implementation of that idea, giving you a companion through your adventure. So, both this and MM2 were fantastic, but I have to give a slight nod to MM2 just because of what an impression it made on me. Score: A-
Favorite Music: Title (so good!), Top Man, Magnet Man, Get a Weapon, and Dr. Wily Stage 2.
-----
Mega Man 4 -- Having been released late in 1991 (well into the 16-bit era), it's cool to see touches of those games in 8-bit titles like this: Presentation took an even bigger step up from MM2, the music is good (although starting to feel derivative), and the animation and little details are superb.
It also introduces one of the series staples, the New Mega Buster, which allows you to charge-up your standard lemon shooter. I think this is used in pretty much every MM games going forward. I would agree with some of the critiques I've read that it diminished the importance (and effectiveness) of the weapons you obtain from the 8 Robot Masters. The cannon is also more convenient and powerful than some of the other weapons, too, so you tend to just default to it and use it instead.
It's interesting to look back and discover that things like this and the slide, which are considered core parts of the overall MM design, didn't exist in the earlier games.
Maybe it was the boss order I took, but I found some parts to be much more difficult than MM3... some real frustrations, but in the end, I was able to defeat them. The game had some cool levels and some story twists throughout, so I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as MM2 and MM3. Score: B
Favorite Music: Pharaoh Man, Dive Man, Skull Man, Dr. Cossack Stage 1 and Staff Roll (both nice nods to MM1 & MM2).
-----
Mega Man 5 -- You'd think that after 4 games on one system, they'd start to slide, but I actually found this game to be one of the stronger entries in the series! They also did some crazy-cool stuff, like 16-bit parallax scrolling backgrounds in some of the stages, and color use that also looked very much like early 16-bit games in terms of how much depth and detail they had. Really good stuff.
It also had some awesome level design, like the Gravity Man level, which looks to be a direct influence on Super Mario Galaxy's side-scrolling gravity levels (the ones with the scrolling arrows in the background that dictate which way you'll fall). Very cool that they were still introducing some fresh new things this late in the game. The "driving" level was questionable, though. Too many cheap hits.
Great music, though. Beat saved my ass a few times, too. Only real "ding" against it is that it was really short, and it felt much easier than 1, 3, and 4. That lack of difficulty also contributed to making it feel shorter due to how little I had to replay... but I could see that being a good thing, too.
Although it made some passages of the game feel a bit empty (you come to expect enemies when you least expect them in this series, if that makes any sense), that made it easier to really appreciate what they did graphically and musically. My favorite MM game after 2 and 3. Score: B+Favorite Music: Gravity Man, Wave Man, Napalm Man, and Ending.
-----
Mega Man 6 -- This one, more than any other in the series so far, is the one that feels like the team just ran out of steam, and were perhaps frustrated that they weren't working on 16-bit titles (or maybe some were already working on Mega Man X?). Being released in 1993, this came out the year before the Saturn and PlayStation... a full console generation later! Crazy that they were still making good NES games for so long, but in true Capcom fashion, they really milked this series, ending on a rather dull note.
That's not to say that this game is bad. It's still a quality game with some standout music tracks that for some reason brought back memories of the first game. But it just isn't as fresh as the others, and none of the ideas and additions/tweaks are all that memorable. Production-wise, it just felt like a big step down from MM5's cool ideas and tech.
It bugs me that even though it's the most recent one I played, I'm having a hard time remembering anything that stood out in terms of gameplay or level design. So it's stuff like that which diminishes the overall experience and memorability for me. Score: B-
Favorite Music: Plant Man, Tomahawk Man, and Wind Man.
-----
It's been a great journey so far. I do want to play the rest of the series (main series and the X series), but I'm going to take a break. The formula for each game so far has quite literally been the same: Defeat the Robot Masters (8 stages), fight through a fortress or two (4-6 stages), refight the 8 Robot Masters, battle Dr. Wily, and watch what's usually a really short ending and staff scroll. That's not necessarily a negative, though. In some ways, this appeals to me in the same way that the Dragon Quest games do: They don't stray very far from the core mechanics that defined the earlier games. I can respect that feeling of familiarity.
In closing, the Mega Man series is a *lot* of fun to play, and I'm glad that I've finally overcome what has been a longtime gaming intimidation. Bring on the rest!
Hope I'm ready.
Thanks to Izick's Mega Man 9 thread. Your post inspired me to finally get off my butt and type up this novel.
