Phantasmal Repose
Member
For me it's a tie between Mega Man X and Battle Network.
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Best Mega Man series.
- Thread starter SolVanderlyn
- Start date
RecursiveFault
Banned
I adore X's mechanics from the first three games the most, but I'll say that Classic has the most quality games for sure.
I need to get that Zero collection one day and try it out.
I need to get that Zero collection one day and try it out.
Sax Russel
Banned
The additions brought by the X series make the games significantly more enjoyable to play, but the series as a whole kind of just gets worse as it goes on. Zero took what was great from X and put it into a couple of really difficult and rewarding games, gonna have to go with Zero.
I haven't played enough of classic or X, but I know that Zero is my favorite. I love love LOVE the way Zero games control - so fast, smooth, so tight, so much better than every action platformer ever made. I played MMX after playing Zero, and it feels downright clunky by comparison. It's like going from 120fps Quake to 60fps UT: they're both similar games with similar controls, but one is that much smoother.
As an aside, strangely enough, I think the only other game with controls as tight as Mega Man Zero is Metroid Fusion. Not sure why.
Anyway, the Zero series also had awesome art, a great ranking system, and four consistently great entries. I'd almost argue its legacy was diminished with MMZ4, which was a bit of a tacked-on epilogue that I'm not sure anybody actually wanted after the incredibly amazing finale of MMZ3.
Oh, and ZX, while keeping Zero's tight controls, has a miserable map system that made the game a chore to navigate.
As an aside, strangely enough, I think the only other game with controls as tight as Mega Man Zero is Metroid Fusion. Not sure why.
Anyway, the Zero series also had awesome art, a great ranking system, and four consistently great entries. I'd almost argue its legacy was diminished with MMZ4, which was a bit of a tacked-on epilogue that I'm not sure anybody actually wanted after the incredibly amazing finale of MMZ3.
Oh, and ZX, while keeping Zero's tight controls, has a miserable map system that made the game a chore to navigate.
SonicMegaDrive
Member
Classic.
All ten games are awesome, to varying degrees.
And 9 is the best game in the whole franchise.
All ten games are awesome, to varying degrees.
And 9 is the best game in the whole franchise.
sixteen-bit
Member
I really like X but feel it has the highest highs and the lowest lows over the course of the series.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
Classic. MM6,7, and 10 were pretty bad, but I love the others. The X series is great as well, though I haven't played them all
F0rneus
Tears in the rain
YUP. Right there. Right in the feels that game was. 10 was stellar too. Classic MM is one of my top 3 gaming franchises of all time. MM2 thru 6, plus MM9 and 10 are pure love IMO.
Davey Cakes
Member
Classic, certainly. It has the most great games, spanning a slew of platforms.
X is only half good.
Classic > Zero > X > ZX
Zero is the proper "continuation" of X after X4. It refreshed the gameplay.
I didn't play Legends and for the EXE series I only played Battle Network 2 and Network Transmission and beat neither.
X is only half good.
Classic > Zero > X > ZX
Zero is the proper "continuation" of X after X4. It refreshed the gameplay.
I didn't play Legends and for the EXE series I only played Battle Network 2 and Network Transmission and beat neither.
To Far Away Times
Member
The Classic and X series are incredible. And Legends is really good too, even if it's quite a bit different.
I gotta go with X though. Those first few X games are just so damn good.
I gotta go with X though. Those first few X games are just so damn good.
bobawesome
Member
As much as I enjoy the oldschchool platformers, I'd have to say the Battle Network games. Man...I wish MMBN was a Club Nintendo prize instead of poopy Golden Sun.
I don't have a favorite series, I have favorite games. Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, and Mega Man X are my favorites. I enjoyed some of the others, but really it's those three that stand out after all this time. I lost a lot of interest in the original series after Mega Man 4 and never really cared about X after the original.
Gunstar Ikari
Unconfirmed Member
Classic > Battle Network >>>> Zero > X = Star Force > ZX > the hour that I played of Legends
I have the softest spot for Battle Network, but the series has a few too many flaws to place over Classic.
I was never super-fond of the X series. I don't like the general gameplay flow and it completely went off the rails with unnecessary gimmicks. Not to mention that the character design is boring.
Star Force would be below ZX if not for Star Force 3. While not quite as good as the better Battle Network games, SF3 easily redeemed that series.
Legends is blah.
I have the softest spot for Battle Network, but the series has a few too many flaws to place over Classic.
I was never super-fond of the X series. I don't like the general gameplay flow and it completely went off the rails with unnecessary gimmicks. Not to mention that the character design is boring.
Star Force would be below ZX if not for Star Force 3. While not quite as good as the better Battle Network games, SF3 easily redeemed that series.
Legends is blah.
Finale Fireworker
Member
Jesus. I had no idea there were this many Mega Man games.
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
For me, it's the ZX series, although I love them all, and X1 is my favorite game.
The story is the perfect segue between the Zero and Legends series, featuring an art style and world that acts like a missing link between Zero's dark and gritty aesthetic and Legends' more colorful, cheery universe, and the narrative was more fun to follow than it was in any classic or X game, standing closer to the better written, cohesive cast and plot of the Zero and Legends series. The biometals are great fun to use, even if some of them are a bit impractical - it was always a cool idea to copy your enemy's ability, but to turn into them entirely takes it to another level. The trance inspired OST is great in both games. The metroid map isn't great, and is much more streamlined and user-friendly in ZXA than it is in ZX, but it's a fair experiment for the series and gives it more of a unique identity. ZX doesn't get enough love, and it's a shame that, like Legends, it will most likely remain an unfinished series.
The story is the perfect segue between the Zero and Legends series, featuring an art style and world that acts like a missing link between Zero's dark and gritty aesthetic and Legends' more colorful, cheery universe, and the narrative was more fun to follow than it was in any classic or X game, standing closer to the better written, cohesive cast and plot of the Zero and Legends series. The biometals are great fun to use, even if some of them are a bit impractical - it was always a cool idea to copy your enemy's ability, but to turn into them entirely takes it to another level. The trance inspired OST is great in both games. The metroid map isn't great, and is much more streamlined and user-friendly in ZXA than it is in ZX, but it's a fair experiment for the series and gives it more of a unique identity. ZX doesn't get enough love, and it's a shame that, like Legends, it will most likely remain an unfinished series.
For me it's the X series. IMO, it had the coolest art style/designs, some of the best game music ever and I liked the more dynamic movement options. It also introduced Zero who is one of my favorite characters ever. The Zero series gets an honorable mention for that last reason alone.
Man it's so hard to pick just one, but in a situation like this, I'd probably say X overall. The addition of things like dashing, wall jumping, and armors that enhance the base run, gun and jump gameplay just open up a lot more potential and speed up the pace of the games. Zero is up next for being a far more consistent with some really neat attention to detail and presentation (the 2D art for the Zero series is some of the best stuff in the franchise easily) with the team's effort to make a solid narrative and mythos for the overarching series and the Zero saga by itself. It also really helps that they managed to thoroughly nail the fluidity of fighting as a melee specialist combat robot with a light saber.
I feel like if the Classic games ever reached a point where through its own isms, it adopted things like dashing, better weaponry & more mobility (I always loved the Rush Jet segments in MM8, I wish if that kind of speed could be allowed in more of the games; wall jumps would be nice) and the art direction went back to a MM8/Megaman & Bass styling with a faster pace (the big issue a lot of people had with these visuals iirc), the resulting games would probably be my favorite Megaman games overall.
I feel like if the Classic games ever reached a point where through its own isms, it adopted things like dashing, better weaponry & more mobility (I always loved the Rush Jet segments in MM8, I wish if that kind of speed could be allowed in more of the games; wall jumps would be nice) and the art direction went back to a MM8/Megaman & Bass styling with a faster pace (the big issue a lot of people had with these visuals iirc), the resulting games would probably be my favorite Megaman games overall.
akidnamededdy
Banned
If you put a gun to my head I'd probably say the Zero series. I like how it feels a bit more like an action game.
skLaFarebear
Member
I've only played Battle Network and Zero, so I have to go with those by default.
Well I did play some Megaman 2 and that was pretty good, but I never beat it.
Well I did play some Megaman 2 and that was pretty good, but I never beat it.
rootbeerafloat
Member
Classic. The art, the music, the gameplay... everything just comes together to create something special. Even though 4-6 get ripped on a ton, they're still a joy to see, hear, and play. I love them dearly. 7 and 8 are kinda weird, but still very enjoyable. The revival games were fantastic as well, and completely worthy of their 8-bit heritage.
While the original Mega Man X is better than any individual game from classic, the series as a whole drops off way faster. X2 is fine, but there's something about X3 that just feels joyless and uninspired. X4 and X5 are a step back up, but not all that memorable either. The anime stuff is... meh at best, and a horrifically distracting disaster at worst. X6 and X7 are legitimately bad games, something the classic series lacks. Never played X8.
Haven't spent a significant amount of time with any of the other series, though I plan to... someday.
While the original Mega Man X is better than any individual game from classic, the series as a whole drops off way faster. X2 is fine, but there's something about X3 that just feels joyless and uninspired. X4 and X5 are a step back up, but not all that memorable either. The anime stuff is... meh at best, and a horrifically distracting disaster at worst. X6 and X7 are legitimately bad games, something the classic series lacks. Never played X8.
Haven't spent a significant amount of time with any of the other series, though I plan to... someday.
DreadPirateRoberts
Member
Just started replaying the battle network series, such a good battle system.
Such a hard question! I really don't want to choose.
I have to put Legends up there. I really want it to be my answer. The gameplay is great, the visuals are great, and I really love the setting. The potential of this series is just so high. It has some of the best character design in the franchise, too. I even appreciate the cheesy voice acting, in a silly nostalgia-fueled sort of way.
Legends would be my favourite, but if the question is "best", that's a different matter...
Due to sheer number of fantastic games, the classic series has to come out on top. Sure, you may like the gameplay of Zero more, but there are only four of those - there are at least 15 fantastic classic games. The same goes for the other subseries. They just can't stack up to the sheer number of great games in the classic series. The classic series also has a really high ratio of hits to misses, probably second only to Legends - even the "bad" classic Mega Man games are better than average. The same can't be said of the X series, for example.
For those reasons, as much as I love Legends, Star Force, and Zero, I have to give the title of "best" to the classic series.
I have to put Legends up there. I really want it to be my answer. The gameplay is great, the visuals are great, and I really love the setting. The potential of this series is just so high. It has some of the best character design in the franchise, too. I even appreciate the cheesy voice acting, in a silly nostalgia-fueled sort of way.
Legends would be my favourite, but if the question is "best", that's a different matter...
Due to sheer number of fantastic games, the classic series has to come out on top. Sure, you may like the gameplay of Zero more, but there are only four of those - there are at least 15 fantastic classic games. The same goes for the other subseries. They just can't stack up to the sheer number of great games in the classic series. The classic series also has a really high ratio of hits to misses, probably second only to Legends - even the "bad" classic Mega Man games are better than average. The same can't be said of the X series, for example.
For those reasons, as much as I love Legends, Star Force, and Zero, I have to give the title of "best" to the classic series.
BabyFaceKillah
Member
battle network.
reasons.... idk i just love the battle network series
reasons.... idk i just love the battle network series
FleetingFlowAir
Member
Battle Network has a special place in my heart.
X is the best series obviously.
I like X because, however adolescent in execution (which fits, because X was modeled in characterization concept and in design as a teen), I like the moodiness of the series and the kind of harmless edginess that exudes from the enemy designs, the soundtracks, etc that makes it feel more "serious" than the Classic series. The X series felt like the start of the franchise's look into broader questions about life and society.
I just like X as a protagonist very much, too, no matter how dopey he gets. He continually embraces his turmoil, it's almost like a residual, "learned" behavior from the moral testing from the capsule - he was designed to do the right thing, and be "human" while wielding his humanity in the best way possible, or least destructive way. He has second guessed himself too much but I think he's gotten past that later in the series (Command Mission, which I admit wasn't great in characterization anyway)
The addition of wall-kicking and dashing make the action oriented gameplay more fun and dynamic. The only real problem is that these elements basically eliminate the need for special weapons (why you using special weapons anyway!) but they're still awesome.
While I played all games from Zero and ZX I think Zero makes for too dull a protagonist if the focus is on him too much (and it generally is in the Zero series) and in ZX anything with potential hasn't really materialized into something amazing. The concept of "Mega Man" as an assumed identity rather than as an essence/being built as Mega Man but the series is dunzo. The additional weapons in Zero, while nice touches, were more icing in gameplay than anything you want to consistently use (Shield ex skills in Zero 3 are pretty sick, but they're still not the basis of your offense). ZX Advent just didn't work with all of its forms, while ZX was the same but less bad due to fewer options.
I like X because, however adolescent in execution (which fits, because X was modeled in characterization concept and in design as a teen), I like the moodiness of the series and the kind of harmless edginess that exudes from the enemy designs, the soundtracks, etc that makes it feel more "serious" than the Classic series. The X series felt like the start of the franchise's look into broader questions about life and society.
I just like X as a protagonist very much, too, no matter how dopey he gets. He continually embraces his turmoil, it's almost like a residual, "learned" behavior from the moral testing from the capsule - he was designed to do the right thing, and be "human" while wielding his humanity in the best way possible, or least destructive way. He has second guessed himself too much but I think he's gotten past that later in the series (Command Mission, which I admit wasn't great in characterization anyway)
The addition of wall-kicking and dashing make the action oriented gameplay more fun and dynamic. The only real problem is that these elements basically eliminate the need for special weapons (why you using special weapons anyway!) but they're still awesome.
While I played all games from Zero and ZX I think Zero makes for too dull a protagonist if the focus is on him too much (and it generally is in the Zero series) and in ZX anything with potential hasn't really materialized into something amazing. The concept of "Mega Man" as an assumed identity rather than as an essence/being built as Mega Man but the series is dunzo. The additional weapons in Zero, while nice touches, were more icing in gameplay than anything you want to consistently use (Shield ex skills in Zero 3 are pretty sick, but they're still not the basis of your offense). ZX Advent just didn't work with all of its forms, while ZX was the same but less bad due to fewer options.
Mookie1515
Member
X is the nearest to my heart, but, come on, the best is the Mega Man Legends series.
