Retro|Spective 114: Mega Man

[Neon Ignition]

History in Games:
1987 - Mega Man
1988 - Mega Man 2
1990 - Mega Man 3
1991 - Mega Man: Dr Wily's Revenge
1991 - Mega Man 4
1991 - Mega Man II
1992 - Mega Man 5
1992 - Mega Man III
1993 - Mega Man IV
1993 - Mega Man 6
1994 - Mega Man V
1994 - Mega Man: The Wily Wars
1994 - Mega Man Soccer
1995 - Mega Man 7
1995 - Mega Man: The Power Battles
1996 - Mega Man 8
1996 - Mega Man 2: The Power Battles
1997 - Mega Man: Battle & Chase
1998 - Mega Man & Bass
2006 - Mega Man: Powered Up
2008 - Mega Man 9
2010 - Mega Man 10
2012 - Street Fighter x Mega Man
2018 - Mega Man 11

Overview:
The original blue bomber, a simple tale of a small robotic boy battling corrupted enemy robots led by the evil Dr Wily. Mega Man was equally known for its fiendish platforming action and its infamous western box art. This simple tale didn't stop fans begging for an ending that would tie it into its sequel series, something that has only ever been teased with no real event looking likely. Spin-offs for the long running series have included a racer and the football entries, the most ambitious spin-off probably being Bass which is a well thought up full fledged title making the lack of being a numbered entry odd. The most notable quirk addition being the fan project SFxMM which Capcom stepped in to help. With a new entry as recently as last year, Capcom has led Mega Man to be the most active of incarnations for the character meaning it seems likely another NES themed sequel will arrive at some point in the future.







Share your thoughts and memories of the original Mega Man

[Neon Ignition]

When it comes to the origins of my experiences with consoles I can effectively dial it back to this game. I'd owned an Amstrad CPC 464 and consoles weren't on my child eyes at the time until one summer of going round my cousins and seeing his NES. He owned Super Mario Bros and Mega Man 2 and the next thing was me wanting a NES for Xmas. I got the NES and borrowed MM2 so that game has been lodged in my memory for a very long time.

Despite this I didn't really get near the following MM games for years, eventually I did and the 32 bit era led to a bit of a nostalgia tour when Capcom was releasing the games in Japan again which saw me import MM & Bass on the Snes, pick up MM7 and MM8 etc. Later I worked through the entire line up via the Gamecube collection.

My soft spot still lies with the first two games that have all the memorable music etc as well as MM7 & 8 which stand out due to the visuals. I always preferred the OG line to the X line as well so whilst Mega Man isn't a franchise I'd say I'm passionate about it's an important milestone.

[Dogg Thang]

I never got on with this series. It pretty much defines my problem with a lot of 8-bit games in that the challenge is less about what is thrown at you and more about the limitations of the controls. Like not being able to duck or shoot in different directions and so on. I just find that frustrating.

[Leon Retro]

As much as I like the visual design of Mega Man games, the actual gameplay has never gelled with me. I find them quite frustrating to play. A friend of mine loves the series though, so he used to convince me to try them. I would say Mega Man 7 on the SNES is my fave.

[Cepp]

I couldn't stand this series growing up. They aren't the fastest games at the best of times but throw in terrible pal optimisations and its like running through treacle. Compared to other action platformers like Shadow Warriors and Blue Shadow the Mega Man games just felt a bit ****.

I wrote the series off until Mega Man 9 hit the PS3 and I finally gave it a second chance. I had a roaring good time with it! Then I went back to the NES games and rediscovered them. They're pretty much all fun apart from 3 which is ridden with slowdown.

I played through Mega Man X earlier this year and while it was fun, it didn't make me want to explore the whole series.

It's not your typical Mega Man game but I really enjoyed Mega Man Legends as well. It's got a gorgeous look to it and is just overall very charming and fun.

[Mayhem]

MM2 was the first MM game I played and really enjoyed it. Later entries in the series less so, but when Megaman X was announced for the SNES, I was right in there again. But I don't own many MM titles, just the four main entries on the SNES, and the side Rockman & Forte game.

[Goemon]

MM2 was my first ever game purchase with my own money.
My friend and I had both got a NES for Christmas (turtles pack) in Jan-Feb we went to Toys R Us to get a game each.

My friend spotted MM2 and said how great MM1 was. He’d played it at someone else’s house and explained the boss weakness premise to me. He couldn’t afford to buy it, so on the strength of his review of the first game, I bought it.

And I absolutely loved it.

I’ve been a huge MM fan ever since, although I felt they started getting too hard for their own good in the X series.

NES versions are still in my top games to play, I had a phase where I would loop them, 1-6. Not all in one go but they were in a constant rotation for a while and I didn’t play anything else. I actually found a soft lock in MM5 as it’s possible to jump the jet bike on Wave Man stage.

11 was a stunning return to form. I thought it was an excellent entry in the series.

[JazzFunk]

Ironically, the one I enjoyed most isn't included, the Gamecube one, "Mega Man Network Transmission" or something like that.

Played quite a few in-depth/to completion and own most of the titles but the only one I've found PROPER enjoyable was the GC one.

The rest I either find a bit frustrating or a bit boring. Mega Man ZX on DS is a case in point, it looks and plays and *seems* like it should be brill. But it's a little beige.

X was good on SNES. But not *quite* brilliant. I need to play more of the SNES ones, I love the look n feel.

Not sure about the 3D PS1 versions. I put a fair few hours into Legends 2 but it's a bit barren and samey and can exude a slightly depressive feel (it doesn't feel very alive). It was OK, though. That and Tron Bonne. But not sure I could put the time in now.

Do have a bit of a soft spot for the 360 NES sequels, they're still too tough but play nice.

Also got two of the PS2 3Dish games but only played each once and wasn't sure.

[JazzFunk]

DID finish all the MD Wily Wars versions of the NES games back in the day, tho. It was badass value at the time and I remember enjoying it but don't know if I'd have the grit and perseverance now.