.....
You see the joke is....
....
Mega....
*crickets chirping*
Crap, maybe I should hold off on the puns until the end. So let's start
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My experience:
It all started in middle school. Now remember that I was one of those kids who never got to own any system before the SNES and during that time, I didn't have a Wii to own any old game (I didn't get that until 2 or so years later). I remember seeing a game on the shelf called Mega Man: Powered Up, which was a remake of Mega Man with 3D graphics, voice acting and cutscenes. When I got the game, I got through it in about 2 or so hours, but loved every minute of it. It was a breath of fresh air and a really fun game. I played through the game as the different Robot Masters, Proto Man, Roll, before creating my own stages. I made some pretty neat fire based ones, revolving around quick timing and reaction in order to prevent the spewing fire and spikes you got flung into. I also made a stage simply called "Life", which had you falling into a pool of pits.
It was all goof fun. but it was nothing to what I often call one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time. When I finally got Mega Man , I was wowed with an amazing intro, so subtle and amazing, but suddenly bursting into action. I was blown away and was proceeded to a game that blew me away even further. I loved the Robot Masters even more, each with cooler powers (except Bubble Man) and the soundtrack was absolute gaming bliss. I particularly loved Dr. Wiley's amazing theme, which is my absolute favorite Mega Man theme. Flawed but perfect is what I like to describe Mega Man 2 as. It did have a few flaws here and there, but it was still an amazing game and one of the best that I have played, with high levels of fun and memorability.
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| Oh hai, doggy. You're my favorite. |
Mega Man 3 was played next and it wasn't bad. A wonderful intro, fun gameplay, and great Robot Masters. I was particularly blown away by the fact that the game allowed to replay the other Robot Masters' stages, which to me was absolutely amazing at that time. It was all great fun and did I mention how amazing the intro music was?
Another thing a person can say about the merits of Mega Man 2 is how polished the game was, which automatically made it better in their eyes. To me, the unpolished of Mega Man 2 are what made it such a great and enduring game, with little outside sources being made. It was just Mega Man with no sliding and only his Robot Master and extra weapons, rather than sliding Mega Man with Rush. Although I don't consider it as good as Mega Man 2, 3 was still a fantastic game.
Now 4 through 6 were good games and there were some awesome music to be found in the games (the intro of Mega Man 4 was amazing), but it all felt too "been there, done that" and you can tell that they were running out of Robot Master ideas and the logic taking them out. Okay, show of hands, what would the weakness of Pharaoh Man be? See? It was just too random for its own good and often times I would just either guess or look up the order, as logic was not on my side.
Another thing that just bothered me with the last NES games was that there was little to no change in the formulas of the games, and everything just felt like it was done before. Now the transition between 2 and 3 was smooth, with sliding and Rush added, and the transition between 1 and 2 was even larger as many of the designs have been lifted and it was just a much grander game than the first iteration. 4 only added a charged shot and reduced Rush's help, while 5 and 6 didn't add anything game changing, other than Beat in 5, but still, wasn't part of the game until you collected everything. 6 fixed a lot of issues that 5 had, but was still not anywhere as good as Mega Man 2 or 3 to me.
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| Not a bad game at all. |
Still, I digress, 6 was a great finish to the NES games and I had a great sense of enjoyment for the fun action and the overall tight nature. It wasn't the best Mega Man, but it was still a good and solid Mega Man, which I had great memories of playing.
Now I never played 7 and barely played a tad of 8. I don't remember much, but I know that the games don't look like anything special and were best skipped. To me, most of the charm of Mega Man came from the colorful 8 bit music and the 2D graphics. Stepping out into the 3D realms with the Classic series just felt wrong, and best left with the Legends games.
Now 9's back to basics approach was what I admit to be an amazing return. Never was I so amazed with a game, with some of the best music in the series I have heard (Galaxy Man, Splash Woman, etc.). It was a fantastic back to basics approach, ignoring the many enhancements, but simply focusing on what Mega Man was best at, gunning and platforming. It was a brief experience that I had that made it my second favorite Mega Man game.
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| Yes. |
What made Mega Man 9 so amazing was because it was a celebration of what was so great in the series, with extremely fun gameplay and creative Robot Masters (it's about time! (D)). In short, Mega Man 9 was perfect for any Mega Man fan, and a much needed welcome back to the 8 Bit Blue Bomber.
Now I never got to play much of Mega Man 10, but it seemed like it was a good game. I did play a little bit of Baseball Man's (that's what he's called, right?) stage. It was pretty fun, but I played it on the challenging normal, because honestly, most of the fun from Mega Man comes from the challenge of trying to stay alive. Overall, it looked like Mega Man 10 was a success for Capcom, but not as much of a deal as 9.
So that was my brief history with the series. Although I only played through the 8 bit games, they were all great and fun games and some of the most fun I've had with the NES. Now let's move on to my retrospective, where I give the history on the Classic series.
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My Retrospective:
We all know and love Mega Man right? Whether you're a fan of the main, X, or Legends series, we can all owe it to the Blue Bomber's first adventure, although one of Capcom's lead series was one that might have ended before it even flourished, with tough times ahead. But persistence and heart from Keiji Inafune and his team made the character to prevail as a gaming icon.
At that time, Capcom was only known for their arcade games, with most of the console market being arcade ports. Capcom then decided to hire an artist by the name of Keiji Inafune to develop a game by the name of Rockman (known as Mega Man outside of Japan), Inafune stated that the goal of Mega Man was perfection, often with the team working overtime, with only 6 people in development. Inafune himself illustrated and designed nearly every character and enemy in the game and also designed the infamous box art, logo, and instruction manual. He even rendered most of the designs into the graphical sprite form. Inafune also stated that his main source of inspiration for Mega Man was from the Astro Boy manga and named after a genre of music he's into, rock and roll (hence the latter being the name of Mega Man's sister, Roll). Dr. Light was inspired by Santa Claus and Dr. Wiley was based on Albert Einstein, representing the stereotypical mad scientist.
The story of Mega Man is simple. Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wiley are scientists working with each other to make robots for the betterment of mankind. One day, Dr. Wiley decides to rebel after jealousy and decides to release the Robot Masters, now bloodthirsty for destruction. Dr. Light’s “son”, decides to become a fighting robot to take down the Robot Masters and take on the title of Mega Man.
In 2008, Classic Mega Man finally got a return to the spotlight with Mega Man 9, often heralded as one of Mega Man’s best adventures yet. Keiji Inafune expressed that he was interested in an old school Mega Man games since 2004, and with online distribution, a return to Mega Man’s roots was now made possible. Originally, Capcom asked the development team of 20 people to make the game 3D, so it wouldn’t only appeal to old school Mega Man fans. Although they considered making the option of switching between 2D and 3D graphics, the team eventually decided to stay with the traditional NES graphics. The team’s goal was to make the “new Mega Man 3”, as 2 was often called the best Mega Man.
The story of Mega Man 9 is that Dr. Light is being blamed for the destruction in the city and Mega Man goes to investigate, with suspicions laying on Dr. Wiley. After defeating the Robot Masters and defeating Dr. Wiley, Dr. Wiley begs more mercy only to fool Mega Man into thinking Dr. Light was sick with a fake Dr. Light set up, which allowed Dr. Wiley to escape once more.
The reception of Mega Man 9 was phenomenal, with many of the critics agreeing that Mega Man’s return to his roots was an incredibly smart move, with the gameplay being extremely tight and fun, with many comparing the polish and high levels of quality with that of Mega Man 2. Inafune was extremely pleased with Mega Man 9, saying that the game has far exceeded his expectations.
At that time, Capcom was only known for their arcade games, with most of the console market being arcade ports. Capcom then decided to hire an artist by the name of Keiji Inafune to develop a game by the name of Rockman (known as Mega Man outside of Japan), Inafune stated that the goal of Mega Man was perfection, often with the team working overtime, with only 6 people in development. Inafune himself illustrated and designed nearly every character and enemy in the game and also designed the infamous box art, logo, and instruction manual. He even rendered most of the designs into the graphical sprite form. Inafune also stated that his main source of inspiration for Mega Man was from the Astro Boy manga and named after a genre of music he's into, rock and roll (hence the latter being the name of Mega Man's sister, Roll). Dr. Light was inspired by Santa Claus and Dr. Wiley was based on Albert Einstein, representing the stereotypical mad scientist.
The story of Mega Man is simple. Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wiley are scientists working with each other to make robots for the betterment of mankind. One day, Dr. Wiley decides to rebel after jealousy and decides to release the Robot Masters, now bloodthirsty for destruction. Dr. Light’s “son”, decides to become a fighting robot to take down the Robot Masters and take on the title of Mega Man.
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| Oh hai, orange thing, you're my favorite! |
The design of the game was deemed as revolutionary, with all of the stages being able to be chosen at any order you please, with a boss at the end. The way that the bosses work is through a rock, paper, scissors fashion, with one particular weapon being able to take down the boss, for example, Fire Man's weakness is Ice Man's Ice Slasher, due to fire being put out by water.
Mega Man may have not been a marketing success, but it was critical success, with many people praising the game's fun nature and solid platforming. The main criticism was he game's extremely high difficulty (U MAD GARAA trololololol. #juicy #lol #HiGaraa #HiShiro).
After Mega Man, the guys at Capcom didn't feel very confident about the series and was on the verge of axing it, but Inafune digressed. Under the deal that they would still get to work on other projects, Mega Man 2 was allowed to be started under production in the free time of the developers.
Mega Man may have not been a marketing success, but it was critical success, with many people praising the game's fun nature and solid platforming. The main criticism was he game's extremely high difficulty (U MAD GARAA trololololol. #juicy #lol #HiGaraa #HiShiro).
After Mega Man, the guys at Capcom didn't feel very confident about the series and was on the verge of axing it, but Inafune digressed. Under the deal that they would still get to work on other projects, Mega Man 2 was allowed to be started under production in the free time of the developers.
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| Keiji Inafune rightfully earned the title as the father of Mega Man |
Inafune himself was given a promotion in the development. Instead of solely working on the art of the game, he was given the opportunity to work in as a developer, also gaining a new person on the team as a worker. The game also used a lot of new elements that were omitted from the first game due to time limits. Mega Man 2 took around 4 months to complete and was ready for release, hopefully to bring some hope for the dying series.
The story of Mega Man 2 is that after suffering defeat in the first game, Dr. Wiley decides to build a new fortress to have his revenge on Mega Man and take over the world. Mega Man once again goes on a conquest to stop Dr. Wiley’s evil ways…. and that’s about it. But hey, Mega Man isn’t exactly remembered as a pinnacle of storytelling, right?
The reception for Mega Man 2 was astounding and many critics were blown away by the grand scale of the game. Many critics agreed that the game was a monumental improvement from the first game and the lowered difficulty made it a lot more accessible to newcomers. Mega Man 2 is often heralded as one of the best NES games and the possible height of the blue bomber.
After the success of Mega Man 2, a sequel was almost guaranteed. However, according to Inafune, the was his least favorite as he felt that the replacing of the his mentor and programmer in the production made Mega Man lose his touch, as did Capcom’s persistence to release the game as soon as possible. When Mega Man 3 was developed, a lot of trouble arose as Inafune felt that the new supervisor has no idea about who Mega Man truly is and that the game was extremely unpolished and could have been a much better game, had Capcom allowed the team to polish the game. The main planner of the game also left, which made Inafune handle the planning, programming, and art, with him stating that it became especially stressful and he had no enjoyment and excitement in his work like he did with the two other games.
The story of Mega Man 2 is that after suffering defeat in the first game, Dr. Wiley decides to build a new fortress to have his revenge on Mega Man and take over the world. Mega Man once again goes on a conquest to stop Dr. Wiley’s evil ways…. and that’s about it. But hey, Mega Man isn’t exactly remembered as a pinnacle of storytelling, right?
The reception for Mega Man 2 was astounding and many critics were blown away by the grand scale of the game. Many critics agreed that the game was a monumental improvement from the first game and the lowered difficulty made it a lot more accessible to newcomers. Mega Man 2 is often heralded as one of the best NES games and the possible height of the blue bomber.
After the success of Mega Man 2, a sequel was almost guaranteed. However, according to Inafune, the was his least favorite as he felt that the replacing of the his mentor and programmer in the production made Mega Man lose his touch, as did Capcom’s persistence to release the game as soon as possible. When Mega Man 3 was developed, a lot of trouble arose as Inafune felt that the new supervisor has no idea about who Mega Man truly is and that the game was extremely unpolished and could have been a much better game, had Capcom allowed the team to polish the game. The main planner of the game also left, which made Inafune handle the planning, programming, and art, with him stating that it became especially stressful and he had no enjoyment and excitement in his work like he did with the two other games.
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| Despite being Inafune's least favorite game to make, it was still phenomenal |
Despite Inafune’s troubles, Mega Man 3 announced a number of improvements over the previous games. The first was the sliding ability, which allowed Mega Man to slide through the ground for a short period of time and the second was the addition of Mega Man’s canine robot, Rush. Rush was essentially Mega Man’s secondary powers from Mega Man 2, which allows Mega Man to go to hard to reach areas and alleviate the difficulty of some of the areas.
In addition to Rush came Mega Man’s brother, Proto Man. Inafune said that the creation of Proto Man was based on trying to make him an ambiguous character, with the player not knowing whether he is an ally or an enemy. He also added a scarf for the cool factor and was named Blues in Japan, possibly linking to Inafune’s love of music and a reference to Rock and Roll. However, Capcom changed Blues’ name to Proto Man, to Inafune’s dismay.
In addition to Rush came Mega Man’s brother, Proto Man. Inafune said that the creation of Proto Man was based on trying to make him an ambiguous character, with the player not knowing whether he is an ally or an enemy. He also added a scarf for the cool factor and was named Blues in Japan, possibly linking to Inafune’s love of music and a reference to Rock and Roll. However, Capcom changed Blues’ name to Proto Man, to Inafune’s dismay.
The story of Mega Man 3 is that Dr. Wiley has reformed his ways and build a new peace keeping robot named Gamma. However, the Robot Masters go berserk and steal Gamma’s 8 power crystals. Mega Man is then called into action, where he discovers that Dr. Wiley is the true culprit behind everything. So Mega Man continues his fight to Dr. Wiley’s castle, where he nearly dies in the exploding fortress, but is saved from the mysterious robot figure he thought was his enemy, but was actually Proto Man, his brother.
Mega Man 3 was met with positive reviews, with many of them being pleased with the new additions added to the gameplay making it a very fun game. Some however expressed displeasure to the high difficulty, with one claiming the game to be harder than open heart surgery.
Mega Man 3 was met with positive reviews, with many of them being pleased with the new additions added to the gameplay making it a very fun game. Some however expressed displeasure to the high difficulty, with one claiming the game to be harder than open heart surgery.
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| Good game, though the formula was starting to overstay its welcome |
Mega Man 4 was on the horizon after 3 in 1991, and Inafune felt a lot better with the game’s design over 3, mostly because of little turbulence with the creative ideas and Capcom. New to the game was Dr. Cossack, who supposedly replaced Dr. Wiley, but in the end was revealed to be working on the robot masters as a way to have his kidnapped daughter free from Dr. Wiley. New to the game was the new charging attack added to the Mega Man buster, which the development team was cautious about, due to it affecting the overall nature of the game. Also added to the game was a new character called Flip Top Eddie, who gave you random items throughout the level.
The story of Mega Man 4 is a slight departure from the traditional Dr. Wiley causing chaos and Mega Man having to set things right. The basic story is that after the supposed death of Dr. Wiley, a Russian scientist by the name of Dr. Cossack takes over the helm and has unleashed more Robot Masters unto the world. In the end, however, Dr. Wiley was revealed to coerce Dr. Cossack into making the robots, kidnapping his daughter, but Wiley is thwarted once again by Mega Man.
The development team also held a contest to design some of the robot masters in the game, with over 70,000 submissions made. After seeing a Skull Man entry, the team was so impressed that they scrapped an entire level and dedicated it to him. The 8 winners received a golden colored cartridge of the game, which are extremely rare in this market. Mega Man 4 was met with positive reception and sold well, but was noted to having little improvements from Mega Man 3.
After Mega Man 4, Inafune was once again called to work on Mega Man 5, this time with a new project leader. He gathered many of his old colleagues to make the game feel reasonably difficult, based on their own experiences, considering how Inafune didn’t want a game that would be impossible to players. Capcom once again had a new contest going on to create the 8 Robot Masters, with 130,000 submissions coming in.
Because the team couldn’t find any new grounds to work on, they decided to enhance the already established elements of the previous Mega Man games. Some smaller additions added to the game were a wider range of firing for the charged shot and Beat, a bird assistant received when you collect all of the lettered circuit boards in the stage, spelling MEGAMANV.
The story of Mega Man 4 is a slight departure from the traditional Dr. Wiley causing chaos and Mega Man having to set things right. The basic story is that after the supposed death of Dr. Wiley, a Russian scientist by the name of Dr. Cossack takes over the helm and has unleashed more Robot Masters unto the world. In the end, however, Dr. Wiley was revealed to coerce Dr. Cossack into making the robots, kidnapping his daughter, but Wiley is thwarted once again by Mega Man.
The development team also held a contest to design some of the robot masters in the game, with over 70,000 submissions made. After seeing a Skull Man entry, the team was so impressed that they scrapped an entire level and dedicated it to him. The 8 winners received a golden colored cartridge of the game, which are extremely rare in this market. Mega Man 4 was met with positive reception and sold well, but was noted to having little improvements from Mega Man 3.
After Mega Man 4, Inafune was once again called to work on Mega Man 5, this time with a new project leader. He gathered many of his old colleagues to make the game feel reasonably difficult, based on their own experiences, considering how Inafune didn’t want a game that would be impossible to players. Capcom once again had a new contest going on to create the 8 Robot Masters, with 130,000 submissions coming in.
Because the team couldn’t find any new grounds to work on, they decided to enhance the already established elements of the previous Mega Man games. Some smaller additions added to the game were a wider range of firing for the charged shot and Beat, a bird assistant received when you collect all of the lettered circuit boards in the stage, spelling MEGAMANV.
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| This is starting to get a tad old, don't you think? |
The story is that Dr. Wiley has once again attempted to take over the world and Proto Man is leading the Robot Masters to a path of destruction. Although very confused, Mega Man tries to stop Proto Man, he discovers that it’s not really Proto Man, but a robot that took on the form of him, with the real one showing up. Although destroying the impostor and defeating Dr. Wiley, Dr. Wiley manages to retreat, but with the world saved from his fiendish ways.
The reception of Mega Man 5 was fairly positive, but many critics complained that there was little to no changes made to the game and that everything felt a lot less balanced than the previous games. It was also argued that much of the logic in taking out the Robot Masters made absolutely no sense and relied on guessing their weaknesses than using logic.
Although NES Mega Man was getting old, Capcom felt that the Blue Bomber deserved a last hurrah before retiring his NES career. The answer was Mega Man 6, released in 1993. Designed alongside the first spinoff, Mega Man X, Inafune felt that the game was a very rare opportunity for a series to reach 6 titles, stating that he felt that by that time, making the sequels was based on making the games similar to the previous ones, and adding little changes for the fans.
Unlike the previous contests, Capcom opened their contest of designing the Robot Masters to the United States, with Knight Man and Spring Man winning, with the other 6 coming from Japanese entries. The theme of the design was “The world is our stage”, with what Inafune thought brought a lot of cultural diversity in the game.
The reception of Mega Man 5 was fairly positive, but many critics complained that there was little to no changes made to the game and that everything felt a lot less balanced than the previous games. It was also argued that much of the logic in taking out the Robot Masters made absolutely no sense and relied on guessing their weaknesses than using logic.
Although NES Mega Man was getting old, Capcom felt that the Blue Bomber deserved a last hurrah before retiring his NES career. The answer was Mega Man 6, released in 1993. Designed alongside the first spinoff, Mega Man X, Inafune felt that the game was a very rare opportunity for a series to reach 6 titles, stating that he felt that by that time, making the sequels was based on making the games similar to the previous ones, and adding little changes for the fans.
Unlike the previous contests, Capcom opened their contest of designing the Robot Masters to the United States, with Knight Man and Spring Man winning, with the other 6 coming from Japanese entries. The theme of the design was “The world is our stage”, with what Inafune thought brought a lot of cultural diversity in the game.
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| 6 was a pretty great Mega Man game, with a lot of great stages |
The game’s plot is that the first annual “Robot Masters Tournament” (that totally doesn’t sound like anything will go wrong at all) is being held and Mega Man is called to watch over it. A mysterious figure by the Name of Mr. X announces that the robots have been reprogrammed to take over the world (how am I not surprised). Mr. X reveals himself to be Dr. Wiley after defeat (surprise), and then flees to a new fortress. After being pummeled once more, Dr. Wiley is once again sent to prison.
The game’s reception was fairly positive, with the critics once again complaining about the little to no changes from the series’ signature formula. A lot of websites also argued that the game was a bit too weird for its own good, with many of the designs, storyline, and villain being a weird diversion from what the series is known for.
So with the NES era, a new console has emerged, the SNES. Mega Man’s younger brother X seemed to woo the fans with a fantastic new formula, so will Classic Mega Man bring back fans with a fantastic new premise? Pfffffffffffftt- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- oh yeah, I’m supposed to be serious. *ahem* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- no.
The story of Mega Man 7 is a tad bit more elaborate, with Mega Man and Roll witnessing the destruction of the city by 4 stowed away Robot Masters from Dr. Wiley. In his travels, he meets Bass and Treble (more musical references!) and joins in his efforts to stop Dr. Wiley. After defeating the Robot Masters, Mega Man fought some more Robot Masters and finally Dr. Wiley. Dr. Wiley then reveals that Bass is his creation, who betrays Mega Man by stealing valuable items belonging to Dr. Light. In rage, Mega Man decides to not give Dr. Wiley any more mercy and proceeds to kill him, only to be stopped by Bass, who frees his master from death.
Because of the X series becoming intensely popular, the development team was under time constraints when developing Mega Man 7, taking less than 4 months of development time. Inafune recounted that developing the game was a fun experience and compared it to being in summer came. However, he felt that the game was a tad bit rushed and wished that the game could have done better with another month of development. Unpolished it was, as Mega Man 7 received average reviews for not changing any of the formula and being vastly inferior to Mega Man X. Some did feel it was a good game, but a little too late to be considered relevant to the series anymore, considering how most of the fans moved on to his younger brother, X.
After the not so well reception of Mega Man 7, Capcom felt that it’s time to move on to the Sony PlayStation for greener pastures. Mega Man 8 was created with the same basis and looks of the previous games, but now with anime like FMV sequences made to the game. Like the previous games, Mega Man 8 received over 110,000 ideas from the Japanese audience for Robot Masters and 3 of the Robot Masters were given base skeletons, in which fans could add details. This led to the creation of Sword Man, Clown Man, and Search Man. Inafune also got a new artist to help work on the game, whom he considered to be a student to him.
The game’s reception was fairly positive, with the critics once again complaining about the little to no changes from the series’ signature formula. A lot of websites also argued that the game was a bit too weird for its own good, with many of the designs, storyline, and villain being a weird diversion from what the series is known for.
So with the NES era, a new console has emerged, the SNES. Mega Man’s younger brother X seemed to woo the fans with a fantastic new formula, so will Classic Mega Man bring back fans with a fantastic new premise? Pfffffffffffftt- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- oh yeah, I’m supposed to be serious. *ahem* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- no.
The story of Mega Man 7 is a tad bit more elaborate, with Mega Man and Roll witnessing the destruction of the city by 4 stowed away Robot Masters from Dr. Wiley. In his travels, he meets Bass and Treble (more musical references!) and joins in his efforts to stop Dr. Wiley. After defeating the Robot Masters, Mega Man fought some more Robot Masters and finally Dr. Wiley. Dr. Wiley then reveals that Bass is his creation, who betrays Mega Man by stealing valuable items belonging to Dr. Light. In rage, Mega Man decides to not give Dr. Wiley any more mercy and proceeds to kill him, only to be stopped by Bass, who frees his master from death.
Because of the X series becoming intensely popular, the development team was under time constraints when developing Mega Man 7, taking less than 4 months of development time. Inafune recounted that developing the game was a fun experience and compared it to being in summer came. However, he felt that the game was a tad bit rushed and wished that the game could have done better with another month of development. Unpolished it was, as Mega Man 7 received average reviews for not changing any of the formula and being vastly inferior to Mega Man X. Some did feel it was a good game, but a little too late to be considered relevant to the series anymore, considering how most of the fans moved on to his younger brother, X.
After the not so well reception of Mega Man 7, Capcom felt that it’s time to move on to the Sony PlayStation for greener pastures. Mega Man 8 was created with the same basis and looks of the previous games, but now with anime like FMV sequences made to the game. Like the previous games, Mega Man 8 received over 110,000 ideas from the Japanese audience for Robot Masters and 3 of the Robot Masters were given base skeletons, in which fans could add details. This led to the creation of Sword Man, Clown Man, and Search Man. Inafune also got a new artist to help work on the game, whom he considered to be a student to him.
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| Not the Blue Bomber's best moment. Some could say they bombed the game. lololololo- I'll stop |
The plot of Mega Man 8 is that two robots clash in space, with one of them landing on earth. After finding and reviving him, the robot escapes and Dr. Wiley unleashes his new Robot Masters. After defeating them, he discovers new energy cores in the robots and the escapes robot introduces himself as Duo, revealing that he is trying to destroy the new energy cores, because it contains Evil Energy. After defeating the rest of the Robot Masters, Mega Man faces Dr. Wiley’s henchmen, including Bass, before defeating Dr. Wiley. In the process, Mega Man also destroys all of the Evil Energy, but gets infected. However, Duo comes and cures him, finishing Mega Man’s journey.
Mega Man 8 was released in 1996 and met with mixed to average reviews, with the main criticism being that the game changed absolutely nothing in the formula, and failed to use the PlayStation’s powers to use, as nothing looks or feels different from the previous game, save for the FMV cutscenes.
Mega Man 8 was released in 1996 and met with mixed to average reviews, with the main criticism being that the game changed absolutely nothing in the formula, and failed to use the PlayStation’s powers to use, as nothing looks or feels different from the previous game, save for the FMV cutscenes.
In 2008, Classic Mega Man finally got a return to the spotlight with Mega Man 9, often heralded as one of Mega Man’s best adventures yet. Keiji Inafune expressed that he was interested in an old school Mega Man games since 2004, and with online distribution, a return to Mega Man’s roots was now made possible. Originally, Capcom asked the development team of 20 people to make the game 3D, so it wouldn’t only appeal to old school Mega Man fans. Although they considered making the option of switching between 2D and 3D graphics, the team eventually decided to stay with the traditional NES graphics. The team’s goal was to make the “new Mega Man 3”, as 2 was often called the best Mega Man.
The story of Mega Man 9 is that Dr. Light is being blamed for the destruction in the city and Mega Man goes to investigate, with suspicions laying on Dr. Wiley. After defeating the Robot Masters and defeating Dr. Wiley, Dr. Wiley begs more mercy only to fool Mega Man into thinking Dr. Light was sick with a fake Dr. Light set up, which allowed Dr. Wiley to escape once more.
The reception of Mega Man 9 was phenomenal, with many of the critics agreeing that Mega Man’s return to his roots was an incredibly smart move, with the gameplay being extremely tight and fun, with many comparing the polish and high levels of quality with that of Mega Man 2. Inafune was extremely pleased with Mega Man 9, saying that the game has far exceeded his expectations.
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| Definitely one of Mega Man's best adventures |
We now reach the last game of the Classic series, Mega Man 10, which was made because of the overwhelmingly positive reception of Mega Man 9. According to Inafune, Mega Man 10 was made with the idea of exceeding the expectations of those who enjoyed Mega Man and bringing back the older Mega Man player who have given up the series. Many of the elements that were present in Mega Man 9 were carried over to 10, and Treble and Proto Man (who was DLC for Mega Man 9) made their returns as playable characters. Also added was an easy mode, a first to any of the Classic Mega Mans, which were usually challenging in nature.
The story of Mega Man 9 was about a disease called Roboenza (lol) being spread and Roll catching it. Dr. Wiley has a cure, but it was kidnapped by the infected robots that have gone berserk. Mega Man, Bass, and Proto Man all went forth on a conquest to find the cure for the robots. In the end, it was revealed that Dr. Wiley was behind the outbreak and was using the cure as a means to have infected robots work as a bribe to him. After fighting in outer space, Dr. Wiley himself becomes dangerously sick, but gets help in a hospital. As a sign of gratitude, Dr. Wiley leaves enough antidotes behind to restore all of the infected robots.
Mega Man 10 received positive reception for its tight gameplay (like Mega Man 9) and challenge mode, but was criticized for its short length. The game may have not been as huge as Mega Man 9, but Capcom felt satisfied with the overall finish of the product and the sales and reception.
The story of Mega Man 9 was about a disease called Roboenza (lol) being spread and Roll catching it. Dr. Wiley has a cure, but it was kidnapped by the infected robots that have gone berserk. Mega Man, Bass, and Proto Man all went forth on a conquest to find the cure for the robots. In the end, it was revealed that Dr. Wiley was behind the outbreak and was using the cure as a means to have infected robots work as a bribe to him. After fighting in outer space, Dr. Wiley himself becomes dangerously sick, but gets help in a hospital. As a sign of gratitude, Dr. Wiley leaves enough antidotes behind to restore all of the infected robots.
Mega Man 10 received positive reception for its tight gameplay (like Mega Man 9) and challenge mode, but was criticized for its short length. The game may have not been as huge as Mega Man 9, but Capcom felt satisfied with the overall finish of the product and the sales and reception.
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Conclusion:
Mega Man has always been a phenomenal series to me. Albeit it not having all high points, I have dearly loved the games I have played on the NES. Maybe it's the fantastic gameplay, or the charm in the looks and actions of the Robot Masters and Mega Man, or maybe it's the music that woos me with its brilliance, but every time I put in a Mega Man game, I always feel this sense of enjoyment. It also helps that the challenge in great in the games, always making your accomplishments feel well deserved. And I actually beat Dr. Wiley, unlike Garaa, who is mega failing the first game (U MAD GARAA!? trolololololololololol #trolling #juicy #lol #HiGaraa #HiShiro).
Anyways, Mega Man has always been a highlight of the NES for me and one of my favorite series of all time. To me, nothing can match the bliss of fixing my errors that led to my death, before finally beating the Robot Master, with hopes that my assumption of their weakness is correct. It's just fun that distinguishes itself from every other series and I wouldn't want it any other way. And to answer the question everyone always wonders when someone talks about Mega Man, Mega Man 2 is my favorite Mega Man.
Thanks for reading.
Wonderful blog!
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