Growing Up on Mega Man

Like many of you readers I love video games. A good fraction of my downtime is spent towards playing, talking, writing, and discussing them with other people. I think video games are one of if not the greatest form of digital artistry out there, and people who disagree don’t respect or can fully understand how far the medium has gotten. Artists, writers, and programmers teaming up together to create interactive works people can engage with or connect to. Video games are art & forever will be art, but there was a point in my life where I didn't care about video games on the same level I do now. Middle school to be precise, which makes sense. Adolescence is the age in which we’re trying to figure ourselves out, and right up until midway through high school does our tiny little minds finally spark. Letting the pieces fall into place and thinking something like, “I want to be the greatest boiled egg gobbler in the world,” or another line similar to it. The point I’m trying to make is that childhood is interesting, and I certainly had an interesting childhood.

2011 is when I was given my first video game console, the Nintendo Wii. It was cheap compared to an Xbox 360 or PS3, and my parents wanted me to play tamer titles unlike a majority of the M-rated titles ruling the video game market. The next year for Christmas the gifted console was a 3DS, and then the next was a Wii U. What I don’t want you readers thinking was that I wasn’t grateful, or I wish I had gotten one of the other two consoles instead. I’m happy my parents were able to afford me great games, and many of the other things I got at a younger age. Books, films, drawing books, music, headphones, etc. It’s just that whereas my classmates grew up playing big hits like Mass Effect, Halo, Uncharted, Dragon Age, Red Dead Redemption, and more I was stuck with Super Mario, Sonic The Hedgehog, Kirby, and The Legend of Zelda. It led to me not being able to connect with others as easily. I was a weird kid. Overly obsessed with the games I loved and wishing more people would check them out. Unable to realize my mind didn’t mature at the same rate as other people. Eventually I learned to stop caring and enjoy what I love. Such as the topic of today. A game series I always wanted to talk about as it was an important aspect of me growing up. However, I never knew how to present it and was afraid of doing so.

The game series I’m talking about is Mega Man, specifically the classic series. There’s been tons of spinoffs and side series since the conception of Mega Man, but I want to talk about the classic mainline. A lot of people have grown up with Mega Man. The NES era saw the resurrection of the gaming industry once more after the adaptation of P.T killed it all those years ago. Reaching a point where there’s a whole landfill consisting of P.T for the Atari. Nintendo resurrected gaming, and then came dozens of developers wanting to show off what they were capable of. Companies such as Konami, Tecmo, and of course Capcom. The first video game series they ever made was Street Fighter and of course Mega Man. A story about a house cleaning robot turned hero after his creator’s other machines were turned evil by his former colleague. The original Mega Man could’ve honestly been the first and last, but Capcom kept building with each entry. Learning more each time and turning Mega Man into a household name. With 11 mainline entries, spinoff series such as Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero, television shows, merchandise, and an active community to this day. People love Mega Man ever since those hopping 8-bit sprites on the NES, and it’s how a majority of Mega Man fans grew up with the franchise. Classic nostalgia for all those simplistic titles, but then there’s me. Someone who wasn’t alive when they came out. A guy born years after the originals, and somehow feel deeply in love with the series.

Today I want to discuss the Mega Man series, and why it led to me loving games so much.

Childhood

Artwork by Hitoshi Ariga. Go read the mangas!

So as I stated earlier I didn’t play a lot of games growing up due to how I was mainly gifted just Nintendo consoles during the holidays. They were something I attended for fun rather than a full on hobby. An activity to keep my thumbs busy after getting all my homework done. The Wii U was when I started to care more, and 2014 they were getting to release a new Super Smash Bros. One of the first new fighters they announced was Mega Man, and my ten year old mind at this time wondered who he was. Then my father budded, and went on a rant of having watched that old cartoon as a kid. The one with the terrible humor and weirdass designs, but maybe the series was good for people at the time. I don’t know. I thought it was weird too based on clips I saw. Anyways, my father talked about how cool Mega Man was but how he never got to play it. He just watched the cartoon, and some years before he gave my older sister a trilogy of manga. She passed them down to me in hopes I would pick up reading more, because apparently I was one of many kids who didn’t enjoy reading. I loved writing and spelling, but not the act of reading. 

At age 11 I decided to give these mangas a go, those being the Mega Man Megamix series. I love these books, and I’m being serious when I say this is one of my favorite manga/comics based on a game series ever made. It got me to not only look more into reading, but care about a game I thought I would never play. The Megamix series was made by Hotoshi Ariga, and the goal they were given was to take a simplistic NES action platforming franchise and transform it into this complex mature storytelling. A task that’s difficult to achieve with how Mega Man isn’t the most complex nor convoluted series out there. Yet, Ariga pulled it off by creating a compelling world, characters, and story about a boy not just learning about what it means to be human but also  to protect everyone. Whether they're a human or robot, and even if they don’t share the same world views as him. This inspired me as a kid. It wasn’t the saddest story in the world, but it changed how I saw people. Connections I could form, and with enough hard work I can stand tall as the Blue Bomber himself. I read these mangas to hell back, purchased the Gigamix series which was a continuation to Megamix, and began looking up Mega Man lore. Playthroughs of these games and dreaming of one day finally playing them. I even redrew the art of each character. Wanting to capture the artistry and love put into these comics. Another thing I love about Megamix is how it reimagines every character. Modernizing their looks and thinking what they’d look like today.

My main was Mega Man when Super Smash Bros for Wii U rolled around, and there used to be a website I’d use to play emulated versions of the Mega Man series. Unfortunately this site almost gave the family computer a virus, and I never used it again. I thought I’d never play these games, but then Capcom announced the release of the Legacy Collection. The first six games all bundled into one package. Sold for $30 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo 3DS. I had one of these consoles. My father took me to Best Buy to purchase the game day one, and for two years straight I played nothing but Mega Man. Well there was also Shovel Knight, but maybe that’ll be a story for another day. The first six Mega Man games became my most played games on that lil handheld system. Replaying them over and over to the point I could beat the game without dying & within under an hour each. I can’t do that anymore because it’s been quite a bit of time since I played them, but it was something I was proud of. These games are notoriously difficult even by today’s standard, but I got good. I mastered their design, difficulty, and showed these skills off to classmates. It was something I could finally be happy about. Mega Man was my childhood.

The Art of Good Game Design

Something I’ve always loved about the Mega Man series was how it was built with replayability in mind. More specifically how the first half offers so many choices on how players can tackle their playthrough. Each entry aside from Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 8 start the player onto a select screen upon initiating their journey. A handful of Robot Masters to choose from each with their own themed stages. All containing different enemies, mechanics, and challenges for you to overcome. It's a very open choice design, and I love it. The same design Shovel Knight attempts to recapture. Now there is criticism to be made on how Mega Man is designed around difficulty. Again, these games are notoriously hard. Requiring precision, quick reaction, always being on the run, and punishing you with instant death on occasion. Every single Mega Man player knows that the first sight on spikes is one giant, “Oh f*ck”. It leads to constant random difficulty spikes, and some stages being harder than the others. Quick Man’s stage is a wild contrast to Metal Man and Wood Man, because it’s filled with instant death lasers that cover the screen in seconds. It's a double edged sword, and yet it works so well. It means if one level is too hard or you’re not capable of handling you can try one of the other levels instead. Potentially beat an easier level or boss, obtain their weapons, find/buy some items, and make the harder level easier. Mega Man is not an RPG where you gotta spend time doing optional tasks or grinding for EXP. It’s a linear game worming you towards an end goal, and it’s incredibly well paced.

The first half of Mega Man games being so open with choice is why they’re so replayable. The player could try a different strategy for new games, or challenges themselves in interesting ways. It also leads to my second favorite aspect about Mega Man games, and it’s the weakness system. Mega Man is a game of rock, paper, scissors. Every time you beat a Robot Master you obtain a weapon. For example, beating Elec Man will grant you the Thunder Beam which is a giant ray of lightning that travels forward. This opens up a new way Mega Man can fight enemies and tackle problems, but eventually you learn some Robot Masters can be defeated quicker using the right weapon. Transforming a difficult game into an easier one. Now this does come with two caveats. The first is those who don’t know the weaknesses may have an annoying time trying to figure them out. Made worse with how the logic of Robot Master weaknesses got worse by the fifth or sixth entry. Mega Man 1 made the most sense. Use scissors to cut electrical worse, use electricity to zap ice which is like water, and use ice to freeze fire. Mega Man 6 has you using a flash power Centaur Man gives you to easily beat Wind Man. The second problem, which is more a modern day issue, is if you know the weaknesses it transforms an open choice journey into a linear one. Do this guy, then this guy, and repeat until you hit the castle stages. Double edge sword design, and yet I love it so much. There’s a video by Razbuten about how the best games ever have to be bad at times, and I understand what he meant by it. The most unique games ever made had to go f*ck up at some point to achieve what they want. That’s what Mega Man is. It’s a game series with these drastic flaws, and they still shine despite them. Mainly due to how they were built with the main thought of just wanting to create a good video game. Something you engage with.

I love how Mega Man showcases level mechanics and enemies without having to stop & explain. Not just because it’s an old ass game and they couldn’t have them, but because there’s a reward in letting the player figure things out. Either by witnessing it or dying to it. Before he became a bit unfunny to watch, Egoraptor or in other words Arin Hanson, had an amazing video discussing the design of Mega Man. Of players figuring things out through simply playing. The same design philosophy that would go on to inspire my beloved Shovel Knight. Each level tests and gets the player used to different ideas, and eventually rolling around the corner are the castle stages. The final tests for the player that combines everything they learned and pushes it to the limit. A set of stages that challenges players to use their arsenal, manage resources, and fight the big bad Wily. Significant spikes in difficulty, but even despite all this Mega Man is so fun to play. It’s easy to pick up and hard to master. When you beat it you don’t just feel relieved. You wonder how you could’ve done it differently. If you can beat the game master, without dying so much, or form a different strategy. So you go in again, beat it the second time, and then the third. Not everyone will feel the same way I do, but for the longest time I had this joyous mindset. Playing a game cuz it’s simplistic fun. Not saying games have gotten worse, but Mega Man got me to see games as more than just activitiesfor empty time. It got me to appreciate game design. 

A Fascinating Universe

The universe of the Mega Man series has always been one I really loved. I acknowledge that the Mega Man series does not contain the deepest plots in the world and it wasn’t until Mega Man X that they started putting some real effort in. Yet, I love this universe and how it explores a future where mankind puts heavy investment into robots. Expanding that universe over time and to me personally it’s one of the more believable science fiction settings I’ve seen. The first game’s plot is that famous scientist Dr. Light, alongside his close friend since university Dr Wily, wanted to create a series of robots that could help the world. Make basic tasks much easier, but these were not your typical robots. These were humanoid machines capable of acting and learning on their own. They were titled ‘Robot Masters’ and they each specialized in their own field. Elec Man for example would be stationed to work in power plants, and Guts Man would help with heavy duty lifting and construction. Before these six Robot Masters there were also two others robots. Three to be exact, but let’s just focus on the two. They were 2 child-esque robots designed to help the old man in his lab and clean up the house. Rock and Roll, also yes it’s a music pun. Now a good chunk of you know how the rest of this story goes. Dr. Wily grows jealous of Light’s constantly being praised for his achievements, corrupts the Robot Masters, announces his plan to take over the world, and Rock becomes a battle bot.

Leading to countless games where Mega Man and Dr. Wily duke it out. It’s such a cool premise in my opinion despite how simplistic it is. A simple house robot turned hero. Saving the world not just from a mad scientist, but also in some way from themselves. Technology has advanced so much they tried making life easier by replacing workers with machines. Abusing these robots, and eventually those robots revolted or built up some form of hate. At least that’s how I imagine it. A majority of Robot Masters turn evil because Dr. Wily is just simply evil. He does it for the sh*ts and giggles, hence why he keeps coming back for every single game entry. I like how the Robot Masters were initially to help with day to day life. With the first game’s lineup it’s easy to see what each Robot Master was made for. Cut Man would work in a sawmill, and Ice Man was designed to sustain cold temperatures and work in the arctic. The Megamix mangas, and comic series by Archie Comics would explore this even further. Adding depth to the NES saga. Rock goes out to not only beat Dr. Wily, but save his brothers and friends from corruption. Bring them back into society so they can grow, learn, and live just like he does. I love Rock as a character. Plenty of stories have explored the question of, “Can a robot be considered human if they contain all the traits that make a human?” Can a robot freely choose and act outside the laws of robotics? Mega Man has certainly explored that a bit over the years whether it be the games or comics. In Mega Man 7 our hero decides whether or not to finally kill Wily at the end. Wanting to end this constant cycle of war and destruction, but fails at doing so. In the mangas/comics they explore Rock’s morality. His ability to copy his brothers’ weapons and the temptation of power. Slowly turning into what he fights, and learning to control it.

Future games would expand on the universe and show how vast Mega Man was. Mega Man 4 for the first half follows a new scientist, Dr. Cossack, as he orders his Robot Masters to hunt down the Blue Bomber after being blackmailed by Dr. Wily. Mega Man 3 introduces Proto Man, a.k.a Blues, the first robot Light ever built but ran away from home after hearing his creator wanted to make more robots with similar functionality to him. The fear of being replaced weighed on his shoulders, so he left as is now sorta a rival to Rock. Becoming more of an ally with each game & stepping in when times get rough. The fact multiple scientists aside from Light and Wily are out making Robot Masters. Testing crazy ideas and seeing how exactly to help the world. It’s not for every game though. Only for the first, fourth, sixth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh game. All the other entries have robots made by Wily simply for the purpose of being weapons. The fun comes from imagining what these guys do outside of fighting. Hence why I’m always excited to see what the next lineup of baddies are for a new Mega Man game. My love for these guys also comes from having deep appreciation for the artists who drafted them up. The artists are amazing people.

Drawing several versions of the same dude until they eventually settle with one concept that they think is best. I own a book containing all the concept art between each game up until the tenth, and it’s fun to see what these guys looked like in between each stage. The thought process, each individual change, and what led to the final idea. Every robot is themed after their name, so the artists had to think of something cool that best fit each Robot Master’s unique theme. Dive Man is a literal walking submarine, or Napalm Man having tank treads for feet seeing how he’s been outfitted with weapons designed for warfare. Not every Robot Master idea is good though. Every Mega Man fan can admit this and it’s around the fifth game the ideas started slowly getting dumb and dumber. Mega Man 10 was the one for me that made me realize they ran out of ideas. With the same themes repeating each game, that's probably why Mega Man 11 took such a long time to then be conceived. I mean that game has repeating themed Robot Masters too, but at least the designs of them are actually cool and sensible. Like you understand what they were made for. I don’t have a single clue what Blade Man was for seeing how his arms are swords. Still, tons of respect for the people who drew these guys. Mega Man just has a cool universe in my opinion. The timeline doesn’t stop there. Mega Man X is a follow-up to the Mega Man series and shows how far humanity has gotten. With every robot being a sentient being, and new protagonist X being Light’s last creation. Outfitted with fancier tech to combat the dangers of the farther future, and then Mega Man Zero happens sveral years afterward. Then Mega Man ZX and finally Mega Man Legends. All aside from Mega Man X my fingers haven't touched, but one day I will. I love it all. Love, love, lovey love, love.

Fish paste.

Reflecting on The Past: Part 1

Time for the part of this essay that’s gonna be longer than literally everything else. Reflecting on each of the games, giving little mini reviews, and ranking them from most to least favorite. It's a fun thing to do seeing how I have played these games multiple times now, and even replayed them recently just to see how my much matured mind can analyze the changes among each entry. Even though a majority of these games are functionally the same, but f*ck it why not? This will only be coverage for the 11 mainline entries. I’ve not played the GameBoy games, Sega entries, or the remake they did of Mega Man 1 for the PSP. I also want to note. It helps keep this essay consistent, and we’ll do the ranking last because it is more fun to see how the games changed in numerical order rather than be all over the place. Does that sit well with you? Cool? Cool. Okay.

Mega Man 1: It’s surprising that Mega Man ever became the series it is now, because although I enjoy Mega Man 1 and have fond memories playing it over and over compared to the rest of the series it’s really rough. A common trend amongst a majority of video game franchises. The first has to set the groundwork, and future entries build upon it. A good chunk of levels in the first are pretty well designed, but they don’t push the mechanics like the future stages do. The stages also contain the most wild difficulty curves in the series. Gut Man’s stage has a tricky platforming bit at the start, but after that it’s smooth sailing to the boss. Elec Man’s stage is good, but then you fight him and he kills you in three shots. Being the fastest and hardest boss in the game. Weapons aren’t the greatest either. Thunder Beam is amazing, and the Rolling Cutter and Fire Storm are alright. The other three are pretty useless most of the time with Super Arm specifically entirely being situational. You need blocks to grab and throw, and every level has that. Mega Man 1 also made the mistake of locking at item you need in one specific stage. You can replay stages, but the annoyance of having to go back to get it. Made worse with how it’s in Elec Man’s stage, and how you need Gut Man’s weapon to get it. A boss you may potentially fight after dealing with Elec Man. This tool is needed to navigate the first Wily Castle, because if not you can’t progress. Mega Man 1 isn’t great, but I can’t really get angry at it. Again, it’s the first entry in the series. Seeing how these games started is endearing and I’m not saying the game isn’t fun. I played the sh*t out of Mega Man 1, and going back was endearing. This to me the best 7.5/10 game made, and like all okay first entries there’s room to improve.

Mega Man 2: The second entry in the Mega Man series is not only a great sequel but considered by many to be one of the greatest games of all time. Smoothing out the rough edges of the first, and being more of what the first aimed to be. It’s a miracle Mega Man 2 exists, because the first was a financial flop and the team needed to quickly pick up if they wanted Mega Man to be a good household name. Thankfully they did and Mega Man 2 became the best amongst the NES saga. Mega Man controls well, the levels are better designed, better weapons, difficulty is more balanced, and the game introduced small improvements most wouldn’t notice. Each of the Robot Masters are weak to two weapons rather than one. Meaning the order you can go in is more varied. E-Tanks that’ll refill the player’s health to max making difficult fights more manageable. Traversal items so the player has easier ways of navigating platforming sections. Mega Man 2 is not an entirely balanced game though. Heat Man and Quick Man’s stage are significant difficulty spikes compared to the other six. One weapon dominates above the rest. The Metal Blades which you get from Metal Man who’s pretty easy especially on normal. Mega Man 2 introduced two difficulty settings after Capcom feared they made it and the first game too hard. An addition that is pretty welcome in my opinion, but I’m not sure they considered the balancing well. With how the Metal Blades can be aimed in any direction, rapid fired, and consume ammo slowly. Despite these complaints Mega Man 2 is a really fun game. Damn addicting fun that’s a joy to come back too. It also has the best soundtrack in the series. Mega Man has always had a killer soundtrack, and Mega Man 2 is often listed as being the best. Which I love and hate, because yes it is that good but I wish more people would list out or hum tracks to the other games. 9/10. Only two other games with the same rating.

Mega Man 3: The third entry in the NES saga was rushed. Made within under a year to bank off of the success of Mega Man 2. Balancing is all over the place yet again, and some weapons are more useless than ever before. The Top Spin barely works because it’s a midair attack that needs to contact enemies. Leading to you taking damage half the time. Snake Search is a little ground projectile, and ground weapons are usually useless seeing how most enemies are running, flying, or hopping like frogs. Which is funny because the fourth game has Frog Man. They wanted the third game to be longer, but unlike future games which had two castles to navigate instead they have the Doc Robots. A boss that mimics the Robot Masters of the second game, and is annoying to fight seeing how you got to apply this game’s weaponry to second game boss weaknesses. An example of how rushed development time can lead to worse results, but for some reason I still like Mega Man 3. There’s gonna be a repeating theme for this essay where I enjoy games that are okay for most people. Mega Man 3 introduces the slide and it’s not just a traversal maneuver. It can also be used to quickly dodge attacks and reposition yourself in boss fights. Allowing bosses to be faster and more reactive as future games came along. Proto Man was introduced and he’s as vital a character as Dr. Wily is. Adding a bit of depth and background to a series that’s simplistic up until this point. Rock got a dog named Rush, and that became a staple too. Showing this blue robot finds joy among animals and adding more humanity to him. The stages are still fun to run through, and despite not being as good as Mega Man 2 the Robot Master ideas are still great. Fan favorite Shadow Man being among my top ten Robot Masters conjured. Mega Man 3 is good and gets an 8/10.

Mega Man 4: Still not good as Mega Man 2, but a significant step up from Mega Man 3. This is the game that attempted to expand upon the universe a bit. Introducing a new antagonist & even a cool intro exploring just how cool Mega Man is as a hero. The charge shot was introduced and while not being as great of an addition like the slide it’s still wonderous. Rewarding players for preparing shots to instant kill most basic enemies or deal hefty damage to bosses. The mechanics for each level are better and more creative than the third. Ring Man’s stage has platforms that disappear the moment you step onto them meaning you gotta be quick. Bright Man has a level that covers itself in darkness when you destroy lightbulb enemies, and platforms that ride along rails and you gotta quickly hop off of. More time was given to Mega Man 4, so instead of the bad Doc Robot fights from the last game you instead got two castles. Each level being uniquely made with care. The plot twist that Dr. Wily being behind it all along did lead to a repeating problem. Where any future game attempting to have a new villain wasn’t mysterious, because this asshole comes back. The weapons are still fun to use and I would go as far to say they’re better than the ones in Mega Man 2. A ring boomerang, homing missiles, bombs you can self detonate, a skull barrier, and balls of fire you can charge and throw. Robot Masters are really cool too. Skull Man, Dive Man, Drill Man, and Pharaoh Man being another one of my favorites. Mega Man 4 isn't as good as Mega Man 2, but it’s still a great game. Gets an 8.5/10. Held back with occasional bullsh*t and also the point fans debated if the series got old.

Mega Man 5: I think Mega Man 5 is good. It’s the most refined entry in the NES saga. With level design and difficulty that feels less cheap, and all the Robot Masters being designed around the Mega Buster in mind. You can beat all eight of them using your basic attack, and there’s no point where any of ‘em pulled a move that felt unavoidable or dealt more damage than they should. Mega Man 5 is the second easiest behind Mega Man 2, but also a bit less high stakes. This is the point when Mega Man slowly decreased in challenge to the point we got Mega Man 8. The story is lower stakes too. ‘Proto Man is trying to take over the world.’ I’m sorry but did we not learn anything from Mega Man 4? It’s Dr. Wily again, who knew? Weapons went back to mostly being ground weapons, and if it’s anything I also learned it’s that almost all of them suck. Power Stone is the worst shield weapon Mega Man has ever given to the player, the Charge Kick has the exact same problem the Top Spin in Mega Man 3 had but now along the ground, and Gravity Hold introduced screen clear attacks. Not even a weapon you fire. Just kills everything on screen or deals massive damage to a boss. No skills and no strategy. Press attack and it does the work. I still like Mega Man 5 and would even go as far to say it’s rivaled with the sixth for being my sixth favorite in the series. Two entries away before the ideas for the Robot Masters started to kinda suck, and the game attempted to build upon Proto Man as an ally to our protagonist rather than a foe. Still worth playing if you like what the series is doing.

Mega Man 6: I think Mega Man 6 was also a good game. Again, personal bias. Premise this time around is that the mysterious Mr. X held a tournament to see who had the strongest robots ever made, but secretly used this opportunity to corrupt eight of ‘em for personal use. It’s actually just Wily again, but this premise opened up something cool for Mega Man. The idea that everyone in the world is competing to make society help robots, and that these Robot Masters can represent their respective cultures. Centaur Man hails from Greece and his stage has you navigate sunken ruins. Tomahawk Man is from the United States and you blast your way through a desert. I can tell Yamato Man was the one the artists enjoyed the most making, and Knight Man came from a competition. Each Mega Man has a contest that lets fans design a Robot Master. The best one is chosen by the team and incorporated into the game. Knight Man was the winner, and so his stage is set in a castle with medieval traps. Mega Man 6 introduces the Rush Adaptor which grants our hero the ability of either flight or better strength. The latter isn’t as good as the first, but this then grants the developers more range on what levels can do. With some stages containing alternate paths or shorter routes to the end. I really like Mega Man 6, but it shows the team were straying further away from what made this series great. Simplistic fun and mechanical build through the level design rather than character gimmicks. It's tied alongside Mega Man 5 for being my sixth favorite in the series. A great end to the NES saga.

Reflecting on The Past: Part 2

Everything after the NES era of Mega Man was weird. The video game industry was growing up rapidly, and Capcom was growing too. Concocting more well established franchises such as the well loved Resident Evil series, but they didn’t want to let go of the Blue Bomber just yet. They wanted Mega Man to grow up too and tried to modernize it for each console. During this time they also made several mistakes and slowly began to kill what good faith Mega Man had. With several spinoff series than you can count, and at time it was jumping the shark. Bringing us to two of the most divisive games in the series:

Mega Man 7: Among all the entries I’ve played in the classic Mega Man series, this and eighth are the ones I choose not to replay. Mega Man 7 was their attempt to finally bring Mega Man to the Super Nintendo. Mega Man now in glorious 16-bit detail and varied colors, but they already had this. Mega Man X up until this point had three games, and was the next step Mega Man had needed. The game was faster to a lot of people, contained level exploration, secrets, and a sense of progression past Mega Man games didn’t have. Mega Man 7 tries to do what Mega Man X did but without the speed. Leading to a game that feels not clunky, but awkward to play compared to Mega Man X and even past Mega Man entries. The secrets are more obtuse than ever and I don’t know how kids back then were able to find them without a guide. The item shop is a great new addition, but the cost of items are so high I didn’t find myself using it often. This is also the point where Robot Master ideas really started to get dumb. With guys like Spring Man and Cloud Man apparently stirring up trouble. Bosses stun everytime you hit them with their weaknesses, which is a problem some bosses in Mega Man X had. I’ve said the word ‘some’ a lot throughout the big essay, but here it's more critical than ever. Every Robot Master in Mega Man 7 stuns when hit with their weakness, and it creates a pattern of waiting till it’s done so you can do it again. I don’t hate Mega Man 7, but it’s definitely my least favorite in the series. With weird feeling gameplay, sprites that take up a majority of the screen, and to me the least replay value. Seeing how you’re locked to four Robot Masters at the start kills the wide choice these games offer you. Truly the most confusing game, but at least the next was better. Sorta.

Mega Man 8: We went from Nintendo hardware to the PlayStation. The biggest step Mega Man has made to date! Except it wasn’t, because despite coming out a year later Mega Man X4 was then conceived and felt like a bigger step forward than Mega Man 8. At least the classic series didn’t crash and burn like Mega Man X. Similar to Mega Man 7 this game feels weird to play. It too is my least played game in the series ever having beaten it once. Mega Man is the slowest he has ever been. They took a series known for precision and quick reaction, and transformed it into the exact opposite. A slow platformer with some of the most boring level design this series has seen up until this point. Being much longer and bloated than before. The Robot Masters aren’t as lame as Mega Man 7, but they still aren’t all that great. What I will give Mega Man 8 credit for is shrinking the sprite work down. Allowing the action to feel less cluttered and giving more room to the platforming. Oh yeah, there’s voice acting now as well as cutscenes. Nice animation, but unfortunately the english voice acting sucks because this is the PlayStation 1 era. Rock despite looking like a teenager sounds like a little girl, and Dr. Light sounds like your coworker getting ready to have a stroke rather than an old man. Mega Man 8 is better than Mega Man 7, but not by a lot. This alongside the rapidly declining Mega Man X series should’ve been the final nail in the coffin. The games that would kill Mega Man, but they weren’t. Somehow things got better.

Mega Man 9: This was the return to form Mega Man needed for a long time. This time not made by Capcom and instead by Inti Creates. Former Capcom devs who went on to make Gunvolt and Bloodstained: Curse of The Moon. Mega Man 9 is Mega Man in its basic form. No slide, charge shot, two castles to go through, rush adaptors, or level exploration. Simple straightforward stages you run and gun through. It’s the closest the series got to Mega Man 2, but it demonstrated going back to basics didn’t mean you give up speed and reaction. Levels are as hardy as the NES saga, and while they’re not fairly designed at times I very much like it. The mechanics they mess with, and stacking them together during the Wily Castle stages. Every weapon now is useful and feels well accounted for. This is my favorite arsenal in a Mega Man game aside from Mega Man 11. A fear many people had was that Mega Man would finally run out of Robot Master ideas. That they did every idea in the book, but Mega Man 9 pulled out some really great ideas! Tornado Man, Galaxy Man, Splash Woman, Hornet Man, etc. The mentioned Galaxy Man is a flying saucer, Magma Man is in the shape of a volcano, and Hornet Man has honey combs for a chest. I adore the premise. Dr. Light is framed for the ensuing chaos seeing how the new Robot Masters were made by him. Showing he was willing to create more outside the first DLN robots. Then Wily returned, brought up their expiration dates, and they grew afraid of being scrapped. It is Rock going out yet again to save his fellow siblings. Mega Man 9 introduces Proto Man as a playable character, and while not entirely different from Mega Man he brings some new challenges to the table. Mega Man 9 is fantastic. Easily one of top three in the series and it gets a 9/10. It also has my favorite soundtrack since Mega Man 2. Go listen to it..

Mega Man 10: This game almost made the exact same mistake Mega Man 3 made for me. Two years of development to bank off the success of Mega Man 9. It’s not rushed and it’s still a really well made game. Certainly better than all the past games, and containing the most replayability now that there’s three characters to fight as. To me it’s not Mega Man 9 though. Mega Man 9 did a great job bringing the series back, and Mega Man 10 reverts fans back to wondering if this long running series was getting old. With Robot Masters even worse than the ones in Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 8. I guess the levels are better designed than Mega Man 9, and Dr. Wily is helping a cause he knows will affect his and everyone else’s lives. A sickness that infects robots and either makes them go mad or fall apart. We’re ten games in though, and you know what the story is. It is not surprising anymore, and that’s why Mega Man 10 isn't as exciting for me as Mega Man 9 was. It’s still a really fun game though! Well balanced and reintroducing the difficulty settings Mega Man 2 had, but in a better light. With the easiest setting adding platforms so new players don’t struggle as much with instant death pits and traps. Bass feels like a Mega Man X character thrown into classic Mega Man, and there’s E-Tanks in stages than in Mega Man 9 where most of them had to be bought from the shop. Mega Man 10 is still highly worth playing, but in a few ways it’s a step back from the fresh return of Mega Man 9. 8.5/10, still really good.

Mega Man 11: This was my most anticipated game of 2018. More so than Smash Bros. Ultimate. I was jumping up and down in my seat when they announced Mega Man 11, and bought it day one to play it during the weekend. Mega Man 11 is one of if not the best game in the franchise. Not just because it's the most recent entry, but because it’s the most accessible game in the series to date. All thanks to the biggest change Mega Man has ever received, the Double Gear system. Allowing Mega Man to power up his shots, or slow down time. Creating high stakes moments where the player has to utilize a momentary to time slow to get past tricky sections or the bosses who are equipped with Double Gear systems as well. Mega Man 11 changes the art style again, but unlike Mega Man 7 or Mega Man 8 this one looks great. Containing a cartoony look that fits well for a series built upon cartoon robot drawings. This game also came out during the Capcom renaissance. The company almost ran themselves into the dirt during the 2010s, and had to spend a ton of time strategizing what Resident Evil 7 would be. That game became a masterpiece and slowly Capcom brought back their acclaimed franchises. Mega Man 11 being the first game in 8 years, and slapping so hard it invited a whole new wave of Mega Man fans. More awesome ideas for  Robot Masters, more killer ass music, the best levels in the series, and more world building in the form of exploring Light and Wily’s youth. Mega Man 11 is amazing, but I don’t know if I would suggest playing it first. It felt rewarding back then and even now because I played every other game beforehand. Seeing the series grow and evolve into this. It’s why one of the first titles I chose to review on this site was Mega Man 11. To showcase my love for gaming, and my slow rise into becoming a fanatic. Mega Man 11 is still amazing as I remember, maybe even better. Gave it a 9/10 back then, and now uprading to a 9.5/10.

The Year is 2026

As much as I love Mega Man as a whole I’m not afraid to admit it’s not for everyone. The series is hard. Niche by today’s standard, and a lot of people are gonna struggle with those older games. There are plenty of titles including platformers that have come out over the years. Titles that are much better designed, interesting, and fairer than Mega Man. The series isn’t as profitable as it was before either. As amazing as Mega Man 11 was, it did not sell well. It bombed when it came out in 2018 partially due to Capcom having released Monster Hunter: World earlier in the year, and the rise of high quality indie titles like Celeste and The Messenger. This game was supposed to mark the return and potential of new Mega Man games, but all we got were collections of the older games. Part of this made me sad when I was in high school. Witnessing the failure unravel and Mega Man losing relevance as an established franchise. Nobody wanted to take inspiration for Mega Man anymore, but I was proven wrong. The rise of indie games has shown developers trying to succeed what inspired them. Titles like Shovel Knight, Gravity Circuit, and Gunvolt all pay respect to what came before. The Mega Man fanbase still remains active to this very day. I have seen tons of fangames come out from these guys, and they’ve all been really cool. Maybe I’ll play some of them. Who knows. Not really excited for anything coming in 2026.

Mega Man is fantastic, but I thought a 12th game would never happen. Then the Game Awards. An orchestra showcasing a surprise release, a sci-fi hallway, and my brain guessing it would be a shooter or Half-Life game like everyone was predicting. Then the title DLN-001 appeared, and I knew exactly what it was. Mega Man; Dual Override set to release in 2027. Farther than I had hoped, but this is the most exciting I’ve been for a video game since Hollow Knight: Silksong. I’m happy Capcom is giving the Blue Bomber another go. 

I love Mega Man. It’s the reason I love video games so much, and without it I wouldn’t have got into this hobby. I am thankful this series exists. I am thankful for the people who helped make all these games. Normally I don’t say these in any of my reviews/essays, but I also have made thanks to my family. They’re not perfect, but they help afford and give the things I grew to love. The exposure to the Mega Man series, and my fascination with a fighting robot going out to save the world.  This essay has been my longass love letter to the Mega Man. Please play these titles. They are incredibly special to me. Rock on Rockman!