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This is the game that started it all. Brandishing only a measly Arm Buster and nothing more, this is when Mega Man - who thankfully did not don the initial tentative name of Rainbow Man - first set out to destroy a set of Robot Masters and ruin the evil plans of that dastardly mad scientist, Dr. Wily. Indeed, this being the first game of the series, it was primitive by comparison, to say the least. There were no E-Tanks, robotic animal buddies Rush and Beat weren't in the picture, Mega Man couldn't slide, and he definitely couldn't charge up his Buster. He had to survive on wits alone, and believe me, there was plenty of survival to be undertaken. Capcom really showed off its affection for planting one-kill spikes here. Mega Man also didn't absorb new powers -- he just picked up a shiny disc each Robot Master dropped upon defeat. Well, they DID use CDs back in 200X. Mega Man was truly an innovation (as was its box art; never had anything so heinous hit the market), and the game proved to be successful enough with gamers to build an entire empire from it.
Check out our Mega Man review for a more in-depth look!
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With the green light given for a sequel, designer Keiji Inafune went all out to create a sequel that greatly surpassed the first. With an expanded repertoire of eight Robot Masters instead of six, a number that would soon become the norm, Mega Man certainly had his work cut out for him. Thankfully, a few improvements were added in his favour. The ability to collect E-Tanks for extra energy (up to four) helped save his butt more than a few times, deaths were a tad more justified, and Mega Man was also provided with (over time) use of a few special transportation items to get him around tough areas. Also, the addition of Wood Man allowed many immature gamers to snicker all over the globe. Mega Man 2 is often regarded as his finest moment, and although I tend to disagree slightly, it was certainly a leap forward for the Blue Bomber. Mega Man 2 was also released for iOS and is terrible.
Check out our Mega Man 2 (NES) review for a more in-depth look!
Check out our Mega Man 2 (iPhone/iPad) review for a more in-depth look!
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Admittedly, my personal favourite of the bunch. There's just something about it -- perhaps it's that everything is so fine-tuned by this point. Mega Man gains his all-important slide in this game, leading to a few more ways to get around narrow crevices in Robot Master lairs. As well, this marks the first appearance of two important characters in the series. Canine assistant Rush was able to provide his services by transforming into vehicles for Mega Man to use. Brother and prototype robot Proto Man (referred to as Break Man here for whatever reason) also showed up to test out Mega Man's skills in battle. Luckily, he was no match for the mighty Mega Man! But everything was just right at this point. Granted, the ideas were starting to get a little strange. Top Man? Gemini Man? That's scraping the bottom of the barrel just a tad. Still, Capcom made them work, plus they brought back Robot Masters from the past for a bit of a reunion. Ah yes, and if Wood Man was funny to some, Hard Man was hilarious to all.
Check out our Mega Man 3 review for a more in-depth look!
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Once again, Mega Man 3 had hit success, so naturally, a Mega Man 4 had to come out. It was inevitable, like the plague, or cheese stuffed in pizza crust. But this one started to show the cracks of the series. Very little was fresh, aside from the addition of the ability to charge up your Mega Buster for a more powerful blast, and the first appearance of Eddie, the flip-topped little fellow who pops up periodically to offer you a free item. That's not to say that Mega Man 4 is a terrible game. On the contrary, it's a fun entry in the series just like any other, but that "it's all been done before" feeling has cemented itself. At least the introductory sequence was the most entertaining yet, and it introduced a new character in the mix: the Russian scientist, Dr. Cossack, who is using his own robots to conquer the world! For once, Dr. Wily was not the main antagonist... or so we thought...
Check out our Mega Man 4 review for a more in-depth look!
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Another sequel was in order, and although Mega Man 5 was another step up in terms of graphics and sound quality, it was neither an evolution nor a revolution. There were definitely new elements, including the inclusion of Beat, a robotic attack bird, and a few neat visual tricks involving Mega Man flipping upside down at the behest of Gravity Man. Mega Man 5 was beginning to show the age of the series' key formula, and although it continued to "work" (following the mantra that if it ain't broke, don't even try to fix it), there simply HAD to be a change in order to keep its popularity up, as the series was selling fewer units with every iteration. Just developing a storyline that depicts Proto Man as evil isn't going to cut the mustard.
Check out our Mega Man 5 review for a more in-depth look!
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