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A classic platforming Mega Man game probably wouldn't be as successful in the arcades as it is on home consoles. People don't have the time, the patience, or the quarter supply to handle having to retry stages over and over because you did not have the right weapon to finish off that Robot Master. So when it came time to bring our Blue Bomber to the arcades, they cut to the chase: let's just have the Robot Master battles. And thus, the Power Battle was born! With three playable characters (Mega Man, Proto Man, and Bass), you can choose to battle against Robot Masters from Mega Man 1-2, Mega Man 3-6, or Mega Man 7. There will be six, and your job is to determine the most efficient order in which to defeat them. After that, there is a mini-boss and a final showdown with Dr. Wily. The graphics are quite impressive, with most sprites having been redrawn in high resolution. Each character has their own ending as well. If you like both fighters and classic Mega Man action, this one's a perfect fit.
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Three plots appear. Which will you choose? Dr. Wily has stolen some vital mechanical parts from Dr. Light; meanwhile, Roll has gone missing! Do you chase after Dr. Wily? Do you look for the parts? Or do you look for the missing Roll? These are difficult choices indeed. With Mega Man, Proto Man, Bass, and Duo all at your disposal (or a combination of two if you have a second player handy), you get to choose the mission and then head out to fight against six different Robot Masters, pulled from Mega Man 1-7. The game plays just like Mega Man: The Power Battle, omitting the lengthy stages and getting right to the boss battles. This is followed by a mini-boss and going toe-to-toe with the maniacal Dr. Wily. You also acquire a robot's special power upon its defeat for use on someone else, just like in the regular Mega Man games. Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters may be quite rare outside of Japan, but it is notable for one particular ending involving solely Bass: Dr. Wily has plans for a brand new robot whose silhouette looks an awful lot like another robot we see in the future. Maybe that long hair gave him away...
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Though the previous two Mega Man-related fighters were only available in the arcades, Capcom brought the concept to the Neo Geo Pocket Color. This is, in a way, a port of BOTH fighters on one cartridge, surprisingly enough. You can choose either one and, after selecting between up to four possible playable characters -- Mega Man, Proto Man, Bass, or Duo (only available in The Power Fighters) -- you are able to choose from what set of classic Robot Masters you want to tackle, and then go at it, one by one, in a fight to the death using whatever weapon you think will work best. Because of the obvious limitations of a handheld at the time, the games sure don't look like they used to. The sprites, in particular, look more like their NES counterparts than the updated and well-animated arcade ones. It's a cute addition to the NGPC library that could serve you well if you don't have easy access to two uncommon arcade cabinets.
Check out our Rockman Battle & Fighters review for a more in-depth look!
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Similar to Rockman Battle & Fighters on the Neo Geo Pocket Color, this, too, is a port of both Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters from the arcade. This one plays more or less like the originals and looks like them, too. This may explain why the games also appear on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection: they were already ported, so it was extremely easy to plunk them into the mix.
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