Mega Man

Article Archive

Classic NES Era

  • Mega Man
    • We begin with a look at the starting title in the series, the first adventure to feature elemental bosses, selectable stages, and multiple weapons. This is the first story of the Blue Bomber, Mega Man.
  • Mega Man 2
  • Mega Man 3
    • There are some that like the second game, while others feel the third title is where the Mega Man series really reached its pinnacle. We take a look to see what makes this third game in the series so great.
  • Mega Man (DOS)
    • Right at the height of Mega Man's retro glory, Capcom puts out a PC game to capitalize and, well, it's complete garbage.
  • Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
    • Having conquered the NES three times over, Mega returns for a familiar challenge in a new locale: the portable in your hands. Let's take a look at the Blue Bomber's first adventure on the Game Boy.
  • Mega Man 4
    • More Mega, more Wily, and more robots to fight. Mega Man 4 was a refinement of the NES game that came before, but did it really push the series forward? We take a look to find out.
  • Mega Man II
    • Taking a second spin on the Game Boy, Mega Man is back in black & white for a second, longer adventure on the small screen. Is this game an improvement on the first adventure, or just a sad retread? Let's find out.
  • Mega Man 5
    • While not a big leap forward for the series, Mega Man 5 marked another solid iteration on the great formula. We take a look at the game to see if another iteration for the series is enough to carry the day.
  • Mega Man III
    • Mega Man returns for a third outing on the Game Boy. Revisiting his foes from Mega Man 3 and Mega Man 4, the black & white Blue Bomber travels through eight tough-as-nails Robot Master stages all for a chance to take on Dr. Wily. But is this game another hidden gem of the Game Boy library, or a mistep for the handheld series?
  • Mega Man 3: The Robots Are Revolting!
    • For some stupid reason Capcom decided to license a second DOS game in the series, and the results are as bad as the first. Maybe even worse.
  • Wily and Light: Mega Board
    • For those that really felt like the Mega Man series needed to stop being about platforming action and, instead, focus on the game of Monopoly, this is the game for you. Despite no one ever asking for that, this is actually a pretty fun little diversion.
  • Mega Man IV
    • Mega Man takes a second trip to the Game Boy in quick succession, giving us a taste of the Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 5 foes in this revisit title. Does this game refine the portable series, or is it just another slog? We take a look and see.
  • Mega Man 6
    • Released near the end of the NES's life cycle, this sixth and final game for the system marked a number of small changes for the series, but nothing major. Nearly a forgotten entry, we take a look to see if it's a grand, 8-bit finale.
  • Mega Man V
    • Mega Man takes one last run on the Game Boy, fighting against a new batch of robots, the Stardroids. But while these enemies may be new, the adventure feels all too familiar...
  • Mega Man: The Wily Wars
    • We go back to the first three NES adventures, but remade for the Sega Genesis. For the first time, Mega Man is in the 16-bit era, and we explore the potential of this crossover title.

SNES and PSX Era

  • Mega Man Soccer
    • Now here's an ill-fated idea: let's put Mega Man in a soccer game. It goes just about as well (or, really, badly) as you'd expect.
  • Mega Man 7
    • The only main-line Mega Man title for the SNES (as most of the rest were Mega Man X games), this game marked an interesting shift for the series as Capcom worked to redefine their hero for a new era. We take a planned look to see how that worked out.
  • Mega Man (Game Gear)
    • After upgrading to the SNES, Mega Man took a quick detour back to his handheld routes. This time, however, his adventure was on the Game Gear, marking only the second game in the series to appear on Sega hardware.
  • Mega Man: The Power Battle
    • With all the directions Mega Man could go, you know what we really needed? A fighting game starring the Blue Bomber. Sadly, this wasn't the game we were hoping for.
  • Mega Man 8
    • And then the series shifted over to the PlayStation for it's eighth iteration. While an interesting step forward in some respects, we take a look to see if the series really had anything new to say on this new hardware.
  • Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
    • What's better than one Mega Man-themed fighting game? How about two. This time featuring (some) new bosses and (just) one new fighter, this sequel gives us more Boss Rush action, but does it do enough to really innovate the series?
  • Mega Man: Battle and Chase
    • Hey, did you ever want to see Mega Man star in a Kart Racing game? Well too bad because they made one anyway.
  • Mega Man and Bass
    • And then the series went back to the SNES for a Japan-only spin-off title featuring two playable heroes, markedly incresed difficulty, and a changed-up level select system. We take a planned dive in to see if this was a lost gem or an also-ran.
  • Super Adventure Mega Man
    • It gets much worse before it gets better, as we discover during our dive through this FMV-ified Mega Man game. Thankfully for most of us this remained a Japanese exclusive, so you likely don't have to suffer through it. We did so you don't have to.
  • Mega Man and Bass: Challenger from the Future
    • Although a portable sequel to Mega Man and Bass didn't seem needed, this little game actually composes itself pretty well, all things considered.

Retro Revival and Modern Era

  • Mega Man 9
    • After many years away from the spotlight, the original Blue Bomber was back for a new, 8-bit inspired, stripped down game for the Nintendo Wii. We take a planned look to see if this game have that same classic magic of original series.
  • Mega Man 10
    • With the success of the ninth title, Capcom went to work developing a second, 8-bit inspired title. But was Mega Man already falling back into his classic rut, or could this new title keep pushing the hero forward. Let's take a planned look to find out.
  • Street Fighter X Mega Man
    • A fan game turned official product by Capcom, this enjoyable little crossover was given official status within the series for the Blue Bomber's 25th anniversary.
  • Mega Man 11
    • After another pause in the series, Mega Man is back once more, ditching the 8-bit graphics for a modern aesthetic and style. This eleventh numbered title in the series features new abilities, new controls, and a whole lot of robots to fight.

Mega Man Fan Games

  • Mega Man RAM
    • Sheep Man returns to have his revenge on Mega Man in this fun, if short, adventure.
  • Mega Man: Rock Force
    • The Blue Bomber had a very robust fan-game selection, seemingly encouraged by Capcom. This title sees the hero taking on a new foe, Justice Man, with the aid of a selection of classic Robot Masters by his side.
  • Mega Man: Rock N Roll
    • When a mysterious force starts kidnapping robots from all around the world, it's time for one robot to suit up and lead the charge for freedom: Roll.
  • Mega Man: Super Fighting Robot
    • An enjoyable fan game that pits Mega Man against Protoman for the fate of the world. Light, fun, with just enough challenge to please everyone, this game presents a solid, core Mega Man experience better than just about any fan game out there.
  • Mega Man: Unlimited
    • This fan game pitted Mega Man against Protoman and a host of new baddies in a story that looked to tie the classic series to the X series, with mixed results.
  • Mega Man Hacks
    • We take a journey through three hacks of the classic series to see what works and what doesn't.
  • Mega Man 2.5D
    • Wily is back and Mega Man has to jump into the third dimension... kind of. It's a fun new twist on the classic formula.

Mega Man X Games

  • Mega Man X
    • We take a time jump into the future, with a new battle of man against robots, all powered by the evil Sigma. Who can stand against this threat? The upgraded Mega Man X.
  • Mega Man X2
    • X returns in a sequel that refines everything about the original and makes it better. A true classic of the SNES.
  • Mega Man X3
    • The X series starts to lose its way with an over-stuffed sequel that under delivers.
  • Mega Man X4
    • X fully transitions to the PlayStation and Saturn with this game that almost feels like a return to form.
  • Mega Man Xtreme
    • X comes to the Game Boy Color in a port of the first two games that tries hard but ends up feeling rather inessential.

Mega Man Battle Network Games

  • Mega Man Network Transmission
    • A discussion of the GameCube platforming oddity for the Mega Man Battle Network sub-series hosted on our sister site, the Inverted Dungeon.
  • Mega Man NT Warrior WS
    • Another action-platformer from the Battle Network series, this game loosely adapts the story of the first season of the anime while providing a fun little action game on the (Japan-exclusive) WonderSwan Color.

Other Games

  • Mighty No. 9
    • At a time when it seemed like Capcom had no interest in making further adventure for the Blue Bomber, series lead Inafune left to make a new game series on his own. Promising it would be everything players loved about Mega Man, the series found rousing success in its Kickstarter promotion. The ends results, though, left expectant fans wanting.

Further Discussion:

  • Mega Man Syndrome: A discussion of the whole of the Mega Man series and the trends Capcom eventually fell into.
  • Mega Flight of Fancy: Wouldn't it be cool if all the Battle Network games could be merge into a single mega-title? Let's see how that would work.
  • You Got...: And speaking of huge mega-titles, what about if we could make a single, Wily Wars-style compilation of the entire series. Wouldn't that be a thing?
  • Awesome Games Done Quick 2019: We take a tour through the best parts of the Winter 2019 GDQ maraton, including a special look at this year's Mega Man block of programming.
  • Designing the Perfect Mega Man Game: Having gone through the whole of the classic series, we look at what should go into our perfect Mega Man game.
  • Adding Two-Player to Single Player Games: Apparently Super Punch-Out!! has a two-player mode hidden in its menus. We take a look and then think about what other games could use two-player modes.
  • Ranking all the Mega Man Classic Games: We set down our definitive list of the classic Blue Bomber games that, naturally, could never be argued with, ever.

Podcasts: