So, this week, we have another single game release, but at least it’s a classic: Mega Man 2. This is considered amongst the best games of the series, back before the franchise became massively over saturated. While it’s still disappointing that this is the ONLY release, it’s certainly a worthwhile game, right?
Mega Man 2
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Original Released On: Nintendo Entertainment System
Original Release Date 06/1989
Wii Points: 500
Christopher Bowen: Well, if you’re going to have one release, might as well make it kick some ass.
Mega Man 2 is often heavily debated as the best classic Mega Man game of all time, along with Mega Man 3; if someone were to do a comprehensive poll, I’m fairly sure that MM2 would win it, too (though I’d personally vote for 3). It made everything that was good about Mega Man 1 better, fixed some problems (like the lack of any sort of save mode), improved the balance tremendously, and made an overall more polished, enjoyable gameplay experience. Mega Man 2 is rightly considered one of the greatest games of its type of all time.
BUT… as I said with Mega Man 1, there’s already a collection, playable on the Wii, that has Mega Man 2, 1, 3, freaking Power Fighters for the four people that played it in the arcades, and all sorts of classic Mega Man goodness. It’s called the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, and right now, as I speak, it’s running about $20-25 on eBay. Not a great price – it started at $20 in stores – but you might be able to grab it at Gamestop for a decent price if you move. Stick to that; that’s a lot better than paying $5, a la carte.
If that’s too much, or you can’t find it, or you’re lazy and just want a downloadable game, then yes, I fully recommend Mega Man 2.
Charlie Marsh: Well, you can either get the best Mega Man game ever for $5, or the best Mega Man game ever and the other 7 for ~$10 at Gamestop (I paid $8). If you’re not a big fan of Mega Man and don’t want all of them, you can’t do much better than buying this right now. And it has an “Easy” difficulty setting for all you pussies out there who think the game is too hard (you just get the tougher difficulty with the Anniversary Collection, so watch out, pussies). Personally, I’m waiting for Mega Man 9 (next week, hopefully) but the rest of you have options.
Alex Lucard: Meh. I have the Mega Man collection for my Game Cube, so I am in no need of this. I will however take note of the fact the WiiWare has Strong Bad Episode II today….which I will be playing on my PC instead of taking up valuable real estate in my Wii’s tiny memory.
Guy Desmarais: Mega Man 2 rules. It’s as simple is that. But it’s also available elsewhere in a bundle for cheaper. I will quote Flight of the Conchords on this one: “You gotta think about it, think, think about it.”
Bryan Berg: Mega Man 2 is one hell of a game. Obviously, if you have the Anniversary Collection, you don’t really need to download this. But if you don’t, Mega Man 2 is one of the highlights of the NES era. What makes it so good? It’s hard to explain, but if you like side-scrolling action games that keep the focus on gameplay, this one’s for you. If you want proof, wait ’til Mega Man 9 comes out for Wii Ware. Instead of opting for souped-up graphics, Capcom is making it look and play exactly like Mega Man 2. If you want a taste of nostalgia that still holds up today, download Mega Man 2.
J. Rose: Mega Man 2 is pretty much the best game in the franchise, and it’s probably my favorite, along with the original Mega Man X. Definitely worth the money if you don’t have Mega Man Anniversary Collection.
Mark B.: Let us assume, for a moment, that you don’t have the Mega Man Anniversary Collection and either don’t want it or don’t feel like tracking it down, even though you can probably find it for something like twenty bucks, which is around the cost of four of the NES games, and includes a bunch more on top of that. Okay? Okay.
Mega Man 2 is, in that case, a worthwhile investment; at five dollars, it’s pretty much one of the best games in the series, and more or less completely shows off exactly why the franchise has lasted as long as it has. It’s lots of fun, pretty damn challenging, and charming as an NES game can possibly be, and it’s an early entry in the series, long before they mined the crap out of it and beat it into the ground. Plus, if you’re thinking of getting Mega Man 9 (supposedly) next week, you’ll probably need the practice.
So, that’s it for this week. Check in next week to see if there are any other releases besides Mega Man 9, and if so, what we think of them.
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