The lights are on
I remember playing video games in my cousins’ dark basement when I was a little kid. My family had the Sega Master System, his had the Nintendo Entertainment System. We had Alex Kidd and Shinobi, they had Mega Man and Mario. Mega Man 2 specifically wowed me. I was wowed the first time I saw the big, beautiful, cartoonish robot jungle dogs in Wood Man’s level, breathing fire at my older cousin while he played. My young brain wanted more Mega Man instantly, but unlocking Mega Man 2’s boss order myself solidified my fandom.
Years later, I purchased my own battered NES and a sticky, grungy copy of Mega Man 2. Miraculously, they both worked. I started with Wood Man’s stage, remembering his catchy level music and the big fire dogs. After powering through the difficult stage, Wood Man humiliated me. After more trial and error I finally gave up and went after Metal Man next. Despite the conveyor belts and infinitely spawning drill-bots, his level was much more manageable. Metal Man himself was a pushover compared to his bark-covered brother. I memorized his simple patterns and quickly earned his Metal Blade power. Armed with a new, multidirectional weapon, I went after Wood Man again. Each saw blade shaved off huge swaths from Wood Man’s health, and before long he exploded into balls of light. Thus, my respect and reverence for the Robot Masters’ vulnerabilities was set.
"The Mega Man 2 Troop" by CyberMoonStudios on deviantart
Some weaknesses were obvious, like quenching Heat Man’s flames with Bubble Lead, or stopping Quick Man dead in his tracks with Time Stopper. However, I didn’t decipher the full, cyclical Robot Master order until the boss rush in Dr. Wily’s fortress. Sure, fighting all those hard-won battles over again was frustrating, but testing each weapon on each Robot Master was an important process. Any Mega Man fan worth their salt should be able to tell you the Robot Master weaknesses of Mega Man 2. After I learned their secrets, I never forgot, and pushed through the rest of the series with the desire to discover the Achilles’ Heels of the rest of Wily’s creations.
The rest of the classic and X series hit similar notes, but Mega Man 2 sealed the deal for me (watch us play it on Replay). Mega Man 9’s boss order also struck me as incredibly satisfying. Which Mega Man game did it for you?
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Mega man legends 2 was my first mega man game and to this day is not only my favorite Mega man, but also one of my favorite games of all time.
As far as Mega man games with the classic formula go I had 8 for the ps1 and managed to fight my way all the way up until the last level. I just couldnt pass the boss gauntlent.
I remember the first time I killed Air Man with the leaf cutter...I don't think I've ever laughed so hard. He got owned so hard.
Mega Man 3. Me and my cousin cracking the password by ourselves. Lots of trial and error. Lots of "if, then." Totally skipped the pain-in-ass Doc Robot stages that way. That didn't seal the deal for us though; our deals were previously sealed on 2 with that sick, sick soundtrack.
I still remember when I discovered Metal Man weakness was his own weapon. My first one hit kill.
I still liked the challenge of tackling everyone with the X-Buster, but the guessing game of who worked on who was part of the fun!
Mega Man 2 is still my favorite of the series. Though I didn't learn the boss order until watching the Bit Brigade performance you linked. I earned many an F in 3rd grade because I was ignoring my homework to play this game in my own dark basement. Seeing blocks in other stages that could be destroyed with Crash Man's weapon is what made me always go for him first.
I really like this game series. Unfortunately I suck at them.
I remember playing I think MM2 or 3, and I used to get chills when you'd get to the double doors right before the boss. The sound of those doors opening, along with the music used to get me beyond excited!
I got on the Mega man train late, but mega man X was the first time it really sank its hooks into me, I also really liked replaying it on the PSP, good times
Haha, indeed.
I loved mega man 6. It was the first game I ever finished and was a huge achievement for me at 7 years old. After words the wall was broken. I beat Mario 3, Kirby's adventure, eventually games like contra and ninja gaiden all fell. This would of never happened if not for the discovery that centar man is weak avid at knight ball and wind man is weak to the c flash. That discover might of changed my life. Funny I never really thought about it till now :)
For me it is "The One and Only": Mega Man X from SNES!