8Bit/Digi

One Hero Who Lives Up to His Name

The Blue Bomber is an icon, someone who has spawned multiple series, and it’s kind of a shame that most of his fans still feel he isn’t given his proper respect. Now that Capcom has announced a new entry into the original timeline of games, the cycle of wonder, fear, and extreme speculation has started up again. We’re all hoping for another winner to be added to the roster, but in the meantime, it might be helpful to take a look back and see what makes those games so good.

While we do that, we can also put all of the classic mainline games into a numbered list, because people love it when you rank everyone’s favorites.

11. Mega Man (1987)

There’s an argument to be made that there aren’t any actual ‘bad’ Mega Man games, and it feels weird putting the original at the bottom, but there are reasons for that. The debut installment is certainly the foundation, paving the way for everything we love, and there is enjoyment to be had here, without question. The problem is that when looking at all of them, it’s clear how rough this initial attempt was. His inaugural adventure feels a bit stiff, a little tough, with parts that are almost unfair, and it was clear the development team was still crafting the formula. No, I don’t just mean figuring out the proper number of Robot Masters. It isn’t the best option for someone’s first game in the series, even if the Yellow Devil fight is a rite of passage for many. Loving a franchise sometimes means understanding that the first in a series isn’t always going to be the best, that not every prototype truly shows something’s potential, even if it’s important to the series. In all honesty, with that cover art, this could have been much worse.

8. Mega Man 8 (1997)

This entry showed what Mega Man could look like with a nice graphical update, blasting its way onto the 32-bit consoles and offering fans fully animated cutscenes, crisper tunes, bolder sound effects, and more voice acting. Okay, so that voice acting isn’t great—laughable at times, actually, but the colors are bright, and there’s still a charm to most of the levels. There are a couple of stages that feel slightly unfair with their gimmicks, but the game incorporates a solid shop for players to buy beneficial items and a decent upgrade system. There’s more of a story here, but it involves alien robots and doesn’t work for everyone, feeling a little too anime-inspired. MM8 doesn’t have the greatest roster of Robot Masters – some players are still haunted by Clown Man in their dreams – but it seemed like Capcom was trying new things and experimenting a little with the weapons. The game is quite disappointing, while still being worth checking out as part of Mega Man’s evolution.

9. Mega Man 6 (1994)

Mega Man 6 feels like the end of an era, not innovating or breaking new ground, as much as it attempts to perfect and repeat the formula that was started here on the NES. It provides a solid challenge, with a few of the boss fights being standouts, even though the lineup of Robot Masters is somewhat lackluster. The stage design is well-done, also boasting a good sense of exploration, such as alternate pathways. One of the most memorable additions was the Rush Adaptors, bringing a man and his dog closer, while offering a little versatility and keeping the gameplay tight. Perhaps because it came out so late in the console’s life cycle, or due to players feeling it was just more of the same, many missed out on MM6, which is a shame. The game did its best to show how much the series had grown, everything it learned, and that it cared about making Mega Man the best incarnation of what they thought he could be.

8. Mega Man 11 (2018)

After lying dormant for eight years, Mega Man was completely rebuilt by a team that seemed to have grown up on the franchise and understood its true foundations. This was a fresh take on the Blue Bomber filled with creativity and solid design choices. Bosses are neat, having multiple phases; their weapons are fun to play with, and levels are well-constructed, even if a little frustrating at times. There’s an enjoyable soundtrack that helps accent the action, as we adventure through another colorful world of 2.5D graphics that has a bright and vibrant style. Having released so many years after the first, this game offers more modern sensibilities with the gameplay, as well as accessibility options, while holding onto the familiar, tight gameplay. There is a little bit of an imbalance here, as not everyone appreciates the Double Gear system, and others think the difficulty is a bit much, unless players take advantage of the shop, which can make the game too easy. Those last two elements are the arguments that keep this entry from being more highly regarded.

7. Mega Man 10 (2010)

In another title that was meant to mimic the glory days of the Blue Bomber, Mega Man 10 looked at what worked and felt like it embodied the important games, sticking to those elements a little too closely, perhaps. People enjoyed this entry for the most part, but it was always overshadowed by the previous game and remembered more for its DLC (offering new levels and Bass as a playable character), as well as adding an Easy Mode. This is good, because although it isn’t the hardest MM game, the Wily stages could be incredibly frustrating. There are multiple characters to play, which is welcomed, because our titular hero is stripped down on his abilities; they each have their own pluses and minuses, and their own shops. This game also has a simple and engaging story about a new Roboenza virus, which is so bad even Dr. Wily is working with us to cure it, until his inevitable betrayal, of course. Just as we are aware the bad guy will eventually show his true colors, players already know everything they need to about this otherwise solid outing for the series.

6. Mega Man 7 (1995)

It’s the gameplay we all loved, now with the sound and visual upgrades that only the SNES could provide. Feast those eyes on the giant sprites, an ocular treat, but a curse at some points, for what was otherwise a game demonstrating strong platforming. Mega Man 7 is honestly impressive just for being created in such a short developmental cycle, supposedly three months, and it makes us wonder what they could have turned out with more time and less pressure. The presentation is probably the strongest part of the game, but a close second would have to be the exploration, searching for secrets and upgrades. This is made possible through skillful level design, which makes it even sadder that only a couple of the Robot Masters really stand out. The last part of this game is also incredibly tough, mostly because of the boss rush. Thankfully, this title also introduces Bass and Treble, giving it a few more points on the score.

5. Mega Man 4 (1992)

The first three entries in this series all have a certain feel to them for various reasons, something that makes those titles stand out in the gameplay and design. Mega Man 4 has that as well, just not to the same extent, here the big innovation was that our hero could now charge his blast, a new ability that would help shape most of the entries to come. Sadly, almost every other aspect of MM4 simply felt copied from one of the initial trio and polished up a bit. The team had begun experimenting more with stages and hidden rewards, the music was still wonderful, but this may have been the first signs of diminishing returns from a creative standpoint. It’s a shame, because the Robot Masters here are almost all worth noting. Some of them have insanely simple patterns, but are enjoyable fights, even if they deal a ton of damage to Mega Man. The story isn’t the best. However, we are finally going against someone other than Dr. Wily, at least until we discover Dr. Cossack is only fighting us because his daughter was kidnapped. MM4 isn’t the standout, though it is a sturdy game to stand on.

4. Mega Man 5 (1992)

For those who just want more of an awesome thing, Mega Man 5 is where it’s at. This title takes all of the major improvements and additions of the previous entries and polishes that arm cannon up just a little bit more, incorporating all the best parts, while putting that gameplay into some gratifying levels with decent gimmicks. Many players have delightful memories of tackling Gravity Man’s stage or the vehicle segment before fighting Wave Man, as these encounters leave an impression. Some parts will feel challenging, but this may be one of the easier games in the series, as it offers players a ton of extra lives. This one also looks great, showing how much better the team had become at programming for and utilizing the NES hardware. It also starts with a surprising development, as Dr. Light has been kidnapped by Protoman (yeah, sure, Wily), leaving Mega Man to work alongside Dr. Cossack to try and save the day once again. MM5 doesn’t do much new, but if gameplay is king, it’s still one of the most enjoyable rides in the franchise.

3. Mega Man 9 (2008)

After such a long break in the mainline games, the decision was made to return to the franchise’s core, to the NES, and give fans what they felt was the proper Mega Man experience. Mega Man 9 isn’t just a throwback or deeply loving homage to the classics, but a return to a specific style of gameplay, seemingly inspired by Mega Man 2. This meant not only turning back the clock on the visuals and soundtrack, but most importantly, the gameplay. Our hero feels completely de-powered, flung back to factory settings, forgetting how to slide or charge his attacks. It’s amazing they even let us keep Rush. MM9 innovates by subtracting, forcing players to re-learn their skills and work within these limitations, creating what is arguably the most challenging game in the original series. It can feel extremely punishing, while the levels are incredibly well-designed and telegraph their mechanics for players to learn quickly. It has a solid roster of enemies and introduces the first female Robot Master, Splash Woman. The weapons are also handled excellently, and they give us a false feeling of being overpowered. MM9 didn’t just copy the first two games, it created a stronger identity from them, and it’s hard not to appreciate the team going so hard into the bit that the box art is intentionally weird, like the first game’s North American artwork.

2. Mega Man 2 (1989)

It’s amazing that Mega Man 2 was considered a side project while in development, something the team programmed on the weekends and in their spare time, yet it went on to be acknowledged as one of the greatest platformers, maybe even one of the best games, on the NES overall. The first installment didn’t sell as well as they wanted, but perhaps that encouraged those working on the sequel to show what they could truly do. Capcom had lost faith in the Mega Man experiment, while those who were hands-on saw potential. There was still some slowdown, screen flickering, and balance issues, but almost everything else was an upgrade–an iconic soundtrack, even the box art. That was still a bit off, though it was closer.  The controls were much more responsive, gameplay felt less clunky, E-tanks were added, the addition of a password system was welcomed, and the enemy AI had been improved. We now had a full roster of eight Robot Masters. It isn’t much tougher, though, as the Metal-Blade essentially puts some of them on easy mode, being one of the most versatile weapons in Mega Man history, as well as having the pause trick for infinite shots. After an odd conclusion fighting a hologram, we see our hero’s helmet left in a field, making us think they thought this could be the last one, not the beginning of something so amazing.

1. Mega Man 3 (1990)

Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune has said that Mega Man 3 had one of the most troubled developmental cycles in the series and that it was essentially released in an unfinished state. Due to time constraints and dealing with new team members, it simply didn’t have the level of care and polish the team wanted to give it. It’s a shame, because what players received was still incredible. A couple of the levels could certainly be called clunky, and there is a portion that is widely considered to be unnecessary padding, but otherwise, players were given wonderful visuals, what could be considered the best soundtrack in the series’ history, and a strong set of bosses with excellent, more balanced weapons. MM3 introduces the mysterious Proto Man and a robot’s best friend, Rush, as well as the ability to slide. It may not seem like a big deal now, but the ability to slide altered how most of the following games designed their levels, and even forced developers to tweak their approach when it came to combat. MM3 was the first one that felt undeniably innovative, forcing them to reconsider almost everything the games were known for. This was the early days, when our characters could still, stupidly, believe that Dr. Wily might have turned over a new leaf, and what’s arguably the first good North American box art, where our title character almost looks like himself, even with that face. Mega Man 2 is so good, probably the best in most minds, but this is where it felt like the franchise found itself and cemented a future.

What was your favorite Mega Man game? What do you think of our ranking? Let us know in the comments below.

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