Well since Epinions is messing around with both the classic games, and the Capcom games around, it makes it hard to review the classic Capcom games. Since they for some reason have Mega Man 3 and 4 for the N64 to review which neither game exist for the N64 and since it doesn’t say Mega Man 64, I have decided to write a review on the original Mega Man game for the NES. Mega Man 64 is just a rehash of Mega Man Legends which you can find my review by clicking on the link. If you don’t like it well I guess you can kiss my Bass

Now I have never played this on the NES, rather I have been playing it on the new anniversary collection for the gamecube, but nothing has changed from the time of the NES. Other then a navi mode which can be toggled on and off which gives it some more modern looking menus and power bars, the game still keeps it’s graphics, sounds, and buggs from the original classic.

Now you wonder why I haven’t played this game, well not a lot of people have. Mainly because people probably got scared off by the bad box art. Rather then risk that the Americans of the 80’s would turn be turned off by an anime art from of a boy robot, Capcom decided that the box art they should make Mega Man look like an old man. An old man who looks like he’s fighting for the sake of saving his depends above all else. I heard that the artist who invented Mega Man’s look got really ticked off when he saw what the American team had done to his box art, and I can’t blame him.

Anyway’s here’s a link to Gamespy award for box art which it took first place.
http://archive.gamespy.com/top10/january03/covers/index4.shtml

Story.
The year is 200X and two scientist Dr. Light and Dr.Wily succeeded in inventing 3 proto type robots. One a prototype names Protoman runs away. While the other 2 Rock and Roll stay and become gofers in the lab. They also succeed in making 6 other powerful robots each with there own abilities that can help man kind. There was cut man who could help clear forest, Gutsman who could move big rocks, Iceman who could survive extreme colds and still operate could help the people up north. However one day Wily goes insane and reprograms these 6 robots and starts to use them to take over the earth. Rock seeing the dilemma asks Dr. Light to upgrade him into a battle machine and becomes Mega Man.

The story I think that Capcom of America had in mind.
Mega Man is an old man in a nursing home. One day all of his depends are stolen and he decides to dress up in ugly blue yellow pants, and an ugly t shirt, and grab some sort of weird gun and try to go out and find them. Of course that is going to be after his hip replacement and his afternoon nap.
(Ok I’ll stop bashing the bad box art now)

Graphics.
The box art suck, the graphics however didn’t. The graphics are pretty good on the NES. While later Mega Man on the NES easily beat this game, it’s no denying that the graphics still look great. While Mega Man keeps his small blue looking sprite in all of these games, the backgrounds to look there age. There all really simplistic and sometimes a bit pale looking. But still we see entire city’s, Jetsons like tower, and mines.

Mega Man himself for the day is well animated, with animation of things like him firing his blaster, and even taking time for him to have animation to blink make him really stand out.

Sound.
Capcom of America kind of screwed us Americans out of the neat music names that Mega Man was originally given. Rock and Roll being one of them, then there’s blues, and then of course Forte and Gospel that appear later in the series. And there’s a reason for the music, Mega Man has always had catchy tunes and it started here in the original Mega Man. The tunes are all catchy even though they have been kept in there 8-bit form in the cube version.

Gameplay
Mega Man’s game play was also revolutionary for the time before Capcom milked it to death in the original and then the X series of Mega Man. But you get to start off battling in any of the 6 stages just by selecting a robot master. Then go through the robot master and kill them. Take there weapon and then find the one that might be weak against said weapon (it’s easy fire is weak against ice, and Gutsman weapon is throwing rocks and cutman uses a pair of giant scissors).

But unlike the modern Mega Man this is incredible basic and might actually surprise a few of the newer Mega Man fan’s. There are no energy tanks, Rush, chargeable buster, and slide techniques. What you get is the ability to jump and fire you gun. This makes the game is incredibly simple in nature, but it’s harder then hell has well. While beating the original 6 masters won’t make you get into any major fits of rage, but it will defiantly make you break into a sweat. But Wiley’s stage is incredibly tuff, try battling things like the yellow puddy boss with out dying at least once since you can slide to get under his attacks. Add in the fact that there are plenty of areas where you die a Castlevania like death by being pushed off a small ledge, and of course the disappearing reappearing block that you have to jump from makes this game really frustrating.

Another thing that makes this game a bit old school then other mega man games is that it has a point system. Each boss has a point value set to him. And Mega Man can collect little balls that neither refill his life or weapons, but rather give him bonus points at the end of a stage. It’s a bit pointless and thankfully it’s only done in this game, and it’s taken out in Mega Man 2.

Final Recommendation.
Mega Man is a great game, that like a lot of old school games are simplistic but really challenging to play. It’s a golden oldie so it’s hard to find and a lot of used game places might try to screw you on the price. But you can get it now plus 7 other great Mega Man game in the Mega Man anniversary collection for the cube and play station 2.




Recommended: Yes