Mega Man Classic

The Mega Man Classic series is the colloquial term referring to the original series of Mega Man games from Capcom, which debuted 17 December 1987 on the NES with the release of Mega Man. The main games in this series are simply titled Mega Man, so the word "Classic" is added to disambiguate it from the later Mega Man series.

Series history

Mega Man appeared in six platform shooters originally for the Nintendo Entertainment System/Family Computer, two for the Super Famicom/Super NES (one of them released only in Japan, but later released on the GBA in all regions), one for the Game Gear, one on the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation, and five for the Nintendo Game Boy. (Capcom also released a compilation game for the Sega Genesis, titled Mega Man: The Wily Wars. This game was released only in Europe and Japan, but was later offered to Sega Channel users as an exclusive game.)

In addition, there have been numerous side-story games, such as the sports game Mega Man Soccer for the Super NES and the racing game Mega Man: Battle & Chase on the PlayStation (Japan and PAL territories only). Many of the games were ported to or remade for newer consoles, most notably the six Famicom games being re-released in Japan with remixed music and unlockable bonus features on the PlayStation and the previously Japan-only Super Famicom game being re-released worldwide for the Game Boy Advance.

In 2004, the Mega Man Anniversary Collection was released for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2, containing Mega Man 1-8, as well as Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, two arcade games rarely seen outside of Japan. A version for the Xbox was released in March 2005. Powered Up (Rockman Rockman in Japan), a remake of the first game, was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2006.

Plans had also been announced to release a collection of all five original Game Boy Mega Man titles in color for the Game Boy Advance, also to be titled Mega Man Anniversary Collection (originally announced as Mega Man Mania). Several projected and rumored release dates came and went, and currently the project's future is unknown. Rumors have surfaced that the game has been cancelled for a variety of reasons (one interesting rumor suggests that the game's source code was somehow lost, though this is entirely unsubstantiated at this time).

Gameplay

Series conventions

The games in this series generally give the player a "stage select" screen to choose any of the Robot Master bosses to combat. After a Robot Master has been selected, Mega Man enters a themed level associated with that Robot Master. Each level mimics the original function or capabilities of the controlling Robot Master. For example, in Snake Man's level (Mega Man 3), the ground is made up of large, endless snakes; in Heat Man's level (Mega Man 2), the player must navigate pools of fire and lava; and in Gravity Man's level (Mega Man 5), antigravity fields often pull Mega Man to the ceiling.

At the end of the level, Mega Man duels the boss one-on-one. When the boss is defeated, Mega Man gains a new weapon or ability related to the attacks used by that Robot Master. Each Robot Master is affected differently by the copied weapons: taking extra damage from some, being immune to others, or changing attack pattern when hit; this feature defines the unique gameplay of the series. According to series creator Keiji Inafune, this game mechanic was inspired by rock-paper-scissors.

When all Robot Masters are defeated, Mega Man proceeds to Dr. Wily's fortress, where he will travel through a few more levels. (In most of the games, there are as many fortress levels as there are Robot Masters, giving the player many opportunities to use each copied weapon.) Near the end of the fortress, Mega Man will fight each of the game's Robot Masters once again before finally facing Dr. Wily.

Gameplay evolution

Each game in the series adds an additional twist to the familiar game mechanics outlined above.

Mega Man (NES) had only six Robot Masters, instead of the series standard eight, and is the only Mega Man Classic game to include a scoring system. The powerups also look different.

Mega Man 2 introduced the Items system, a set of mobile platforms which the player could use to reach high areas (the special "Magnet Beam" item which appeared in the first game can be thought of as a predecessor to these items). '

Mega Man 2 also introduced E-Tanks that could refill Mega Man's energy when the player needed, a password feature to save progress, and the teleporter room in Dr. Wily's fortress, where Mega Man would face all of the Robot Masters one after the other by going through the various teleporter pads in whatever order Mega Man chose.

In Mega Man 3, Mega Man gained the ability to slide a short distance at a slightly greater speed, enabling him to gain access to special areas and avoid enemy attacks. The slide has been a staple feature of all the subsequent Mega Man games, and was the predecessor to the dash in the Mega Man X series.

Mega Man 3 and later games replaced the Items from Mega Man 2 with Rush, a shapechanging mechanical canine who could be temporarily summoned to provide Mega Man with increased mobility. In most appearances, Rush provides at least two functions:

"Rush Coil", which propels Mega Man into the air twice as high as normal, and
"Rush Jet", which provides a floating, mobile platform useful for crossing pits or other hazards.

Mega Man 4 introduced the Charge Shot, an ability that allowed Mega Man to charge his primary weapon, the Mega Buster, and release a blast much stronger than his normal attack. This innovation was carried on to all Mega Man games released afterwards.

Mega Man 5 marks the first appearance of Beat, a bird robot that helps out Mega Man after the player collects eight parts of the name of the title, "M", "E", "G", "A", "M", "A", "N", and "V". In Mega Man Anniversary Collection, the "V" is changed to a "5".

In the original release of Mega Man 5, Nintendo Power magazine indicated that the Mega Buster was the best choice for every single Robot Master in the game. However, this violates the precedent created and renders all special weapons for this game absolutely useless.

Mega Man 6 includes a Rush adapter that allows Mega Man the ability to briefly fly. Mega Man 6's cover art predominatly displays this new found ability and was marketed as one of the major selling points of the game.

Mega Man 6 introduced the concept of fake bosses. In each of the levels for Tomahawk Man, Yamato Man, Knight Man, and Centaur Man, two separate boss chambers appear, one more difficult to reach than the other. If the player succeeds in reaching the more difficult of the two boss chambers, the player receives, in addition to the Robot Master's weapon, a set of "Beat parts," representing the letters B, E, A, and T.

While each game has its own take on the formula and brings new ideas to the table, only the above have lasted for multiple games or have a profound impact on gameplay.

Notes

The series is set in the ambiguous year of 20XX, that is, sometime in the 21st century. The first two games in the series are set in the first decade, 200X.

The GameBoy games are mostly not canon, as some events here clearly contradict events from the "main" classic series.

The English-version titles have generally used Roman numerals and a two-word Mega Man logo. In Japan, all the games use a one-word Rockman logo and Arabic numerals, and most of the games have subtitles. The English-version Game Boy games and Mega Man 1-7 (NES and SNES) use Roman numerals, but Mega Man 8 on the PlayStation used an adaptation of the Japanese logo and Arabic numerals.

While it is by no means official, some fans contrast the use of Arabic and Roman numerals to tell apart the first five NES games and the five Game Boy games. The Game Boy games are often marked with Roman numerals for this purpose. In Japan, the Game Boy games are titled Rockman World so no such distinction is necessary.

It could be argued that the change in numeric style for the eighth title was to discourage people from calling Mega Man X "Mega Man 10."

There are considerable similarities between Mega Man and Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. Many characters in the Mega Man series as well as the overall plot seem to have been inspired by the older manga, and Keiji Inafune has confirmed that Astro Boy was an inspiration in multiple interviews.

Cameos

Marvel vs. Capcom: Mega Man is a playable character, and Roll is a hidden playable character.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: Mega Man and Roll are both hidden playable characters.
Pocket Fighter: In addition to a background appearance by Mega Man, Roll, and Rush, Felicia adopts the guise of Mega Man as one of her special moves in this title.
Cannon Spike: In this Dreamcast game, Mega Man is a hidden selectable character among the ranks of other famous Capcom personalities.
Mega Man X Command Mission: One of the sketches found depicts what appears to be a redesigned version of the original Mega Man, as well as Cut Man.
SNK Card Fighters Clash: Mega Man, Proto Man, Roll, and Rush each have their own cards featured in this unique title for the Neo Geo Pocket system.
SNK Card Fighters Clash 2: Mega Man and his family from the first SNKCFC game return for this one with new images, and Roll with the odd surname of "Ryan."
Mega Man X8: Cut Man can be battled as a "miniboss".
Mega Man X3: When you select Volt Catfish in the PSX/SS/PC version, in his intro you can see Auto watching him on T.V.

External links

Mega Man

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