![]() “Mega Man 5” has an interesting premise, putting Proto Man in the limelight as the main villain, only to be revealed that it was only a creation of Dr. “Mega Man 5” introduces Beat the bird into the series, Mega Man’s second animal companion, and helps attack enemies when obtained. Of the six “Mega Man” titles to grace the NES, the fifth finds itself easily the most forgettable for me, despite what it brings to the table. While still a good time, “Mega Man 8” fails to realize the strengths of the Classic “Mega Man” formula. The game takes too many liberties to provide a varied experience that it fails to flesh out or properly utilize the strengths of the core “Mega Man” gameplay, instead offering bizarre gimmicks such as rapid paced auto-scrolling stages and poor boss design. Unfortunately, “Mega Man 8” is by far the most gimmicky title in the Classic series, and not in a good way. Well, except for the comically bad English voice acting. Featuring wonderfully fluid and detailed sprites, as well as visually stunning anime cutscenes, “Mega Man 8” is a treat to the eyes, and its presentation is some of the best in the series. “Mega Man 8” was the series leap into 32-bit hardware, and a grand celebration for the series’ 10th anniversary at the time. Mega Man 8 (PlayStation/Sega Saturn – 1996) Photo via Capcom The game is incredibly unbalanced, suffers from weak level design and isn’t a game I could recommend to anyone other than the most hardcore “Mega Man” fans. The game gives you a choice between playing as either Mega Man, who struggles with stages but can knock out bosses, or Bass, who easily dashes through stages but is pitiful against bosses. Even on the original Super Famicom release with the larger resolution, “Mega Man & Bass” is the toughest game in the series. However, in celebration of “Mega Man’s” 15th anniversary in 2003, fans were graced with a localized port for the portable Game Boy Advance, which suffered from extreme screen crunch that made the game nearly unplayable. In fact, “Mega Man 8,” which “Mega Man & Bass” reuses assets from, had already been released for the 32-bit PlayStation and Sega Saturn at that point. By 1998, the 16-bit Super Famicom was obsolete, having been succeeded by the next generation of consoles. The game was made for the Super Famicom, the Japanese version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Developed under the title “Mega Man 8.5,” it was released as a Japanese exclusive game in 1998. “Mega Man & Bass” is a bizarre game in numerous ways. Mega Man & Bass (SNES – 1998 / GBA – 2003) Photo via Capcom The original “Mega Man” is too hard a game, even in a series known for its challenge. Like many retro games, the game is tough as nails in order to extend playtime, whereas other games are able to balance their difficulty with fun. The game suffers from a lot of the janky elements attributed to games for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s, such as being able to miss items that are required for progression along its slippery controls. While the original “Mega Man” is quite good for its time, it’s been expanded upon and built off of by every one of its sequels. It should be no surprise that the one that started it all also happens to be the weakest in the series. In celebration of Mega Man’s 35th birthday, I ranked the games against each other, and see which one’s the best. However, despite all the other series within the franchise, the original Classic series still reigns supreme with a staggering 12 mainline console titles. From the “Mega Man X,” “Zero,” “ZX” and “Legends” series in the main timeline, as well as alternate timeline games such as the “Battle Network” and “Starforce” titles, “Mega Man” has had dozens upon dozens of games. Throughout the course of its history, Capcom’s “Blue Bomber” has had numerous side series and spin-offs. 17, the “Mega Man” franchise will celebrate its 35th anniversary.
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