Difference between revisions of "Mega Man II"

Revision as of 20:53, 3 July 2017

North American box art.

Mega Man II is an action platformer made by Capcom, released for the NES in 1988, and the the second game in the Mega Man series. Like the first, the game is broken up into stages, each ending with a boss. Dr. Wily was defeated by Mega Man in the first game, but he built eight new robots and is once again trying to conquer the world.

I first saw this game in a Nintendo strategy guide and thought it looked amazing, so I asked for it for Christmas and got it (around 1990). The first time I played it, I started in Quickman's stage, because the strategy guide suggested his weapon for a lot of the sections in the game. Naturally, I got my ass handed to me! After a lot of trial and error, I eventually learned a better stage order and now I prefer: Metalman, Bubbleman, Woodman, Flashman, Airman, Heatman, Crashman, Quickman.

Status

I own this game for the NES and have beaten it on both normal and difficult skill levels.

Review

Overall: 9/10
Best Version: NES

Good

The graphics are colorful, well-drawn, and highly detailed for such a low resolution.
The music is extremely good, some of the best for the platform.
The game is difficult without being unfair and even has a difficulty setting for less die-hard players.
The ending cut scenes and staff roll is a fantastic way to finish the game.
Each of the bosses, despite being quite primitive, has a unique style which can be felt in their stage, fighting style, and weapon.
The bosses in the first four Dr. Wily stages are quite clever. The Mechanical Dragon is especially terrifying, well-drawn, and a good challenge.

Bad

The boss weapons are very unbalanced. Some weapons, like Lead Bubble only have two real uses in the game, while Metal Blade is so versatile, it's best to use it for most of the game.
The disappearing platforms from the first game are back, and even worse than before. Luckily, the Items 1-3 make them a little easier to deal with.
Later in the game, you have to deal with a lot of instant-death spikes and pits which are a lame way of increasing difficulty.
The Dr. Wily boss stages are pretty uninspired using drab colors and using mostly repeated enemies.

Ugly

Nothing, this game rocks.

Box Art

Mega Man 2 - FC - Japan.jpg

The original Japanese release uses a cartoon style that perfectly matches the feel of the game and includes the bosses and various enemies.
Mega Man 2 - NES - USA.jpg

The North America box art is notoriously bad using a comic book style. Mega Man is a person in a Spandex jump suit with tiny feet, a ray gun, and a visor. Quickman looks pretty good, but Metalman is atrocious, and strangely, he is commanded by Dr. Light!
Mega Man 2 - NES - EU.jpg

The PAL regions received even worse box art with Mega Man being covered in chrome with a shiny dildo for an arm, and monsters that don't fit the game at all.