Out Today: Mega Man Legacy Collection (Xbox One)

In fact the only real progression is the graphics, which by the time you get to Mega Man 6 (which was never released in Europe) look nearly as good as a SNES game.

Remember the “Mega Man Anniversary Collection” that came out for GameCube and PS2? There’s also a music player, which allows you to play the original (and unaltered) tracks from the first six games. The pack consists of Mega Man one through six for PS4, PC, Nintendo 3DS, and Xbox One.

Capcom release all six NES Mega Man games in one budget-priced download, but do any of the games stand up to modern scrutiny?

They attempt to make up for the lack of extra games with a host of new features. While the concept artwork in the individual game Museums amount to little more than a enemy sketches and their names, this feature can not be understated.

“I appreciated being able to browse goodies like character art and rejected boss designs without needing to unlock them first”.

The exclusion of “Mega Man 9” and “10” is really the only mark I can come up with when observing this package. These challenges are a great addition for anyone who is looking for replay value outside the main games, and a leaderboard system (complete with downloadable ghosts/replays) allow you to take your best times and compete with other players.

I liked this idea, until I realized the challenges were nothing but glorified time trials. I tried my hand at a few of these, and I’ll say this: they’re very tough, well-built, and frantic to take on, since even death doesn’t stop the march of time. The fastest times can be admired from atop the leaderboards. Every time out, a robotic warrior clad in blue battles eight “Robot Masters” in an order chosen by the player. The replay feature here, though, is only available in the challenge mode, and the replays are not savable.

8-bit style with HD flair – The games retain their retro 8-bit style with an added HD finish, giving a crisp, clean look to the charming, classic sprites. He is still the same old Mega Man, he’s just a bit more smooth now. Something? Again, if you purport to be the ultimate collector’s version of something, you can’t half-ass it like this when it comes to extras. Meanwhile, avid fans can still pre-order the game in online stores such as GameStop and Amazon for $30.

Mega Man certainly holds a special place in my heart. Yet those old enough to recall those glory days will point out that survive they did, largely because there were endless days to hone skills and learn every inch of these stellar titles.

On the resolution front, you can opt to play each game in its “original state” which relegates the play area to a rectangle in the middle of your screen.

Once you finally claw your way to the boss, you are met with a robot master that has been programmed to defeat you. Why the resemblance? This might be due to the influence of Keiji Inafune, the man behind Capcom‘s hit series and now the prominent producer of “Mighty No. 9”. My love for Mega Man runs deep, and I’ll never forget what an inspiration he has been on my life in gaming. So what did we think of this blast from our gaming childhood?

It seemed like there was a lot of emphasis on making the game more competitive than enjoyable. Password saves are very clearly a thing of the past, and while they’re present for those who want to have the true experience that gamers in the late eighties and early nineties had, those accustomed to modern save mechanics will feel satisfied.

Like many games of the era the original Mega Man seems to actively enjoy making you lose, and frankly we’d advise skipping it entirely in favour of the more manageable sequel. After delivering the final blow (usually with the game’s worst weapon), Mega Man rides off into the sunset, ready to return if the world needs him again. With many choices of how to experience Mega Man, I would suggest trying to find another option. That doesn’t mean that they are lesser titles, its just something I found interesting when going through and testing each title all over again.

Challenge remix mode for new and veteran players – The robust new Challenge Mode remixes gameplay from all six games for a new type of challenge. If you are not familiar with Mega Man for some odd reason, the title’s simple database can familiarize you with some of the characters and story.