Favorite Tunes #130: Happy Birthday, Mega Man

Today is December 17th. This is the day that Mega Man was released for the Famicom in Japan in 1987, 28 years ago. No one knows the exact date Mega Man made it stateside, but it did release on the NES in the same month and year. My favorite blue robo hero is taking center stage for Favorite Tunes so kick back and enjoy a selection of music from one of gaming's greatest.

Bomb Man Stage - Mega Man (NES)

Mega Man's first outing has six Robot Masters instead of the standard eight. It features the least amount of stages in any Classic console entry. It's also one of the toughest Mega Man game's out there. The formula may have been refined in later games but much of Mega Man's standard practices originated in this first game, including a stellar soundtrack.

Opening Stage - Mega Man X2 (SNES)

What is it about the X series and awesome opening stage music? Even terrible games like Mega Man X6-X7 have solid intro stage themes and all around good soundtracks. X2's sound kit is a bit different from the first Mega Man X and the soundtrack isn't as memorable, but there are still some good tunes throughout. This track is up there with the opening stage music for X1 and X's opening level for X4.

Needle Man Stage - Mega Man 3 (NES)

Mega Man 3, my personal favorite Mega Man game has an outstanding soundtrack but if any tune makes me want to get on the dance floor, it would have to be Needle Man's level theme. I mean, just listen to it! How can anyone sit still with such a lively beat playing?

Mega Man 2 Medley - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U (3DS, Wii U)

When Mega Man was revealed as a playable character for the 3DS and Wii U versions of Super Smash Bros. he was met with thunderous applause from gamers around the world. He isn't perfect and he definitely requires work to use, but he continues to be one of my favorite fighters in Smash. I tend to think Mega Man 2 music is overplayed but even I cannot deny that the Mega Man 2 remixes for Smash are awesome.

Dr. Wily Stage 1 - Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (GB)

The first Mega Man game in the GB line, this title took Robot Masters from Mega Man and Mega Man 2 and gave us the first Mega Man killer Enker, a robot who used  a spear to absorb energy from Mega Man's attacks and fire it back. Enker could be fought in Mega Man 10 as DLC where this under appreciated gem of a track got much needed remix love.


Dr. Wily Stage 3 - Mega Man 7 (SNES)

Being a game released late in the SNES life and in limited quantities, Mega Man 7 commands a high price point on the second hand market. If you don't mind a digital copy, you can pay far less on the Wii U eShop. Even with larger sprites docking some of the precision platforming of the 8-bit games, Mega Man 7 is still one of my favorites.

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