Downloads #21

Tetris (GB)

It seems like most of my downloads these days are coming from being a Club Nintendo member but I'm not complaining. Maybe someday I'll grab some posters but for now, I'm content with digital downloads. Until February 10, Nintendo is offering the Game Boy classic, Tetris to Club Nintendo members for 150 coins. There are tons of different versions of Tetris one can obtain but the 1989 GB Tetris will always hold a special place in my heart. And for the record, B-Type music will always be better than A-Type music.

Downloads #20

Mega Man (NES)

I was so excited when it was announced that Mega Man 1-6 would be coming to the 3DS Virtual Console. Today Mega Man hit the the eShop so I put some funds in just so I could purchase it. I've played through Bomb Man and Guts Man's stages and it seems to be a pretty faithful translation of the NES game. And now I can play it when I'm miles away from home. Sweet!

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

This one has been on the 3DS Virtual Console for a quite some time now. I wonder what's taking Capcom so long to get the rest of the GB Mega Man games to the eShop. I could always play my physical copies on my Super Game Boy or Game Boy Player, but more players should be given the chance to experiences these games.

Anyhoo, in order to show my support for all things Mega Man, I decided to finally download Dr. Wily's Revenge. It plays a lot like the original NES Mega Man, making it hands down the toughest of the GB Mega Man titles. I've actually never been able to finish this one. I think being able to save will help some but that final Dr. Wily stage is something else.

Downloads #19

Have I been flooding the blog with too many Mega Man posts? You'll have to forgive me for that. It is little boy blue's 25th anniversary and all and with him being one of my favorite video game characters, well, I can't help but celebrate. But I'm taking a break from the festivities in this post to tell you about my latest downloads. The Mega Man posts will resume shortly.

1080 Snowboarding (N64)

I picked up a copy of 1080 Snowboarding in the early 2000s. I've never stepped on a snowboard in my life but all the good things I heard about this game prompted me to pick it up. I never did play much of it and this was mostly due to the steep learning curve with the controls. This game takes a lot of practice to get down and I never really committed myself to doing so. But Club Nintendo currently has the game for 150 coins until January 6. Despite doing poorly at the game all those years ago, I'd like to give it another shot and 150 coins beats 1000 Wii points.

Mario Party 2 (N64)

1080 Snowboarding was originally the only game I was going to mention but in the middle of making this post, I went to Club Nintendo's website and saw some more games going for 150 coins, Mario Party 2 being among them. I never did play any Mario Party beyond the original. Though I loved the first one, I was one of the many (along with my friends) that suffered from blisters on his hands from rotating the control stick in the mini games. I'm guessing that for this reason, the original Mario Party won't being seeing the light of day on the Virtual Console. I figured my nieces would want to play Mario Party 2, but I've always been wanting to get back into the series so yeah, I got the game for myself, too.

Downloads #18

Mega Man X2 (SNES)

With this month being Mega Man's 25th anniversary, Blue Bomber fever is in full effect in my home. I've been writing up Mega Man articles, looking through my Mega Man Megamix & Gigamix manga and of course, playing a ton of Mega Man games. Mega Man X2 released on the Virtual Console earlier this year and I still think it's one of the best Mega Man games, though it isn't my favorite X game. Really looking forward to going through this game again. I'm hoping Capcom gives us the remaining SNES Mega Man games. Heck, I'd probably buy Mega Man Soccer if they released it.

Mega Man 5 (NES)

Certainly not the most popular Mega Man game, but still not a bad entry. Again, as part of Mega Man's 25th birthday, it only seemed right to add another digital Mega Man game to my collection. Despite what the critics say, I still Mega Man 5.

Star Fox 64 (N64)

It's been years since I played Star Fox 64, one of my favorite shooters and one of the N64's best games. For months I've been wanting to play through this game again and I really didn't want to plunk down $40 for Star Fox 64 3D. My N64 was misplaced during the move months back and I planned to add Star Fox 64 to my VC library anyway, so, here we are. Maybe I'll play through all the pathways legit this time. Years back I used Action Replay. What? Don't judge me.

Downloads #17

How long has it been since I downloaded games from the Wii's Virtual Console service? Too long. Well I picked up a Wii Points Card and fixed that. I only bought two games but both are some real winners. These are also titles I've never played prior to purchasing them.

La-Mulana (WiiWare)

I think I read a preview of this game a year ago in Nintendo Power. Looking at it now, it seems vaguely familiar to me. I haven't played much of it so I'll talk more about this one in the upcoming Currently Playing post.

Monster World IV (GEN)

This, ladies and gentlemen is one of the many reasons the Wii's Virtual Console rocks. The final game in the Wonder Boy series, Monster World IV was never released outside of Japan. This year, all that changed. Back in May, the game was added to the Wii's Virtual Console lineup and it's been fully translated. This isn't the first Wonder Boy game I've played, but if what I've played so far is any indication, it may very well be the best in the series. It's been a long time since I've played a really good action/RPG and Monster World IV is really hitting the spot.

Downloads #16

[GB] Mario's Picross

Went to Club Nintendo's website to see if there was anything of interest for me to do with my coins and low and behold, for just 100 coins, you can get Mario's Picross on the 3DS Virtual Console. At least until Nov. 18th. I picked up this game back in 2002 and became addicted to solving puzzles. The first game in the Picross series, it has over 250 puzzles. That may seem like a staggering amount but when compared to Picross DS or Picross 3D, it isn't nearly as much. Still, this was one of my favorite original Game Boy games and I was pleased to see it get a Virtual Console release. Now if only they'd give us Western gamers Mario's Super Picross on the Wii's Virtual console.

Downloads #15

Super Punch Out!! [SNES]

While checking to see if there were any new rewards for Club Nintendo members, I came across a very interesting one. Through November 14, they are offering Super Punch-Out!! on the Wii's Virtual Console for  a mere 150 coins. Compared to 800 Wii points, I'd say that's a good deal. This is another SNES Virtual Console game I intended to buy some time and Club Nintendo's current offer was the perfect incentive. Rewards like these are why I'm glad I joined the club.

It's been over 10 years since I played Super Punch-Out!! I think the farthest I ever got on this game was the third circuit and just getting there was no easy task. Mr. Sand Man made my right thumb and right arm sore, but then, Mr. Sandman gives me trouble in any version of Punch-Out!! that I play. I shudder to think how difficult he may be in the Wii version. Maybe I should finally open that game up and play it.

Downloads #14

It's been forever since I downloaded something off the Wii's Virtual Console service and in doing so, I made my first Club Nintendo purchase. For just 100 coins I was able to pick up Pilotwings for the Virtual Console. I was going to purchase this game eventually, but since I have well over 700 Club Nintendo coins, I figured I'd use the coins instead of use points from a Wii Points card.

Pilotwings (SNES)

I was playing my physical copy of Pilotwings earlier this year and I actually managed to pass two license tests. I didn't get a perfect score but after being blasted by those uptight instructors, it was nice to see them change their tune.

To my knowledge, this offer for Pilotwings is still going on for Club Nintendo members. So if you don't have Pilotwings for the Virtual Console and want to get a great, cheap gift, by all means, head on over to Club Nintendo's website and cash in your coins and get the code so you can pick up this game. I really wish Pilotwings 64 would come to the Virtual Console.

Virtual Console Review: Mega Man 4

System: NES
Genre: Action/Platformer
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Virtual Console Release: Apr. 19, 2010 USA / Apr. 16, 2010 EUR / Feb. 9, 2010 JPN
Original Release: Jan. 1992 USA / Aug. 1993 EUR/ Dec. 6, 1991 JPN
Players: 1
Cost: 500 points
Controllers Supported: Wii Remote, Classic Controller GameCube
Rated: E for Everyone








It's widely believed that the classic Mega Man series peaked with the second game, but in truth, Capcom still put out plenty of good Mega Man adventures that were worth your time. Mega Man 4 may not be as good as Mega Man 2 or Mega Man 3, but it's still a solid entry in the long running series and even managed to introduce a few new gameplay elements.

Dr. Wily isn't the only scientist that's green with envy. Dr. Cossack, a Russian inventor of advanced robotics is also tired of not being recognized by the world for his achievements. And what better way to get people to notice you than inventing an army of eight robot masters and sending them after Earth's champion in a bid for world conquest? Dr. Cossack may be jealous of Dr. Light but is there more to the story here? Is Dr. Wily involved? Spoiler alert: Yes and yes.

Defeating Toad Man is simple.
Shoot, slide, repeat.

Toad Man's Rain Flush works wonders on the
quick sand section in Pharaoh Man's level.

Following the same tried and true formula of the first three Mega Man games, you can select whichever robot master stage you wish to go to in any order. Some robot masters and levels are certainly easier than others, so it can be very beneficial to come to a more challenging stage with the proper support items and robot master weakness weapon.

Mega Man 4's biggest innovation is the Mega Buster. The Mega Buster is a weapon Mega Man has by default. Holding down the fire button will have Mega Man glowing green and blue. Release the button and Mega Man fires off a charged shot that can do a sizable amount of damage to enemies and robot masters. Due to the nature of this weapon, this can make fighting robot masters with it a bit easier, but they still take more damage for the weapon they happen to be weak against than the Mega Buster. It's been long debated that the Mega Buster is a game breaking tool. Yeah, it can be used a lot and consumes no energy but it never truly ruined the series in any way. The Metal Blades were absurdly busted yet you won't find a soul whining about that ruining Mega Man 2.

Bright Man knows the fine art of cheap
fighting tactics.

The crushers in Dust Man's stage look
intimidating, but this is actually
one of the game's easier sections.

The game serves up some of the most memorable robot master of the classic series, along with some of the most silliest with Dust Man falling into the later category. I do have to give Dust Man credit for fighting a heck of a lot Better than Bubble Man ever did. Ring Man might sound like he belongs in  jewelry shop, but he's quite fast, one of the quickest robots in the classic series. You get some pretty useful weapons from these guys to boot. Pharaoh Man's Pharaoh Shot can be charged and thrown diagonally and because of the size when it's fully charged, the radius it covers is quite large. Bright Man's Flash Stopper is even better than Flash Man's since it can be used in bursts and you can shoot with it. Toad Man's Rain Flush damages all foes on the screen. The damage it does varies depending on the enemy, but this is still a good weapon for getting rid of multiple pests all at once. Skull Man is one of the coolest-looking robot masters of the bunch, but sadly, the Skull Barrier is one of the weaker shield weapon. Dive Man's Dive Missiles home in on targets like  Magnet Man's Magnet Missiles but they aren't nearly as fast. Overall, Mega Man 4's weapon set isn't too shabby but could be better.

It wouldn't be a Mega Man game without tons of spikes, perilous jumps and precise shooting and Mega Man 4 has that and then some. Bright Man's stage has a few sections where you have to be careful that you don't turn out the lights or you won't be able to see. Skull Man's level holds a few E-Tanks, including one that is simple enough to grab, but jumping back after you've obtained it isn't so easy with the slight miscalculation sending you to your doom. Atop Dr. Cossack's fortress is a auto scrolling section over, you guessed it, a huge bottomless pit. Like all the Mega Man titles before and after this one, Mega Man 4 does not apologize for it's difficulty.

Box art for the Japanese release.

Box art for the European
version.

When you're playing a Mega Man game, great music is a given and Mega Man 4 boasts some incredibly catch chiptunes. The audio was all done by Ojalin (Bun Bun just did the game's sound effects) and he did a bang up job. Skull Man, Bright Man, Pharaoh Man, and Dive Man's stage themes have all become fan favorites and Dr. Cossack Stage 2 is one of the best castle themes in Mega Man music history. Dr. Wily Stage 2 is also quite brilliant as is the final boss music, even if it is a very short looping tune. Pity that charging the Mega Buster messes up the sound of the music.

Box art for the Japanese Rockman 4
The Complete Works on the PSone.

Mega Man 4 does a lot of things right. It's a noteworthy game and at 500 points, it cost less than what you'd likely pay for a physical copy. Don't miss out on one of the Blue Bomber's best entries in the classic series because people are hating on the Mega Buster or a so called "lousy" set of robot masters because even Mega Man 2 and 3 had their share of losers. Mega Man 4 proved that even after four games in, the series still had steam left in it's engines.



  

Virtual Console Review: Gunstar Heroes

System: Genesis
Genre: Action
Developer: Treasure
Publisher: SEGA
Virtual Console Release: Dec 11, 2006 USA / Dec 15, 2006 EUR / Dec 2, 2006 JPN
Original Release: Sept 9, 1993 USA / Sept 10, 1993 JPN / 1993 EUR
Players: 1-2
Cost: 800 points
Controllers Supported: Wii Remote, Classic, GameCube
Rated: E for Everyone 10+






In the early 90s, a small group of Konami employees left the company and founded Treasure. Their first game was a unique run 'n gun shooter for the Genesis called Gunstar Heroes. A true masterpiece, Gunstar Heroes has since been revered as one of the crowning games on the Genesis and for many Treasure fans, the greatest achievement to come from the company.

From the get-go, the action in this game is very chaotic.

The mode-7 effects here have to be seen to
be believed.

At the start of Stage 3, you have to board this ship or take screen
damage from the screen scrolling you off.

Other than it's sequel, you won't play a run 'n' gun game quite like Gunstar Heroes. Oh sure, you run and shoot like you would in any other game in the genre but Gunstar Heroes is far deeper than that. Before you even begin playing, you're given the option to choose between Free Shot and fixed shot. Free Shot lets you move and shoot at the same time while Fixed Shot holds you in place while firing. I'd assume most players would want to move freely while shooting but it's still nice to have the option, especially for more experienced players or those merely looking for a challenge. You also get to choose from four weapons: Force, Lightning, Chaser and Flame. No matter which one you choose, you'll get to play with all of them since each stages drops weapon icons of each for you to pick up and use. These weapons can also be mixed and matched for a total of sixteen different weapon types. Awesome. The combat options don't end there. You aren't just limited to shooting as your character can execute a number of melee attacks that do a surprisingly amount of good damage. You can slide into enemies. Pick them up and toss them into a group of oncoming foes. Got a two player game going? Grab your partner and hurl him/her at the bad guys! Don't worry, he/she won't take any damage from it.

Mini bosses are everywhere. 

The famous board game. Throw the die!

One of the many places you can end up in Stage 4.

In most games of this type, you're a one hit-point wonder. Not so In Gunstar Heroes and once you see all the action that can occur on screen, you'll be thankful that you aren't. You have a numerical health bar that starts off at 100. Through out each level, health power ups drop and that number can be increased to well over 200. Even the bosses have health. It's so nice to shoot at something and not have to wonder how long you have until it's destroyed.

Typical for this kind of game, Gunstar Heroes is short with only seven levels, but each one is unforgettable, packed with very imaginative design. The first stage starts out on the ground and eventually has you working your way up a pyramid and sliding down it to get to the stage boss. Stage 2 is has you riding on a mine cart that let's you shift gravity so you can ride on the ceiling. Riding the mine cart alone is pretty rad but the real reason stage 2 will stick out in your mind is the boss. Stage 2 has one of the most fondly remembered bosses from a video game, Seven Force, a shape shifting mech that can assume seven different forms. If you're playing on the highest difficulty, you'll have to defeat all of his forms. A few of his forms include the mythical bird, Phoenix, and a pistol that has to reload after several shots. The fourth level is one of the most brilliant stages invented. It starts outs normal then throws you into a board game that even has you throw dice to see where you'll end up. Destinations range from a simple maze where you have to get out in a limited amount of time, a boss fight where you can't use firearms, a room full of power-ups, and a battle against a small soldier who packs unimaginable levels of strength to name a few. One of the final levels of the game is a shoot 'em up. Gunstar Heroes stages are one of the main reasons it's such a fantastic game.

Here, Smash Daisaku throws his mooks at you. It's goes
over about as well as you can imagine.

Gunstar Heroes SHUMP level isn't just
tacked on, playing extremely well.

One of the many forms of Seven Force.

Treasure squeezed a lot of power of of the Genesis when they made Gunstar Heroes. The end result is one of the most impressive games of the 16-bit era. Loads of bright colors are on the screen with incredibly detailed sprites, some of the finest the Genesis has to offer. There's even some stunning mode-7 effects thrown in. Norio "NON" Hanzawa  has done a lot of work writing music for Treasure games. His compositions for Gunstar Heroes are still rank among his best material with themes like 1 Stage, 3 Stage, 4 Stage, 7 Force and the tear jerking Ending theme.

For 800 points, you're getting one heck of game. Yeah, the game is short, but that just makes Gunstar Heroes all the more fun to run through time and again. The game features four difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, Hard and Expert) so the game is made accessible to new players and offers plenty for masochists on higher settings. If you've only heard great things about Gunstar Heroes but never played it, you owe it yourself to experience this classic. You most definitely can believe the hype on this one.

Virtual Console Review: Mega Man 3

System: NES
Genre: Action/Platformer
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Virtual Console Release: Nov 10, 2008 USA / Nov 14, 2008 EUR / Nov 4, 2008 JPN
Original Release: Nov 1990 USA / Feb 20, 1992 EUR / Sept 28, 1990 JPN
Players: 1
Cost: 500 points
Controllers Supported: GameCube, Wii Remote, Classic
Rated: E for Everyone

Mega Man was the the Blue Bomber's first, rocky steps into the world. Mega Man 2 greatly improved upon the first game so much that many consider it to be the finest game in the classic series and in name of Mega Man games all together. So how could Capcom improve upon what so many see as Mega Man perfection? As the old saying goes, nowhere to go now but up. And up they went. You see, as splendid a game as Mega Man 2 is, it's not unusual to talk to gamers that will tell you it isn't their favorite. While Mega Man head honcho Keiji Inafune firmly believes that Mega Man 3 could be improved upon, a large number of fans love Mega Man 3 just the way it is. For it's introduction of new skills, new characters, large number of levels and crafty stage designs, Mega Man 3 is a superb NES game and for lots of Mega Man fans, it is the pinnacle of the Mega Man series.

After having his butt handed to him two times in attempts for world domination, Dr. Wily has reformed. He's working with Dr. Light to help construct Gamma, a large peace-keeping robot. In order to finish Gamma, the two doctors need energy crystals that are located on different worlds. These crystals were supposed to be obtained by a new set of robot masters but they went berserk. Mega Man is sent into action to take down the renegade robots and bring back the energy crystals.

Looking at this screen makes you want to hum Magnet
Man's glorious theme. Go on, hum it. Hum it, I say!

If you hear a whistle, a fight with this guy isn't far behind.

The general gameplay for Mega Man 3 remains unchanged from the previous two games. When you start, you're presented with a stage select screen of eight robot masters to choose from. They can be destroyed in any order you desire but they'll fall a lot quicker to their weakness. But if you're looking to really test your mettle, you can try defeating all of them with just your Mega Buster. Mega Man 3 is one of the toughest Mega Man games to do a Buster-only run on because most of the robot masters sustain little damage from Mega Man's default weapon. You need the reflexes and agility of Spider-Man to take down Needle Man without getting hit.

Just getting to the robot masters can be a feat in and of itself. Penguins, springs, grenades, snakes and all other manner of creatures of the robotic kind are out to kill you and the level designs aren't a walk in the park either. Twice in Spark Man's stage you'll be required to make jumps over bottomless pits on tiny platforms that send you up to a ceiling of spikes if you stay on them for too long. There's a disappearing block section that makes up the second half of Magnet Man's level. It starts out simple enough but then magnets get throw into the mix and eventually magnets mixed with disappearing blocks and a bottomless pit. Mega Man games are hard by nature but most seem to agree that Mega Man 3 is one of the toughest games in the series. Seasoned Mega Man players shouldn't have much difficulty but if you're new, expect to see that game over screen again and again. But as hard as the game can be, it's never unfair. Every time you die, you won't feel as if the game somehow cheated you and bettering yourself at the game is highly satisfying. As brutal as the levels can be, they are an absolute joy to go through and represent some of the best, creative levels the series has ever seen.

Mega Man 3's story is a bit more involving than the
previous two entries.

Guess who's back? E-Tanks and being able to slide
make this guy far easier to deal with.

Once you finish off the eight robot masters, you'd think you'd move on to the Dr. Wily stages (come now, you didn't really think he gave up being a mad scientist, did you?) but you'd be wrong. After the new batch of robot masters are scrap metal, you move on to the Doc Robot stages. Doc Robot stages are four remixed levels of Spark Man, Shadow Man, Gemini Man, and Needle Man stages and each one holds two robot masters from Mega Man 2. That's right, your old sparing partners have returned for some payback and in Doc Robot form, these guys can be pretty difficult.

Mega Man 3 introduced not one but two new characters that would go on to be be fan favorites. Rush, Mega Man's robotic canine stands in as Mega Man's support items. Rush Coil gives Mega Man a boost to propel him to higher platforms. Rush Marine makes navigating underwater sections easier, though the final Rush adaptor arguably makes Rush Coil and Rush Marine obsolete. Rush Jet functions as an insanely broken Item 2 for Mega Man in that you have complete control over where it goes. Forward, backwards, up, down, or perfectly still, Rush Jet can do it all. Better still, Rush Jet only consumes energy when Mega Man is standing on it. Because Rush Jet follows Mega Man wherever he goes and will catch him after he jumps, you can use jumping to conserve energy. Small wonder why this easily viewed as one of the best forms of Rush. The second new character is Proto Man, though he's first known as Break Man. Playing off of the friend or foe trope, Break Man shows up in a few levels to test Mega Man's skills. Fill him up with enough lead and he'll let you be on your way. Proto Man always makes his entrance at the sound of his trademark whistle so when you hear it, you'll know what's up.

Wait, didn't I kill you and your buddies one game ago?

Tricky sections like this one are all over the place in
Mega Man 3.

Along with his faithful robot dog, Mega Man gained the handy ability to slide in this game. Pressing down and the jump button allows Mega Man to execute the slide maneuver, which helps you squeeze through narrow passageways, avoid enemies and all around, travel a lot quicker. Sliding is an invaluable ability and is great for putting distance between you and a robot master, something you'll need to do frequently.

Weapons you get from robot masters are aren't quite as good as the set seen from Mega Man 2, but they aren't terrible by any means. Well, except the Top Spin, which when used on Shadow Man or any boss, makes you take damage. Magnet Missile as an excellent homing weapon so long as you have one target to hit. Shadow Blade is a more balanced version of the Metal Blade and only goes so far before it comes back to you. Hard Knuckle can be steered slightly after you fire it. Gemini Laser is unique in that it bounces off walls but it can be painfully slow. Spark Shock can freeze enemies in place but you can't switch weapons once you use it to freeze something. So other than killing Magnet Man and Bubble Man, you probably won't use Spark Shock much. Again, not terrible weapon set but Mega Man 3's weapon mostly suffer from being too projectile based. But then, once you got the Metal Blade in Mega Man 2, how often did you use those other weapons anyway outside of killing bosses? Yeah, I thought so.

Two Hard Knuckles will kill these giant snakes faster
than the Mega Buster.

If you're looking to farm for power ups, the tadpole eggs
in Gemini Man's stage have you covered.

Believe it or not, that thing is Gamma, the peace-keeping
robot. Because nothing screams "peace" like instant death
spikes. Yeah. 

The first two Mega Man games delivered some of the most notable music to come out of the NES hardware. Mega Man 2 has been praised for having some of the best music from a video game. The same can be said for Mega Man 3. The majority of Mega Man 3's music was scored by Yasuki Fujita, also known as Bunbun. Bunbun gaves us such catchy themes as Magnet Man Stage, Shadow Man Stage, and Spark Man Stage. Those are just a few of the robot master tracks. Mega Man 3's Title theme has gone down in history as one of the most well-composed title songs from a video game and as excellent as Mega Man 2's title music is, Mega Man 3's just outclasses it every single way. Bunbun also gave as the classic series best version of Stage Select and Mega Man 3's version of Get a Weapon is still the reigning champion. And then there's that ultra happy Password/Game Over music. Failure has never sounded so delightful. Then there's Proto Man's immortal whistle, which despite being done on the NES sound board, still sounds different enough from the other tunes that it can be recognized as a whistle. Harumi Fujita is responsoble for giving us Gemini Man Stage and Needle Man Stage as well as working with Bunbun on Mega Man 3's Staff Roll, one of my favorite Staff Roll themes from the series. There's not a single bad track in Mega Man 3. Not a one. The music from Mega Man 3 is just one more reason the game is so good. The game is a slight step up in the visuals from Mega Man 2 with even more detailed backgrounds. Gemini Man's stage has some nice, flashing colors that put Flash Man's level to shame. Each robot master is easily recognizable and looks menacing. Even for an 8-bit game, those Doc Robots look creepy as ever.

Capcom did the impossible and surpassed Mega Man 2 with Mega Man 3. It presents a good challenge without being impossible, it has memorable robot masters and characters, gives us some of the best designed levels of the series and to top it all off, we got some of the sickest 8-bit tunes ever. Yeah, the robot master weapons could be better, but they aren't a deal breaker and in the end, they don't hold Mega Man 3 back from greatness. The emulation is spot on and unlike the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, the beloved high jump trick (hold down right on a second controller) works in this version of the game. From the amazing title screen music all the way to the mind-blowing bomb-shell ending, Mega Man 3 is an unforgettable adventure.






MEGA MAN 3 BOX ART: THE OTHER SIDE


Mega Man 3 marked the first time Mega Man started to resemble his in-game sprite on the box art in America and Europe. Capcom still didn't go with the Japanese artwork, but it's still leagues better than some middle aged buffoon with a hand blaster. Here's a look at the Japanese and Europen covers for Mega Man 3.

This is the Japanese box art for Rockman 3. In Japan, the Rockman games usually carry some sort of subtitle. The subtitle for Rockman 3 was Dokutā Wairī no Saigo!? Translated to English, that means "The End of Dr. Wily?!" Even in the 1990s, they weren't trying to hide the fact that Wily was really the bad guy all along. Heck, you can see his frickin' ship on the cover!

The European cover for Mega Man 3. It's closer to the original Japanese version with the robot master faces and the poses Mega Man and Rush are in. Though Mega Man's armor kinda makes him look a bit like X.

Cover for the 1991 PlayStation release of Rockman 3, part of the Rockman Complete Works series. Rockman 1-4 of the Complete Works line can be downloaded on the PlayStation Network.

Virtual Console Review: Mega Man 2

System: NES
Genre: Action/Platformer
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Virtual Console Release: Sept 15, 2008 / Dec 14, 2007 EUR / Aug 26, 2008 JPN
Original Release: Jun 1989 USA / Dec 14, 1990 EUR / Dec 24, 1988 JPN / AUS Dec 1990
Players: 1
Cost: 500 points
Controllers Supported: GameCube, Wii Remote, Classic
Rated: E for Everyone

The original Mega Man a good game that sadly, did not set the world on fire when it was originally released. Rather than make any radical alterations, Capcom improved the formula from the Blue Bomber's first outing with Mega Man 2. Packed with more bosses, more stages,  more weapons and even more infectious tunes and you have a plethora of reasons for why Mega Man 2 is widely regarded as one of the finest games in the NES library and for many fans, the best Mega Man game in the classic series.

You know the old saying. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. After Dr. Wily's first defeat, he retreated to another fortress and built his own robot masters, eight to be exact. Can Mega Man destroy these new robots, breach Wily's stronghold and take the mad doctor down a second time? Judging by the existence of the sequels, Legends and X series, I think we all know the answer to that question.

Kill Metal Man first. His Metal Blades make things so
much easier. When you face him again later on, you
can even take him out even faster with his own weapon.

Instant death via laser beams is the price you'll pay for
being too slow in Quick Man's stage. 

As per usual for a classic Mega Man title, you're presented with eight robot masters and in order to face off with them, you must first make it through their stage. The robot masters this time around are Wood Man, Air Man, Crash Man, Metal Man, Bubble Man, Heat Man, Flash Man, and Quick Man. You can dispose of them in any order you like but you can make things easier on yourself by discovering what the bosses weakness are. Defeating a robot master will net you their weapon to play around with. Wood Man being tree-based will drop quickly to a charged up shot from Heat Man's Atomic Fire. Flash Man's Flash Stopper makes the longer section of instant death laser beams in Quick Man's level far more manageable for those that don't have quick reflexes. The Leaf Shield you get from Wood Man is invaluable in Crash Man's stage and makes farming for power-ups in certain areas a breeze. But as good as many of the weapons in Mega Man 2 are, nearly every single one of them pales in comparison to the all-powerful Metal Blades. Not only is the weapon spamable since it uses little energy, it can be fired off in eight different directions. Even better, you can kill up to three robot masters with this weapon, including Metal Man himself! Once you get the Metal Blades, you may not even use your other weapons all that much.

This is one of the best-looking 8-bit forests
you'll ever see.

If only Bubble Man were as cool as
his stage layout.

The stages presented in Mega Man 2 are just as memorable as the bosses and showcase some of best level designs to come out of the 8-bit era. Metal Man's stage is populated by conveyor belts, Quick Man's lair looks like an abandon factory that is home to some treacherous laser beams, Crash Man's domain contains long, zig-zagging elevator platform rides, Bubble Man's underwater hideout is one of the greatest water-themed levels in a video game, even if Bubble Man himself isn't much to speak off. The Dr. Wily stages also deserve mention for the cool bosses they throw at you. The Mecha Dragon in Dr. Wily Stage 1 has you jumping across tiny platforms over a bottomless pit before you can actually face it. The Guts Dozer takes up a large portion of the screen and the battle against Boobeam Trap, which requires all of your ammo from the Crash Bombs has got to be one of the most strategic (and annoying) fights of the whole classic franchise.

Since this is a Mega Man game it does throw a number of challenges at the player. You'll be platforming just as much as you'll be firing shots and the game demands precise jumps in order to clear those gaps. Though some jumps can be easier to clear with the assistant of items 1 and 2. Think of these as Rush adaptions, but without Rush. Item 1 creates rising platforms for Mega Man to jump on while Item 2 is a Rocket that can be ridden to clear long gaps, which is very useful if you don't want to make a long string of jumps across disappearing blocks in Heat Man's stage over a lava pit. If you're playing an English version of Mega Man 2, the game's difficulty can be lessened a bit. This version of the game has two difficulty settings, normal and difficult. Normal lessens the damage Mega Man takes from foes and increases the damage he deals to enemies. Difficult is the regular default setting of the Japanese version, Rockman 2. Some purists make scoff at the inclusion of an easier mode, but it's always nice to have choices.

Survive the short chase with this thing and
you can fight it.

Wily's man-crush on Guts Man becomes highly
apparent in this game.

Mega Man 2 debuted the much loved Energy Tanks, an item that would have made the original Mega Man a bit easier to handle. Energy Tanks come in the form of big, blue cans with an E label. You can store up to four of these and if your life energy is running low, just pause the game, select an Energy Tank and bam, you're back to full health. The password system also showed up for the first time here, though play on the Virtual Console eliminates the need for it since you can pick up right where you left off whenever you stop playing.

Imaginative bosses, genius level designs and tight controls were enough to levitate Mega Man 2 to legendary status. Thankfully, Capcom did not stop there. The music that you'll hear in Mega Man 2 is not just some of the best music on the NES, but some of the best music in video games. Bubble Man's theme is heavenly aquatic goodness. Quick Man's theme perfectly captures the feeling of urgency and dread one gets from seeing and hearing those instant death lasers. No one can forget the title theme and it would go on to become the Blue Bomber's theme music. Even by NES standards, the visuals are still impressive. I don't know if there was such a thing as "high resolution graphics" for NES games like the European box art claimed, but Mega Man 2 is still a sharp title.

Mega Man 2 looks and plays just as brilliantly as it did when it was released over two decades ago and remains one of the best Mega Man games around. Unless you're averse to playing excellent games, there really is no reason not to download this game as it's one of the best games available on the Virtual Console service.





MEGA MAN 2 BOX ART: THE OTHER SIDE

Mega Man 2's USA box art (pictured up at the left) was a huge improvement over the original, even though Mega Man used a handgun and didn't sport his now traditional anime look from Japan. Here's a look at the covers for Mega Man 2 in Japan and Europe.

Mega Man 2's box art for Japan, drawn by Keiji Inafune. Pictured are all the robot masters, a few of the enemies and Dr. Wily's second fortress.

The European box art for Mega Man 2. The Archie Mega Man comic series payed homage to this illustration with Mega Man #12, the final part of the Return of Dr. Wily story arc, which was based off of Mega Man 2.