Game Debate #113: Mega Man

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

[docile tapeworm | 4,199]

Capcom < Konami

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Good game, not perfect. Old school difficulty and lack of bosses bring it down. Mm2 and 3 were back to back magnum opuses, It wouldn’t have been possible without the success Of one. 
 

6/10

[Lynda Monica | 350]

Mega Man 1 is one of my favourite NES games. It's the least polished of the NES Mega Man games, but it's still my favourite one. I got really good at this game at one point and could consistently get through the entire game without dying, zipping, or pause glitching. Yellow Devil is the best fight in the game, and is so much fun once you get the pattern down.

I also feel like the weapons were at their most useful in Mega Man 1. There's genuine use for all of them in a deathless playthrough, and they're so cleverly designed to work with the stage's enemy placements that a difficult area can be completely solved by simply using the right weapon. There's a lot of different ways you can approach a section based on the weapon you have, and enemies are weak to multiple weapons, which isn't as common in the later ones.

There's no password which can be a bummer when you're still learning the game, but once you're good at it you don't need them since the game is shorter than other Mega Man games.

Also there's points! They're completely pointless, but why would they remove them? It's funny too as the Mega Man Zero games would later add a scoring system back into the game.

Unfortunately it's one of those games that's infinitely worse with even a single frame of lag, so it's a CRT or bust kind of game. (A sad fate for many NES games)

I know it's not everyone's favourite Mega Man, but it sure as heck is mine.

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

23 minutes ago, docile tapeworm said:

Capcom > Konami

That's more better.

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

First three Megamen are 10s for me.  Elecman's weapon is killer.  Maybe my top weapon after metal blades.

[Lynda Monica | 350]

2 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

That's more better.

Not to go off topic right away, but I like early NES Capcom, (Commando, Trojan, Mega Man, 1943, Gunsmoke, Bionic Commando) and mid-late era Konami (Castlevania III, Super C, Track & Field II, Ninja Turtles III)

[docile tapeworm | 4,199]

50 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

That's more better.

 

[CMR | 520]

Comparing Capcom with Konami is like comparing brownies with chocolate chip cookies.  Just give me both.

 

OT: The first MegaMan is pretty rough around the edges, but still fun.  That said, it's probably the last game I would go to when needing a MegaMan fix.

[Tanooki | 4,934]

Not sure if it'll end up the popular answer in the long run, I mean, it's where it all started, but also, is IS where it all started, bad choices, left out or yet to be thought up ideas not there, more lean, arcade roots strong only in this.  It is but isn't Mega Man in a weird way because it's quite the arcade game points and all.  It's a good good platformer, very good, but is it great?  No, just barely misses it, but was so good as a starting point that it then achieved greatness just after.  But this isn't about the just after.  MM1 has good platforming designs, a few cheap moments where it's more ugh than you didn't do this right or time this well stuff.  The challenge is stiff, but not too too demanding at least in the general stages of the 6 robot masters.  A great design though flawed, always was, where you just lose and lose until you figure out (or get a magazine) who to take first, second, third, due to weapon weaknesses but that's endemic of the entire franchise.   For the time it came out, it had some better than average music, sound effects, character and enemy designs that looks pretty solid, bland in places, but solid.  One could say that of the music a bit too, good, but memorable?

A good game that inspired greatness.

[AirVillain | 490]

Excellent conversation. 

Mega Man is a 10/10.

It's funny because as a kid we had Mega Man 2, and I loved it.... then one of my friends had MM and it MELTED my brain. For some reason I just thought 2 was the only one, hahaha.... Same thing happend with me with T2: Judgement Day. Saw that one first, so thought it was the OG. 

[Dr. Morbis | 2,089]

1 hour ago, Lynda Monica said:

Not to go off topic right away, but I like early NES Capcom, (Commando, Trojan, Mega Man, 1943, Gunsmoke, Bionic Commando)...

If you haven't tried the unreleased Titan Warriors yet, you definitely need to give it a whirl.

As far as Mega Man 1 is concerned, it's my second favourite after MM2.  What I like most about it, as Lynda mentioned, is how it comes closest to the "rock, paper, scissors" principle that the series was originally founded on, and mostly got away from after the first few games.  Hell, even by the time you get to the later NES releases you can already beat all the robot masters with your pea shooter with relative ease...

[Nintegageo | 582]

7. Good game.

[Brickman | 3,989]

High 7's for me. Been the first it has some shortcomings and if I'm recommending a MM game to first timers this wouldn't be the one. Still a must play though.

[Sumez | 2,963]

Good game. Lots of uneven aspects, but by the third entry in the series those would mostly be ironed out.

Stage design has a lot of boring parts, the slight deceleration on Mega Man's movement is awkwardly bad, and the Yellow Devil boss is either super tedious, or bypassed with a glitch that shouldn't exist in the first place.
I did like how the boss refights were spaced out throughout stages though, rather than just confined to their own room.

When MM1 doesn't get that much praise it's only because its sequels are so much better. If it didn't have those, it would still have been considered a notable gem on the NES.

7/10

6 hours ago, Lynda Monica said:

Also there's points! They're completely pointless, but why would they remove them? It's funny too as the Mega Man Zero games would later add a scoring system back into the game.

Because the points in Mega Man 1 aren't the measurement of any sort of skill. When you can just hang around forever farming for points, what purpose do they serve? Nevermind the fact that the points are random, too. Huh. What they could have done for the second game would be an improved scoring system instead, but it might have also affected the gameplay a lot.
Mega Man Zero's scoring system has pretty much nothing in common with Mega Man 1's, so you can't really compare them. I'd actually love to have a good scoring system in the classic games that I love much more than the Zero series, but not like MM1's

4 hours ago, Dr. Morbis said:

What I like most about it, as Lynda mentioned, is how it comes closest to the "rock, paper, scissors" principle that the series was originally founded on, and mostly got away from after the first few games.

This statement really confuses me. Mega Man 1 does have a fairly clear boss order, but it was Mega Man 2 already that kinda ditches that. Some weapons are absolutely the most effecient against multiple other robot masters, while others are barely helpful against any of them. In that game, different people might prefer wildly different stage orders, while for most other Mega Man games, it's mostly a question of where you choose to start in the predetermined circle of boss weaknesses.

On the other hand, Mega Man 3 onward all have a very clear-cut boss order based on aforementioned "rock paper scissors", so I don't really understand how MM1 "comes closest".
If anything, the Mega Man X games uphold that aspect the best, given how boss weaknesses straight up influence their attack patterns, some times stunning them entirely.

[Lynda Monica | 350]

49 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Because the points in Mega Man 1 aren't the measurement of any sort of skill. When you can just hang around forever farming for points, what purpose do they serve? Nevermind the fact that the points are random, too.

Mega Man Zero's scoring system has pretty much nothing in common with Mega Man 1's, so you can't really compare them.

Fair enough, but to be honest you're fixating on the only part of my post that was totally in jest.

I also wasn't comparing the two point systems at all. All I said was that it was funny that they eventually added a point system back to the series later on.

Edited August 4, 2022 by Lynda Monica

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

11 hours ago, Lynda Monica said:

I also feel like the weapons were at their most useful in Mega Man 1. There's genuine use for all of them in a deathless playthrough, and they're so cleverly designed to work with the stage's enemy placements that a difficult area can be completely solved by simply using the right weapon. There's a lot of different ways you can approach a section based on the weapon you have, and enemies are weak to multiple weapons, which isn't as common in the later ones.

This is a great point. The weapons seem like they have an almost equal value compared to future games. It's one of my favorite NES games and an easy 10/10 for me.

[RH | 4,908]

It doesn't feel right giving this the "Never played it, but interested" option because I probably have played cumulatively 20 minutes of this game and I definitely want to give it a good play through.  It is one of those games that I want to play on the NES though, and I need a copy so it's been an option for the backlog for a looooong time.  I have 2,3,4 & 6 and I want to pick up 1 and 5 to finish the set and theeen I hope to play through all of them.  It's just such a low priority though, I have no clue when that will happen.

I've enjoyed what I've played for ever mainline MM I've tried, but I just want to dedicate legit time to this but I've never prepped the stage.  Maybe some days.  I guess I will vote the "Never played it, but interested" option after all.

[phart010 | 1,707]

Maybe my impression of the game is tainted due to my experience with it as a kid. I started off with Megaman 2.

Friends had Megaman 3 and we’d play it at birthday parties. Megaman 3 had birthday party vibes.

Megaman 4, 5 and 7 were  rentals so it was an adrenaline rush to try and finish them.

After having seen the wonders of all these great games and the SNES, I finally picked up Megaman at the now demolished Bills flea market. Must have been between 9 and 12 years old. My brother and I were super excited to get home and give the game a try. I must say we were quite disappointed after the first 30 minutes. We were waiting for the game to give us more colorful, creative levels or more interesting enemies. The music sounded more redundant and less stimulating than other Megamans. It finally sank in that this Megaman was just not that good. We still continued to play it through and beat the game, and we’re still happy to have had more Megaman, but something just felt disappointing.

Id like to return back to this game and give it another go. As an adult, I have developed a greater appreciation for the simplicity of games, so I’m thinking I’d appreciate this game more today than back then.

Also just picked up Megaman Powered up from the Limited Run Retail store, so gonna give this one a go as well

Edited August 4, 2022 by phart010

[guitarzombie | 924]

10 for me.  I know it isn't the best but I love its quirks.  Still remember the first time I beat it and how frustrated I was, now its a breeze.  I think my love for it is mostly the bad artwork.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

12 hours ago, AirVillain said:

It's funny because as a kid we had Mega Man 2, and I loved it.... then one of my friends had MM and it MELTED my brain. For some reason I just thought 2 was the only one, hahaha.... Same thing happend with me with T2: Judgement Day. Saw that one first, so thought it was the OG. 

Me finding out about the Master System. There's a Sega system before the Genesis?!?!? WHAT?!?!

[WhyNotZoidberg | 585]

Easy 9. Everyone should play it.

[docile tapeworm | 4,199]

12 hours ago, CMR said:

Comparing Capcom with Konami is like comparing brownies with chocolate chip cookies. 

Uh huh huh but chocolate chip cookies are better than brownies beavis.

Edited August 4, 2022 by docile tapeworm

[RH | 4,908]

8 minutes ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Me finding out about the Master System. There's a Sega system before the Genesis?!?!? WHAT?!?!

Yeah, that happened to me about 6 years ago when I started collecting--2016.

The crazy thing is I remember pouring over my Game Gear fliers that were packed in with games and seeing the "Master Gear Converter".  I was like, "what's that?!" I always wondered, but I had no clue Sega had another game system released in the US before the Genesis.

[Webhead123 | 678]

You can tell that it was the first in a series and a new kind of game design for Capcom, as the game is a little rough around the edges but has some promising ideas. They would improve the formula dramatically with each installment but even the original game has some charm to it. It is a bit too difficult in some places for its own good and the game's stage design feels a bit trial-and-error but it features good control, nice graphics and music and presents some unique concepts that make it memorable. While I wouldn't recommend it over virtually any other NES game in the series, it is still a fun game to play in its own right, if you don't take things too seriously.

6/10