Mega Man II is annoying.
However, the game is not annoying in the ways you would expect. You'd think I'm annoyed by some sort of unfair or uncalled-for spikes in difficulty, but I'd report the exact opposite; Mega Man II is annoyingly easy. The challenge I love and expect from a classic Mega Man title is nowhere. Levels are simple and bosses are absolute pushovers, even with the mega-buster. This includes Quint, who is supposed to be Mega Man from the future. From that title you'd expect him to be very tricky. A future Mega Man means a Mega Man with more technique and experience than you. Instead, he just hops around on a pogo stick until you shoot him enough. Similarly, the three-phase Wily fight is also a pushover. Attacks are relatively easy to get around as the boss patterns are not complex. Additionally, at this point in the playthrough you'd have maxed out E tanks, so i you actually had trouble here you could just power through it no problem. Nothing on display is at all challenging, and as a result the identity of Mega Man you want to see here is missing.
Another issue is the audio. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but all the music is pitched incredibly high. The ear-splitting noises are quite a shame because you hear hints of an ok melody through it all, and end up just wishing it were all pitched down. Maybe then it would sound good.
Besides those gripes, I find it hard for me to call this a truly bad game. At the end of the day, it's still mega man, just so easy that it's kind of boring. This is nowhere near as excellent as any other console of handheld Mega Man title as of the time this came out, but it's not like this was screwed up so bad that you must avoid it at all costs. If you really want to play through all these handheld Mega Man titles, go ahead. If you're looking for a Mega Man game that's miles easier than the others, pick it up (though Mega Man 2 on the NES is a better option with its normal mode). You won't be angry but you won't be ecstatic either.
However, the game is not annoying in the ways you would expect. You'd think I'm annoyed by some sort of unfair or uncalled-for spikes in difficulty, but I'd report the exact opposite; Mega Man II is annoyingly easy. The challenge I love and expect from a classic Mega Man title is nowhere. Levels are simple and bosses are absolute pushovers, even with the mega-buster. This includes Quint, who is supposed to be Mega Man from the future. From that title you'd expect him to be very tricky. A future Mega Man means a Mega Man with more technique and experience than you. Instead, he just hops around on a pogo stick until you shoot him enough. Similarly, the three-phase Wily fight is also a pushover. Attacks are relatively easy to get around as the boss patterns are not complex. Additionally, at this point in the playthrough you'd have maxed out E tanks, so i you actually had trouble here you could just power through it no problem. Nothing on display is at all challenging, and as a result the identity of Mega Man you want to see here is missing.
Another issue is the audio. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but all the music is pitched incredibly high. The ear-splitting noises are quite a shame because you hear hints of an ok melody through it all, and end up just wishing it were all pitched down. Maybe then it would sound good.
Besides those gripes, I find it hard for me to call this a truly bad game. At the end of the day, it's still mega man, just so easy that it's kind of boring. This is nowhere near as excellent as any other console of handheld Mega Man title as of the time this came out, but it's not like this was screwed up so bad that you must avoid it at all costs. If you really want to play through all these handheld Mega Man titles, go ahead. If you're looking for a Mega Man game that's miles easier than the others, pick it up (though Mega Man 2 on the NES is a better option with its normal mode). You won't be angry but you won't be ecstatic either.