CAPCATHON, GAME 12: Mega Man II/Rockman World 2 (Game Boy, 1991)
"Mega Man World 2" is the blue little robot's second adventure on Game Boy. Unlike the first game, this one was developed by Japan System House (now named Biox), and while it isn't anything to write home about, it is still a definite and tangible improvement over "Mega Man World 1", although it feels like almost an overcorrection under some regards.
Graphically speaking, the game is still on the same level as its predecessor, so everything still looks quite good and clear for Game Boy standards. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the soundtrack- at least in the vanilla version. A programming error made the music ear-piercing, with some tracks being unlistenable. There is a fan-made patch that fixes this issue, and it makes the experience not only bearable but even pleasant: this time the compositions aren't rehashes of the NES tracks, but original music, which sound quite good (at least, with the patch).
Mega Man feels better to control, thanks to tighter jump controls and the slide from Mega Man 3, and the level designs are quite a bit more open and resemble their NES originals much more, limiting the claustrophobic feel that was so prevalent in the previous game, but also making them feel like more of a rehash. However, the game overcorrects in the difficulty department, with stages and enemies that are much easier to deal with, in no small part with the overpowered weapon and tool selection (such as the Metal Blade and Rush Jet). It's also really easy to find many E-Tanks and extra lives, making sure the journey is comfortable, even excessively so.
The endgame is quite disappointing: the boss fight against Quint (who is a reprogrammed Mega Man from an alternate future- a fantastic concept that is completely wasted) is incredibly easy, and the weapon earned from defeating him, the pogo drill Sagukarne, is useless, as Mega Man will hurt himself using it. It hurts the final boss quite a bit, sure, but the Mega Buster will do the job just fine, while being a safer alternative.
For the record, this game isn't bad, especially compared to World 1, but it's nowhere near the heights of the NES Mega Man games. It's perfectly average, and way too easy, but it is competently made. Maybe skip this one, unless you're really curious.
"Mega Man World 2" is the blue little robot's second adventure on Game Boy. Unlike the first game, this one was developed by Japan System House (now named Biox), and while it isn't anything to write home about, it is still a definite and tangible improvement over "Mega Man World 1", although it feels like almost an overcorrection under some regards.
Graphically speaking, the game is still on the same level as its predecessor, so everything still looks quite good and clear for Game Boy standards. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the soundtrack- at least in the vanilla version. A programming error made the music ear-piercing, with some tracks being unlistenable. There is a fan-made patch that fixes this issue, and it makes the experience not only bearable but even pleasant: this time the compositions aren't rehashes of the NES tracks, but original music, which sound quite good (at least, with the patch).
Mega Man feels better to control, thanks to tighter jump controls and the slide from Mega Man 3, and the level designs are quite a bit more open and resemble their NES originals much more, limiting the claustrophobic feel that was so prevalent in the previous game, but also making them feel like more of a rehash. However, the game overcorrects in the difficulty department, with stages and enemies that are much easier to deal with, in no small part with the overpowered weapon and tool selection (such as the Metal Blade and Rush Jet). It's also really easy to find many E-Tanks and extra lives, making sure the journey is comfortable, even excessively so.
The endgame is quite disappointing: the boss fight against Quint (who is a reprogrammed Mega Man from an alternate future- a fantastic concept that is completely wasted) is incredibly easy, and the weapon earned from defeating him, the pogo drill Sagukarne, is useless, as Mega Man will hurt himself using it. It hurts the final boss quite a bit, sure, but the Mega Buster will do the job just fine, while being a safer alternative.
For the record, this game isn't bad, especially compared to World 1, but it's nowhere near the heights of the NES Mega Man games. It's perfectly average, and way too easy, but it is competently made. Maybe skip this one, unless you're really curious.