For a next step in the classic Mega Man formula, Mega Man X does a really good job. Of course, it fumbles from time to time, but that doesn't ruin the experience as a whole.

Gameplay wise, this game is some of the most fun shit I've played. I already enjoy how the classic games play, but now this game ramps that shit up to 11. Wall jumps are already cool as hell, but oh my lord, the dash makes this game so much fun. Chaining together dash jumps and blitzing though stages feels great, and better yet, the game rewards you for it. The maverick weapons are pretty good, but they barely hold a candle to the X Buster, especially with the arm upgrade.

The soundtrack FUCKS. Like goddamn, they locked the fuck in on this OST. Spark Mandrill, Storm Eagle, Sting Chameleon, Boomer Kuwanger, Zero's theme. Goddamn, these songs are great.

I will say that there are some stuff that is pretty annoying. Namely the secrets, like heart tanks. It's obnoxious since they're basically mandatory if you don't want this game to start being obnoxious with its balancing. Sigma himself is as fun as stubbing your toe if you don't have a Hadoken in your back pocket. Speaking of the Hadoken, I didn't even bother trying to get it, because it felt like I was doing nothing but busywork just to one shot a boss or two. It's cool as hell, but I'm not doing the most just to kick the rest of the game in the balls.

Even will all its obnoxious secrets, I say this game kicks major ass. It's a great branching off point for the series with a really strong foundation.

After playing the other titles in the series, Mega Man 1 truly does feel like the first game of the series. This isn’t a knock towards the game, but it does give me some sense of perspective looking back.

Outside of that, well yeah, this is truly a game of all time. The concepts it establishes are really good, like being able to pick which stage to start with, boss weapons, and an extra (but in all honesty is required) item with the Magnet Beam.

The issue is that it’s also an 80’s arcade game in disguise. While it isn’t as obnoxious as games like Ghosts n’ Goblins (thank God), it will go out of its way to piss you off, whether it’s due to the annoying level design, certain enemies that will make your ass itch, or general NES jank. Mega Man himself feels heavy as hell while slippery, which is honestly impressive. There are a couple of segments in this game that feel worse than kidney stones, like the conveyor belts in Guts Man’s stage, the constant ladders in Elec Man’s stage, and the Wily Stages as a whole. And of course, there are bosses that suck ASS, like Fire Man, and of course, Yellow Dickhead.

But there’s some genuinely good stuff here too. The game itself looks pretty good, but the music is great. As much as I dislike Elec Man’s stage, the theme is great.

Overall, this game is the epitome of first game syndrome. While it’s a bit rough around the edges, there’s still a lot of good foundation for the rest of the series. If you really want to play this and not immediately skip to any of the other mainline games, play it with save states.

Oh yeah, Thunder Beam is great.

This game reeks. Easily one of the worst games I’ve ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

First off, this game looks and sounds horrible, even by NES standards. Not only will you be watching smeared slop on your screen, you’ll be hearing what I can only describe as the digitized sounds of babies being microwaved.

Then there’s the gameplay. Arthur feels very stiff to control, but the weapons can somehow feel even worse. The only worthwhile weapon is the damn knife, but you’re still gonna need to use the crappy ass lance with it’s terrible firing rate as well as the shield and it’s range of approximately 2 inches.

Speaking of the shield, it’s required to beat the goddamn game. Why? Cause this game is the quarter muncher among quarter munchers. Enemies either have way too much health or irritating attack patterns, sometimes both, like with the Red Arremer. The level design is terrible too, often combining the horrible enemies with set pieces that’ll make you want to put a hole through a wall. All of that combined with Arthur’s controls and the terrible weapon pool and you got yourself one of the most unfair games on the console.

Oh yeah, you have to play the game twice to see the true ending. Don’t play the game twice.

Please do not play this, even with save states. Watching paint dry is a better investment of your time.