Note: Played on the Mega Man Legacy Collection.
I had a lot of expectations going into this game. I've heard it be called the greatest game of its era, and to this day it is still plenty of people's favorites. Playing a game with such a legacy can be a little daunting, however overall I think this game lives up to what people say about it.
In every single way, it is an improvement from the original Mega Man. I genuinely cannot think of a single aspect of the game that the original does even slightly better. On every front, Mega Man 2 just dominates. Better level design, better bosses, better abilities, better movement, better graphics, better menus, better music, etc. All of it is just so fucking good.
The combat in this game is a notable step up. While I found it surprisingly good in the original, it's even better here. The levels, enemies, and bosses all compliment the combat perfectly too. And in a twist I never expected, this game almost never cough cough Wily levels cough cough). I never once even felt the urge to use save states, which I admit I used occasionally in the original.
And the music, oh god. I already knew about this game's OST before, and heard many of its tracks. However hearing them all play in context as intended was a truly amazing experience. I could go on for paragraphs about how great it all is, but I think everyone knows how great it is. The only thing I will say is that I really wish the game's composer came back. Learning that he only composed for this game in the entire franchise hurt.
Also, I loved this game's final boss. The Wily Robot 2 was alright, but that Alien fight, got damn. Even though the fight itself was pretty meh, the pure spectacle of it was incredible. Wily seemingly turning into an alien (or a robot as I first thought) and flying around as the background turns into stars flying by at a million miles per hour was incredible. I was not expecting a fight like this to happen at all, nor for it to be as well executed and atmospheric as it was.
This game is obviously not without its flaws however. I think my biggest complaint is easily the Wily levels. Compared to the consistently fun and engaging -Man levels, Wily just left me disappointed. Coherent design is dropped in favor of more Mega Man 1 style levels. The game is still very generous with checkpoints and healing, making it not too bad to go through, but I was still in the end pretty disappointed. If the levels were on par with the rest of the game, this game could easily be a 9/10.
Overall, Mega Man 2 is a great game that deserves its iconic status. I can't imagine playing a game this good back in the NES area, it blows every game from the era out of the water. If you're able to get past a little bit of difficulty, then this game is a must play.
I had a lot of expectations going into this game. I've heard it be called the greatest game of its era, and to this day it is still plenty of people's favorites. Playing a game with such a legacy can be a little daunting, however overall I think this game lives up to what people say about it.
In every single way, it is an improvement from the original Mega Man. I genuinely cannot think of a single aspect of the game that the original does even slightly better. On every front, Mega Man 2 just dominates. Better level design, better bosses, better abilities, better movement, better graphics, better menus, better music, etc. All of it is just so fucking good.
The combat in this game is a notable step up. While I found it surprisingly good in the original, it's even better here. The levels, enemies, and bosses all compliment the combat perfectly too. And in a twist I never expected, this game almost never cough cough Wily levels cough cough). I never once even felt the urge to use save states, which I admit I used occasionally in the original.
And the music, oh god. I already knew about this game's OST before, and heard many of its tracks. However hearing them all play in context as intended was a truly amazing experience. I could go on for paragraphs about how great it all is, but I think everyone knows how great it is. The only thing I will say is that I really wish the game's composer came back. Learning that he only composed for this game in the entire franchise hurt.
Also, I loved this game's final boss. The Wily Robot 2 was alright, but that Alien fight, got damn. Even though the fight itself was pretty meh, the pure spectacle of it was incredible. Wily seemingly turning into an alien (or a robot as I first thought) and flying around as the background turns into stars flying by at a million miles per hour was incredible. I was not expecting a fight like this to happen at all, nor for it to be as well executed and atmospheric as it was.
This game is obviously not without its flaws however. I think my biggest complaint is easily the Wily levels. Compared to the consistently fun and engaging -Man levels, Wily just left me disappointed. Coherent design is dropped in favor of more Mega Man 1 style levels. The game is still very generous with checkpoints and healing, making it not too bad to go through, but I was still in the end pretty disappointed. If the levels were on par with the rest of the game, this game could easily be a 9/10.
Overall, Mega Man 2 is a great game that deserves its iconic status. I can't imagine playing a game this good back in the NES area, it blows every game from the era out of the water. If you're able to get past a little bit of difficulty, then this game is a must play.