Mega Man Anniversary Collection
Posted June 30, 2004
I've recently realized that there's something about game collections that attracts me like a moth to a flame. I can't stay away. I'm pretty sure that at certain points I enter some sort of zombie-like trance, purchase these games regardless of any actual interest in the content, then wake up in my car, driving home, with Acclaim's Greatest Hits or whatever sitting in the passenger seat.
Capcom's Mega Man Anniversary Collection may be one of the few exceptions. The set, which comes with all eight "classic series" Mega Man games and two unique, unlockable arcade fighting games which have never seen the light of day on Western shores, marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Blue Bomber's debut on the original Nintendo in 1987. (Wait, how does that math work again?) Although this collection is primarily aimed at Mega Man fans, new players will definitely find something they like.
Gameplay:
Anyone that's ever played a Mega Man game knows the drill: after selecting a particular level, you, as the childlike robot Mega Man, must jump, slide, and blast your way through legions of mechanical enemies in order to defeat the level's boss to acquire his unique weapon skill. These weapons can range from a shield or bomb to the ability to stop time or even reverse gravity. Defeat all the bosses, and you move on to your archnemesis Dr. Wily's fortress, where you must ultimately battle all the bosses again and finally defeat Wily himself.
Mega Man games are famous for their difficulty, and, believe me, time has not ameliorated that in any way. You will still die repeatedly in Gutsman's level in Mega Man and let forth a string of expletives that would make a sailor blush while trying to use your limited supply of Bubble Lead to defeat Mega Man II's final boss. But perhaps what's interesting about Mega Man games, and something other games very rarely get right, is that while you may throw down the controller in disgust after missing the jump in Mega Man 8's Wily Fortress jetboard level for the seventeenth time, there will always be an eighteenth. And that's when you'll make it. Beating a Mega Man game is an accomplishment, and something you can be proud of.
As far as the collection itself goes, included now are three options that players can use to customize the game's difficulty to their liking: normal and easy difficulty, number of lives that you begin with (three or five), and a Navi mode that provides hints throughout each level's more difficult situations. Thankfully, none of the difficulty settings have any bearing on your ability to unlock the extras. Games now also autosave as you progress through each level, making passwords irrelevant (although they are still present) and providing some sanity when playing the first Mega Man, which had no password setting and required you to beat it in one sitting.
Possibly the biggest lost opportunity of the set, however, was Atomic Planet's failure to include alternate control schemes. The GameCube controller uses B to jump and A to fire, contrary to what most longtime players are accustomed to, rather than the PlayStation 2 scheme that mimics the originals. Truthfully, it did take some getting used to, but after one run through Cutman's stage in Mega Man I was competent enough to defeat the boss with no problems. Beyond the basics, most of the games use the Y button for rapid fire and X for slide.
Graphics:
This is a collection of six Nintendo games, one Super Nintendo game, a PlayStation game, and two arcade games, so graphics are going to vary wildly. The more recent games, especially Mega Man 8, obviously fare better. Mega Man 8, incidentally, is the only game to sport neat anime-style cutscenes.
Audio:
Although the PlayStation 2 version has optional remixed tracks throughout the games, GameCube owners only have access to a handful of these as extras. Atomic Planet explains this as a result of the first six Mega Man games actually being the PlayStation ports from Japan's Rockman Complete Works. These ports take up much more space than the original cartridges did, so there wasn't enough room for the music on the GameCube's smaller disc. Incidentally, the remixed tracks generally pale in comparison to the outstanding original soundtracks, so it's all a bit of a moot point, anyway. Another consequence of using the PlayStation ports (for both the GameCube and the PS2) is the fact that the in-game music is streamed, not sequenced -- occasionally the music fades out and starts over again, instead of seamlessly repeating. Neither of these are a big deal.
Extras: Like most collections, you are able to unlock certain extras by accomplishing specific tasks. Some require beating three bosses, getting to Wily's Fortress, or completing the game. The extras consist of:
Conclusion:
Over the years, Mega Man has earned a place in gaming history, and this collection of his exploits is absolutely essential for even moderate fans of the series. Highly recommended.
Capcom's Mega Man Anniversary Collection may be one of the few exceptions. The set, which comes with all eight "classic series" Mega Man games and two unique, unlockable arcade fighting games which have never seen the light of day on Western shores, marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Blue Bomber's debut on the original Nintendo in 1987. (Wait, how does that math work again?) Although this collection is primarily aimed at Mega Man fans, new players will definitely find something they like.
Gameplay:
Anyone that's ever played a Mega Man game knows the drill: after selecting a particular level, you, as the childlike robot Mega Man, must jump, slide, and blast your way through legions of mechanical enemies in order to defeat the level's boss to acquire his unique weapon skill. These weapons can range from a shield or bomb to the ability to stop time or even reverse gravity. Defeat all the bosses, and you move on to your archnemesis Dr. Wily's fortress, where you must ultimately battle all the bosses again and finally defeat Wily himself.
Mega Man games are famous for their difficulty, and, believe me, time has not ameliorated that in any way. You will still die repeatedly in Gutsman's level in Mega Man and let forth a string of expletives that would make a sailor blush while trying to use your limited supply of Bubble Lead to defeat Mega Man II's final boss. But perhaps what's interesting about Mega Man games, and something other games very rarely get right, is that while you may throw down the controller in disgust after missing the jump in Mega Man 8's Wily Fortress jetboard level for the seventeenth time, there will always be an eighteenth. And that's when you'll make it. Beating a Mega Man game is an accomplishment, and something you can be proud of.
As far as the collection itself goes, included now are three options that players can use to customize the game's difficulty to their liking: normal and easy difficulty, number of lives that you begin with (three or five), and a Navi mode that provides hints throughout each level's more difficult situations. Thankfully, none of the difficulty settings have any bearing on your ability to unlock the extras. Games now also autosave as you progress through each level, making passwords irrelevant (although they are still present) and providing some sanity when playing the first Mega Man, which had no password setting and required you to beat it in one sitting.
Possibly the biggest lost opportunity of the set, however, was Atomic Planet's failure to include alternate control schemes. The GameCube controller uses B to jump and A to fire, contrary to what most longtime players are accustomed to, rather than the PlayStation 2 scheme that mimics the originals. Truthfully, it did take some getting used to, but after one run through Cutman's stage in Mega Man I was competent enough to defeat the boss with no problems. Beyond the basics, most of the games use the Y button for rapid fire and X for slide.
Graphics:
This is a collection of six Nintendo games, one Super Nintendo game, a PlayStation game, and two arcade games, so graphics are going to vary wildly. The more recent games, especially Mega Man 8, obviously fare better. Mega Man 8, incidentally, is the only game to sport neat anime-style cutscenes.
Audio:
Although the PlayStation 2 version has optional remixed tracks throughout the games, GameCube owners only have access to a handful of these as extras. Atomic Planet explains this as a result of the first six Mega Man games actually being the PlayStation ports from Japan's Rockman Complete Works. These ports take up much more space than the original cartridges did, so there wasn't enough room for the music on the GameCube's smaller disc. Incidentally, the remixed tracks generally pale in comparison to the outstanding original soundtracks, so it's all a bit of a moot point, anyway. Another consequence of using the PlayStation ports (for both the GameCube and the PS2) is the fact that the in-game music is streamed, not sequenced -- occasionally the music fades out and starts over again, instead of seamlessly repeating. Neither of these are a big deal.
Extras: Like most collections, you are able to unlock certain extras by accomplishing specific tasks. Some require beating three bosses, getting to Wily's Fortress, or completing the game. The extras consist of:
- Three picture sets of around ten pictures each. The artwork is good, but the images are small and there is no navigation method -- the pictures change automatically, and you can't zoom in to get more detail.
- Song remixes of various quality, also from Rockman Complete Works
- Mega Man: The Power Battles and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters arcade games, both entertaining diversions featuring boss battles from throughout the series
- For GameCube owners, a fairly interesting G4TV retrospective (from "Icons") that takes us through the history of Mega Man with interviews with Keiji Inafune and other prominent series contributors
- For PlayStation 2 owners, an episode of the recent "Mega Man" cartoon series
Conclusion:
Over the years, Mega Man has earned a place in gaming history, and this collection of his exploits is absolutely essential for even moderate fans of the series. Highly recommended.