Mega Man is an iconic franchise and still ranks one of the popular video game franchises of all time. In fact, Mega Man often ranks in the top 4 among popular and iconic video game franchises. It should be no surprise that Mega Man just like Mario and Sonic has produced a lot of games. Mega Man has also done a popular spin off called the X series.

Mega Man made his debut for the NES in 1987. From 1987-1993 a total of 6 Mega Man games (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) were released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Mega Man 5 was released in 1992 and in my opinion should have been the last NES Mega Man game made. In this article I"m going to be talking about why in my opinion that should have been the case.

Mega Man 5 was one of the last hits for the NES and is considered one of the great last games for that system. Keep in mind Mega Man 5 came out in 1992. In fact, IGN ranked Mega Man 5 as one of the top 100 NES video games of all time joining Mega Man 2, 3, and 4 on the list. Game FAQ also ranked 2-5 in their top 100. Mega Man 5 had great graphics and showed what the NES could do.

However, by 1992 a lot of games were being made for 16 bit systems. The Super Nintendo had become the system of choice for Nintendo. Another popular video game system was the 16 bit Sega Genesis. The next year in 1993 Capcom, who makes Mega Man games, made The Wily Wars for Sega Genesis, Mega Man X for SNES. Therefore, it seemed like Mega Man 5 was going to be the send off for the NES and future Mega Man games were going to be made for the SNES.

But, Capcom wanted Mega Man 6 to be released for the NES in 1993. This in my opinion made no sense for several reasons. First, as I stated Capcom was already making Mega Man games for the Genesis, Game Gear, and SNES systems. Second, by 1993 the NES was in rapid decline as the SNES was near its peak. In fact in 1993 Nintendo stated they would no longer be restocking stores with the NES as they were going to stock stores with the now very popular SNES.

Now, I like Mega Man 6 but in my review of Mega Man 6 I explain how I could tell the game was rushed. It was like Capcom knew the NES was on the decline and they rushed a game out. Moreover, the creators of Mega Man wanted Mega Man 6 to be the classic Mega Man debut on the SNES. Keiji Inafune who co created Mega Man in an interview stated "Yeah we wanted Mega Man 6 to be the debut of the classic Mega Man series on the SNES. We even lobbied the top brass at Capcom to let us make it for the SNES and to give us more time. Instead the higher ups told us make it quick so we can get it on the NES. We did what we were told, but I think 6 would have been a great SNES game. Instead Mega Man 7 made the debut on the SNES" (Keiji Inafune).

I agree with Inafune I think Mega Man 6 should have been done on the SNES the game could have been better and not rushed. Second it would have tied into Mega Man 7 easier. I do not understand why Capcom wanted to put Mega Man 6 on the NES when it was obvious the NES was about to be kaput. Capcom was making Mega Man games for the 16 bit system such as the X series 1, 2, and later 3. Then you had The Wily Wars on Sega Gensis. From 1995-1998 Capcom made Mega Man 7 and Mega Man and Bass for the SNES.

Mega Man 5's graphics were amazing and showed what 8 bit system could really do. However by 1992 it was time to move on to the 16 bite systems. Mega Man 5 was a popular game as I stated earlier. IT should have been the send off for the NES. Even the creators of Mega Man wanted 5 to be the last NES game. Mega Man 6 it seems like the graphics went backward and that was cause it was rushed.

I believe that if 6 would have been made for the SNES it would have Mega Man 7 type graphics. Mega Man 7 was praised by IGN, Game FAQ and the now defunct Game Pro for its amazing graphics, music, and controls. I agree with that as Mega Man 7 is one of my favorite games. Had Capcom let 5 be the last Mega Man game on the NES. Mega Man 6 would have been better and it would have tied into Mega Man 7 better. In fact, while Mega Man 7 was a hit and ranks in the top 100 SNES games it could have been a bigger hit.

In summary, Capcom missed an opportunity by letting Mega Man 6 be the last NES game. Mega Man 5 for reasons I mentioned should have been the last NES game for the Mega Man franchise. I do not know why Capcom did what they did as it made no sense and it made no sense economic wise. The Wily Wars, Mega Man X 1, X2, and X3, Mega Man 7, and Mega Man and Bass showed what a Mega Man game would look like on 16 bite systems. I know for Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 they went back to the classic look. But 9 and 10 look like they were developed and tested. Mega Man 6 as I mentioned is a good game and I like it. However, it could have been better. I strongly believe it would have been had they let Mega Man 5 be the last NES game for Mega Man.