Mega Man 2 is often considered one of the best Mega Man games out there. Though how does it really hold up when you play it again? It is an old game, and we all know that games that were great long ago might not have aged well. In good news, I think the game has aged very well. I enjoyed my entire playthrough was pretty enjoyable except for a few parts, and those small problems aren't enough to stop you from playing through it. So anyway, let's get on to the main bulk of this review.
Graphics Mega Man 2's graphics are very good for a game on the NES. Each sprite is detailed enough for you to be able to easily tell what it is, and a lot of the enemy designs are actually pretty cool. Mega Man himself also looks very good for the time, having more colors then most NES sprites are normally able too. I've heard that this is because Mega Man is actually two sprites put together, and this is what gives him his multiple colors. I'm not sure if this is true, but I could believe it. The environments are also nice, having backgrounds to show you where each stage is set. The animations seem to be decent, each character moving well and not doing anything that'd ruin the feel of the game. The only problem with the graphics is the large amount of flashing they tend to do. Though, this can easily be ignored. Overall, the graphics get an eight. They're very good, but the flashing tends to be noticeable when it happens.
Sound: While the graphics had their small problems, the sound is a different matter. The sound in Mega Man 2 might actually be the closest thing to perfect we have on the NES. Each stage theme is very good and are well known among gamers as being fun and easy to listen to. Some of my favorites were Metal Man's and Bubble Man's themes. Though every track I listened to was very good in my opinion. Really, I had no problems with any of the stage music. Though, while all the music was good, I did have one complaint. This is the lack of a true final boss theme. The final battle uses the same music as all the other bosses. While this is a nice track, it still is weird to not get a real final battle theme for Doctor Wily. The other sounds in the game are also nice, but nothing amazing. The attack and weapon sounds are nice, with plenty of weapons having different noises when used. I give the sounds a nine, for having amazing music with a lack of unique boss themes. The normal sounds are also pretty nice.Addictiveness: Mega Man 2 is a very addictive game. This is partially due to how simple the control is. You can shoot your weapon, jump, and use your weapons. That's mostly all the controls in the game. The skill is in how you use it. You can go through multiple paths in a stage, each one giving you different items and other collectibles. Though there's no wildly differing paths, the small sidetracking to get some items is always satisfying if it leads to something useful. The short levels also make this game more addictive, as each stage Robot Master stage shouldn't take you more then a few minutes. You can always pick up and play this game, leading to a fun time if you just want to replay a stage or two. My only problem is that a few levels tend to take away from how often you'd want to play the game. One of the Wily stages tends to be a chore to go through, and the boss of it is one of the most annoying bosses in the game if you don't know what weapon you need for it. This shouldn't stop you from playing though, as the problems only show up for a level or two. I give this game's addictiveness an eight. It's easy to play through and enjoy if you're doing anything from a small few levels, to the whole game. Some annoying levels late game bring it down a bit, but it's no reason to completely decide against playing it.Story: It's hard to actually talk much about the story because of the fact there's very little of it. Really, the most story you get is that Dr. Wily has escaped from prison and it's up to you to stop him. Unfortunately, Wily is ready after his last defeat and has created eight of his own robots to battle Mega Man. The robots all have their own abilities and weaknesses, plus personalities if you go by the expanded material in the manga and comics. Though, after you finally beat them all you attack Wily's fortress, where the Japanese title comes into play. The game's title in Japan has the subtitle, The Secret of Dr. Wily. Trust me, it's quite a strange secret to learn.. Though, it at least gives a very interesting final battle, even if the end reveals the truth about the whole ordeal. Overall, I give the story a six. It starts out very simple and remains that way most of the game, but it eventually does end up giving you one plot twist. Though it's not very long lasted, it was pretty surprising the first time.Depth: I admit, Mega Man 2 is not full of things to do like many other games. There are the main stages, and collecting upgrades, but other then that there's not anything. Not to say this is hugely a problem. The game is a very good linear experience, but there's not much off the normal path unless you want E-tanks or items to restore health and weapon energy. It also doesn't help that the game is very short, and should only take an experienced player an hour and a half to beat. It might even take less if you're good at it. Though, the game is not completely without depth, as there is one thing that you have to learn yourself. This is the Robot Masters' weaknesses. Each boss in the game has a different weakness, and part of the game's time is spent trying to learn what robot's are weak to what weapon. The game's depth gets a five from me. While there's not much to do other then play the game, learning the weaknesses of your enemies will keep you busy a bit longer then you normally would.Difficulty: Depending on your choices in this game, you'll either find it very difficult, or pretty easy. One of the largest reasons for this is the addition of one of the most powerful weapons in any Mega Man game, the Metal Blades. They are gotten from Metal Man once you beat him, and the ease at which Metal Man is beaten tends to mean he's the first Robot Master to go after. This leaves you with a very powerful weapon that you'll be using through most of the game. It won't help you with platforming challenges, and I still died plenty of times even when using the Metal Blades, but it tends to lower the difficulty significantly, making the normal enemies and some minibosses a cakewalk to go through. This is completely different if you choose not to use the Metal Blades though, as the enemies you easily sliced through before become genuine challenges, able to swarm and kill you. The only thing that's the same between the two difficulties is that the platforming will be difficult either way most likely. Also, the game does have two difficulty modes, with one being much harder then the other. This means there is a more difficult challenge for you to go through if you find the normal game too easy. The final thing to mention about the difficulty is Quick Man's stage, which proves that the weapon doesn't mean everything. It's mostly a long amount of drops through lasers. This can be a bit cheap, as it comes down to trial and error on how to dodge them. A certain weapon gained in the game can make this easier, but it doesn't work for long, so expect to do a lot of the laser dodging without it and expect plenty of deaths here. The game's difficulty gets a six, as it can be either very hard or pretty easy. It all depends if you use the Metal Blades and the Robot Master's weaknesses to full effect. There will still be difficult platforming though, be assured of that.Conclusion: I can definitely see why people say that Mega Man 2 is the best Mega Man game out there. The gameplay is very fun and the graphics are really good for the NES, with plenty of unique looking robots to go after. The soundtrack is pretty much legendary among gamers and has some of the best tracks you'd find on the system. There are problems though, such as the large amount of flashing of graphics because of stress on the system, and some levels that tend to get annoying rather then enjoyable. The story is also nothing special, except for the one plot twist near the end. This shouldn't be a reason not to play it though. Mega Man 2 is a very good game and one that should not be overlooked if you want a sidescrolling platformer/shooter. I give it a 9.2, and highly recommend it. |
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