Mega Man 2 is often regarded as the game that put the Mega Man Franchise on the map. In fact, it was MM 2 that established Mega Man as one of the most popular video game characters and franchises of all time. So, it should come to nobody's surprise that several hacks exists of this game. Mega Man 2 Revenge of the 8 Robot Masters is a hack of Mega Man 2. Lets see how it compares to the original as well as other hacks of MM 2. 

Story: 9

For the most part the story was left unchanged but a few details were added. Dr. light created Mega Man to battle the evil Dr. Wily. Mega Man defeated Dr. Wily. Wily created 8 new Robot masters and sent them after Mega Man. These new robots were defeated by Mega Man. Now they are back for revenge against Mega Man.

Okay this is your standard revenge plot and guess what its a good one. I like how they kept the main part of the original Mega Man 2 story. Mega Man 2 had a simple plot that was easy to understand. I did not mind them adding the extra detail because it fits the game. The 8 Robot Masters what their revenge and a second chance to defeat Mega Man. So  I give it a solid 9 rating. 

Graphics and Controls: 8 

The graphics and stage layouts have been changed from the original game. The original game had awesome color, sprites and a nice feel to it. This version despite the changes has a lot of that too. The new colors still go good with the backgrounds. Me personally I like how Woodman's stage had been altered from spring in the original game to fall in this version. The stage colors go along very well. The sprite colors have been changed but they are still very good. Even though the stage layouts have been altered they still fit the stage theme pretty well. I really like the different colors it seems like it offered something new. 

Now the controls are not as good as the original Mega Man game. The original game had some very good controls. Do not get me wrong the controls in this game are good just not as good as the original. It does appear at times Mega Man feels sluggish in this game. This can cause a few problems especially in tight situations. Therefore, the controls bring the rating down just a hare but It is still good. 8 out of 10 is what I give the graphics and controls. 

Sound: 9 

The sound was left unchanged from the original game. Mega Man 2 set the bar and established the quality tunes that Mega Man games are known for. All of the stages have their original tune. I like Wood Man's theme that is my favorite theme from Mega Man 2. I like the enemy shots in this game as they are original. Mega Man's buster shots are original. Basically nothing was changed concerning the sound in this game. Therefore my original rating stands at 9. The reason I do not give it a 10 is because a few other Mega Man games have a lot of my favorite tunes. 

Replay value and depth: 6

I had fun playing this game, but at the same time it seemed like the maker might have overdone the difficulty. Also the controls feeling like they are a little off brings the replay value down some. I played the original Mega Man 2 a lot and I still do. I also have played other Mega Man 2 hacks that were a little bit better. So yes I enjoyed playing this game and I will play it again. It is just that they are better Mega Man games & hacks out there. 

What I really didn't like about this version was the depth had been toned down. Mega Man 2 established the franchise for having high amounts of depth. The original game had different paths, secrets and hidden items to collect. During my play through it seemed like those were non existent. Some stages had alternating paths but they didn't lead to anything real special. This game does have some secret items to find but they are not near as plentiful as the original game. Now what does drive the depth up is the stages have been extended. A lot of the stages are longer so that adds some depth. The stages in the original game were average. I give the depth and replay value a 6 out of 10. The maker cutting the depth down hurts. 

Difficulty: 10 

If the maker or makers wanted to make Mega Man 2 very difficult they were successful. Mega Man 2 had some difficult spots in it but it was not a difficult game. This game is very difficult and one you probably would not want to introduce somebody to Mega Man 2. The pits have been increased in this game. It is so easy to fall into a pit. Also spikes have also been increased changes are you will fall into a pit or land on spikes in this game.

To make things more difficult is the fact enemies are placed in tight spots. Enemies are sometimes placed over pits. If you get hit by one your going into the pit. Moreover, the enemy placement in this game is just brutal really brutal. Enemies will gang up on you, take cheap shots, and as I stated are happy to send you into the pits. Not to mention the enemies do more damage than they did in the original game. The Robot Masters are back for revenge and it is safe to say they got in this game. The Robot Masters do a lot more damage and I noticed they moved a lot faster. Another reason this game is difficult is they are not too giving on energy tanks and extra lives like they were in the original game. Special weapons use a lot more energy.

Now the controls feeling sluggish also adds to the difficulty. Sometimes it seems like the controls want to send you into the pit just like the enemies do. They were several spots in the game were the controls seemed to slow down and I ended up dying. Overall, this is a brutal difficult game so 10 out of 10 it earns.

Overall: 8 

Mega Man 2 revenge has some things going for it. But they were some problems and negatives in this game. Also it felt like something was missing. Before I go into the negatives I will go into the positives. 

Mega Man 2 revenge seems like it had some good things going for it. I like how the plot was gone into more details to fit this game. I also like the new color themes. The stage layouts were also nicely done. I was also glad that the sound was left unchanged in this game. I have played some hacks that made you want to mute the game. This hack is not one of those. Getting back to the color and stages being changed gave me the impression that the maker was trying to offer something new. I feel like the maker or makers of this game were trying to give the illusion that players would be playing a new Mega Man game. Even though it is just another hack. I think that shows creativity and skill. 

Now here are some of the negatives. I really did not like that the depth was toned down. I like games that have secrets to find and different paths. While this game does have some split paths it seemed like they were nothing special. They might lead to an item but most of them were just a different path. I like games that have a lot of depth to them. I may be biased but I am an old school gamer. Mega Man games have a lot of depth to them it is a tradition among Mega Man games. So I was disappointed to see the depth toned down. I like games that offer you a challenge as I had stated in my other reviews. I like to be challenged in terms of game play. But at times it seems like the difficulty was overdone. Placing the enemies above spikes and pits added to the difficulty. But what gave me the most trouble was the sluggish controls. It is so easy to misjudge a jump thinking you can make it only for the controls to feel sluggish and into the pit you go. The controls can be irritating at times in this game. 

Overall I give this hack a 8 out of 10. The game does have some things going for it, the new stage layouts, the different colors, different colored of sprites, amazing sound, and an amazing story. On the other hand, it also feels like something is missing. I felt like this game was missing some of the charm that the other MM games have. Toning the depth down brings down the rating. Maybe the makers can make a better version of this game with the traditional depth to it. Also the difficulty can be brutal at times for all the things that I mentioned. I did have fun playing this game though. 

Despite the negatives this was a fun game to play and I will play it again. It is just that its hard to beat the original and even some other hacks. Still, this game offers something different. Would I recommend this game? Yes but I would only recommend this game to novice or veteran players. The difficulty could turn some players away. If you are a gamer that gets frustrated easy or gets mad at dying so many times then this game is not for you. This is also the game you do not want to introduce somebody to Mega Man to. If you are wanting a game to introduce somebody to Mega Man go with the original Mega Man 2 or Mega Man 2 simplified. I think the makers of this game created a game for veteran Mega Man players. 

Anyway if your a novice player I hope you check out this game and Blessings in Christ