Mega Man 2

"The best moment in the <I>Mega Man</I> series"

Long before they started to exploit the Street Fighter II phenomenon to the point that even the most convinced beat 'em up addicted actually had to stop on the way to the store and ponder the purchase very carefully, Capcom did know how to make a sequel so that it's actually a sequel and not a rehash. Mega Man 2 is such a game - one that even if maintaining the formula of the original, improves upon it in so many respects it almost creates a brand-new concept.

Gameplay has been improved a lot since the original Mega Man. Robot Masters are now 8 instead of only 6, and as before, you can choose the order in which to challenge them. Levels are bigger and better designed, and provide many a way to keep you thrilled and entertained until the final boss battle. There's a whole plethora of different creatures to fight along the way to satisfy your thirst for shooting action, and many traps and millimetric jumps to test your platforming skills to their fullest. Robot Masters are also incredibly challenging, but like in the original game, use of the correct weapon can turn a tough battle into a breeze. You just have to guess the right order, because this time, you can't repeat stages - once the Master is gone, his level will be locked forever.

The eight Robot Masters are called Air Man, Flash Man, Crash Man, Heat Man, Bubble Man, Quick Man, Metal Man, and Wood Man, and they're probably the most cleverly conceived bunch ever seen in a Mega Man game. After you've taken all of them down, you'll have to enter Skull Castle and find Dr. Wily. The Castle is totally different from the previous one, and it features some stunning bosses - the Dragon Droid at the end of stage 1 is simply amazing, taking up half the screen with its enormous body. This time too, you'll have to challenge all the Robot Masters anew before you can take on Dr. Wily himself, but the order in which you'll encounter them is no more pre-settled.

The game is testament to the NES' technical power. The graphics are excellent, with superbly designed and animated sprites, and more colors than your eyes can recognize. Backgrounds are very detailed, with some levels of parallax - the background waterfall in Bubble Man's stage is a sight to be seen (even though your eyes may be quite upset for a while if you look at it for too long). The action is subject to flickering and slowdown when there's too many sprites onscreen at once, but that's hardly a problem in terms of gameplay. Many elements already present in the original game have been redrawn - mainly energy refills, and those hated deadly spikes. Everything looks less bulky and it's much more elegant to look at.

Mega Man 2's music is something Capcom have to be proud of. Every single tune in the game is memorable, even more so than in the prequel. It's almost impossible to tell which track is the best, although the music in Skull Castle stage 1 and 2 is arguably the most fondly remembered in the whole series, not to say one of the most appropriate tunes in video game history. It just fits Skull Castle stage 1 so wonderfully. Overall, Mega Man 2's score is legendary, and whoever has listened to it is unlikely to forget it for a long, long time. Incredibly enough, the PAL version of the game, which features a more slowly-paced soundtrack, provides an even better aural experience (sometimes the NTSC version's score features an excessively fast tempo).

Level design is extraordinary. The variety of situations you'll have to overcome is absolutely astounding, from the air rides in Air Man's Stage to the lethal lasers in Quick Man's stage, to the giant lantern fish in Bubble Man's stage. And don't forget the phenomenal, enormous Guts Dozer in Skull Castle, stage three. Everything in the game exudes a quality that makes playing Mega Man 2 a wonderful gaming experience, and that's missing from the many subsequent iterations of the formula. There's even an option to play the game at a lower difficulty level (that's ''Normal'' for the US audience _grin_).

Above all, the most important new feature in Mega Man 2 is the inclusion of a password system that allows you to restart your game from where you left off. This option was sorely lacking in the first game, and is all the most appreciated in this longer sequel. It's a great step ahead, and a feature that many 16-bit games still lacked so many years later. Its inclusion is probably the most important single addition to the series to date. Unfortunately, it wasn't coupled with an improvement in box art, which in Mega Man 2 is quite possibly the most appalling ever seen in the NES era.

Mega Man 2 is one of the few true gems in the NES crown. It has excellent graphics and sound, and the gameplay is so well-polished that playing the game is more than just fun - it's a joy. Whatever Capcom did with the character in the following years pales in comparison to this astounding achievement. The success of this game opened the way for too many a sequel, to the point that the whole thing became ridiculous. But for one unforgettable time, they got it just perfectly, and while Mega Man 2 isn't exactly revolutionary, it has to be remembered as one of Capcom's greatest games.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/04/02, Updated 09/04/02