Blue Bomber returns
against 8 new robots and,
old wily Wily
Additional Comments:
Mega Man 2, the well renowned sequel where the series finally hit its stride, is argued by many to be the best within the original series, though personally, I favor the third installment. Regardless, everything in this game just feels perfect, even if some of the later mechanics were yet to be devised such as the ability to slide or charge your shot. This is one of those games, like Super Mario Bros. 3, in which I played it so much as a kid, the entire game is nothing more than second nature to me. However, it has been some time since I last played this game, so there are a couple things that just sort of snuck up on me - well, one thing really. In fact, I think the last time I managed a true playthrough is back when the Anniversary Collection for the PS2 came out. Damn, has it really been that long?
Yea, so as a result, I've pretty much forgotten the trick to beating Dr. Wily's second form with gusto. The bouncing balls are just a pain to dodge and quickly cycling through the various weapons, I couldn't really grasp what was doing what as far as damage. Oh well, Air Shooter was enough to the job, and that's that. It's just a shame that the first two forms of Dr. Wily are so much tougher than Wily's alien form. In fact, I think that's the easiest battle in the entire game, outside of maybe Crash Man, once you understand his pattern. What's funny, is that I think as a kid, I always regarded Crash Man as the hardest of the eight bosses. And now, he's the easiest for me to manage a no-hit victory. Go figure.
I know as a kid I've beaten this game on both modes on multiple occasions, though I'm certain Difficult never saw as much playtime as Normal. One thing I've always liked about this game though is how it treats the two modes regarding difficulty. Unlike most games that either find ways to hamper your energy or just throw in some extra sprites, this game instead opts to alter certain sprites by either adjusting sprite ROF speeds or enabling additional combat tactics altogether, such as with Blocky's ability to explode into pieces the first time it's hit. As a whole, Normal mode was more or less a cakewalk, but the overall difficulty in Difficult mode definitely feels exponential. Whereas I had no qualms about absorbing hits during each Robot Master's battle on Normal mode, I really had to think about the best method of tackling each battle on the harder of the two modes. Sure, I could simplify the whole process using the choicest weapons to target each Robot Master's weakness, but as I stated in my thoughts for the first game, I prefer to use the M-Buster as much as viably possible. I know I've beaten the game in the past using only the M-Buster on Dr. Wily's first two forms, but after about twenty or so deaths this go round, I just lost the will to keep trying, thus moving on to special weapons. After all, I just wanted to beat the game.
And, well, I really don't have much else to say. Simply put, there is nothing wrong with this game, so I have no place to complain about anything. It's very rare for a game to be that amazing in my opinion. Oh, and something that really solidifies the game's exemplary status is the soundtrack. Every single tune is just magical. For years now, either Wood Man's or Crash Man's themes have just suddenly popped in my head and I'll catch myself humming them for hours, and like I said, I really haven't even touched this game since probably 2005/2006. I think that alone speaks volumes on just how catchy some of the Mega Man music is, especially from this game. Other standout tunes, for me at least, include Quick Man's and Bubble Man's themes. Enjoy!
Nano-Win:
Holy crap! I managed to navigate the long disappearing block section in Heat Man's stage without having to resort to the usage of Item 2. I can't even remember the last time I conquered that area in an itemless fashion.
Rating: 5 Big Fish out of 5
