Customer Reviews

Mega Man Anniversary Collection

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Me being one of the biggest mega man fans (from Megaman 1 to Red sun and blue moon) was very happy to get this. After reading abot reversed controls on the gamecube version I baught this one instead. I love all the games and laugh at some of the bad graphics back then. The one thing missing is the X games! Those were my favorits ( X1 and X3 especially) Buy this one. It's woth thje money. But beware of the Gamecube version

I recently hauled out my old NES and SNES to play some old school games. Since I grew up on these machines, I really appreciate the simple controls and gameplay they offer, despite the stone age graphics and sound. I loved the original Mega Man series on the NES and just had to get this for PS2 when I heard it was coming out.

I played all 6 originals, but only owned 2 thru 5, so it is great to own those that I never had. After playing them again, I just can't believe how wonderful play control is in these original games. I don't think there are any games produced since with control this tight and crisp. I think the original 6 games have better control than 7 and 8.

Some notes on each game:

MM1-This game makes me realize why I don't get upset at games as much anymore. This game is so difficult and frustrating, I still haven't been able to finish it. No E-tanks, no slide, no Megabuster, just jump, run, and shoot.
MM2-This is the first Mega Man game I ever played as a kid. I loved it then and still love it now.
MM3-Probably my favorite of the original 6 games. The tunes are the most memorable. The stages where you face the MM2 robots are quite irritating.
MM4, MM5, MM6-All similar games, all very good but not quite as good as 2 and 3. 4 is probably most difficult, followed by 6 then 5.
MM7 and MM8-I had never played these in the past. I have played both a little, and they are not as good as the NES releases. More modern technology made these much more complicated than the originals. You can't just pick up and play them and expect to get very far.

This is overall a great collection, and I had been waiting for something like this probably since the original Playstation was released.

Everywhere I've seen this game for sale it has never been more than thirty dollars for a brand-new copy. There's a reason for this phenomenon ... supply and demand. These games are not even close to high-tech by today's standards. The graphics have not been polished or redone in any way. The MegaMan experience is, indeed, quite the same as it has always been. And, let's face it, that might not appeal to everyone. Therefore, the game is cheap.

But for those whose gaming life began with the MegaMan games, this collection is pure heaven. The games, from the controls to the music to the graphics, are exactly the way they've always been. And you don't have to pull any cartridges out to blow the dust out of the connectors. (C'mon, you old-school gamers know EXACTLY what I'm talking about)

I'll be honest: Because of its old-school nature, the collection will NOT live up to the expectations of the younger generation. It will do little to win over anyone who's used to the more aesthetically-appealing games now produced. Don't get me wrong ... the newer games are fun in their own right. But let's not forget where those games came from. History is important, people!

I have comments about a few of the games in particular ---

MegaMan --- This has always been (and it continues to be) the most difficult in the series. No Energy Tanks and no password feature. Those damn cyclops-ish hopping things that can kill you in three or four hits. Those floating platforms on IceMan's stage that also shoot out of both sides have always given me hell. And now it seems that the "pause the game repeatedly to kill difficult bosses" trick no longer works. It didn't for me, at any rate. Still stands out as the starting point of a great franchise.

MegaMan 2 --- *sigh* This is the game that really got me hooked on this series. And even after ten years or so I could still remember what order the levels are supposed to go. Is that sad? I could even whistle along with some of the music.

MegaMan 4 --- ToadMan is too easy. Honestly, if you can't defeat him, you're a loser. Sorry to sound mean, but it's the frikkin' truth.

MegaMan 6 --- FlameMan, on the other hand, is a hard one. His stage and the 'bot himself. Ah, well.

It seems to me that the programmers were probably running out of ideas for the 'bots by the end of the series. I mean, how many names can a robot who is affiliated with fire have, really? FireMan, HeatMan, FlameMan. I guess it's better than the Fire Manatee or whatever it was that showed up in the MegaMan X series.

But I digress.

If you're familiar with the games from your days of youth, pick up this collection. It's a lot of fun to relive your childhood, and you won't even have to go to the hassle of dusting off that old RF adaptor. Hee hee.

This is pure entertainment. Something about this nostalgia is incredible! Mega Man has never had any better adventures than in his 2-D sidescrolling world. This Megaman Anniversary collection depicts his first 8 adventures. The port is a re-release. Unchanged and untarnished.
The game centers on Megaman who is running around saving the world from the likes of Dr. Wiley. This is the foundation that Megaman was built off of. When your adventure begins you select one of many bosses to go and battle. Each time you battle a boss you get a special weapon for Megaman that allows him to use his techniques. Each boss has their own weakness and part of the strategy of beating Megaman is figuring out which boss is weak to what weapon as well as the order to find them in.

The graphics are the exact same as they were before. Even the weird glitches and such from the NES version are here. So it's all the same. If this bothers you then you may or may not enjoy Megaman Anniversary Edition.

There are a few changes though. Controls are now easier. There is a now a short cut in accessing Megamans arsenal so that you don't have to open the menu each time. The game also has an "auto-save" feature so that you don't have to wrtie down all the passwords and such.

This new version also includes bonuses. On the PS2 version you get an episode of the anime. Kind of nice but if you didn't like it it isn't much.

Pretty much a retro game. If you don't like retrogaming or 2D graphics then this collection isn't for you.

I just got this game and when I started it I fell in LOVE!(I'm a 10-year old boy, just for the record.)My only complaints are that the X and Gameboy series aren't on there.But other than that it's:
AWESOME!! TOTALY ROCKIN'!!!!!!!!! Also there are some neat unlockabals (Hint Hint)

Gameplay. What's needed most in the game industry. Mega Man is here to show you exactly why he's had more sequels than any 3-D game out there.
As the title states, if you're not into retro gaming, stay away. This gives you the way Mega Man was in the 8, 16 and 32-bit days.
Capcom remains faithful to the blue bomber by giving the fan everything. From art work to clips of the old TV show, fans won't be dissapointed.
If only more game developers would care more about how a game would play rather than the graphics... ah. One day.

I bought the game even though I have an original NES & SNES with all of the games included on this disc & the Power Battles on MAME. I wanted to have smoother-looking graphics and non-mono music & sound effects (as is the case in the original MM 1-6 games). When I began to play, I thought I was having an off day. All of my jumps were a split second off; Mega Man moved a bit sloppy and reacted slowly. Alas, whoever play tested this game did not play the original versions which had lightning fast reaction and precision control as this version does not have the superior control of the originals. Perhaps the pressure sensitive controls that maqus1213 referred to are the culprit. Anyone who hasn't played the originals probably won't notice the control flaws, but to those who have, most will notice the imprecision right away.

The Mega Man series was to me what The Super Mario Bros, Legend Of Zelda, and Final Fantasy series were to other video gamers. These are the games that I grew up with these games as a kid, and when I heard about this collection being released on the Playstation 2 (also availble on the Nintendo Game Cube and the Gameboy Advance), I was very excited. After waiting for three to four long months, I finally got my hands on it at my local Sam Goody Store. The tunes on each game and every level I play is like a song to me with some creativity added, unlike Super Mario Bros and Legend Of Zelda where they have the same tunes repeated all over again in every level. The 3rd and 4th Mega Man games are my all times favorites on here. The other games on are great as well. Long live Mega Man!

After rushing out to get the GameCube version of the game (enjoying wireless controls and faster load times as my primary decision to get GC over PS2) I was EXTREMELY disappointed to see that the controls for GC were backwords. B as jump and A as shoot? You can't smoothly execute it. The rapid fire is so far away from the B button it was pointless. Also, the start button and Z buttons I felt were reversed as well. I dont know how many times I went to switch an item and hit the hint menu button instead. The following day I went and purchased the PS2 version to retain my sanity. PS2's controller is almost perfect for this operation. I give the following reasons for my 4 stars:

1. Correct Button Placement.
Since the original games were for Nintendo then SNES and finally PSX, it was obvious of what the layout should be as they are all relatively the same. They now have an "X" feel to them with the one button slide same as the one button dash of X. The rapid fire is helpful and is not confusable like the GC counterpart.

2. Accurate Menu's
The Select/Start placement is identical to the 3 predacessor systems. GC only has a Start button in the middle and it doesnt serve for the weapons change... the most used button between the two (in fact, SELECT did NOTHING for most of the original games as it is--The Sonic Mega Collection folks got it right as far as putting the exit menu as Z).

3. A BIG digital pad.
You would be a crazy person to use an Analog stick on this game. GC's is okay but when it comes to directional weapons FORGET IT! You end up missing a directional shot half of the time since its tough for the controller to distinguish diagonals from cardinals. The alternative for GC, is a tiny digital pad that looks like it was made for a toddler. At least PS2 has a full size digital pad with seperated sections... meaning easier diagonal execution. The PS2 Analog is way off for my liking (I think you can figure out the reasons for yourself--hint, its like having a semi-truck steering wheel driving your subcompact car).

4. L/R Weapons and Rush/Item Selectibility
Since the PS2 controller has two sets of L/R buttons its possible to save an incredible amout of time for selecting Weapons (L1/R1) and Rush/Items (L2/R2). It is a shame they didnt think of some kind of Energy Tank refill shortcut like (L3+R3). Gamecube only has a single L/R set since the Z is used for the weapons menu already.

What I felt could have been better about the controls:
The Dualshock II has pressure sensative controls and the game only accepts a DualShock II controller. The DS2 control buttons have a "gummier" feel to them (giving you a lack of jump distance confidence at times) since they are for pressure sensativity. Of course all the prior systems didn't use pressure sensative controls so I wanted to swap the DS2 for my original PSX but the game will pause until you put a DS2 back. The only difference in the buttons of the original and DS2 are two analog pads that are completely USELESS otherwise.

As far as the rest of the game, the remixed music is pretty good... (I think music for 6 is kinda scratchy). It's unfortunate they didn't implement in-game options controls to adjust the sound levels. The autosave is cumbersome... it should be adjustable to the user's paranoia level... I personally don't think its necessary to save between every little minor plot piece (Maybe the PS2 HD is faster for saving--don't have one to know if it does).

I just hope they get smart and have the X Anniversary Collection in development fast.

The original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was a strong system due to the classic game series that graced it. You had the great Zelda, Mario, Ninja Gaiden, and the RPG games like Final Fantasy and Dragonwarrior. Among my favorite series of all time happens to be the blue bomber (as we true fans called him), Mega Man. There were six on the NES as well as the 7th one for Super Nintendo and the eighth one for PlayStation. For years I anticipated a treatment like they did for Mario All-Stars (although they made The Wily Wars for Genesis, which had the first three, but that wasn't enough...), and I finally got my wish... all eight original games on one disc.

THE GOOD
Not ONLY do you get the original games on the one disc, you ALSO get the two previously Japan-only arcade games, Mega Man: The Power Battles and Mega Man: The Power Fighters. The arcade games you must unlock before playing. I don't see that as a drawback because gamers must experience the original games (especially you poor gamers that didn't grow up playing it). Most of the music in the first 6 games are remixed, most of them sounding quite good; the music in Mega Mans 5 and 6 are VASTLY improved over their original counterparts. Not only that, but you have the option of playing the games in their original forms as well. Mega Man 8 doesn't change much, but remember its crappy load time between sections? GONE. The game loads very quick-paced, and I am forever grateful to those involved with the game that eliminated it. Another secret you can unlock---and this surprised me---is the first episode of the short-lived Mega Man cartoon series (y'know, the one with Mega Man voiced by a GUY, and he was also Goku??). Not just a clip, not a collection of clips, THE ENTIRE EPISODE. That's the best secret to unlock aside from the arcade games. Also included amongst the secrets are picture sets of early drafts of characters, titles, and so forth (one of the original names for Mega Man is "Knuckle Kid." What a weird name.).

THE BAD
There's few wrongs with this game, but I mention them nonetheless. First off, when I said MOST of the music is remixed, by that I mean that Mega Mans 4,5, and 6 have totally remixed music but the first three do not. You'll hear, for example, Cut Man's theme and then when the boss music comes up, it's the original 6-bit music. Not necessarily bad, but I do wish they would've remixed every piece of music. Also, most of the secrets not mentioned in THE GOOD are mostly remixed music that has nothing to do with the series. Also, and I didn't see this as a terrible thing since the controls are set in my preference anyhow, but you can't change the control scheme. That might irritate some people, but thankfully, it didn't irritate me.

OVERALL
I didn't find much wrong with this game. It's a great anniversary edition of gamers' favorite blue bomber, and I'm glad that they finally brought them over to the PlayStation 2 and Gamecube for all gamers to play (Xbox, however, got the shaft.). Not only that, but it's only around $30. That's a GREAT price for 10 classic games on one disc. New gamers, do have the patience and the initiative to try out this collection. It's a piece of gaming history and my generation of gamers understand what I mean by saying that this is one of the best game series to ever enter our fertile imaginations.