Mega Man X (Mega Man X Legacy Collection) (Switch)

Gotta continue with Mega Man X, hold as the best Mega Man-game for the SNES. Never played it as a kid. Bought this five times now. First time clearing it. A bit miffed that the rewind function from the Mega Man Legacy Collection isn't here. Story is that Dr. Cain, an archeologist discovers a hidden robot facility where Dr. Light have hidden X, a robot that have free will and was put to sleep in order to go through a diagnostic for 30 years that ensured he had a moral compass and such. Pretty much overslept for 70 years. With this Dr. Cain is able to create the reploids, free thinking robots. Some of them goes rouge, and are called Mavericks that have to be hunted down by... the Hunters. 

Dr. Cain then builds another robot to lead the Hunters, Sigma... that becomes a Maverick himself and brings with him a lot of Hunters to Mavericks and Cain sends the Hunter Zero and the awakened X to stop Sigma. Good going Cain. So X is on a highway fighting of a Maverick attack until Vile, a mercenary Maverick appears and Zero saves X. Zero tries to find Sigma and X stops the Maverick hunters. During the game you find upgrades left by Dr. Light that enhance X and with it you beat Chill Penguin, Launch Octopus, Storm Eagle, Armored Armadillo, Flame Mammoth, Sting Chameleon, Spark Mandrill and Boomer Kuwanger. Fun thing is that defeating the bosses effects other stages. Zero finds Sigma and both battle through Sigmas stages until Vile almost kills X, but Zero sacrifices himself so that X can fight off Sigma. 

Since I haven't played it as a kid I'm a bit meh about it. It was hard at times, and without looking it up, certain parts is pretty much impossible to find since they demand you know how to play it very well. One upgrade demands you have the hard hat and perform a perfect jump so that you can climb and destroy it, but you only got that one chance since if you break the lowest blocks without getting to the top, you have to restart the stage since you can't reach it again. And the non-maverick bosses... f***ing cheats. Eyes and noes that you have to hang to the wall with a death trap right below you? God damn. 

It's a bit overhyped for me. I don't actually get it really. Graphics nice and music is probably the best since Mega Man 3. But more than that? It's fun fully upgraded, but heres the thing, I think I played on some sort of easy mode for this version, playing it normally would probably have driven me mad with anger on the frustrating part. Really wished for some rewind.

Mega Man Legacy Collection (Switch)

Super Fighting Robot - Mega Man

Though we would go through the whole package of the legacy collection since there is a couple of things that doesn't show up when I write about the separate games. No, it isn't because I need to fill out the weeks since my backlog of 100 hours JRPG:s is getting out of hand (well, maybe). Back to the collection you get the rewind function for the games, a database library for every character in the games. Things like box arts from the three main regions, the japanese instruction manual and posters from Japan and the USA. Small fun things. What caught my interest for a couple of minutes was the music library with the music from the games. Some sketches and such. Sadly no summary of what happens in the games and such, gotta play the game... and read the wikipedia article on what happens.

The other big thing that might have caught peoples interests are the challenges. Clear certain portions of stages, either in a single game or over a couple of games. Boss rushes or 1 single boss (take that Yellow Devil). I am obviously not that good since I was just able to unlock 15 challenges. It also showed my over-reliance on rewind in the normal games since they take it away from the challenges and platform challenges really trips me up when I, a couple of times I might add, just jumps down a hole. Yeah, I'm not that good.

Overall, I would recommend the package, unless you already bought them 5-6 times (with the NES and Sega Mega Drive Mini I got Mega Man 2 six times at this point). 

Mega Man 6 (Mega Man Legacy Collection) (Switch)

Sir-Not-Appearing-In-Europe

The 6th and final Mega Man game on the NES and as that the most polished in graphical and gameplay ways. The story is that the first annual robot tournament have concluded and the organiser, a certain Mr. X takes the 8 robot masters and reprogram them to conquer the world. And as stated in the beginning of the game, apparently is the one behind Dr. Wily. So Mega Man is called in once again to save the world from the robots Flame Man, Knight Man, Blizzard Man, Plant Man, Tomahawk Man, Yamato Man, Centaur Man and Wind Man. This game was not released on the NES in Europe, which is a bit strange since it's the first (and I think only) game where western people could participate in a design competition of the robot masters so Knight and Blizzard Man are non-japanese. 

Rush have been overhauled so there is no rush coil and instead been turned to adapters that enhance Mega Man in certain ways. The power adapter gives you a punch that open up different pathways to finish the stages or beat up enemies that the normal mega buster can't handle. The other adapter is the Jet adapter that gives you a small flight ability. Both are important to reach the alternative boss chamber on certain stages to get letters that spell out Beat and gives you access to him. Didn't have a use for him this time so didn't use him. The great thing about it is that there is no need to refill the power meters, the jet recharge automatically when not in use and the power adapter you have to charge up to use the better abilities. No more fear of running out of rush coils or jet powers so that you are stranded and either have to grind for refills or restart the stage. 

So Mega Man defeats the robot masters and goes after Mr. X and beta him up, and it turns out it was Dr. Wily... shocking! Do the Wily stages and refight the robot masters, yuo corner Dr. Wily and now tie him up and take him in to custody ending on... to be continue? So 5 that ended with him escaping didn't have a to be continue, but this one has? Bold move Capcom, bold move. The adapters are a welcome addition, but there is something amiss when you don't have the coil. Overall, better than 4, maybe equal to 5.

Mega Man 5 (Mega Man Legacy Collection) (Switch)

Revenge of Proto Man

Continued with the 5th game and the cutscenes gets better and better. And now the stages begins to show use of other mechanics. Water was used from the second game on, but now they added a gravity stage and to break up the water stage you get a short water bike section. Interesting stuff. Story is that Proto Man have kidnapped Dr. Light and tries to take over the world with 8 robot masters. Mega Man once again is tasked with saving the world and battle Star Man, Gravity Man, Gyro Man, Crystal Man, Napalm Man, Stone Man, Charge Man and Wave Man. 

Battling through Proto Man's base you encounter the villain, and as you are unable to fight against your own brother, you are taken down to 1 sliver of health, when the familiar whistle sounds and another Proto Man shows up, blast the fake showing the Dark Man robot behind the exterior face of Proto Man. Mega Man finish it off and Dr. Wily reveals that he is the one behind it all and have Dr. Light at his base. Shocking... I know! You defeat Wily and rescue Dr. Light, but as you try to apprehend Wily, the roof collapses and as Mega Man saves Dr. Light from being crushed Dr. Wily escapes, but Proto Man intervenes and saves them so that they can escape. Game ends. 

Bosses was much easier this time around and there weren't that hard reaching them either. The Proto Man stages also had some decent music, but I can't help to feel I've heard it before. Might be that I've played it before on all the other virtual consoles I've have on these games. Added to this game is the star arrow... which I never used and knows what it does special. Also, getting all letters from the stages that spells out Mega Man you get access to Beat, a new robot friend that is a bird. Rush still here, but the mariner is gone. Feel it's better than 4 at least.

Mega Man 4 (Mega Man Legacy Collection) (Switch)

Mega Man... 4

The fourth game in the series and it seems that they upped the graphics a bit with moveable cutscenes. They also added the charge buster to the growing starter arsenal of Mega Man and it it makes certain enemies a bit easier to deal with since you can prepare a shot in advance. Story is that suddenly the Russian Dr. Cossack attacks and tries to conquer the world with his 8 robot masters. Dr. Light sends out Mega Man to fight off Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Dust Man, Skull Man, Dive Man, Drill Man, Toad Man and Bright Man. Defeating them all you take the fight to Dr. Cossack's Kremlin-like base and upon beating Dr. Cossack Proto Man teleports in with Kalinka, Dr. Cossack's daughter that have been kidnapped by Dr. Wily to force her father to build the robot masters and fight Mega Man. With this knowledge Mega Man take the fight to Dr. Wily.

And I gotta say, this Dr. Wily is hard as hell. Not only is the Wily Machine almost impossible to hit in its second form, then they expect you to fight him in the darkness. Cheating bastard. I had to use all my energy tanks on the rematch with the robot masters and the Wily machines so I was really afraid in the end, but I persevered... and the rewind button worked out rather well. Overall, not as good as 3. The mega buster is a good addition that stayed for the rest of the series. I found it harder than the earlier games, and the proposed "easy" order of the bosses was hard as nails. Pharaoh Man don't screw around so the first energy tank was used to stay alive since I didn't get the pattern down. And while the graphics improves, I can't say the same about the music. Nothing really catches my ears as they did in 3 (and 1 and 2 had some good tracks as well). Don't know if the nostalgia plays in more in this category.