Several people have complained in the comments of this series (and elsewhere) about the repetitive nature of the Wily stages in Mega Man 2. Specifically, the fact that the levels are constructed of the same bulkhead panel tile, repeated over and over again in different color schemes. Interestingly, I never hear those criticisms voiced for the […]
The background music changes for the third leg of Dr. Wily’s castle, from the majestic theme of the previous two stages to a more muted loop that constantly builds to a crescendo, rising in pitch and intensity, but never quite breaks. Instead, it drops right as it seems like it’s reaching a climax and begins the […]
If the Dr. Wily stages exist to recompile elements of the Robot Master stages into more devious configurations, Mega Man 2‘s second Wily sequence consists primarily of Flash Man and Metal Man’s levels. Taste them again, for the first time, and all that. Aesthetically, the interior of Wily’s fortress has a much more austere, utilitarian look […]
Once Mega Man destroys all eight of the Robot Masters in his tireless, violent fight for everlasting peace, Dr. Wily makes his appearance, hailing his usual flying saucer to spirit him away to his evil lair. Said evil lair got a very stylish upgrade this time around: You have to respect a man who dedicated […]
And finally — last and least — it’s Crash Man’s stage. Or Clash Man. Or Crush Man. There was some confusion back in the day. Maybe “least” isn’t entirely fair; it’s not an awful stage in terms of layout or mechanics by any means. However, it’s by far the most visually unexciting level in the […]
In case there was ever any doubt that Mega Man 2’s designers took the failures of the original game to heart, let Flash Man’s stage put those uncertainties to rest. Flash Man makes use of the icy, slippery floor mechanic that appeared in Ice Man’s stage — but here, it’s used far less abusively. Even though […]
If you enjoy this site (and the other game history projects I run on the side), please consider supporting it on Patreon. Or don’t. Your call. Thanks for reading! It’s taken us quite a while to get to Metal Man’s stage in the left-to-right, top-to-bottom approach to exploring Mega Man 2‘s stages. In practice, though, […]
Hi, everyone. First, an administrative message: Like the rest of the Internet, I’ve launched a Patreon account for the purpose of funding this site, Game Boy World, and (gasp!) Metroidvania. If you enjoy what I’ve been doing with these side projects, please consider supporting my efforts so I can afford to keep things going. Anyone who […]
I keep referring to Bubble Man’s stage as the “default,” but that’s only slightly true. Unlike Mega Man, the Mega Man 2 stage select screen actually begins with the cursor in a neutral position (centered on Mega Man’s portrait in the middle square). You really aren’t pushed toward any particular selection; I call Bubble Man’s […]
The more I’ve played through Mega Man 2 with a fresh, critical eye — rather than breezing through it as I have for the past 25 years — I’ve increasingly come to realize my criticism of the developers dropping Bubble Man’s stage in the “default” level select position is moot. This is an advanced platformer at […]
After taking the novice approach to Mega Man 2 — that is, starting in the left corner on the level select screen and working my way across and down — I think I have a better understanding of what “Airman ga taosenai” is all about. You start with Bubble Man, and it’s a kind of […]
If we assume that most newcomers to Mega Man 2 will attempt to play through the eight stages in the order in which they’re displayed (not realizing you can pick and choose your sequence at will), that means the game kicks off with Bubble Man. We also have to assume Capcom’s dev team had observed player behavior from the […]