A Megaman Retrospective

In 1987, Rockman was released on the Nintendo Famicom in Japan by Capcom and in America on the NES shortly afterwards. The game started with you choosing which of the game’s 6 bosses or “Robot Masters” to choose from. The 6 of them were Cutman, a tree-felling robot, Gutsman, a construction worker robot, Elecman, an electrician robot, Iceman, an arctic investigator robot, Fireman, a trash combustion robot and Bombman, a demolition robot. By the second game, the amount of robot masters increased to 8 which stuck on for the rest of the series.  Other the years, there have been Robot Masters based around Snakes, Pharaohs, Skulls, Toads, Rings, Concrete, Bubbles, Plants, Centaurs, Springs, Grenades, Clowns, Clouds, Gyrocopters, Gravity, Stones, Trains, Oil, Jewels, Hornets, Sheep, Vacuums, Napalm, Knights and Baseball to name a few.  Currently, there are 11 main games in the series and countless spin-offs.

In 1993, after 6 classic Megaman games had been released, Capcom released Megaman X which was a continuation of the classics series. This series was set further in the future and featured robot animals known as “Mavericks” instead of Robot Masters, a deeper plot and having to upgrade your armour. The Mavericks for the first game were Chill Penguin, Flame Mammoth, Sting Chameleon, Storm Eagle, Armoured Armadillo, Launch Octopus, Spark Mandrill and Boomer Kuwanger (Japanese Stag Beetle). Other the years there have been Mavericks based on an Ostrich, a Rooster, a Panda, a Sunflower, a Hyena, a Rose, a Whale, a T-Rex, a Stingray, a Peacock, a Seahorse, a Beetle, a Kangaroo and a Crow to name a few. Currently there have been 9 games in this series; the original, 7 sequels and a spin-off.

In 1997, Megaman jumped into 3D with Megaman Legends. This game severely divided fans. Some loved its comedy and storyline, whilst others hated its cumbersome controls. Some loved the graphics and music of the game, whilst others hated that it introduced Role Playing Game (RPG) elements. It was a very marmite game for the fans. The series at this point consists of three games, the original, a sequel and a prequel. However, recently they have announced that a third sequel is to be released next year.

In 2001, the first full-on Megaman RPG was released with the release of Megaman Battle Network. This game was an entirely different game from the first three series, which were all Action-Adventure Platformers. The game took place on the internet with different robots, most of them being new and improved versions of Robot Masters from the original series. Currently this series has 7 games; the original, 5 sequels and a spin-off.

In 2002, Megaman Zero was released. This series was a continuation of the Megaman X series which featured one of the three main protagonists of Megaman X helping to save a rebel army from an evil tyrannical ruler. Its gameplay style was similar to the old games but instead of receiving a weapon after defeating a boss, you could upgrade and enhance your armour on the fly. Currently, this series has four games under its belt; the original and three sequels.

In the beginning of 2006, Megaman ZX was released. This series was a continuation of the Zero series, in which you play as one of two humans, who could power-up and turn into robots. There isn’t really much else to talk about this series other than it currently has two games in it; the original and a sequel.

Finally, in late 2006, Megaman Star Force was released. This game is a continuation of the Battle Network series and features a timid boy merging with an alien. The boy travels around the net defeating viruses and generally saving the day. Currently the series has three games under its belt; the original and two sequels.

Well, I hope this was informative for you, hopefully you should know from now on to look out for any Megaman game and play them. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Good Night and Good Luck.