dagoss's Mega Man review

This is a pretty good review that I think does a nice job of capturing what was wrong with the first Mega Man. A point you didn't really make that I was expecting to see was how the elements you described were refined for later installments. You kind of hinted at that--particularly in your intro--but that didn't really make it into the main text. It felt a little bit to me like a point that got lost along the way, though maybe it was never something you wanted to talk about. Either way, this was a solid review... and timely, I'm sure.

It's a pretty good review, although I think it's a little weird to criticise an old game for being old, and the first game in a series for not having everything nailed down exactly. It's not so much that you mention it, as the fact that you keep mentioning it. That was the point, I suppose, but of course it's old and unrefined. It's Mega Man 1, one of the earliest examples of its genre.

But that said, all of the criticism is pretty valid. Mega Man had a truely mechanical feel to it (puns!) that was smoothed out a lot in the later games. It was a good review that I found was very persuasive in its argument.

Edit: Fuck Ice Man.

I think it's a little weird to criticise an old game for being old

You're not around here very much, are you? That's the number one complaint old games get on HG.

Thank you everyone!

A point you didn't really make that I was expecting to see was how the elements you described were refined for later installments. You kind of hinted at that--particularly in your intro--but that didn't really make it into the main text

That is because I want to review more of the NES Mega Man games, and I'd like the gradual refinement of the series to be a common theme. These are without question my favorite games, so I obviously want to go into more detail than what I did here.

You're not around here very much, are you? That's the number one complaint old games get on HG.

Not as much as I should be, no. I'm working on that.

Haha. Good review. I really don't see a problem with arguing that the game's bad because it's old (indeed, some games are still good for their age, but that's not the point here) as long as you back it up, which you do here. I understand everything you're trying to say well; I can picture everything clearly. It's also entertaining, which is always a plus.

I look forward to any other reviews you produce.

Pretty spot on, I thought. You get kudos or curses for making me remember my least favorite part of that game......where you have to jump from those randomly moving platforms. It was unbearable in Ice Man's stage and I think you do it again in Wily's Castle, don't you, with the difference being the spiked ceiling and floors? Nothing like randomly moving around, hoping your platform doesn't take you right into the ceiling.....

And it also made me remember I reviewed this game in Dec. of '03 (and put it here in Jan of '04) and those platforms pissed me off so much, I devoted two full paragraphs to them. If I recall correctly, that was my first review after going full-time to essay form. So you brought up all kinds of memories for me. I think I'll get drunk and maudlin tonight, sobbing about past failures and shit.....

Yeah, it happens again in Wily's castle. When I tried beating the game the last time, maybe 6 months ago, these two parts became annoying. I would stand on the ground in Ice Man's stage, waiting for up to 3 or 4 minutes for a platform to finally reach me. It happened again in Wily's castle, except I ended up waiting an absurd 10 minutes. I turned off the game after that.

Edit: Is it me, or is HG's time a few minutes behind?

Your intro is a little silly. You say MM a lot very close together and the line about people still playing Mega Man games over and over seems a little far fetched to me. I dunno, maybe people do. But the real complaint is how you make this claim then go nowhere with it.

Here is a random typo: There are also ladder on which the player must pause

Curse you, Ladder!

Mega Man reviews always seem to end in a score completely unreflective of the text, and here is no different. You tear Mega Man to shreds at time, and do so well. Saying that mega Man is overly hard mainly because of design flaws and outdated obsoletes is a point well made, but then you excuse this all because you liked the music and the levels have solid diversity. The latter point is poignant and well explored and is probably the only bit of relevant praise offered all review. I see that you plan to review more Mega Man games, but, by starting the foundation on such a high, how are you going to then illustrate the series evolution?

I also feel bad for Iceman.

Here’s another typo to close things out: and at it's heart fundamentally outdated

Those Ice Man platforms are frustrating, but they can be by-passed completely with the Magnet Beam. Now what's really annoying is Fire Man and the way he randomly and aggressively spams his fire wave attack.

It's actually not random. He prioritizes keeping a set distance between you and him; if he is within that distance, he will use fire wave repeatedly until you either move towards or away from him, which will cause him to move in kind.

...the line about people still playing Mega Man games over and over seems a little far fetched to me. I dunno, maybe people do.

I do!! I've been playing through one of the NES games like once per week since they've come out. Any time I find myself at home with an hour to kill, in goes the Mega Man. It's actually kind of pathetic, now that I think about it. In fact, If I hadn't bothered to write this post, I might have spent a few minutes before bed drilling Toad Man in the face.

I will try to address your complaints in any revisions I make. I'm not surprised that there are typos -- I actually wrote this review impromptu in like an hour span. On an unrelated note, I finished my (first) masters thesis this week, so that's fun too.

Considering there's like 30,000 Mega Man games it's not far fetched to think people still play them. I know I still do and the original six are still some of the most popular NES games out there.