Board 8's Top 20 NES Games - The Results

#2. Mega Man 2 (1989)
Total Points: 88
List Appearances: 27
First-Place Votes: 4
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Write-up provided by NBIceman
I dont think theres much I could say about this game that Keiji Inafune cant say better. This sequel to the poor-selling original game only got the okay from Capcom because the staff agreed to put their own free time into it while working on other projects. That development cycle ended up lasting only three or four months, leading me to believe they must all have been zombies by the end, and yet Inafune still later called it the best time he had working at the company.

This labor of love brought us what I consider the first true Mega Man game, which sounds elitist but isnt meant to be. Gone are most of the more experimental and rudimentary aspects of the original title in favor of a new formula that fans would come to love for decades. Its still missing some things that would later become staples - Proto Man, the charged shot and slide, etc. - but honestly, I love that. Theres a purity to the experience. Jump and shoot. Oh, and groove to the music, which may not be my absolute favorite in the series but is undoubtedly revolutionary.

I think what Mega Man 2 nails better than any of the series entries that came after it is overall game feel. Its a legitimately tough game, but you feel super powerful for most of your time playing through it. Obviously the Metal Blade is famous for its strength, but the Quick Boomerang is almost as good and a few other weapons are, if nothing else, still fun to use. The Robot Master designs are among the best, some of the stages are nothing short of iconic, Wily Castle is great outside of the Boobeam Trap, and its all wrapped in a slick presentation.

Its one of those games where writing about it makes me want to go play it. Its not a perfect game, by any means, but theres an inexorable fun factor about it that doesnt force nostalgia to do all the heavy lifting in its continued popularity. That labor of love shows in every little pixel. Oh, and speaking of nostalgia, Im pretty sure this is the first video game I ever played, so I guess in a somewhat roundabout way you can all blame Mega Man 2 for having to sit here and read my opinions on things.