Mega Man 7: A Deep Dive

Mega Man 7 is the first Classic Mega Man game to not release on an 8-bit console, and it very much suffered from the circumstances of its release. Between Mega Man X already being considered the future of the series, and Mega Man 2 bias already at full swing, MM7 just didn't have a chance. And that's a real shame because on so many levels, Mega Man 7 is the perfect Classic Mega Man game. It excels on pretty much every level, from weapon and level design, to aesthetics, to the way it brings in elements from the X and Game Boy games without losing the Classic series' identity. It's 99% of the way to being my favorite entry in the subseries, if only it just didn't drop the ball right at the very end. Let's talk about it.

Mega Man X2: A Deep Dive

Mega Man X2 is probably the most unassuming game in the series. I always forget how good it is until I replay it and rediscover just how good it is. While I can't exactly argue that X2 feels as fresh or instantly memorable as its predecessor, it makes an impressive amount of refinements that it just doesn't get enough credit for. The bosses are more dynamic, the weapons are more unique, the controls are tighter, the rewards feel more... rewarding, and best of all, this is the only X game that you can complete with zero backtracks right out of the box. Similarly to my beloved Mega Man 5, X2 doesn't do as much to stand out as the games it's sandwiched between, but it makes up for that with pure refinement.

Mega Man X: A Deep Dive

Well, we've finally made it to the big one. Mega Man X is, frankly, almost a perfect game. The level design is so meticulous throughout that it's been analyzed time and time again, more than any other Mega Man game by a longshot. It evolves the series' formula in so many cool ways, both mechanically and in terms of aesthetics, and comes with a killer rock soundtrack to boot. It's hard to figure what new I can lend to the discussion, but I'll try my best.

Mega Man 6: A Deep Dive

Mega Man 6 is a good Mega Man game, it's arguably one of the most polished in the entire series. It's got a strong weapon roster, some neat new mechanics, some of the best visuals on the NES, and a fantastic soundtrack... but I'll be damned if it isn't absurdly easy. Last time I played MM6, I remember half of the levels being pretty fantastic... and the other half feeling almost entirely disposable. So I'm curious to go into this one into a bit more detail to see why Mega Man 6's level design felt so uneven, what made the game as a whole feel so easy, and if I was maybe being a bit too harsh on it.

Mega Man 5: A Deep Dive

As I've said several times before, Mega Man 5 is one of my favorite Classic games in the series, a fairly uncommon take from what I can tell. It seems a lot of people consider MM5 to be the most forgettable and uninteresting game in the series, and I just can't fathom that at all. Mega Man 5 does have its issues and I'll certainly dig into them, but if there's one thing I absolutely can't call it, it's forgettable. MM5 focuses less on adding new mechanics and more on refining what's already been established, boasting some of the freshest level design and most solid boss design of the series so far.

Mega Man 4: A Deep Dive

Mega Man 4 is a weird entry in the series for me. I've seen increasingly more people cite it as the best Classic Mega Man game, and I kinda see why. After the tumultuous developments of MM2 and MM3, Mega Man 4 was the first game since the first to feel like it was an actual finished product with no caveats. However, even with all that extra polish, something about MM4 never really sat right with me, I never got the hype. And it's not some obvious issue like with MM2's poor weapon systems, it's a lot of really small things that just add up. I don't think MM4 is a bad game, I'd actually rank it over the first two, but it also came across as unremarkable especially sandwiched between two of my favorite Classic entries. So what I'm hoping for from this deep dive is that I can really dig into why MM4 doesn't fully land for me, and why it might for others.

Mega Man 3: A Deep Dive

We're back, and it's time to fully review my favorite Classic game in the series, Mega Man 3. I was especially curious about reviewing this one because despite being my personal favorite, MM3 is arguably one of the most controversial Mega Man games. First it was considered a weaker sequel to 2, then it was considered an improvement, and now more people are calling it a poorly-balanced mess. I wonder if looking at MM3 with a more critical eye will cause me to gain more appreciation for it like I did with the first two games, or if I end up potentially liking it even less. I guess there's only one way to find out.

Mega Man 2: A Deep Dive

Continuing from my deep dive of the first Mega Man game, we have the iconic Mega Man 2. I haven't made it much of a secret that I'm not a huge fan of this one, but I also do't think it's a bad game, no classic Mega Man is. Mega Man 2 is fun... if you play on the US Normal Mode and stop before the Wily Castle.

Seriously, though, I do want to be as fair as I can be for this Deep Dive. That means I'll be praising a good amount of stuff that I think MM2 does genuinely really well, but that also means I'll absolutely be tearing parts of it to shreds. I'll also be playing in the Difficult Mode because that's how Capcom intended for people to play the game. It lines up with the other Mega Man games a lot better this way.

Mega Man: A Deep Dive

In addition to my normal game reviews, I wanted to start doing deeper analysis of games I like (or games I've recently played), going through each individual level, boss, mechanic, and presentation element to see what they do right, what they do wrong, and how it all clicks together. I'm still working on how to write them and they will come out far less frequently than standard reviews, but I think they could be a good chance for me to further develop my writing. I'll be doing these kinds of deep dives into a variety of games, ranging from new releases I latch onto, older games I've decided to come back to, or games I just generally have a lot of thoughts on, both good and bad. 

To keep things simple, I wanted to start with the first Mega Man game. This is a game I come back to a lot and pretty much know inside and out, so I think it's a good first game to really delve deep into.