I have never understood the love for Mega Man 2. Among many fans of the Mega Man series, as well as fans of platformers and retro games in general, Mega Man 2 is often considered the best game in the series. Of the original classic games for the NES, it sold the best by a considerable margin. Some would say that is reflective of the game’s quality, but to me, that sales figure just reflects why the game is so beloved. It’s the most popular, and most people’s first entry into the series before the Legacy Collection came along. I think Mega Man 2 is the worst of the eleven classic Mega Man games, and I will try to explain my numerous issues with this game. Unlike in Mega Man 1, where most of the issues were systemic and affected many different parts of the game, in Mega Man 2, a lot of the issues are caused by a single bad decision that just casts a wide shadow over the game.

Full review at https://queenemilyscorner.wordpress.com/2024/04/11/mega-man-2-the-worst-classic-mega-man/

The quality of this game varies wildly between playable characters.

With Maria, Rondo of Blood is an absolute blast, a 9/10, but that is mostly because she, differently from Richter, is equipped to properly react to the speed of the game's challenges.

Richter is just as stiff as the Belmonts that came before him, and while that control-style worked just fine for the games that came before, Rondo is often designed with reaction time in mind. Certain enemy-types are no longer predictable as they were in the NES games, and overall the speed of the game often feels like too much for that old control style, leaving quite a sour taste in the player's mouth the more challenging the game gets.

The early and mid game with Richter are mostly fine and quite fun, but as soon as you reach late game it certainly feels like it takes a nose dive in quality so harsh I almost dropped it there. None of that applies to Maria, this is just a great action platformer with her.

I love this game and I'll absolutely replay it... with Maria, someday. But since Richter is the starting character, and if you go into this game blind you might never unlock Maria and just play the game as him, I'll be judging the game as that.

So, you intended to use King to take care of me, did you? You dirty son of a bitch!

I promise I’m not just trying to be different. Am I missing something here?

Playing as Mega Man feels like, well, Mega Man 8, which was already one of the better controlling games in the classic series. Playing as Bass, on the other hand, turns Mega Man into Gunstar Heroes, and I’m not sure how it could possibly be more entertaining. The levels are astounding, the boss designs are deeply imaginative and memorable, the graphics are truly mind-bending for the SNES, and the shop/upgrade system is the best it’s been in any of these games so far. Capcom hits a difficulty balance that lies perfectly between intense and rewarding; it is truly a joy to hit one of this game’s many walls, only to finally overcome it through sheer tenacity. You have the tools, you just have to put it all together. I’m not sure where the mixed reaction for this game comes from, but my assumption is that most detractors played the terribly compromised GBA version (or died a lot). The ONLY real complaints I have is that the music could be better, and the absence of E-Tanks feels a little strange. If you play Rockman & Forte/Mega Man & Bass on the SNES, as it was meant to be played, you may see this in a whole new light. This is literally my favorite game in the mainline Mega Man series, and I don’t see a world where that changes. Next level stuff.