Why is this somehow harder than 3 and 4 combined

It's painful

The one that started it all. No run, no slide, no copy abilities.
Just a simple jump, inhaling and spitting back enemies, and infinite flying in a platformer game. It sets out everything it wants to do and not much else, and- oh it's already over.
Ah well. It puts a smile on my face everytime I play it and I'm basically guaranteed to finishing it when I do so it's like a fulfilling bite sized game.
Extra Game is kind of bullshit though.

Music is hilariously awful but it's very uninteresing

This is the best one: all 8 weapons are more than usable and so are the gadgets (RIP Rush Marine, you are never coming back after this game), the movement is at its most balanced with a useful but not overpowered charge shot, the level design is inventive and has great pacing (if a little too many instant death obstacles), and two whole castles to use that amazing arsenal!

A very honest attempt at a Mega Man game on the Game Boy.
Very very slow and sluggish but with some really cool twists to make it stand out from the NES entries (and that goes for its sequels too).

A very... divisive game in today's climate.
Much like the rest of the Sonic series, it took me many attempts before I stopped bouncing off it and became a fan.
How in the hell did I one day manage to beat this deathless with all emeralds obtained on the first try is beyond me, but I guess I must really like this game

One of the greatest games to play on a date

Also first played this during a school trip to England where I made the foster family plug their old Mega Drive and played this with the dad: absolute treasure of a memory

Everything past this first episode is horrendous.
I guess even before Doom id kept the best for the shareware episode huh

Goodness this one is rough around the edges. Everything around the edges is very good, but those edges are called Shadow Man, Spark Shock, and Doc Robot stages.
Appropriate for the most "rushed" game in this series to introduce the titular robot dog.

My very first 2D platformer... couldn't ever reach past half of the first stage.
Beat it years ago but warrants another fresh look.

Man I love trashing on this game in part due to how it is obnoxiously herald as the best in the classic series (if not entire Mega Man franchise) despite its terrible weapons save for 2 (one of them making the game play itself) and horrible Wily stages... but I still can't help but love it anyway.

I feel this one goes too often under the radar.
Sure, it has a lot of issues that were immediatly ironed out by its sequel... but it's the still the one that laid the foundation for countless games and spin-offs and it has aged a lot better than some of its contemporaries thanks to its infinite continues and is overall more fair as well.
Also its arsenal is somehow better than most Mega Man games even with only 6 of them and 2 being unusably bad (shame on you, Mega Man 2 and 5).

Earthworm Jim proves that gamers will put up with mediocre gameplay as long as the art is good

The Switch port gave me a migraine with how stuttery it is
It still being available to purchase in unacceptable