Ehhh… it’s very nearly better than the previous two Game Boy Mega Man titles, but, as several other Backloggd reviewers have noted, the second half of this is miserable. Good music, though, and I also like the Mega Man 3 boss weapons, which all return here. Shout out to Punk, too, who is easily the coolest of the “Mega Man Killers” so far.

Anyway, I am not at all keen on Mizakuchi’s decision to prioritize pixel-perfect jumps throughout many of Mega Man III’s levels. That approach really cuts into the kinetic flow of Mega Man in a way that no other title I’ve played has. This game also runs like absolute slop. I did some research to see if the immense slowdown was emulator-based, but no… that’s just how this game is.!Looks pretty great for an original Game Boy game, though, so it was probably pushing the handheld near its limits.

Well, that’s that on Mega Man 3 and Mega Man III. Two sides of the same shitty coin.

A competent Game Boy Mega Man title! Wasn’t sure that I’d ever see the day. Feels pretty great (other than the slowdown), and this one gets back to the action-platforming flow that Mega Man III was sorely lacking. I would’ve liked to have seen a new set of Robot Masters, but some of their levels are given thoughtful reworks (Napalm Man’s stage is no longer set in the Vietnamese jungle, for one) that have finally started taking advantage of the Game Boy’s limited screen size. I was also glad to see the final Robot Master gauntlet make its debut on the Game Boy, and the final stretch through Wily’s space fortress is among my favorites in the series so far. We also get the fourth “Mega Man Killer” here, Ballade, and he’s a lot of fun. A couple of weird things here, though—(1) Megaman’s charge shot has… recoil? That sure feels bad; and (2) to my complete surprise, it seems like this game introduced the upgrade shop to the series, not Mega Man 7. Anyway, yeah. This could’ve been a lot better, but points for being the first Game Boy Mega Man title that I’d actually recommend.

At long last, the world is at peace.

Wow! Where Mega Man 5 felt like Capcom sitting on their hands, Mega Man 6 feels like a swansong for the Blue Bomber’s run on the NES. A very inventive set of new fan-designed Robot Masters, fun weapons, and fantastic level design ensure that this one goes down easy. There’s even a jetpack suit! This has been my favorite of the NES series, without question, but it’s a bit on the easy side. Every second of this feels like Capcom telling players that Mega Man’s best days are ahead.

With Marvel’s Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac started closing the book on who the best first-party Sony studio is. Those games were thrilling, interesting, tightly concepted, and most importantly, fun. They also used the toolset of their respective platforms to astounding effect and represented game design values Sony hasn’t focused on since the PS2 era—novelty, innovation, and vibrance. With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac hasn’t just closed the book. They’ve glued it shut.

Spider-Man is a character that represents so much to so many, myself included, and Insomniac never once loses sight of that. This is a game where American Sign Language and black history are rendered in equal detail to Peter and Miles’ lavish animations and an awe-inspiring recreation of New York City. Through every frame of this game, one easily gets the sense that Insomniac had just as much fun making this game as we do playing it. I’m still not sure how they did it, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 somehow has more impressive storytelling, pacing, quest design, combat flexibility, and environments than the latest Final Fantasy game. I wouldn’t have dreamed that a superhero game, of all things, would be a must-play title that sets a new standard for what can be achieved in this medium, but Insomniac managed to get there.

Combat is nimble, decently challenging, and evocative of the characters’ personalities without robbing the player of fine control. There are a truly dizzying amount of abilities and gadgets here—so much so that the game even includes a move list in the menu. The story takes Peter Parker and Miles Morales to new heights of emotional resonance. The world is jaw-dropping, and every single quest feels vital to aligning that world with Insomniac’s vision. The game is extremely exciting and paced masterfully, whether you’re playing it or just watching it all unfold. Simply put, this game cashes every single check it writes.

Now for the bad parts, of which there are surprisingly little. Except for the core cast, you can kind of sense that Insomniac designated their top artists to focus on the upcoming Wolverine game. I also thought the original game was slightly more varied in its sidequest types and stealth implementation. Even still, none of that matters in the face of what this game really achieves.

Throughout the 2000s, Marvel has routinely shown that they’re unsure of how to handle their most iconic character. Leave it to Insomniac to breathe new life into this once storied property. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the very best adaptation of the Spider-Man universe we’ve ever gotten, and for my money, the very best PS5 exclusive game.

Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge doesn’t utilize the Game Boy’s smaller screen size in any meaningful way, all of the levels are SHORT and poorly realized, and there’s almost no strategy to any of the boss fights. Notably, this game does introduce Dr. Wily’s “Mega Man Killers” with Enker, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of those guys. Enker is neat! The music and ending movie are alright, too. Still, it’s hard not to feel like Dr. Wily’s Revenge is much more than an entirely compromised pastiche of the first two Mega Man NES games for the Game Boy. Feels like more of a novelty than anything else.