As I've been absent from the board for a while, I thought I'd come back by reviewing all of the NES Mega Man games. So here is the first one! Was it indigenous? Was it a blatant example of naiveté? I will tell you here!
Let's start with the story.
It is the year 20XX, and the science of robotics has advanced to the point where robots can be made to almost any task, and the A.I.'s of some are of almost human level. Two of the world's leaders of this pursuit, Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wily, work together and are assisted by Dr Light's humanoid, child-like assistant robots; male Rock and female Roll. Just recently, the two scientists had finished their latest revolution, the Robot Masters, designed to oversee tasks that are very or too dangerous for humans. There are six:
Cut Man, made to moderate forestry.
Guts Man, a construction and reclamation robot.
Elec Man, manipulator of electrical energy to help regulate power plants.
Ice Man, designed for exploring the polar regions.
Fire Man, a smelting robot to melt down waste.
And finally Bomb Man, a demolition and disruption robot.
Because Dr Light was the one that came up with the majority of the project, he was the one credited and praised for their creation. Wily was so jealous of this, that overnight he reprogrammed all six of the Robot Masters to follow his will and help him take over the unnamed city that this game takes place in! (I refuse the name Monsteropolis.) Light felt helpless at what was happening... until Rock, with a strong sense of justice, volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot. Light was reluctant at first, but consented due to the fact that there was no other option. One transformation later, Rock was wearing blue armour, became able to copy the weapons of other robots, and gained the Mega Buster, which he used as inspiration for his new name: Mega Man! Mega Man then set off to defeat all of the Robot Masters and bring Wily what was coming to him.
(Note that no story is provided in-game. I love this robot concept, but the lack of backstory bothers me. For that, I give the story a 6.)
Gameplay
When you start the game, you are presented with a stage-select where you can choose which of the aforementioned Robot Masters you want to chase after. While you may think this as not a big deal, the fact that you can choose your stage order was quite innovative compared to other platformers on the NES at that time. Each stage has its own challenges and boss fight. Once you beat a Robot Master, you gain the ability to use their special ability as long as you have ammo. As well as being useful in different situations, each Master Weapon actually does increased damage to a different boss. This fact is the main draw to Mega Man's replay value. Figuring out which boss is best to take down with your Mega Buster leaves a lot of room for experimentation. Here's a list of what each weapon can do:
The Mega Buster is the default weapon, and you have no ammo for this. It fires a lemon-esque projectile that travels in a straight line, and there can be three on-screen at once. Not the most powerful weapon, but good for taking out basic enemies.
The Hyper Bomb, which you get from Bomb Man, makes you throw a gravity affected bomb that bounces a couple times, stops, and explodes after a few seconds. Unfortunately, this bomb is VERY situational as most enemies constantly move or are in midair.
The Super Arm, which belongs to Guts Man, lets you pick up and throw certain blocks that scatter into four pieces when they hit something solid. You can only use it where the game wants you to, but it can dish out some area damage if aimed right.
The Rolling Cutter, on Cut Man's head, shoots said cutter in a boomerang-like motion. It can take out ground based enemies pretty well, but is a bit of a hassle to use elsewhere.
The Elec Beam, that Elec Man summons, shoots a large beam forward and two smaller ones above and below you. This is widely considered the best weapon of all, because of its multiple directions, high damage and low ammo consumption.
The Ice Slasher that Ice Man is equipped with is very similar to the Ice Beam of the Metroid series. It fires a large icicle that can freeze enemies for easy pickings and fire pillars so you can touch them. It can't be used against any boss but the one that is weak to it, however.
The Fire Storm that Fire Man loves shoots a fireball as well as surrounds you with a fiery shield that does damage for a few seconds. It can't stop projectiles, so be wary.
There is also a tool hidden in Elec Man's stage called the Magnet Beam that creates platforms for about five seconds that you can use to bypass some of the trickier sections. Make sure to find it, because you need it to beat the game!
Let's talk about Mega Man himself. He can run, jump and shoot, and it ends there. You may think it's standard fare for a platformer, but this guy handles a bit different. While running, he has a bit of momentum to him that can get you falling of platforms at first, but you'll adjust. His jump is also a bit heavier, but the stages are designed around this, so no worries. Note that he can't shoot up.
Enemies can also drop items. They're what you expect, balls that are worth 1000 points at the end of a stage, weapon ammo that looks like a six sided shape or a large tank, health refills that have a light bulb look, and extra lives in the form of your severed head.
The main thing you need to look out for in the Mega Man series is spikes. You will hate spikes. While they may just hurt you in other games, you touch one here, you die. Not even invincibility frames will save you. FEAR THEM.
Now that I've told you the basic stuff and all six Robot Masters are done, it's time to invade Dr. Wily's base and take him out! Be warned, though. Your weapon ammo doesn't refill between each of the four Wily stages, and when you beat one, it's on to the next immediately. I'd give you some tips, but that's what a walkthrough is for. Good luck!
Graphics
For the games at the time, Mega Man was pretty decent in its aesthetics. Everything is perfectly clear from the rest, and the animations, while basic, do their job. It's still quite charming today. However, sprite flicker does sometimes rear its head, and that is always an eyesore. I give it an 8 in this regard.
Sound
Oh, man, where do I start? Every piece of music in this game is awesome. The energy of Elec Man, the chill of Ice Man, the beats of Cut Man, every single song is great! Lots of the sound effects are nice to hear to. Feel the power of the Elec Beam! A well deserved 9.
Addictiveness
Trying out different orders of the Robot Masters is entertaining, and it's pretty fun to play in general. I come back to this especially to hear the music! Getting a game over is a bit of a turnoff, however. 7 is my opinion.
Depth
Past the unique stage orders, there isn't a lot to this game. Experimentation is what makes this game a lot more deep. Well- rounded 8 is what I give it.
Difficulty
This game will test you, and without an idea of what you're doing, it will kick your behind. Once you know the tricks, it gets a lot easier to manage.
Verdict
Mega Man is a game that I recommend to any fan of NES platformers. Non-linearity and challenge may scare away newcomers, but be patient and you will see the beauty of this game.