Mega Man 2 (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Ever wonder what Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro and other popular magazines thought of your favorite 8-, 16- and 32-bit games? Now you can find out, thanks to Review Crew! This is the only show on the internet that is willing to go back in time to find out what old school critics thought of retro games at the time. Did they pan your favorite game? Did they love something terrible? Find out
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We kick off Mega Man Week with a look at one of the Blue Bomber's most beloved entries -- Mega Man 2. Featuring such baddies as Wood Man, Metal Man, Heat Man and Crash Man, this is always the game fans list as their favorite 8-bit Mega Man adventure. Did critics agree when they reviewed it back in 1989? We dig through old issues of Computer + Video Games, Nintendo Magazine System and Electronic Gaming Monthly to find the answers.
(NOTE: Although we occasionally cut for length, no other edits are made to the review. Defunct Games does not change any of the wording, grammar or punctuation use. Also keep in mind that our score is the average of all critics at the time, not just the sample that is reprinted on this page. If you still have more questions, I recommend you check out the
Review Crew FAQ, where we address the review guidelines, converting scores, magazine covers and more.)
COMPUTER + VIDEO GAMES #112
"Dr. Wily's back, and it's down to Megaman to beat off all of his robotic henchmen, blag their weapons and make his way to Wily's castle for the final confrontation. This platform masterpiece is only beaten by the Mario series for sheer brilliance, and ranks as a totally fantastic and highly addictive game! Buy it as soon as you can -- you won't be disappointed!"
(95% out of 100%)
NINTENDO MAGAZINE SYSTEM #2
"@BOXTEXT:The evil Dr Wily is back for another slapping at the hands of the world's greatest hero, MegaMan. This boils down to more incredibly addictive scrolling platform action. Although it's not as lastable as its prequel, MegaMan II boasts playability that puts many 16-bit games of the same ilk to shame. An essential purchase."
(93% out of 100%)
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY #2
"Mega Man 2 is one of the best games I've played in a long time. It has perfect blend of action and surprise that is usually been only in games like Super Mario. The first Mega Man was a sleeper hit, but this one is even better, with plenty of new enhancements. Highly recommended." -Steve
(8 out of 10)
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY #2
"A worthy successor to the original Mega Man. This one is better than its predecessor in several ways, it's harder, the castle is more difficult, and Wily is back with more dangers in more lands than before. The power-ups, difficulty select and Password make this a great game. Super tunes also." -Ed
(8 out of 10)
REVIEW CREW AVERAGE: 85% -
Mega Man 2 is an incredibly difficult game that requires a lot of patience, and these critics loved every minute of the challenge. When EGM's Ed Semrad needed to come up with reasons why this sequel was better than the 1987 original, all three of his examples had to do with the extreme difficulty: "It's harder, the castle is more difficult, and Wily is back with more dangers in more lands than before."
Don't get me wrong, I love Mega Man 2 and agree that it's challenging. But seriously, how often do you hear modern day critics praising a game for being extra difficult? Although not always mentioned in the shortened reviews we posted here, every critic praised the insane difficult as a good thing.
While EGM liked the game (all four editors gave it an 8 out of 10), CVG and Nintendo Magazine System absolutely fell in love. "This platform masterpiece is only beaten by the Mario series for sheer brilliance," gushed CVG. Nintendo Magazine System was so excited that they,
once again, accidentally inserted "@BOXTEXT" into their write-up. Mistakes aside, Mega Man 2 managed to wow the critics with an impressive average of 85%.
WHAT ABOUT MEGA MAN 1?
We would have loved to start Mega Man Week with Capcom's original 1987 release, but there simply weren't enough reviews to come to a consensus. However, I know that most fans of the Blue Bomber won't be happy with this answer. To stay on the good side of Mega Man fans around the world, here are three opinions of the game that started it all.
NINTENDO MAGAZINE SYSTEM #1
"It's down to MegaMan to go through six levels of incredibly addictive scrolling platform action, blasting meanies. Each level is guarded by a terrifying robotic end-of-level boss. Mega Man is one of the most difficult, and yet still rewarding platform games available for the NES."
(92% out of 100%)
COMPUTER + VIDEO GAMES #99
"Not a game for novices. Mega Man is a tough and uncompromising, yet highly addictive platform game which requires very good gaming skills and lightning reflexes. It's not one you'll complete over night." -Julian Rignall
(89% out of 100%)
THE GAMES MACHINE #30
"Mega Man is great; six very tough opponents stand between you and success (well seven if you count Dr Wily). Graphically and sonically Mega Man is very good. The wide variety of backdrops is impressive. Sound consists of an average tune and the occasional spot effects. It's a shame the game has only been released now. Mega Man has been available in the States for over a year. Even Mega Man 2 is out in the US." -MC
(83% out of 100%)
ON WEDNESDAY'S EPISODE:
We would have loved to start Mega Man Week with Capcom's original 1987 release, but there simply weren't enough reviews to come to a consensus. However, I know that most fans of the Blue Bomber won't be happy with this answer. To stay on the good side of Mega Man fans around the world, here are three opinions of the game that started it all.
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