This Week in Defunct Games - February 8, 2013

What Is It? Given the amount of sequels, spin-offs, cross-overs and remakes, you might think that Mega Man was a big hit right out of the gate. That could not be further from the truth. In fact, this sequel was considered a big risk in 1988. Unwilling to let the franchise die, Keiji Inafune and his team developed a game that would feature every brilliant idea they could come up with. The result is Mega Man II, one of the greatest Nintendo Entertainment System games of all time.

It's not just the bosses (which include Flash Man, Quick Man, Wood Man, Air Man, Crash Man, Bubble Man, Heat Man and Metal Man), it's also the improvements in the level designs, music and regular enemies. This is a phenomenal game that everybody should own, no matter if it's the original NES cartridge or this brand new 3DS Virtual Console release.

Does It Still Hold Up? Spoiler alert: Mega Man 2 plays like a Mega Man game. It's super tough, you have limited movement and each boss hands over their power once defeated. This is the blue bomber at his finest, with expertly crafted level designs and bosses that don't make me roll my eyes. Best of all, the Virtual Console's save functionality makes some of the harder parts much more manageable.

Is It Worth The Money? Mega Man 2 on the 3DS Virtual Console won't win over the burned out, but it is an exciting action game full of well-crafted levels and memorable boss fights. It also makes for a great portable game, as players can chip away at especially tough parts little by little. Visually it looks outstanding on the small screen and not enough can be said about the Virtua Console's save functionality. If you're going to pick up any Mega Man game on the Virtual Console, make sure it's this one.