As I am writing this, I can definitely see how influential the franchise has been on the industry as so many developers use these mechanics for current titles, but I don’t think they have almost as much finesse or originality as most of the collection here. The digital release of the remastered Resident Evil was a resounding success, which is why the video game publisher/developer is releasing more and more re-releases of its classics.
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What struck me about these classic Mega Man titles as I dove back in, more than anything, was how intensely unforgiving they all are.
The original Mega Man games are known for being notoriously hard, and while there aren’t any options available for players that want to dial down the punishment, there is one notable inclusion that should make everyone’s lives easier. The “Mega Man Legacy Collection” includes all of the above.
“Mega Man Legacy Collection is an object lesson for how game compilations should be engineered, providing rock-solid adaptation to a new platform, respecting the material’s historic context, and exercising restraint”. Players can tackle each boss in their own order, and it is a series staple that many games have taken inspiration from. Purists can rejoice, as the Blue Bomber hasn’t been dumbed-down or butchered in his transition to modern consoles.
If I’m being entirely honest, the Mega Man Legacy Collection was a little bit underwhelming. The games even run with the slowdown and object flickering that was present on the original hardware, a nice touch that I’m sure speedrunners and purists will rejoice at. It’s hard to recommend this digital-only release when there already exists a better one – the physical Mega Man Anniversary Collection. Switching stages keeps players on their toes and even if you memorized all of the block puzzles jumping to a completely different level feels fresh. It’s developed with an all-new Eclipse Engine, as well as the ability to watch replay videos and more. I was also happy to find a very liberal save feature, which allows unlimited backups of your game mid-level, so if this is your first time playing through the series or if you’re just a little rusty, you can make steady progress through the games without too much frustration. If you’re like me, you hate any type of borders on the sides of an HDTV. Lastly, you can choose to stretch the game out, filling the entire screen, at the cost of reducing clarity and sacrificing the native aspect ratio. The two filtering options were also welcome, especially the monitor filter simulating the bright, crisp sharpness of a vintage arcade display. Something? Again, if you purport to be the ultimate collector’s version of something, you can’t half-ass it like this when it comes to extras.
Legacy Collection offers remixes of stages as well that come connected through portals.
The art museum is respectably very big with sketches and original art from all the games. The Database mode from the Rockman Complete Works, which was originally a Japanese exclusive, has been fully translated. Concept artwork, promotional art, and bios for each Robot Master is included in the game’s Museum and Database sections, and truly dedicated followers will appreciate the attention to detail that has been lavished on this portion of the package. There are a few challenges with a no-items rule, but they still require completion within a certain time in order to score well.
After clearing three of the five challenges, players unlock a new set of challenges from Mega Man 1 and Mega Man 2 including a boss rush for Mega Man, a timed Dr. Wily battle, and “Megamix” challenges which are stages plus robot master battles. You can also challenge the boss characters – arguably the stars of each individual release – outside of the main game, and leaderboards give an impetus to improve your talents and show your skills.
What Mega Man Legacy Collection lacks in modernization, though, it makes up for in true-to-form recreation of the source material.
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Though there are definitely numerous gamers out there that haven’t experienced the core Mega Man titles before, it seems silly to try and explain the premise of six games that are over two decades old. Releasing today for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, this re-release of the classic games that brought hours of frustration and joy to those of us fortunate enough to grow up during the 8-bit era allows a whole new generation of gamers to see the iconic Capcom character in all his pixelated glory. Either way, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by ignoring the Legacy Collection, whether you are a series veteran or a newcomer hoping to dip your toes in the water.
