After releasing the very first six Mega Man games in one collection, developer and publisher Capcom will quickly fill in the remaining holes from the main franchise with Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. Similar to the first Legacy Collection, this new batch includes entries in the main Mega Man series that resulted in the creation of the Mega Man X series and other countless spin-off titles. However, unlike the first number of games from the NES, the 4 titles available are in the post-NES era of consoles, including Super Nintendo's Mega Man 7, PlayStation's Mega Man 8, and cross-platform released Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC). What makes this new collection stand out is its culmination of the odd balls from the franchise, as the first six games were relatively similar, offering a set quantity of bosses to defeat leading to an encounter with Mega Man's enemy, Dr. Wily.
As a Mega Man fan myself, it's important to note the games listed here are not widely loved or received by the entire fan base, but I locate them to be standouts based on how dividing they may be in the community. Mega Man 8, for instance, was the first game to incorporate voiceover work, and despite being one of the worst facets of the sport, the skill style and tight controls make it one of the strongest entries within the franchise. The same praise can probably be said for that other three games, as their difficulty and deviation in the typical formula through added sub-bosses and extra Wily stages showed how creative the franchise could be. Of course, while housing many of these gems in one handy digital package is tantalizing enough, it's the added content which makes the gathering worth studying and discussing.
When it comes to the games themselves, Capcom avoided tampering with their original versions and didn't offer anything new when it comes to a normal run through. The games seem to be direct ports of the originals, with simply new options for aspect ratios like a variation around the gameplay. Players can decide on original, widescreen, or fullscreen, with four different wallpapers per game to complete the additional space with respect to the display size. The wallpaper options typically range from portraits of every from the bosses to official art of Mega Man in his variations. Of course, these options don't provide a great deal towards the gaming experience, but what is helpful is they are easily accessed from a quick button, allowing the player to change between your available options in only seconds. The most modern feature, quick saves, can also be found in this menu, allowing for a save at any time, even in the middle of a boss battle. There is an auto checkpoint save option, too, which will make use of the save state each time a major moment in the game occurs, such as finishing a stage or earning a weapon, and it is a welcome idea for players that might forget to constantly save following a boss fight or getting a rare item.
While it's nice to have the often overlooked games from the franchise in a single package, it's tough to position needing this collection if a player already owns the originals. Thankfully, a majority of the meat of the Legacy Collection 2comes down to the Challenge Modes, that offer a totally new experience for both seasoned and introductory gamers. The gathering even treats it as its own entity, separating the new quests in the main games, allowing a player to leap into them without having to clear an ordinary run through of any of the games. The task Modes offer various remixes on stages and bosses, with each game housing its own unique take on the offerings.
Starting with Mega Man 7 and 8, both games follow the same format for Challenges, offering ten different tasks: two sets of remixed stages, a sub-boss rush, a boss rush, four separate time attack battles from the sub-bosses present in Wily's Castle, as well as sub-boss and boss rush modes where Mega Man can only use his Buster Gun. The two remixed stage Challenges pit Mega Man in a variety of stages to rush through the areas as soon as possible. The sub-boss and boss modes work similarly, but all have a different “time to beat” to really award completion towards the player. Notebook computer about these Challenges is that it spurs players onto tackle the game differently than they might otherwise, as rushing via a stage or boss fight isn't really the focus of the main game. Increased, the player's score goes onto a web-based leaderboard, that will increase the competitive value towards the games and showcase the true the best when it comes to Mega Man.
The 8-bit Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 are totally separate beasts by themselves, offering the original games' Challenges as well as new Extra Challenges created for Legacy Collection 2. In Mega Man 9's Extra Challenges, apart from Mega Man's task to complete remixed stages and boss rushes, Proto Man is also a playable option, essentially giving the player twice the amount of try to do. While initially that seems like an inexpensive trick by Capcom to help make the game seem longer, Proto Man plays rather differently than his blue brother, as he slide, charge his buster, and it has his own group of boss weapons, all of which are for sale to use in every Challenge. Mega Man 10 works exactly the same way, but another added character, Bass, makes the list of Challenges even longer and more engaging, as he can dash and fire rapid semi-automatic buster shots. Players that undertake the extremely difficult task of completing all original and additional Challenges will unlock more bonus content, including a Time Attack mode and fan service which makes your time and effort feel valid, but that is a secret to find out by yourself.
In terms of non-playable bonus goodies, the background music Player offers all 146 tracks available from the 4 games. Despite mixed critical and fan reviews, the games themselves hold some of the best music in the franchise, including Mega Man 8's Frost Man and Grenade Man stage themes. Another gallery-esque offering, the Museum Mode, holds design concept art for characters, stages, enemies, and pictures in the original games' strategy guides. While a person most likely won't save money than 10 mins looking through the pieces, it had been a nice touch to show off a lot more than the gameplay, because the art style and music have always been a large part of why Mega Man remains a sought after name. The idea to make both the Museum Mode and Very good music player accessible from the beginning seemed to be a great one, because the new Challenges, particularly when looking at Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, will take up enough time to unlock.
However, even with the required bonus content and Challenge Modes, the question of if every Mega Man fan must make this game as part of their library arises. Overall, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 is really a slightly complicated sell that takes some explaining. Keeping the games in their original art styles might appear to be a lazy decision on Capcom's part, however the word “Legacy” within the title from the collection suggests a brief history lesson, and not an entire graphic overhaul to fit modern visuals. The included four games offer a great deal of variation and are worth experiencing at least once, however for beginners, it may need playing the first Mega Man Legacy Collection to understand the differences between your NES and also the post-NES eras. In terms of seasoned fans, though, it's truly a no-brainer, as the Challenge Modes alone produce a competitive playground that accommodates the present trend of speed running and leaderboards.
