Mega Man 2 has gone down in history as one of the greatest 8-bit platformers of all time. The game helped revolutionize the Megaman series, redefining its identity after its first entry. It has become the second best-selling Mega Man game in the franchise, having sold more than 1.51 million copies. The game has been looked at fondly for years, but now we can look back on its game-shaking role in recent years.
Second Story, and Development
Mega Man 2 was developed by Capcom and released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, or ‘NES’. The game is an action-platform shooter, following the tradition that Mega Man 1 set, and that numerous other games would supersede. Mega Man 2 follows the events of the first game, helping establish the ‘series formula’ that the classic series is known for. One year after his defeat, the cartoonish Dr. Wily returns to take over the world. Mega Man has to stop him, fighting through each of his eight, dangerous robots to destroy his evil schemes.
Mega Man’s first game was an interesting title, but it did not garner the success that Capcom thought it would. The decision to create a sequel came out of the blue, but it helped turn the series into what it is today. At the behest of the developers, Capcom chose to approve Mega Man 2. These developers were interested in designing a game because they wanted to, not because they were forced to. In fact, Keiji Inafune, the series designer and the ‘father’ of Mega Man, was heavily involved in the process. He remarks that Mega Man 2 is one of the most memorable games to him, and also one of the best experiences he had developing a game.
Franchise Trend-Starters
The game has a few notable improvements to set it apart from its predecessor, the first Mega Man title. To ease concerns about the prior game’s difficulty, Mega Man 2 introduced ‘E-Tanks’ that could replenish Rock’s HP. These collectibles could be found in different stages and gave you a late-game advantage if you are too injured. Because of its health-regenerating properties, it was especially helpful when fighting a boss.
The original Mega Man had only six ‘robot master’ bosses in six stages that you could defeat. Mega Man 2 bumped the number up to eight, adding in two more additional boss fights, stages, and weapons. This would become a later set-up for the series, even influencing the set-ups for the X, Zero, and ZX series of games. Lastly, Mega Man 2 introduced the ‘teleporter room’, a franchise staple that often initiates the boss rush. All of these ideas helped shape the formula for Mega Man 2 in later games.
Mega Music Tunes
Mega Man 2’s soundtrack is held in high regard by rockers and video game fans alike. The soundtrack was composed by Takeshi Tateishi, with Yoshihiro Sakaguchi working as a sound programmer. The Robotmaster themes are a good example of how well-made the music in the game is. Flash Man’s stage theme, for example, sounds similar to Metallica’s Seek & Destroy, from their debut album, Kill ‘ Em All. The theme’s similarities are even heard in the unrelated platformer title Sonic 06, during ‘Town Mission 4’.
Another example of this is through Mega Man’s entry into Smash Bros. The blue bomber joined the iconic platform fighter in 2014’s Super Smash Bros title for the 3DS. For his release trailer, a remix of the Mega Man 2 intro medley is played while his gameplay is shown. In the middle of the trailer, it suddenly switches up for dramatic effect and remixes the iconic Wily Fortress 1 theme. Each moment of Mega Man’s gameplay is enhanced by the powerful music from the game.
Mega Man 2 is still flawless
Mega Man 2 is in a lot of ways a hallmark title, but one deserving of its dues. The game is held in nigh-universal regard by fans alike for its new additions. Mega Man 1 is the original title, and it definitely paved the way for the franchise. Mega Man 2 however, is where the franchise truly took off and helped make it what it is today.
A lot of Mega Man 2’s gameplay and core ideas enhanced what the first game already had. It just set the trend for these ideas to be incorporated into later games. Because of the success of Mega Man 2, a sequel was spawned in Mega Man 3, and many more sequels followed. If you would like to see a deep dive into one of the most successful 8-bit titles, then Mega Man 2 is for you.
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