| Mega Man | |
|---|---|
 The box art for the North American localization of Mega Man. |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Akira Kitamura |
| Artist(s) | Keiji Inafune |
| Composer(s) | Manami Matsumae Yoshihiro Sakaguchi |
| Series | Mega Man |
| Engine | 8-bit |
| Platform(s) | NES, VC |
| Release date(s) | NES/Famicom JP December 17, 1987 NA December 1987 EU December 13, 1991 Virtual Console EU June 22, 2007 JP July 29, 2008 NA August 18, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Action/Platformer,Science Fiction |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) (Mega Man Anniversary Collection and Virtual Console release) |
| Media | 1-megabit cartridge |
| Input methods | Gamepad |
Mega Man, known as Rockman (ロックマン) in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the first game to star Mega Man and is the first of the original Mega Man series. It established many of the conventions that would define the original series as well as several other Mega Man series. Most notably, Mega Man established the setup of a number of stages, each with a Robot Master at the end that, when defeated, would pass on its unique power to Mega Man.
Later, it would be added to Mega Man: The Wily Wars for Sega Genesis (1994), as well as the Japanese collection game, Rockman Complete Works in 1999 for the PlayStation. In 2004, it was re-released in the anthology game, Mega Man Anniversary Collection for the GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. In 2008 it was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console. There is also a remake called Mega Man Powered Up for the PlayStation Portable.
Contents |
Original Plot: The plot to Mega Man was originaly outlined in the game manual as the following.
"It's Mega Man versus the powerful leaders and fighting forces of Monsteropolis - that strange multi-faceted land of robot-like Humanoids. Brilliant scientist Dr.Wright conceived the construction of fully-operational human-like experimental robots to perform specific everyday duties. Dr.Wright, and his assistant Dr.Wily, encouraged with their very first near-human robot - Mega Man - proceeded to develop six additional Humanoids, all programmed to perform prescribed rituals. But, with the exception of Mega Man, all of Dr.Wright's near-human robot experimentation went awry. Assistant Dr.Wily turned disloyal, re-programming Dr.Wright's Humanoids, now bent on destroying opposition so Dr.Wily could control the world and its resources. Resisting re-programming, Mega Man is chosen the defender of the universe and its inhabitants. Mega Man dares to single-handedly penetrate seven separate empires of Monsteropolis, eliminating the leaders and followers of these sovereignties." [1]
Retconstructed Plot: However years later, and through various sequels and publishing the series origin would be retconned to fit the current perspective. Certain specific plot details would be re-established / re-written ( such as the name Dr. Wright, and the afore mentioned creation of "Mega Man" by both Light and Wily as their first robot, both being changed. )Along with those changes, the idea of Mega Man resisting Wily's programming was omitted.
Once retconned, the story became the foundation for the characters Rock,Roll, and Proto Man, which was the first robot-humanoid created by Dr. Light, and served as a prototype for Rock's upgrade to "Mega Man" [2]
Mega Man is made up of six stages, with a Robot Master at the end guarding a weapon. The stage select screen allows the player to choose from these six stages, which can be replayed if they were cleared. When they are all completed, the seventh and last stage appears in the middle of the menu, replacing the text "Stage Select, Press Start". This last stage, known as the Wily Fortress, is in fact more like four regular stages linked together, some a bit shorter than average, but with bosses that are considered harder than usual. During them, the six Robot Masters must also be fought again in a predetermined order before the final confrontation against Dr. Wily.
The stages in Mega Man are designed in the "platformer" genre. In each stage, Mega Man fights his way through various enemies and obstacles before facing a Robot Master at the level's end. Upon defeating a Robot Master, Mega Man is able to assimilate the Robot Master's signature attack into his arsenal for the rest of the game.
Unlike his standard blaster, however, the Robot Master powers have limited ammunition which must be replenished by collecting ammo cells randomly dropped by defeated enemies. While the player is free to proceed through the game in any order, each Robot Master is designed to be especially vulnerable to a specific weapon, encouraging the player to complete certain stages before others. Some vulnerabilities can be determined by observation (e.g., Fire Man is vulnerable to Ice Slasher) and others only by experimentation. Aside from the weapons taken from the Robot Masters, Mega Man is also able to get a platform generator item known as Magnet Beam, without which the player cannot finish the game.
Character designer Keiji Inafune stated in a G4 interview that the concept of the game was inspired by Rock, Paper, Scissors; every weapon and Robot Master has a strength and a weakness.[3]
Due to Nintendo of America's strict rules concerning religious references at the time, the Yellow Devil boss was instead named the "Rock Monster" for the original NES version[citation needed]. Also, when released in America, Capcom was forced [4] to change the title of the game from Rockman to Mega Man to avoid a trademark on the Rockman guitar amplifier.
In the original U.S. Instruction manual, "Dr. Light" is referred to as "Dr. Wright". In Mega Man 2, he is called "Dr. Light". The in-game text of Mega Man 3 refers to him as "Dr. Right". However, "Dr. Light" remains his official name for the entire Mega Man series.
In the original Japanese version of the story, Dr. Wily was not Dr. Light's partner. Instead, he is simply a mad scientist who gets revenge on the world for not recognizing his scientific work. Later in the Mega Man series Dr. Wily is said to have created his nemesis Protoman, who is argued to be created before Mega Man.
Mega Man was rated the 61st best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.[5]
The picture on the game's American box has been criticized as it contains virtually nothing that can be found in the game. Mega Man himself resembles a middle-aged man rather than a boy, his costume is colored yellow and blue instead of being entirely blue, and he is holding a handgun instead of his Arm Cannon. The game's cover is commonly ridiculed because of its inaccuracy; GameSpy placed it in first place of its Top Ten Worst Covers list.[6] The European box cover, however, features Mega Man looking more like his video game counterpart.
Along with the retro feel of Mega Man 9, its cover art of was made as a homage to this one.
Mega Man was released alongside Mega Man 2 and 3 in the Sega Mega Drive compilation Mega Man: The Wily Wars. It is largely the same game as the NES version, though it now features enhanced graphics, arranged music and the possibility to save game via battery back-up. In addition, some of the glitches that appear in the NES game have been fixed.
Mega Man Powered Up (ロックマンロックマン Rokkuman Rokkuman) is a 2006 PlayStation Portable remake of the original Mega Man game released in 1987. It features two new Robot Masters, Time Man and Oil Man, in addition to a new manga chibi art style. Keiji Inafune said in an interview that he originally planned to make Mega Man look this way, but could not, due to the hardware constraints of the NES. You can also play as Roll, Proto Man, and the Robot Masters. Also, like in Mega Man 7, Mega Man 8, Mega Man & Bass, and the Mega Man X series, there is also a new introductory level that comes before the main level selection screen, complete with a new boss at the end. The game offers two ways to play each level. "New Style" takes advantage of the wide PSP screen and features altered level design with brand-new remixed music. There are actually 468 New Style stages in this mode, 13 for each difficulty (Easy, Normal, and Hard), and 39 for each character (see list of playable characters below). "Old Style" recreates the original aspect ratio and level design of the original Mega Man for NES, and features the original NES game music, but still retains the 3D graphics and manga chibi art style. The game also contains a challenge mode, a level editor, and an online infrastructure mode to distribute fan-made levels online.
Mega Man is called "Mega" as opposed to "Rock", which compromises the "rock and roll" reference. It was stated in the U.S. release of Mega Man 4 that his original name was "Rock" (which is also mentioned in Mega Man for Game Gear). In addition, the intro states the game takes place in the year 20XX rather than 200X to be more modern.
The English version of the original story portrayed Dr. Wily as originally being Dr. Light's partner. However, this part of the storyline was an invention of the NES localization team, as Dr. Wily always saw himself as Dr. Light's rival. In the American manual, Dr. Wily actually attempted to reprogram Mega Man, but in the end of the game Dr. Wily says 'If only I had reprogrammed you back then!' (or Rock / Mega), but failed when Mega Man resisted it (though it's unknown if it was his internal programming or putting up a physical resistance that did the trick), and Roll was unaccounted for. This aspect of the plot wasn't completely lost, as at first it looked as though Wily actually succeeded in reprogramming Mega in the boss stories, but upon confronting him, he turned out to be a completely different character.
In order to capture and reprogram a boss, Mega Man needs to defeat the boss with only the Mega Buster. Attempting to use another weapon will destroy the robot. The rescued bosses' storylines portray each Robot Master as not being reprogrammed, but rather being "rejected" by Dr. Wily, while he apparently makes a robot who resembles Mega Man instead.
In New Style, two more of Light's robots are included to bring the Robot Master count up to the series' standard eight. They are Time Man and Oil Man (the former is said to be experimental or incomplete). The inclusion of more Robot Masters should skew the robot master line, but as far as is known, DLN numbers were never assigned to them.
In the ending of the original game, it is said that the battle wouldn't end until all opposing forces are brought to justice. This is kept in Old Style, but New Style takes a different approach. Instead, it states that Dr. Wily seemingly changed his ways.
There are some things in this game that are not demonstrated in the series ever again - for one thing, Rock / Mega has brown hair instead of black, and a different hair style. Secondly, Roll shows an infatuation with him that is certainly not hinted at all in the rest of the series. Third, Proto Man displays abilities that would never appear in the series again, such as his Proto Strike (which in Mega Man & Bass took all of his energy), and he'd have an entirely different playing style in Mega Man 9. Finally, a lot of the Robot Master personalities conflict with subsequent appearances such as the reports of them in Mega Man & Bass, and their own stories are obviously not canon to the game since they are alternate events.
The gameplay is essentially that of the original Mega Man game and its successors. However, new unlockables and the ability to play as the Robot Master characters the player fights against attempt to give the game a long-term replay value, as well as fan service. The player can also use the PSP's ability to download data, such as custom levels from other players and costumes for Roll (who must also be downloaded into the game to become playable).
A mode called Challenge mode has various challenges to complete. They vary from collecting items to timed challenges. Mega Man's challenges are the first ones available, with the ones for the Robot Masters available after unlocking them as playable characters. After beating New Style Mode in any difficulty, boss survival challenges are accessed. The first four boss survivals involve the Robot Masters, in Old Style, Easy, Normal, and Hard modes. The next four survivals involve the bosses in Dr. Wily's fortress, in the same modes as the Robot Master survivals. The last two survivals feature every boss in the game (except, suspiciously, the Proto Eye from the opening stage) in only the Normal and Hard modes. Any playable character can be played as in the New Style boss survivals. Once all 100 challenges have been completed, the player will be able to use Proto Man in the game. However, if you have already downloaded Proto Man from the "Final Data" download, you will get nothing for beating all 100 challenges.
A mobile game version is now available from CapcomMobile and Movaya. In celebration of the ninth title's release in September 2008,[7] Capcom Japan released the game on the Japanese Virtual Console on July 29, 2008.[8] It has also been released on the Virtual Console in Europe and North America.[9]
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Redirecting to Mega Man (video game)
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Mega Man at Mega Man Knowledge Base |
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| Mega Man | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Release date | 1987 |
| Genre | 2D Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Age rating(s) | ESRB: E (as part of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection) |
| Platform(s) | Famicom/NES |
| Media | 1 Megabit Cartridge |
| Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough | |
Mega Man was the first of many games released in a series of action/platforming titles by Capcom, Inc. and created by Keiji Inafune. This title was originally released in December of 1987 on the Famicom (NES in North America) and would be re-released on the PlayStation, Nintendo GameCube, PS2, and Microsoft Xbox, and even remade on the Sony PlayStation Portable.
The first title differs from sequels in that it contains a point system, no way to save (no passwords or save feature), and only six Robot Masters (although Mega Man: Powered Up compensates for these shortcomings).
Contents |
Original Console: Nintendo Entertainment System
Release Date: December 17, 1987
Publisher: Capcom Co., Ltd.
Rockman (Rockman Complete Works): Sony PlayStation (Japan)
Release Date: August 5, 1999
Publisher: Capcom Co., Ltd.
Mega Man: Anniversary Collection: GameCube, PlayStation 2, XBox
GC and PS2 Release Date: June 22, 2004
XBox Release Date: March 15, 2005
Publisher: Capcom Co., Ltd.
Mega Man: Powered Up: Sony PlayStation Portable
Release Date: March 14, 2006
Publisher: Capcom Co., Ltd.
As indicated by the title of the game, the player controls the blue bomber, Mega Man. At the start of the game, Mega Man has the ability to jump, run left or right, climb up or down (given that he is on a ladder), shoot using the "Mega Buster" (which allows three consecutive shots on screen at a time), and fall.
At the start, there are 6 levels the player can choose from. Each one is themed a different way. towards the end, Mega Man goes through a tunnel, and eventually goes into a room where he faces a Robot Master (given the same name as the level). Mega Man gains the power of that Robot Master when the Robot Master is defeated.
To understand the story of Mega Man, one must look back at the events which occur before the game takes place, and to do so, once can look to sources such as Rockman Perfect Memories which have taken the time to document the information reported by Capcom over the years in regards to the series:
The story of the Mega Man universe begins in the mid-20th century with the birth of Thomas Light and Albert W. Wily (circa 1958). These men would become friends and attend the same university, studying the field of electronics and eventually receiving PhDs. By the 1990s, the two men would go into business together and form a company called Light Labs, a team whose ambition it was to use computer and electronic technology to benefit mankind in the coming era.
In the early 21st century, Light Labs made its first leaps in the field of robotics, creating the Sniper Joe police robots, Mettool construction robots, and various others to benefit mankind. Yet, Light and Wily both realized the potential of their project. They wanted to create robots that were human-like. They wanted to build robots that contained artificial intelligence within them.
Thus, around the year 2005, Light Labs produced the first one of such robots- Proto Man. Proto Man was based off of the design of the Sniper Joe robots, but was instilled with an artificial intelligence unlike anything the world had ever seen. Yet, Proto possessed a true sense of independence, one that made him much like true human beings, and because of this he ran from the lab before his diagnostic testing was completed.
Still, Light and Wily did not give up. The following year they set to work on building a pair of robots, thinking that two would work together and overcome the independence issue. It was thus that Rock and Roll were born. Rock became the lab's new assistant and Roll became a housekeeper. With the success of this project, the two scientists went on to create eight more robots, each for industrial assistance purposes: Fire Man, Ice Man, Bomb Man, Cut Man, Guts Man, Elec Man, Oil Man, and Time Man.
It was for the success of these projects that Dr. Thomas Light received the Nobel Prize for Robot Master Design in 2007, an award which Wily felt he deserved as well.[1]
Note: In the original version of the story, Doctors Light and Wily only built six robots in their industrial series, but Capcom modified the story with the release of Mega Man: Powered Up to contain two additional Robot Masters in order to make the game more in-line with its sequels.
In December of 2008, Dr. Albert W. Wily had finally had enough of living in the shadow of his colleague, Thomas Light. Light's reception of the Nobel Prize the previous year, as well as his winning the LIT Manual Design Contest drove him over the edge. Wily realized the potential of what he and Dr. Light had been designing with the Light Labs team. Robots with true A.I. built for industrial purposes could be used for other means. It was to this line of thinking that Wily turned one night that month when he snuck down into the lab and reprogrammed all of the robots that he could get his hands on. However, he failed to get past the programming on Rock and his "sister," Roll. Still, Wily figured that in the end he wouldn't have much use for a lab assistant and a housekeeper, so he took his new army of industrial powerhouses and fled the lab.
When Light came in, he found his lab in shambles and soon discovered that his colleague was to blame. With Wily on the loose with an army of intelligent and powerful robots, Dr. Light knew that the world's police forces and armies weren't ready to deal with this new challenge.
It was thus that Rock, the lab assistant, volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot. Rock had a strong sense of justice and couldn't sit by and watch his "father's" work be destroyed before his very eyes. As such, Light reluctantly converted the former lab assistant into a robot of unimaginable potential. Equipped with titanium armor and a plasma cannon, Rock became known as the fighting robot Mega Man and set out for Wily's new fortress of Monsteropolis.
Would he be able to stop the evil madman from taking over the world?
It's MEGA MAN versus the powerful leaders and fighting forces of Monsteropolis -- that strange multi-faceted land of robot-like Humanoids. Brilliant scientist Dr. Wright conceived the construction of fully-operational human-like experimental robots to perform specific everyday duties. Dr. Wright, and his assistant Dr. Wily, encouraged with their very first near human robot -- MEGA MAN -- proceeded to develop six additional Humanoids, all programmed to perform prescribed rituals.
But, with the exception of MEGA MAN, all of Dr.Wright's near-human robot experimentation went awry. Assistant Dr. Wily turned disloyal, re-programming Dr. Wright's Humanoids, now bent on destroying opposition so Dr. Wily could control the world and its resources.
Resisting re-programming, MEGA MAN is chosen the defender of the universe and its inhabitants. MEGA MAN dares to single-handedly penetrate seven separate empires of Monsteropolis, eliminating the leaders and followers of these sovereignties.
Get ready for some very exciting challenges! [2]
Notes: In the NES version, Dr. Light is named Dr. Wright, but he is later renamed to Light. The time period is not stated for this game, but Mega Man 2, which takes place six months later, mentions the year of 200X (or sometime between 2000 and 2009). The dates are extrapolated from information from official sources, such as Capcom and Rockman Perfect Memories.[1]
Also Known As: Dr. Wright and Dr. Right
Born: Circa 1958
Died: Circa 2040
Strength: Light is a good-natured person.
Weakness: He is easily tricked.
Likes: The Internet.
Dislikes: Fighting/Violence.
Dr. Thomas Light was born circa-1958, and when he grew older he went off to school to study electronics and computer technology, a field which was beginning to really take off at the close of the twentieth century. It was in college that he met his friend and future colleague Albert Wily, and once the two graduated with their doctorate degrees, they went into research together, eventually forming what came to be known as Light Labs. Light Labs began to study computer and robotic technology in the 1990s, and by the early 2000s they released the first of a series of robotic creations on the world.
Still, Dr. Light and his partner knew that much more was possible, and so over the next couple years they worked on what they called Proto Man, a modified version of the Sniper Joe police robot, but with a far more advanced artificial intelligence system. However, when Proto Man went awol in 2005, the two set their sights on developing a pair of robots named Rock and Roll, as well as a series of industrial robots to help mankind.
It was for this incredible research that Dr. Light received the 2007 Nobel Prize (for his creation of the Robot Masters). However, this caused much jealousy from his colleague, who felt that he should share in the triumph. Thus, that, shared with Light's winning of the LIT Manual Design Contest caused Wily to revolt in December of 2008.
Light would reluctantly convert his lab assistant, Rock, into the fighting robot that became known as Mega Man. Would this be the fate of his new creations? Would violence be the destiny of both human and robot kind? Light desired peace, but he knew that Rock had to stop Wily before it was too late.[3]
Born: Circa 1958
Died: Circa 2040
Strength: Wily is a genius (especially as a scientist)
Weakness: He never gives up
Likes: Taking over the world
Dislikes: Admitting defeat
Albert W. Wily was born circa 1958 and would later attend the same university as Thomas Light. The two studied electrical systems together, and upon graduating would become colleagues and later found Light Labs by the 1990s. Wily was a brilliant partner to Dr. Light and the two work vigorously at the close to the twentieth century and into the early-2000s on a project to build robots that would help mankind. Early models, like the Sniper Joe police units proved successful, so the two would go on to build humanoid robots with more advanced A.I. units. Although Proto Man would go awol in 2005, the Rock and Roll project the following year proved to be a huge success, so the two worked hard to continue and build a series of industrial units to help in the world's labor force.
Wily felt a sense of pride in his work. As such, it came as a huge blow to him when, the following year, Dr. Light received the 2007 Nobel Prize for the Design of the Robot Masters. Wily felt like he should have shared in the accomplishment since he, too, designed every one of them. Light also won the LIT Manual Design Contest, and that proved to be the final straw.
Wily reprogrammed all of the industrial units and every robot that he could get his hands on in Light Labs one night in December of 2008, but he failed to get past the programming within Rock and Roll's A.I. However, he didn't see any use for a lab assistant and a housekeeper and figured that his army was massive enough. With that, the former colleague of Thomas Light left and built his own lab/fortress and made his intentions clear to the world- a new era of technology had been born (one under his rule!).
Was the world ready to deal with Dr. Wily's powerful new army yet? Would the former lab assistant robot, now converted into a fighting machine known as Mega Man, be able to stop him with no outside help? [3]
Note: Wily's age is mentioned in the Japanese Rockman & Forte (Super Famicom, 1998) manual as being 57. The game takes place circa 2015, and thus his birthyear is extrapolated to be circa 1958. Light and Wily are roughly the same age, so Light is estimated to be born around the same year. 2040 has been accepted as an estimated death year because by that year they would have been 82-years-old.
| Name | Ability Given | Name | Ability Given |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut Man | Rolling Cutter | Guts Man | Super Arm |
| Elec Man | Thunder Beam | Ice Man | Ice Slasher |
| Fire Man | Fire Storm | Bomb Man | Hyper Bomb |
There has been one soundtrack released for the first six Mega Man games: Capcom Music Generation Family Computer Soundtracks: Rockman 1~6. Tracks 1-18 on disc 1 consist of music from the first Mega Man game.
The original Mega Man (rockman) games have been taken to different generation by different remakes. One of the most known by this time is the PSP version with remodeled graphics similar to the Ps2 versions. This game, called Mega Man Powered Up, was released together with another remake of the Mega Man X series called Mega Man X Irregular Hunters.
Mega Man Powered Up includes the original version of the NES game and the new version, that includes a new starting level and two new robot masters, Oilman and Timeman. The game also includes a variety of replay value, like the option to play as some of the enemies, extra dialogue and the possibilities of playing with Roll, Protoman, and two versions of Mega Man, the one from Mega Man 3 (the one with the ground dash) and from Mega Man 4 (with the megabuster, the chargeable)
Apart from these remakes, the original Mega Man game has been added to a lot of compilations, like Mega Man anniversary collection for the PS2, X-box and GameCube. It is also included in a version for PSone which include all the Mega Man games from the NES. This version includes better sounds and some hints so the gamer can go through the game with less problems.
- This game has an ending scene where Roll is shown together with Dr. Light waiting for Megaman, who arrives as Rock.
- There's a secret weapon in this game, although it doesn't damage enemies, but it creates temporary platforms in the air.
- This game has its counterpart version released on Gameboy. The storyline is set between Mega Man 3 and Mega Man 4.
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| Mega Man series |
|---|
| Mega Man classic series |
| Mega Man - Mega Man 2 - Mega Man 3 - Mega Man 4 - Mega Man 5 - Mega Man 6 - Mega Man 7 - Mega Man 8 - Mega Man & Bass - Mega Man 9 - Mega Man 10 |
| Mega Man X series |
| Mega Man X - Mega Man X2 - Mega Man X3 - Mega Man X4 - Mega Man X5 - Mega Man X6 - Mega Man X7 - Mega Man X8 - Mega Man Xtreme - Mega Man Xtreme2 - Mega Man X: Command Mission |
| Mega Man Zero series |
| Mega Man Zero - Mega Man Zero 2 - Mega Man Zero 3 - Mega Man Zero 4 |
| ZX series / Legends series |
| Mega Man ZX - Mega Man ZX Advent Mega Man Legends - The Misadventures of Tron Bonne - Mega Man Legends 2 |
| other |
| Mega Man weapons - Mega Man vehicles - Mega Man characters - Mega Man enemies - Mega Man bosses |
| Mega Man Battle Network series |
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