This is an ongoing list where I attempt to play, beat, and rank every game ever created in order to determine what is the greatest video game of all time.

Science has born out that if you watched SNL, your favorite cast is the one you grew up with. The same can be said about which Doctor Who you like better, daily show cast, and other ensemble shows. Nostalgia is powerful, and essentially the group that got you into a show you will regard as one of the better groupings, despite what others say. For video games that usually isn't the case. Games iterate on their past versions and attempt to (but not always) make improvements. Sometimes they push the envelope too far and lose track of a series, but a great game series builds on itself. You will always have nostalgia for the one that you started with, but you can see the improvements that were done along the way that made the game better. Mario 3 is generally considered better than 1 and 2 because it improved upon the previous games. Rockband 3 improved upon the first two games, the Skate franchise followed the same trajectory, and Hail to the chimp didn't need a sequel because the game was perfect.

Mega Man however, behaves like an ensemble show in that your favorite Mega Man game is likely the one you grew up playing. Its the one where you memorized the order of the bosses, whose levels you know like the back of your hand. I grew up with only Mega Man 2 for the NES until the Super, when I got Mega Man X, for me those are the 2 best Mega Man games. I had a best friend who lived 2 houses down from me, he had Mega Man 4 and to this day it is his favorite version of the game. We will never see eye to eye on these two points, because our inexperience with each others games makes it hard to rank above the copy we know so well.

Mega Man 2 is one of 3 games that I cannot separate my nostalgia from (other 2 have yet to be reviewed), in order to think critically about the game. I can't forget everything I know and pick bosses in the wrong order, because that just makes the game harder, and takes away from one of the most exciting things about the series, which is the sense of discovery when you find a weakness to any boss. I will never have that discovery about mega man 2 again, I know all the weaknesses to every boss, including the final bosses. I don't think I am particularly good at the game, yet I can beat it in one sitting, and not lose any lives until Wiley's castle. That isn't a brag, ok maybe a little, but instead it is how my muscle memory for this game has lasted longer than the same muscle memory for other games I played at the same time. I used to play the crap out of Super Spike V'Ball as a child, but I still get my ass kicked pretty regularly. I sunk hundreds of hours into Final Fantasy 2 & 3 and still get lost when trying to think of where I need to go next. However, without looking up I can still confidently say: Air man, Crash, Flash, Quick, Metal, Bubble, Flame, Wood. You will have to take my word for it, that I didn't look that up.

So for me, Mega Man 2 is a fantastic game. It handles better than most platformers on the NES (below Mario, but not by much). It has memorable music that I can still listen to outside of playing the game, it has levels that are just the right length with good variety between them so that you never feel like you are trudging through the same areas twice. Its difficulty is right at the perfect point, it is not an easy game, but it isn't as brutal as other mega mans can be (I'm looking at you Mega Man 1). It also keeps the game itself relatively straightforward. There aren't a lot of collectables (outside E tanks and lives), there is no money system you need to earn to buy items, and no backtracking through levels once beaten for items you missed. It's just a masterpiece. There are moments that I can recall that still give me awe to this day as just amazing feats. The lead up to the dragon boss, that intense chase scene that requires perfection knowing that a missed jump or going to slow is immediate death. The feeling I get from saying F-U to the magic block section in Flame man's stage by using the hoverboard to skip the whole section, or how every time I play quick man's stage, I see how far I can get before popping Flash Man's ability to just avoid certain death.

People against Mega Man 2 can point out that you don't have the charge shot for the M-Buster, or the slide yet, but I would argue that these abilities aren't needed, and the game doesn't suffer because of their exclusion. People may also scoff at me claiming the game is set at the perfect difficulty, but then point out how quick man's stage is one long section you have to memorize to make it through. To that, I would probably agree with them, but that level is really the only reason Flash man exists, to show you the ability to stop time and make it through that section, so you know, half right.

While the science hasn't bore out my findings yet, I am confident in saying the Mega Man 2 is the one NES game I would play over anything else on that system. It may be blasphemous, saying that about a system that brought us Mario, Metroid, Zelda, and Little Nemo: the Dream Master.. but its true. It is the game that I gravitate towards to test any NES hookup with, test emulators, or 3rd party controllers with, and even in doing so I feel compelled to sit and finish the game or play to my first death. I can also say that while I haven't played or reviewed every Mega Man game, I am also confident saying that I don't think any will top this one for me, and maybe that is the nostalgia talking and maybe my brother just bought the right game so many years ago. Its also a game I feel so strongly about that I have Mega Man 2 artwork on my wall, despite trying to keep my house less game forward. (shoutout to Crowsmack for the artwork)

Is this game the Greatest game of all time: No, but it's damn close

Where does it rank: This is the #2 greatest game of all time out of 34 so far. I have it ranked higher than both Mario 64 (#3) and Super Mario Bros (#4). It falls just a hair below the current greatest game of all time, Yakuza 0. Despite saying that Mega Man 2 is a perfect game, Yakuza 0 had a story and characters I cared about so much, that I spent hours just to enrich their lives with entertainment, oh and it was pretty fun to play as well.

Up Next: Evoland 1 & 2 for the Nintendo Switch

Anyone looking for it: here is the link to the list and more if you are interested in following along with me (this is not a self promotion). Here

Thanks for listening.

@imunbeatable80: Great write-up! This was one of my favorites of the series and man, that soundtrack was great. I think my personal pinnacle Mega Man was 3, but it’s a close call between the two in my book.

@crashman06: thanks for the read, i think 3 is good, but im still partial to 2 and X.. i have to ask if your name happened to come from the game in question.

Great write up! Never owned a Mega-man game growimg up and my first was X2 on the SNES but I still remember drawing up Mega Man levels in 2nd grade with my friend who did have it. I was just using my imagination based on his stories about it and it just sounded like the coolest thing.

Back on track with MM2, I didn't get to play this until I was in my twenties but I was familiar with the music and listened to them on my ipod more than any other game soundtrack after Final Fantasy VI. It's just so good. Every track just hitting it out of the park.

@chamurai: the music is amazing.. im partial to thinking airman's stage has the best music.. i sometimes wish the level was longer just to hear more.

Do such people really exist? I thought everyone liked this game. It's just fun.

The graphics really stand out as being some of the best of that time. Some of the enemies (like that dragon in the screenshot) are so damn huge and colorful you could easily think they came from an SNES game. The pixel art in general holds up really well, to the point where it seems to be the gold standard of what 8-bit games should look like when modern indie devs try to re-create the style of the era. It's actually easier on the eyes than many PSX-era games, what with their triangle boobs and mud-like low-res textures.

@wollywoo: i dont know if there are people actively against mega man 2, but certainly people who prefer other mega man games over it. I agree that the graphics still hold up considering the limitations the NES had, but 8 and 16 bit art has aged far better than early 3d games almost across the board, probably thanks to its simplicity. Thanks for the read.

I think Mega Man 2 is the greatest NES game, the greatest Mega Man game, and overall one of the best games ever created. There is nothing from that era that compares to it and it holds up beautifully even today, which is not something you can say about a lot of NES games.

Mega Man 2 may have been one the first games I beat as a kid. Getting through the 8 robot masters took me forever without me figuring out their weaknesses and instead trying to beat them all with the buster. And I thought the game would end after these 8 levels, and instead there was the Wily castle. My child mind really thought that the game would last forever and eventually I couldn't believe it was over.

By the way, the European cover art is truly amazing as well. It really makes it seem so much larger than life.

@apewins: Thanks for the read, you pretty much echo what i was attempting to say. I have yet to play an NES game i enjoy more than Mega Man 2.

@imunbeatable80: No, it's not an homage to Crashman from the game; just a coincidence!

@apewins:That cover art is really something else. There's so many questions to ask, where do you even start? Each time I take another close look I am even more baffled.