A portal to the past that I missed out on
Mega Man Legacy Collection is one of the most barebones physical releases I think I've ever seen. This is Mega Man 1-6, and that's all you're getting here. No HD, no 3D, no remix and no enhanced controls. And its fantastic. I had the original gameboy when it came out, but gaming didn't manifest itself in me until i was already grown. I played so few of the old classics that I had attributed the enjoyment of any of them to severe nostalgia. I remember every little moment of Kirby's Dream World, and Super Mario World, and assumed that was because my 7 year old self had a hard time with the unforgiving nature of the games of yore. I have those intense feelings again and its about Mega Man, a series I had never played until today at 25.
I should state that at the time of this review, I have not played all 6 games to completion, the games themselves needn't be reviewed, they've been around forever and have been evaluated already. There's a certain cohesiveness here in its minimalist presentation that's kept me more actively involved than purchasing individual E shop titles would. Having each game present in one cartridge or download makes this feel like a window to mega mans past, instead of an uninspiring emulator. The addition of a single save/load point for each game is a godsend, one that I struggle to not abuse, the justification being that code based save files are dated and honestly horrible to use. Each game controls extremely well, and will ruin your thumbs and will to live.
Revisiting our gaming pasts can be a dangerous game, some games have aged and can never be returned to in a meaningful way. I'm happy to say that as a first time player massively enjoying the Mega Man Legacy Collection, that the series has stood the test of time and does not require any nostalgia to get behind. In a time where "retro" style shooters and sidescrollers are popular again, do yourself the honor of playing one of the original champions, and learn yourself some Mega Man.
