Vimm's Lair: NES Reviews - Mega Man

Nintendo
Mega Man

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
8.75
9.04
8.75
8.87
Votes: 76
Reviews: 9


Rate this game

Review this game

 

Reviewer: Nathaniel Date: Oct 5, 2008
This is where our little pal, the Blue Bomber himself, got his start. For its time this game was quite amazing. Though this is our same blue bomber, this debut game is quite different than its successors.

Graphics: 8
For 1987, the color of the grass, the age of the sun, and the migration patterns of Nintendo addicts, this game had some pretty cool graphics. The backgrounds were pretty detailed for an 8-bit game of that time, such as Bombman's stage, or the indoor parts of Gutsman's and Elecman's stages.
The sprites themselves move fairly well, but still not as smoothly as the titles to come. I do agree with many others, though, that the color schemes were a bit repetitive. In other cases, such as the background wall of the boss room of the "Mega-Clone" as I call him, was TOO MUCH. Other than these though, nothing too bad.

Sound: 8
Although it didn't have too many catchy tunes, a few stood out for me. Fire Man's theme had a good beat to it, and a catchy tune that I could hum along to. Gutsman's theme sounds sort of like a slower polka tune in an elevator, which is cute. Other tunes, like Cut Man's or the later fortress levels' theme, were too grating and too dull.
For this game AND Megaman II, the sound effects, like Megaman's arm cannon, sounded far too grating, scratchy, tingy, annoying...sorry, bad memories. The sound of the shots making contact/damaging your enemies was a bit too full. It nearly drowns out the music (but at least it drowns out your shot's sound ^_^)
All in all, not bad sound for 1987.

Gameplay: 5
I agree with many, many other Megafans when I say that this game's gameplay was very sluggish. Megaman slides around a lot, like when moving left or right. On ice, he barely stops at all. Jumping is the only remedy for this. There's also a hesitation before he moves forward. This can kill you in Ice Man's stage, or when on moving platforms, like in Gutsman's stage. You need that split second to move, and you're ROBBED of it.
There's no slide in this game; this is from the dark ages of Megaman.
There's also no Rush, no balloon, wire or super arrow or anything of the sort. But there is the Magnet Beam (where it may be found, I will not say. Again, if you're reading this, and haven't yet played the game, I don't wanna spoil the fun of you getting to it yourself ;-)), which you can create platforms in the air with as a sort of technologically advanced "stepping stone" of sorts.
The weapons you gain from the masters are pretty ordinary. My favorite weapon in this game is the Thunder Beam for reasons only gaming sites and game cheats will tell you. It's a glorious weapon.
This one is the most interesting to me, since it shoots up, forward, and below you. This can come in handy when you've got enemies in those directions, either coming at you or firing at you(or both).

Also interesting to note: this was the first and only game in the NES Megaman series to feature arcade-style scoring, and small, attainable score pellets. This game also featured a "pause" feature, separate from the weapons submenu. Also, in this title, there are only SIX robot masters; as opposed to the later incarnations' EIGHT. There isn't a "skull castle" or a true "fortress" to be seen either.
And, unlike future Mega Man releases, you STILL die when you're flashing and land on spikes.
Overall, I had fun, but it WAS frustrating still.

Overall: 8
For its time this game was great. I didn't like having no passwords, but then again, since this game had an "arcade" feel to it, passwords would pretty much throw everything into disarray. This was also a game where you NEED E-Tanks!! I cannot stress that enough. If E-tanks had been added to this game, the replay value would DOUBLE for me.
Also, to get a feel for the plot of the game, you had to have the booklet. Other than that, though, the game is pretty straight-forward.

This is still classic to me. When I played this, I'd already been getting into Megaman II, III, and IV. It wasn't so much that this game wasn't as good as they were...it just felt different and it took some getting used to.
Overall, for the era and the technology, this game kicks a lot of titanium tail. It still holds up today, in my opinion.

 

Reviewer: Seth Koopa Date: Apr 15, 2005
Mega Man has a very deep, personal meaning to me, which comes back to me every now and then. Most of my childhood (to exaggerate, mind) was spent playing Mega Man, to the point where the kids in my neighbourhood became concerned for my health because I was never outside! Now, I am going to try and review all five Mega Man games (I don\'t count the sixth) in chronological order, starting with this, the original game and the second of which I got.

Graphics: 8
Okay, for its time, the game had excellent graphics. The only drawback is that the boss\' colour schemes are so unvaried, consisting of red, black or yellow (mostly a combination of all), along with white - with the exception of Ice Man, for some reason. Aside from that, the game\'s graphics are well-rendered and set a promising standard for what\'s to come.

Sound: 8
Mega Man music differs from game to game, but it always suits the atmosphere perfectly. And this is no exception. Some tunes are particularly impressive and catchy, especially Bomb Man\'s stage. I\'ve heard better in following Mega Man games, but this music still does the worlds complete justice.

Gameplay: 8
It\'s hard to judge the gameplay because this game set the standard. The controls are a bit frustrating, true, but the game is so enjoyable that that\'s forgiven, and you take it as an extra challenge. The imaginative worlds and scenery, the challenges and, above all, the originality that only a Mega Man game can provide are all in place. The long halls into the bosses\' lairs are something unique to this game, and they give it a flair that separates it from the following games - in a good way.

Overall: 8
This is where Mega Man began. The following Mega Man games could not have been if it hadn\'t been for this one. And you can see that clearly when playing. A good, steady ground for the then-yet-to-rise Mega Man fortress.

I got this game for Christmas, picked up in a second-hand store (they used to sell NES games all the time in second-hand stores in Iceland, where I live).

 

Reviewer: Tommy Arcade Date: Apr 4, 2003
Hey guys! Tommy Arcade in the Hisouse!!!!!!!!!! This is the game that started a revolution for CAPCOM. This game started a legacy for Sci-Fi Robot hero games. Im talking about MEGA MAN. in this one, ur the little blue android named MEGA Man who was created by Dr. Light. You are the second robot created by Dr. Light (Proto Man was first, Mega Mans brother). Your objective is to destroy the evil Robots of Dr. Wily and stop Dr. Wily from taking over the world. Lets look into it.

Graphics: 8
Graphics are good in this game. You can see the enemies and see the background and it looks nice. Its blocky at a couple of points and thats what knocked it down 2 points, but the graphics are nice and concise.

Sound: 9
The sound is a beat u can tap your feet to and its not annoying at all to listen to while u play. The sound is nice and clear to hear. So it makes the grade in my eyes.

Gameplay: 10
Excellent Gameplay. Mega Man destroys the evil robots. Each time he does, he obtains the weapon power of the robot he just destroyed. The robot circle is like a pattern. Each of the robots have a weakness to each other (Fireman beats Iceman, etc) so u just have to think which one works best. The gameplay is a perfect score and it is challenging to beat. I loooooove a good challenge!!

Overall: 9
The game overall is excellent. Nice Gameplay, Sound, and Graphics ties it together to create one kick@$$ game. This is another game that succeeded the first time. This went on for tons of games and lead a revolution and put CAPCOM on the map along side Street fighter. Give it up for this game and all its glory. Im giving this game my TOMMY ARCADE SEAL OF APPROVAL!

*Tommy Arcade*

 

Reviewer: SparksterKnight Date: Jul 28, 2002
This is it! The game that started it all!

MEGAMAN!!!!!!

Graphics: 7
They were cool for 1987... I mean c'mon! Most games were poorly detailed around this 'era' (Not to put down those who like games in the 1980s)!

The graphics are pretty simple, though.
And did you ever notice? MEGAMAN HAS NO NOSE!! *laughs hysterically*

Sound: 8
They were great for the year!

Do I detect some 'Rock and Roll' in the music?

And the sound effects were cool. From Megaman's MegaBuster going off, to a Robot Master exploding into billions of little pieces, they were great for the year!

Gameplay: 6
Nice an' smooooooooothe! But, like I said, it was great fer 1987! (How many times do I gotta say that?!?!?!)

A little hard at first, but you'll eventually get used to it. I docked some marks, due to it being a bit hard...... (Was gonna give it 7.... Oh, well.)

Overall: 8
A great game!
PLAY THIS GAME IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YA!! (Sorry! I had to say that)

But, seriously! If you want a challenge, play this!

Very well put together game. It can keep ya occupied for a few hours. Let me tell ya which order you should beat the Robot Masters: Bombman, Gutsman, Cutman, Elecman, Iceman, and Fireman.

Well, now I'm off to review Megaman 2! Seeya until then!

 

Reviewer: Unknown Date: Sep 5, 2001
Megaman 1, i suppose its an alright game(for its time) it isnt really great though. Its HARD though but dont give up!gutsman is a real nusence. and plus i cant find out how to his his power! cut man you should start with. his power will take out those annyoing thingys that go faster when your on their level. then elecman. Elecman, beware of his shots! they may look real stupid but they pack a huge punch! Use cutmans power. then its your choise. Fire man is a little hard to evade,his shots i mean. maybe you should take out iceman before tackling this though guy. then thers bomb man.hes betwen easy\sinchy and normal. hes powers not very great ether but its powerful. Then theres iceman. hes level is the only challenge. but he power is worth it against those hard to beat enemys that are hard to evade. And then du du dun! Gutsman! hes level is short but difficult, and guts man is big and very difficult. he take a lot of hits and his attack is hard to evade. it would be a little easer if he didnt shake the ground. but once you beat him you can go on to Dr. wily. i cant find the way to get through. but enjoy, if possible and your not esily frustrted.

 

Reviewer: Charles Bowling Jr Date: Aug 19, 2001
This is the game that started the whole series of Mega Man games and it is very good for it's time but it is too easy. The graphics are better than most games in that period but have flickering at times. The sound and music are standard for this system so there is not much to say about them. The gameplay is promising but is too easy because the basic enemies are very easy. Out of the 6 robots and the bosses at the fortress only 3 you will want to use your special weapons to defeat and even then you can use the pause button to register extra hits. this is my opinion on the game that started it all

 

Reviewer: Tom Date: Jul 21, 2001
I gave the Graphics a 9 because, look at the graphics for other games of this time...... Come on now, Mega Man just set a new standard!
No, the sounds were not much more then different toned beeps, but the songs for the levels and the sound effects are just so memorable that it just makes itself worth while!
The gameplay for this game was amazing! IT WAS REVOLUTIONARY! Despite what others may think, no game prior to this had a boss selection screen, nor did it allow you to take the powers of fallen Robot Masters!
This game is definatley an overall 10! This game set the bar a little higher than ever before. Games still try to amount to what this was when it first came out. No, there was no real plot in the beginning, but still, this was probably one of the most fun games for it's time!
If you haven't already, do yourself a favor, play this game! Beat it then go try the others! This game was terrific for this time, I don't care what anyone else thinks! MEGAMAN RULES!

 

Reviewer: Tricob Date: Jul 4, 2001
For those who don't want a Mega Man game that follows the tradition of the sequels, this one pretty much fills the bill, and the game even has a score, but there are drawbacks.
In the beginning of the game, there are six bosses instead of eight, and most of the levels aren't as entertaining as those in the Mega Man sequels. Second, the game is much more crude than the sequels, and the game engine seems - at least to me - excessively primitive. This game has its moments - but not enough of them.
So why give it a ""6"" rating instead of below? Well, the game has an very appealing, old-fashioned sort of flavor to it, which no Mega Man sequel has, and because the game approach is different, it can get away with doing a lot of things that the Mega Man sequels can't. The problem, of course, is: The things the game does aren't always fun, or even the least bit interesting, and at times are downright tacky.
For people who think that the Mega Man sequels are too ""up-to-date"" for their taste, this one might appeal to them. To all others out there: Skip it.

 

Reviewer: KTE the Pikashoe Date: Jun 25, 2001
The first in the series. 6 robots preceed the 8-robot standard. the box says ""Hi-resolution graphics"" but that makes me laugh. The game is hyped out to be a lot more than it really is in the manual, and that's really odd. Many things are different than what becomes established in the other games to follow. Besides 6 robots, there are enemies in the gates, Elecman's gate goes upward while Bombman's gate goes downward, perhaps the only weapon that lets you use objects against the enemy without shooting anything is introduced (Gutsman's weapon), you don't jump high in the water, there is a slippery surface (Iceman's level), and the first weapon that lets you shoot out a platform is introduced. A lot of benchmarks in Mega Man history start here. Of course, you can't charge the gun or slide, but you can jump. The energy and weapon capsules are primitive and change with time, and there is a scoring system . . . not a very important idea. The score is random with the bosses, and you get points for defeating regular enemies. Some enemies leave behind these balls that give you 1000 bonus points for each one you collect. Guts Man shakes the ground, something that is also new. Elecman has the most cheap weapon, taking as much life off of you as you take off of him with his weakness. This game is HARD. I can't deny that. One problem in this game is the moving platforms that shoot. Sometimes you jump on it, you get hurt when you shouldn't, and you fall and die. The spikes kill you instantly, even if you're flashing. The first Dr. Wily level makes it necessary to have the mega arm weapon that shoots the platforms, a real liability. Water makes you move forward in the third Dr. Wily level, something that does not happen ever again in Mega Man history. The scheme for fighting the bosses again is present here, like the rest. The only problem is that two bosses are in the 2nd Wily level, and the other 4 are in the 4th Wily level. The Yellow Demon first shows up in the 1st Wily level, Mega Man first fights a clone in the 2nd Wily level, the first multi-robot boss is in the 3rd Wily Level (you blow up the same type of machine each time to take the life bar down), and Dr. Wily himself has two parts, an idea that gets much worse with time and even gets stretched to fighting wily in two seperate levels later on. Overall, I liked the attempt Capcom made at starting a nice series. This game sucks horribly when compared to the ones to come, but it was an okay start. It was hard, sometimes too hard, and that is a huge liability . . . I can see where some people could never beat the game. I gave it a lower rating for good reason . . . the graphics weren't quite as developed as the sequels, the music wasn't as extensive either, and I already covered the gameplay. It's cheap, evil, difficult, unbearable . . . but it can be conquered.