Capcom Games- Mega Man The Wily Wars: (1994)

Mega Man has always been one of Capcom coolest run & gun platform games since the 80’s when the series first began on the NES. If one was a fan of the Mega Man series when it first came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System during the 80’s then there is a decent chance that they played the first three Mega Man games for that console. Even though, many people believe that the first three Mega Man games are tough they would have to admit that they were all pretty exciting to play for the NES back in the day. One things that many probably did not expect from Capcom during the early to mid 90’s was a remake of the first three NES games for the Sega Genesis. When Mega Man: The Wily Wars was first released in late 1994 many kids in America were unaware of this game since a hardware version of it was released exclusively in Japan. Unless one had the game imported from Japan the only way that Americans could play Mega Man: The Wily Wars was if they an online video game service known as the Sega Channel.

However, many people especially kids were not familiar at all about the Sega Channel or Mega Man: The Wily Wars during the mid 90’s. If Mega Man: The Wily Wars included hardware releases in countries like North America some would argue that the game itself probably would have sold more. But since Sega Saturn was released in Japan in late 1994 and everywhere else around the world months later Capcom had probably realized that there was no point on releasing hardware copies of this game in America. Many hardcore fans of the Mega Man series may feel that was a shame that Mega Man: The Wily Wars did not get as much recognition that it deserved during the mid 90’s. The concept of having a Sega Genesis version of Mega Man I-III was interesting especially since the three games were similar to the NES versions but with somewhat of a plot twist. The time travel aspect of Mega Man: The Wily Wars seemed very intriguing and made for a decent storyline in regards to preventing Dr. Wily from changing the events from the past involving the first three NES games. It might be somewhat shocking that Capcom has never re-released this classic on any other game console since the 90’s but if they did it would definitely be something that many people would check out since its considered to be a rare 16 bit gem.

Classic Gaming- Mega Man X3: (1995)

The Mega Man series was one of the coolest things things that Capcom had published during the 80’s and early 90’s.  When the original Mega Man series had made its debut during the 80’s many people were impressed by the fast paced run and gun gameplay that was provided for the Nintendo Entertainment System.  After the first three games were made for the NES we all knew that it was a matter of time before Mega Man titles were going to be published for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.   The first two Mega Man X games were not only very fun to play but they provided incredible challenges for many people who had owned the game. When Mega Man X3 was released in the mid-90’s it felt like a very solid 16-bit title that people would spend hours trying to complete.  However, around the mid-90’s people around the world started to become more interested in three dimensional games that were being made for home based consoles such as the Sony PlayStation along with Nintendo 64.

Even though, 3D gaming started to become very popular during the mid-90’s there were still some people who held on to their SNES in order to enjoy some of the memorable gems released for that game console. If you had still owned a SNES during the later part of the 1990’s Mega Man X3 was one of those games that was worth having.  The stage design for each level of this game was fantastic thanks to the cx4 chip which contributed to the quality enhancement aspect of this title.  Along with great level design Mega Man X3 had a decent plot with Sigma returning as the main villain in the form of a virus.  Another thing that was cool about this game included the option to play as Mega Man or Zero.  Zero is a character that people wanted to play as since Mega Man X2 which made everyone want to check out the third installment in the X series.  After its release Mega Man X3 received ports for PlayStation, Sega Saturn and even Windows PC.  However, if you were a true Mega Man fan you would most likely prefer the SNES version of the game.  Around this time period some people were probably the impression that the Mega Man series was starting to become old which was especially the case after Mega Man 7 was released.  In fact having Zero as a playable character might have been one of the main reasons why anyone had wanted to play X3 after it was released.  The Mega Man X series was one of the most popular set of side scrolling games of the 16-bit era.  The third installment of the Mega Man X trilogy was probably not as popular as original but the game itself is considered a classic that fans of the series would truly relish even to this day.

Classic Gaming- Mega Man X2: (1994)

The original of Mega Man X was wonderful in terms of both gameplay, graphics and storytelling when it was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1993.  The setting for Mega Man X2 takes place shortly after the events from the original X game and includes a few surprises that made the game more interesting.  When the game starts one of the first things that stands out includes how cool the intro was.  Out of all the Mega Man games prior to X2 this game gives players a detailed visual presentation that emphasizes the plot & setting for this title prior to reaching the start menu.  When you start Mega Man X2 you start out with lower health then what you are given in some of the previous games in the series.  The good news is that as the game progresses players will have the opportunity to expand their health meter along with gathering weapons from defeating boss characters in their respective stages.

Mega Man X2 had included some pretty exciting additions to the series including the ability for players to operate machinery in certain stages along with improved in game mechanics and enhanced graphics.  The improved graphics of this game can be credited to the Cx4 chip which was developed by Capcom which played a significant role in enhancing the quality of Mega Man X2 overall.  One of the most fantastic things about Mega Man X2 includes the branching storyline aspect of this game.  In Mega Man X2 players are required to collect the missing parts of Zero after his destruction in the prequel.  If players are unable to collect all of Zero’s components they have to face off against Sigma and a resurrected Zero who seeks vengeance against Mega Man for his own destruction.  However, if you are able to find the various components for Zero you end up dealing with a clone version of him along with Sigma.

The final stage along with the boss battle in this game can seem overwhelming at times.  After defeating Zero players have to battle Sigma not once but twice.  The first time you Sigma is during his “Neo” form and if you somehow manage to survive that encounter you get to battle him in his “Virus” state.  Almost everything about Mega Man X2 was terrific including the storyline development which heavily focused on the events of the 1993 prequel.  In terms of action platform games of the 90’s Mega Man X2 not only delivers in terms of quality gameplay but also in relation to storytelling which contributes to the overall replay value of the game itself.