Yes, it’s true; it’s been six months since the release of Mega Man Legacy Collection for other consoles. As such, it’s quite likely that many gamers found it hard to resist waiting for the portable version, even in spite of the fact that it’s arguably the most appropriate home for the series. Moreover, for a charge of just $14.99 MSRP (for the downloadable version of the game), it’s even harder to resist.
It might be safe to say that the tardy 3DS release of MMLC is relegated to the shadow of its PS4, Xbox One, and PC contemporaries. That’s fair, but it ignores the gravity of Mega Man’s… well, legacy. In spite of its age, the magnetic appeal of the classic games still shines bright. And thanks to Digital Eclipse’s decision to go above and beyond the call of duty with the ports, prospective owners will be pleased to know that the guts of the 3DS version have not materially changed.
So let’s dive right in. The quick take is that the games feel precisely as they did on the NES. It’s the most accurate emulation we’ve seen to date of the originals, and it’s arguably one of the best modern NES ports, with an attention to detail that even incorporates the slowdown when too many sprites are flying through the air and the musical channel dropouts when sound effects cut in. It’s the exact same experience that made Mega Man a star three decades ago, but that simultaneously made you want to crash your skull into a metal post. In other words, it’s perfect.
And there’s something endearing about snaking your way through themed levels of fire and ice, hurling rings of crystals and battling bosses with names like Elec Man and Pharaoh Man. It’s less about the strategy and more about the experience and the challenge. After all, it’s primarily memorization; there is some heat burns wood logic and so on, but good luck figuring out what to do to Tomahawk Man. Legacy Collection captures the most formative moments of the franchise’s history and plants them all in a single package—easily the best one to date in fact.
In other words, if you’ve played the games before, you know the drill: MMLC is the closest thing to the originals you’ll have experienced since you fruitlessly attempted to blow the dust out of your NES cartridges some 30 years prior. The difference is that now, rather than settling for $5/apiece morsels of nostalgia, you can own the entire NES collection for half that price ($15 in downloadable form), or for the same price ($30 via retail cartridge), all while savoring the added features (soundtrack player, loads of collectible art, challenges, and more) that are included in MMLC as a bonus.
And, by and large, the Mega Man experience still holds its spark. While it’s often tough as nails, it’s the rocking chiptunes of pulse waves and square waves coupled with the flash of adrenaline associated with blasting sawblades meticulously at 45-degree angles that keeps the flame burning. And while the balance in utility of the various robot master weaponry is certainly lacking (not to mention how goofy some of the robot masters themselves were—Gemini Man? Centaur Man? Really?), the overall experience across most of the games is overwhelmingly positive.
I’d have to say that if I personally had to rank the games, I’d place Mega Man 3 at the top of the list, followed closely by Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 4. Crap, I just realized that’s precisely the same thing that Eric said in his previous review of the game, and Eric’s always wrong, so maybe I need to reevaluate that actually.
I’m kidding. That’s definitely how I’d rank them, with probably 6, 5, and 1 rounding out the rest—nearly identical to Eric’s conclusion. 3, 2, and 4 are so close in terms of overall quality, meanwhile, that it’s hardly a determination set in stone. All three games were terrific, each sporting a pacing, difficulty, and presentation that tops that of the rest of the series. 6 is actually pretty good also, but it’s a little more on the bubble in terms of its classic status. The last few games really started to reach for new robot master concepts, too—remember Napalm Man and Toad Man?—but by and large the level designs were still very well done… and 6’s branching paths was a great addition.
I would like to take a moment to mention that while Eric (and many others) have complained that charging the Mega Buster contributes to the series’ unraveling by reducing the appeal of the selectable weaponry, what bothers me equally about the “feature” is the fact that it drowns out the music. Music which is, by all accounts, part of the franchise’s legacy. In fact, the most memorable moments I have of the series are plowing through hazardous stages and blizzards of enemies set to some of the catchiest and most epic chiptunes of their time. Think the Needle Man ghost stage while sailing through the air on your Rush Jet… a veritable knight in shining blue armor. So it’s a bummer the terrific soundtrack winds up subordinated to what is arguably one of the more annoying sound effects of the NES era.
Other disappointments? It’s hard to complain about much given the value of the package. But if anything, it’s true that not much has been added to the 3DS version in spite of the 6 month gap. There is some amiibo functionality (you can unlock a handful of fan-made challenges), as well as some new collectible paraphernalia (such as original advertisements for the games)—but apart from that, nothing. There’s no really clever use of the 3D unfortunately, but thankfully, by the same token, no gratuitous use of pointless touch or gyro functionality either.
In short, if you haven’t already purchased one of the previous Mega Man Legacy Collection packages, this really is the bomb for just 15 bucks.
Fun game: Try to find all of the robot master names from Mega Man 1 through 6 in this review; they’re all here!
