Mega Man has been getting a noticeable push from Capcom in the last three years, and for good reason. Not only was last year the franchise’s 30th anniversary, but the long-awaited Mega Man 11 is in development. Just last week, the Switch received both Legacy Collections that other platforms received years earlier. In July, we’ll see the Legacy X Collections drop, too. There’s never been a better time to dive into Mega aka Rockman franchise, especially for me, having grown up on PC and Sega. Until this past week, I had quite literally never having played a Mega Man game before (and my skills show it). And, at the time of this writing, I still yet to completely beat one — platforming has never been high on my skills list. Let’s take a closer look at this re-release on the Switch to see why it’s arguably the best way to play these old classics.
As best I can tell, there is nothing new in the Switch version of the Mega Man Legacy Collections (MMLC) than what was released on PS4, Xbox One, and 3DS in recent years. For Switch, you can buy a physical copy, but note that the cartridge will only contain LC1 and a download code is included for LC2. In my case, I was pleased to receive a download code from Capcom for both releases. Now, the obvious benefit that the Switch has over other platforms (although to a slightly lesser degree the 3DS) in playing MMLC is its portability. Portability has all of the known benefits, but I think especially in the case of retro games like these, you just don’t need the complete TV and surround sound setup that is more warranted with modern titles. The old Mega Man games look, sound, and control perfectly at home on the Switch.
LC1 contains the first six games in the series, while LC2 contains the next four (7-10) that saw the series make the jump to 16 and 32 bit. While I haven’t played the games on their original systems, from what I have read, the experience seems to be preserved beautifully. The games are actually built from a new engine, the Eclipse Engine, the skilled folks at Digital Eclipse put together. Optional in-game features are included too, such as a generous (read: essential, in my opinion) rewind feature in LC1. These games are known for their difficulty, and let’s face it, many of us cannot afford to make as much time to play games as we did in our youth, where grinding and memorizing areas to develop muscle memory and twitch reflexes were expected and even necessary. Being able to rewind instantly and smoothly, for a lengthy amount of time and through player deaths and inventory pauses and all such things like that, is really cool. The Mega Man games require precision timing and platforming to be sure, but thanks to rewind and the ability to pause and save have been crucial in my ability to keep playing these enjoyable, tough games. LC2 does not feature Rewind, but it does include checkpoint saves, and also an “extra armor” option to reduce damage sustained by enemies by half. This is a setting you can toggle in the Options menu. Similar with Rewind, I found this feature welcomed and it made the experience, well, feasible, for someone like me who isn’t willing to burn hours to master one difficult area after another.
Whether or not the games have aged well over time is really up to the individual of course, but I would say they have. The theme of Mega Man against Dr. Wily is reminiscent of Sonic and Dr. Robotonik, Mario and Bowser, and many other oft repeated themes that, while having been told many times, are still enjoyable and suitable. The creativity of the different bosses and enemies is commendable, and the games still illicit a sense of accomplishment when you triumph. Sure, these are tough and frustrating at times, but this is simply an honest reflection of what videogames were often like in their time. I applaud Capcom and Digital Eclipse for preserving this history in such an impressive form.
While the Collections could have been left at just the games themselves, they’re so much more than that. Online leaderboards, dozens of Challenges for each game, screen filtering/size/border options, the aforementioned optional difficulty aids, a massive Database and Museum, and music players for all the games is all at your fingertips. The Music Player allows you to scroll through each game’s complete soundtrack and jam to any tunes you please. The Database is a massive collection featuring many dozens of pieces of artwork and descriptions for the different characters and items in the game. The Museum is a historical treat, offering high res photos of the packaging, concept art and sketches, and so much more, both of the Japanese Rockman and western Mega Man. The Challenges include the challenges that some of the original games had to begin with, and also as many as dozens more new ones that unlock as you complete previous challenges. Honestly, it’s more than I’ll ever play, but for the Mega Man enthusiast, wow, it’s a phenomenal nod to the past and an invitation to newcomers like myself to experience this massive and growing franchise.
What I appreciate the most about the Legacy Collections is that they take a renowned series, now thirty-plus years old, preserves it, freshens it, and offers such a complete experience for everyone that it’s hard not to marvel at it. The respect that Capcom and Digital Eclipse have poured into this is evident and absolutely commendable. Where I didn’t particularly care for the franchise before, I do now, and while I won’t ever put in the time to be great at these games, I’m glad I at least have a convenient, complete, and awesome one-stop place to go to play and celebrate this series on my own time.
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