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Mega Man, the little blue robot, first appeared on the NES in 1987, in a platform game of the same name published by Capcom.
The concept is simple and effective: jump, shoot, climb ladders, and fight through a world filled with machines, all the way to a secret base guarded by one of six “robot masters”. The goal is to defeat each in single combat and appropriate their weapon…
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There are six levels in Mega Man (eight in subsequent episodes), all accessible from the start, and just as many robot masters, each vulnerable to another’s weapon. The subtlety lies in visiting each of them in a precise order to defeat them with ease.
Once all of Wily’s generals are annihilated (and their weapons acquired), players enter the final phase: pursuing the mad scientist inside his laboratory. It’s an immense complex where all game enemies are encountered, including the robot masters. The final duel pits Mega Man against Wily, who will eternally manage to escape, paving the way for yet another episode.
This innovative game was hugely successful, spawning numerous sequels across almost every platform of the era.
From 1993 onwards, new derivative series were launched at regular intervals to reignite players’ interest in a somewhat aging and overexploited concept…
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Note that new franchises have been released since then (ZX, Star Force…), but I lost interest around 2004. I didn’t like the latest directions the series took (the missteps in 3D, the storytelling, and the convoluted game modes). In a nutshell: I’m getting old!
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