Mega Man Legacy Collection Review

If you're either not familiar with retro emulation or just aren't willing to risk downloading it, then Mega Man Legacy is by far the best value for six fantastic Mega Man games that will introduce fans to the blue bomber's origins, and remind those that played the game previously how devilish the game is.

The games themselves aren't entirely long, especially if you know what you're doing, but the added accessibility of Save States will ensure that even newcomers have a chance to beat the games due to being able to save at any point. It might seem cheap, but remember that these games came out during a time where a few mechanics seemed rather "unfair" and "cheap" so it's a good way around those mechanics. Unless of course you're a hardcore veteran who can breeze through these games no problem.

For players like that, the added Challenges are an absolute worthy time investment, and certainly give the game a sort of NES Remix feel.

Given the game's title, I have a feeling that Capcom might be working on a yet another collection, though it does seem like a rather missed opportunity to not include Mega Man 7 and 8, and heck, even 9 and 10. Even though the latter two were technically newer games that came out in 2008 and 2010 respectively, they were a complete throwback to the original NES games.

However, even with only 6 out of the 10 games, I still wholeheartedly recommend this collection.

The Positives

• Six amazing, classic Mega Man titles, unchanged so you can experience them as they were always meant.

• Gorgeously colorful and vibrant graphics, from the environments to the myriad of enemy designs. For a 80s title, the aesthetics hold up beautifuly.

• Extra customization for both usability and aesthetics. You can fully customize the game's controls to your liking. There are also options for the game's screen size. You can play in the original 4:3, then a full version of the 4:3 which fills the bottom and top of the screen, and then a wide ratio, which stretches the picture out. If you're not playing in wide, you can also opt to turn on a border which will correspond with artwork that pertains to the current game you're playing. Lastly, you can turn on a TV or monitor filter. The former of which adds a flickering and scanline effect, while the latter just adds

• Stellar presentation. Everything is wrapped up in a great looking menu that looks like the original Mega Man menu just with a nice HD coat of paint. The game selection menu showcases gorgeous artwork for each game, making them out to look like the original Famicom cartridge artwork.

• All six games have their full soundtracks unlocked from the beginning in a separate menu, which means you can jam out to the amazing soundtrack whenever you want.

• An insane amount of extras in each game's Database and Museum. The Database collects information on every protagonist and enemy in each title, which actually provides some insightful information. The artwork in the Database is gorgeous too. The Museum, as its name implies is the section where you can check out everything from Production Art, Character Files, Concept Art, Unused Boss Sktetches, and even Promotional Artwork.

• For better or worse, the gameplay remains unchanged, which means the annoying knockback whenever you get hit is still ever present, and still just as deadly

• It's currently the cheapest way ($14.99) to legally get your hands on the first six Mega Man games.

• A Save and Load state feature which is good for beginners that might have a hard time beating a certain level or boss. This will allow them to save the game basically whenever and load that spot as well.

• An insane amount of challenges that either task players with beating specific bosses under a certain amount of time, or even play completely remixed levels. All of these have a leaderboard feature, so competitive players have something to look forward to as well.

The Negatives

• If difficulty is not your forte, then you might want to stay away from this attractive package of retro games

• Still just an emulator that more or less does the same thing an NES emulator can do, even the visual filters and Save States. However, unless you own the actual NES carts, this route would be illegal.

• Only the first six games were included, which seems like a big downgrade to the Mega Man Anniversary collection that released over a decade ago, and included Mega Man 1 – 8 as well as the two Power Battle games.

These day and age, where games practically hold your hand from the beginning to the end, you have certain developers, both AAA and indie, striving to bring back a gameplay element that's been lost over time; Difficulty. From amazing homages to retro titles like Shovel Knight to excellent remasters like Duck Tales, we're reminded just how hard "NES hard" really was.

But the series that truly epitomizes that, perhaps outside of Ninja Gaiden, are the original Mega Man games. The first six games started out on the NES back in 1987 here in America, strange box art and all, and has kicked gamers ass ever since. The great thing about those games though was that, although difficult, they weren't impossible. Sure, they might seem a bit unfair, especially when compared to difficult games in the current generation, but never impossible. It was all about learning patterns, whether figuring out enemy layouts in stages, or even boss patterns, learning their moves and outsmarting them. It was a masterpiece in difficult game design.

Of course besides the tough as nails gameplay, everything else about the series shined bright as well. The graphics were stellar, especially in some of the larger, more detailed enemies. And even though Mega Man was just a really short blue dude with a rounded rectangle that shot pellets, he was a bad ass protagonist that fans would grow to love over the years. Oh, and did I mention the music? Mega Man on the NES has some of the most fantastic music ever composed. Mega Man 2, still (subjectively) holds the title for best NES soundtrack.

The reason I'm so extensively talking about the classic Mega Man games is because you're getting that same great, NES experience, but now in a complete package on both current-gen consoles and PC with the Mega Man Legacy Collection.

It's easily one of the best valued collections of Mega Man games, outside of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection that appeared on Gamecube, PlayStation 2 and original Xbox. Here you'll get Mega Man 1 through 6, meaning all the original NES titles. For those yearning for a blast of nostalgia to the face, or perhaps those that never got to play the originals in any sort of way, this is a collection worth owning.

The Positives / Negatives

The Verdict