The Legacy of the Blue Bomber

It’s no secret that my favorite character from the 8-bit era is Mega Man. I don’t know why, but something about running around as an advanced, modular robot and blasting evil bots to bits just scratches an itch like no other game ever has.

Love At First Play-through

When I was a kid I would spend what felt like hours browsing the available games at the local rental places. While Mom and Dad were looking for the latest Hollywood hit, I was more interested in something interactive. I remember seeing Mega Man on the shelf with that iconic painterly cover. I was mesmerized. What could this game possibly be about? And the name, MEGA MAN? Surely this cartridge contained the coolest, most radical game ever conceived!

I took the game home and popped it in my NES and nothing happened. So I took it out, blew in it a few times, and tossed it back in, and BOOM: I was confused. What was this table of bosses and why couldn’t I seem to get to any of them? I was very young and gaming was new to me. I was NOT prepared for the precision required to make it to Guts Man. When I slept, I could hear Mega Man’s death sound effect in my dreams.

But something about it drove me to keep playing. I think it was a combination of the simple control scheme and the relatively high degree of precision required that drove me to try to get better. Every time a new Mega Man game out I just had to rent it. The graphics, game-play, and music just kept getting better and I was hooked!

Growing Pains

Despite my love of the series, I wasn’t very good at it. I don’t think I ever beat a Mega Man game as a kid, so I decided to try again in my 20’s. I thought, “I’m such a better gamer now than when I was little. Surely these old Mega Man games will be a piece of cake, right?” Wrong. I wasn’t simply a bad gamer as a kid, those games were tough! My mission in life for a while became playing through all the original NES Mega Man games between work and college. I made it through the first 5 before I got a real job and lost my focus on the games (someday I’ll resume my quest).

Since the 8-bit days, Mega Man has gone through several iterations, including 3D action games for the PSX and N64 and card battlers on the GBA. But it’s those original titles that still hold a special place in my heart. Who is your favorite retro character, and what kind of impact have they made on gaming history?

Release History

Mega Man Vector