hippyjack

If anyone has this on PS4 and feels like playing, lemme know.

So, I just completed Mega Man 1, 2, and 3 for the first time. The only 2D Mega Man that I have experience with is Mega Man X. I used to rent it over and over when I was probably 5 or 6, and I loved it. So, basically, I thought I'd share my unique perspective on the 3 original games. I will probably edit this post after I complete 4, 5, and 6, and share my thoughts on those as well.

Firstly, I'd like to say that I enjoyed all 3 of these games immensely. They were challenging, yet, still very playable. I should also state that I used save states throughout each game. As a result, I have developed a great respect for the patience, and resilience, for those that completed this without the use of save states.

Let's begin...

Mega Man

The first title, and most challenging of the 3 games, is also the weakest. What makes it so challenging, is the slippery nature of Mega Man. This makes it incredibly difficult to land your jumps. Quite often, I fell to spiky deaths feeling that I was cheated. This doesn't totally break the game. You gradually develop a better grasp of the platforming and, with the power of save states, can make it through (often by the skin of your teeth) feeling satisfied with your handiwork.

When you aren't slipping off of ledges, shooting enemies with your trusted Mega Buster is still a good time. Enemies and bosses are colorful, diverse, and fun to shoot. Furthermore, earning weapons and deciding which bosses to try them on still feels satisfying. Playing this when it came out probably felt like a revelation. When I discovered that the thunder beam was powerful against Ice Man, all I could think was "get shocked you frosty bastard". Perhaps this was a bit excessive, but the game's hard.

Then you meet the Yellow Devil. This terrifying, mustard monstrosity, brings a new level of hatred into your soul. Eventually, you can figure out his patterns and watch his health, slowly, diminish; however, without saving periodically throughout the match, I just might have given up.

With all of this in mind, I still think this game is worth playing. It gets a pass on a lot of things in my eyes, because it is the first in the series. A lot of what the series does well started here, and that is an impressive feat.

4/5

Mega Man 2

Many people claim that this is their favorite game, period. I can see why. What separates this game from the original, for me, is the tightness of movement that it brings to the table. Mega Man moves like he should move. Unlike many of the situations in the original, when you die in Mega Man 2, it is probably your fault.

On almost every other level, this game is superior to the first. Immediately, you are slapped in the face with colors that are vibrant, and catchy, well composed music. It all clicks together as you play to create an experience that feels whole.

The enemy and boss design has also improved. They are bigger, more colorful, and are funner to look at. Near the end of the game, there are a few bosses that amp of the creativity, providing great experiences as a result.

There is a noticeable lack of slow down when compared to the original and 3. For some reason, I found that the other 2 just had much more of this happening. This reason alone sways my vote, and makes Mega Man 2 the best playing game of the original 3. I like smooth, and if I can call Mega Man 2 anything, it would be smooth.

5/5

Mega Man 3

Mega Man 3 is a lot like 2... except, Mega Man 3 has a slide. The slide great. As some dastardly enemy leaps forward, seemingly about to crush your tiny blue body, no longer do you have to hop backwards to dodge the foul machine; instead, you can slide elegantly underneath, leaving a bewildered robot behind you. Styyylllle.

Mega Man 3 is also the longest game of the original 3 by quite a margin. All 8 of the robot masters from Mega Man 2 make an appearance, in addition to 8 new ones. Unfortunately, our returning robot friends weren't prepared for the slide.

The one issue that I have with this game, is the slow down. It seems like there is a lot more of it here, when compared to 2. I wish the slide was in a game as smooth as Mega Man 2, so that it may achieve its full, stylish, potential.

Finally, I feel that this game has the best difficulty of the 3. It can get quite challenging, but it never feels cheap. Mega Man 2, felt a bit too easy at times, which makes this game feel well balanced.

5/5

Both 2 and 3 are amazing games. If I had to choose one, it would have to be 2, strictly because of the lack of slow down.

The splitscreen in this game provides hours of fun. I'd have to say that this is the best game that I've acquired via PS Plus thus far.

I just jumped on to Gamespot to check out the comments section of Kevin's review and, damn, are people cruel. This site should be proud of its higher level of positive comments. As for this game, it doesn't look to have evolved enough for being, technically, the 4th game of its kind. I bet it is still a good time though. I have 150 hours of The Witcher 3 to play while I wait for its price to drop.

This is my favorite thus far. Has a lot of feeling.

@flasaltine said:

Just something quick I put together. Not expecting to win this as there are much better photoshoppers out there than me, but I think I have a VATS shot.

Anyone wanna play online on PS4? It is currently completely dead.

Throughout the game, Transistor, who is a male, is clearly the one who has given in more to love. Red, when given the choice near the beginning of the game to escape, chooses to pursue the Comerada and to find out what happened to Cloudbank. I believe that is point enough that the game does not reinforce "problematic gender politics". It is not until the end of the game, once she has completed her goal, that she chooses to join with the one she loves; the one who at times tried to divert her from her task in the name of love. It is not until she has completed her task that Red chooses love instead of essentially becoming a godlike figure; a person with all the power but with no one to share it with. Who would want that?

Red as a character, I believe, is well developed strictly through her actions as the game progresses. I felt her consistency in moving forward toward the task at hand in combination with the OVC terminal text, provided more development in her motives and overall nature than most games accomplish with a fully voiced lead character.

Finally, the game is not bound to its political themes; it also dabbles heavily in the idea of reality itself. Cloudbank likely doesn't exist within reality as we perceive it; it is a metaphor for people who inspire change and how they affect the world. What you see as underdeveloped, I see as subtlety and giving the player the space to fill in all of the gaps with their imagination.

Thanks.

I really did feel differently about how the story was told. Clearly, this is a case of two distinctive views on stories in general, and that is perfectly fine; but, given that you felt it was clumsy, perhaps you can agree that at least Supergiant was uncompromising in their vision of how they wanted to present Transistor. They created a game that, in my view, is distinctly unique in all aspects. To present a narrative like Transistor does in modern gaming, without any reservations, is a tremendous feat all by itself.

@rockyraccoon37:

And the ending is about as rote and uninteresting as anything. A woman once without power is given total control to rebuild and shape her world, but instead chooses to kill herself in order to be with a man-- a man whose relationship or significance to her is never fully explained to us.

Personally, I found this ending to be strikingly beautiful. A woman given all of the power that she could possibly want, but being only human, chooses love. It has become a trend in modern gaming to have endings that are everything other than "final". Transistor truly ends, and with the ending comes the reveal of its true themes: though we live in world that often takes the control from the people who live in it; though it feels like life itself is a strange uphill pursuit into the unknown; we are still people, who at their core, need other people and love to feel happy.

All subjective of course.

From the moment you start Transistor onward, a theme intrinsic to its design wraps around you and never lets go. This is not just a game; Transistor is a work of art. Is it the faithful duty of art to handhold you through the meaning between its lines? I don't believe so, but as with anything to do with the understanding of a work, it is all subjective. Supergiant clearly chose to create a game that required not only the act of playing and completion to uncover its secrets, but contemplation as well; which is something I found utterly intriguing.