Backlog Game Reviews 9: Megaman The Wily Wars / Rockman Mega World part 2 (Sega Genesis / Megadrive)

  

    Hey there and welcome to Backlog Game Reviews. Last time I reviewed the Sega Genesis remake of the first Megaman game. This time let's take a look at the remake of Megaman 2. This will be more of a mini-review as this game shares a lot of similarities with the first game. If you haven't yet please check out my review of Megaman 1. Well then let's move on to the review.

      Just like the first game Megaman 2 has a very simple story. After his defeat in Megaman 1, Dr.Wily escaped and built eight of his own robots. Unlike the Robot Masters in the first game, these robots were built for battle. With these eight new robots at his command, Dr.Wily attempts to take over the world yet again. It's up to Megaman to stop him for the second time.

The story as told from the manual.

  

      The story isn't anything special but it's good enough. This game does a better job of telling its story then Megaman 1 did though. Other than the ending, the first game didn't have any in-game story at all. So, if you didn't have the instruction manual you would have no idea what's going on. This game, on the other hand, has an opening cutscene explaining the story. It's a nice improvement from the first game.

The opening cutscene.

    Other than that, there's not much to say about the story. The gameplay is largely the same as well. Your goal is to make it to the end of the level and defeat the boss. You’ll have to overcome platforming challenges and fight off enemies with your Megabuster.

Fighting an enemy.

   

 After defeating a boss, you copy their weapon and just like the first game every boss is weak to another boss’s weapon.

Going one on one against Bubbleman.

   It’s not all the same though. The first thing you would notice when starting a new game is that there are eight bosses this time around. So, this game is a little longer than the first one.

Dr.Wily's 8 new robots.

   Another change from the first game is that you can now find items called energy tanks. You'll find them in various stages and you can carry up to four at a time. Using one will fully restore your health. It helps to alleviate the difficulty of the game and gives you a fighting chance if a boss is just too hard.

Finding an E tank.

       Another new addition to this game are the support items. The first Megaman game had a support item called the Magnet Beam. It allowed you to create bridges or footholds that would disappear after a couple of seconds.

   This time there are three support items. Item Number 1, Item Number 2, and Item Number 3. Item Number 1 works like a rising platform. When you use it it'll slowly fly upwards and disappear in a couple of seconds. Item Number 1 is required to get past some parts in the late game. It's a pretty useful item from time to time, but I didn't find myself using it all that often.

You can use Item Number 1 three times in a row.

   

 Item Number 2 is another moving platform but it moves forward instead of upwards. It'll keep going forward until it runs out of energy or hits a wall. This is probably the most useful support item in the game. It'll allow you to bypass some of the more difficult platforming challenges. You're never required to use it, but I ended up using it alot more than Item Number 1 and 3.

Flying on Item Number 2.

    

 The last support item is Item Number 3. This item will move forward bouncing on the ground until it makes contact with a wall. When it touches a wall, it'll latch on to it and start climbing up it. When it's climbing up a wall that's your chance to jump on and catch a ride to the top. This is probably the least useful of the three support items. It has its uses here and there, but Item Number 1 does everything it can do and doesn't need a well to latch on to. It's not a bad support item, but I never really used it. 

Item Number 3 climbing up a wall.

    

 That's about all I have to say about this game. The E-Tanks and support items are a nice addition. It makes this game feel like a sequel and not just Megaman 1 with more stages. The graphics are just as good as the first games. Same for the music. It's really good, but whether it's better than the first games or not is more up to your individual taste. All in all, Megaman 2 is a great game and a good sequel to Megaman 1.

 Thank you for reading! Another Megaman mini-review will be coming out next. I hope to see you again at Backlog Game Reviews.