Monday's release of Mega Man 2 on the Virtual Console was a long-awaited addition to the service, as well as what many consider the pinnacle of the franchise. BUT NOT ME. I didn't buy the game this week, not because I hate it, but because I already own it on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection--and that five bucks can buy 99% of a vegetarian burrito at the Chipotle up the street. I'm not about to sacrifice a burrito simply for the convenience of not having to turn on my PS2.
Tex-Mex delights aside, the recent revival of old-school Mega Man made me think of the classic schoolyard/adult blogger argument of "What's better, Mega Man 2 or 3?" Really, we should all just shut up and be happy that both games exist and can be played on a variety of systems to this very day; but still, I tend to prefer Mega Man 3 for reasons that may not be quite rational.
Undoubtedly, the addition of both Rush and the Mega Man Slide in 3 made the game much easier, and brought the series just up to the tipping point of having excessive mechanics; see the charge shot in 4 and onwards for evidence of this. I think that's generally why I enjoyed 3 most of all--not to mention that Mega Man's collection of numbered platforms from 2 were replaced with an awesome robotic dog that transformed into things. If you want to split hairs, you can fault 3 for barely paying lip service to the boss-themed levels seen in 1 and 2--but it's still awesome that Top Man lives in a greenhouse full of giant cats.
I think the main--and perhaps, completely personal--reason I couldn't get into Mega Man 2 as much as 3 was due to its bitchy point of entry. Much like with Guts Man's stage in Mega Man 1, child protocol in the 80s made it mandatory for Air Man to be defeated first--which always annoyed me, since I've never really been able to get to hang of jumping between those giant, horned floating heads in his level. With Mega Man 3, I could always immediately slide right in and kick Top Man's ass--and, as a bonus, get that chunky profile shot of Mega Man via the Top Spin. Also, all of Mega Man 2's robot bosses appear in 3--albeit, in slightly-inferior forms--just in case you missed them. Check it out:
So, what's the general consensus on Mega Man 2 vs. Mega Man 3? Tell me how wrong I am.
Related Links:
Mega Man 9 Goes Back To Your Roots. Way Back.
Where I Draw the Line With Retro
The Ten Greatest Classic Mega Man Levels, Part 1