Get equipped with Master Piece: Mega Man 2 | NES Works 127

[@RoseWaltz]

i remember my dad watching me play this, and i was explaining the rock-paper-scissors aspect "So, the air conditioning unit guy is killed when he gets leaves stuck in the vents, just like ours was last year."

[@Cubehead666]

Ha ha ha!!

[@ValkyrieTiara]

Classic Dad comment lol

[@thetylife]

Heh...that is precious, sounds like something Hank Hill would say to Bobby...

[@WhoIsSirChasm]

My dad did not guess that Air Man was weak to Wood Shield; he guessed Bubble Man was instead, though in fairness he only watched me play it last year so maybe he was thinking of Pokémon's Grass-Water-Fire triangle.

[@alexdawe-le4vj]

There's MANY ways to interpret your way through these games, like turn one into a groundball game. It's like soccer, except everyone is really destitute with the game as their only chance of "Success" in life!

[@Unquestionable]

I'm turning 40 in a couple of weeks and am not ashamed to say recalling playing this game back in 1990 with my next door neighbor brings a tear to my eye. He was 3 or 4 years older than me and I felt so cool to have an older friend that treated me as an equal, we bonded over countless NES titles (including Kung Fu Heroes, one that we both enjoyed a lot and still holds a place in my heart) and the first three Mega Man titles were a big one. We beat Mega Man 2 countless times after we first managed the feat but I can still recall being amazed at how cinematic that ending felt to 6 year old me.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

There's a hilarious drawing using the MM2 stage select to depict the chain of boss weaknesses, and Metal Man's is just him punching himself in the face.

[@JonLeung1]

I've seen that! That's from CyberMoonStudios on DeviantArt. He's done a few other Mega Man games, too. His page is here: www.deviantart.com/cybermoonstudios/art/The-Mega-Man-2-Troop-101671085

[@shuumatsunojoshua]

Lol thank you for reminding me of that

[@TanookiSuit]

What no link? :)

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

@@TanookiSuitKZbin became allergic to offsite linking in comments.

[@boa.constrictor3782]

Found it, thanks for the laugh.

[@jasonblalock4429]

I agree. One of the best aspects of Mega Man 2 is that it *wants* the player to break it. There are just so many ways to abuse the tools they give you. Like I remember first realizing the Wood Shield could farm 1UPs from egg-droppers... and then realizing the very first baddie in Wily 1 was an egg-dropper. The devs hid a restock point in plain sight, for people clever enough to spot it!

[@ZaGorudan]

Following this series is so interesting because sometimes you have to wade through years of games that, while not uninteresting, don't command the presence of the classics, then one day it's suddenly time to cover one of the most famous retro games of all time.

[@AltimaNEO]

It's interesting how long it took the meat to really hit it's stride. The bulk of the games I know from my childhood all surprisingly came out very late in the NES lifecycle. 89-90s

[@jorymil]

In the US, most of the games did come out late in the life cycle: the NES really wasn't available everywhere until 1987, so it's no great surprise that the games were released or sold once it really became popular.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@AltimaNEOwhich contrasts with Japan, where everyone remembers 1985-1988

[@MaidenHell1977]

I can't stress enough the massive sentimental and emotional impact I have over this game. In Canada, the July/August issue of Nintendo Power with the Mega Man 2 cover story was the debut issue here and caused mass hysteria in school yards everywhere come September that year. It was the most sought after game that summer and fall. It truly is one of the greatest games of all time. For it's time, very little on 8-bit and even 16-bit consoles could match it's excellent gameplay, graphics and sound. Without question it still stands the test of time to this day making Capcom a household name. I still have that issue of NP and the accompanying Mega Man 2 poster proudly displayed in my game room. Looking back it was truly wonderful experiencing those gaming milestones first hand. I watched your recent stream of the game, Jeremy and it gave me incentive to replay it again as my 4 year old son watched.

[@AverageDrafter]

There are a few games I feel honored to have played contemporaneously. Star Control II, Chrono Trigger, and Mega Man 2 are at the top of that list.

[@David-ln8qh]

I've had those warm thoughts before, "I'm so glad I got to experience that in the moment".

[@pengwin_]

that was Mario 64 for me

[@jasonblalock4429]

Star Control 2 is high up on the list of games I wish I could forget, so I could replay it fresh. Such an amazing experience for the time. Not to mention having possibly the single best DOS game soundtrack prior to the CD-ROM boom.

[@Belgand]

Playing Star Control II when it came out was such an amazing experience. There was just nothing else like it at the time. Even today there hasn't really been much like it released since. The original System Shock (or, better, the CD Enhanced release) was similar as was TIE Fighter (also in the CD version).

[@analogmoz]

Star Control 2 is waiting for some celebrity to make it the best "hidden gem" game of all time. It will happen, and it will be shabby.

[@daviddalrymple2284]

Mega Man 2 was one of the first action-heavy games that I ever beat without a Game Genie. I found the patience to keep playing the game over and over in order to learn its sequences and rhythms, largely because the game looked great, had great music, and had really tight controls. And as hard as it could get at times, Mega Man 2 was actually quite forgiving for a game of its era. You had a refillable life bar that could take several hits, you had infinite continues (which was never a given in the NES days) and checkpoints were generous. And on top of all this, you had the metal blade. This was my first true taste of a power fantasy in an action-based video game. Sniping bubble bats in Wood Man's stage is a delight. Most video game power-ups are woefully short-lived. Goemon's jutsu powers disappear when you move on to a new town, and a single hit is all it takes to lose Mario's precious hammer suit. But metal blades are practically inexhaustible.

[@stopmikeandjim3196]

Been waiting for this episode ever since I found this channel a couple of years ago. Surprised you didn't talk about the soundtrack a bit more. It's arguably the greatest 8-bit chiptune soundtrack ever made

[@kennethchia4194]

Certainly up there. I tend to side with Castlevania 3, but that might have an unfair advantage with the extra sound chip used in the Japanese version

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@kennethchia4194then you have Silver Surfer which sounds like a VRC6 game on a basic NES sound chip

[@kyledavidson8712]

Journey to Silius Maniac Mansion MM2 My top 3

[@2dskillz]

A shining example of what every game should hope to accomplish. Each moment, stage or boss is a memory with a unique pattern.

[@Sentinel04]

"packaged in pure tragedy" lol perfect

[@freddyvidz]

I will never forget when I rented this as a kid. One of the best memories of my childhood.

[@Zeffarian]

Same here. It looked really good looking at the guide in Nintendo Power. However, that did not prepare me for when I first rented it and started up the game. Was absolutely blown away by the whole presentation - gameplay, graphics, and music. I'll never forget that experience.

[@coreyschwanz9316]

I can see all the millions of pixels more than ever before. The analog fuzz is SO CLEAR

[@sewart]

Fun fact: The Mega Man 2 cover was the first issue of Nintendo Power available in Canada. It was sent, for free, to subscribers of Nintendo Powerflash (the free newsletter you got when you registered your NES, I believe). I remember receiving it by surprise. I happened to be home with chicken pox that week, and I went over every inch of that issue a dozen times. It convinced me I had to play Mega Man 2 and Faxanadu. Both of which would go on to be some of my favourite games. Fantastic video as always. What a wonderful breakdown of a masterpiece!

[@rottenparts]

Still remember getting this from my grandparents on Christmas Eve in 1989 and getting up on Christmas morning when it was still dark out to play it. I always chose Bubbleman"s stage first. RIP, Grandpa.

[@fakeshemp9599]

Bubbleman killed my grandpa too.. miss you pee-pop!!😢

[@David-ln8qh]

Top class sprite work, SOOO much charm in every enemy.

[@rga87]

Every time I hear that title screen music it always give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. It also puts a tear in my eye, reminding me of a simpler time.

[@egocide9034]

Mega Man 2 is one of my earliest and most cherished memories. Especially the image and sound of the stage select screen, it blew my 4 year old balls off. The nostalgia is of epic proportion.

[@Mansini77]

Jeremy, I’m now convinced that you’ll be featuring every single NES/Fanicom release a la Chrontendo. You both do great work.

[@JeremyParish]

No, I'm done with Famicom, besides interesting one-offs. But if the planet survives long enough, I would like to complete NES.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@JeremyParishnot to mention that Famidaily has that covered.

[@Davethe3rd]

​@@JeremyParishWhat about Super NES? I'd at least like to see you cover some of the hits like Street Fighter II, the Mega Man X games (topical), Mario Kart, Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct.

[@lmeeken]

@@Davethe3rd Super NES Works is a thing, though it's on hiatus right now: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKfVq3iJntCsitk&pp=iAQB

[@Davethe3rd]

​@@JeremyParishAlso, have you ever thought of covering any of the particularly interesting bootleg games like Action 52 or peripherals like the Game Genie or Power Glove? And what about The Wizard?

[@SpyHunter89]

Oof, that ending... 1) Lie down. 2) Try not to cry. 3) Cry a lot.

[@OGNoNameNobody]

This Comment is EXTREMELY correct.

[@randallross420]

Before i even watch, thanks for this. Mega Man 2 is the best entry in the series. It takes me back to that part of childhood when I subscribed to Nintendo Power and EGM. 🕹

[@pengwin_]

Oh how i have waited for this day. Great episode Jeremy. For the longest time, MM2 was my favorite, but now I would say it's MM9.

[@Tirgo69]

The first way I got to play the classic Mega Man games was through PS2's Anniversary Collection. I remember trying all of the games repeatedly, trying to just beat one of the stages, but it was tough. I probably tried every stage across every game at least once without success. In the end I managed to defeat Flash Man (presumably making use of auto fire) and it was so exciting to me, finally I could try and use one of those awesome powers! And of course all I won was the Flash Stopper. Still, I'll never forget either Flash Man or Mega Man 2.

[@Tirgo69]

Mega Man 2 also has the honor of being the only Mega Man game I can verify my dad has played (before I was born)

[@jbanks979]

I think for the entire 30+ games in this series, this remains the absolute peak. It’s hard to fully describe the feeling of seeing some of these visuals on your screen in 1989, on a machine built in 1983 to handle Donkey Kong. I still have AND LISTEN to an actual band covering these tunes. It’s the kind of game that completely sets the bar a step higher than it’s ever been and remains unsurpassed in the type of experience it offers even 35 years later. (It’s a good’n)

[@Belgand]

I feel like saying 30+ titles is giving a little too much credence to the hangers-on. The mainline, numbered Mega Man entries and the X series (since it was basically just Mega Man but on SNES) are really all that ought to be considered. Not Battle Network or Legends or other such games that diverge from the core. It's not a comment on quality, just the nature of said games and their Mega Man-ness.

[@jamkru21]

I absolutely love this game even though I played 3 first, but I’ve always really loved 9! The return to basics was extremely welcome and it was the game that literally helped me survive organically chemistry at USC! While it was challenging, once you learn how to get past the difficult spots you can blow through it, and the classic strategy of “max out your energy tanks” works every single time 😁

[@4ppleseed]

My parents had divorced in the summer and it would be the first Christmas with just my Mum. Nothing made me feel better that Christmas morning than ripping open the wrapping and seeing the Mega Man 2 box.

[@cavalleri]

What a game. Easily my favorite of the entire series. It's such a beautiful game.

[@Trainy2]

One of the reasons I love this game is the sense of humor of the looks of the enemies.

[@marcusmclean132]

Neneh Cherry's Buffalo Stance is an ALL TIME banger

[@joeboo8626]

1989. My favorite year for pop culture. My parents bought me an NES. Batman in theaters, Paula Abdul, Dragon Warrior, Sega Genesis... and Mega Man 2. Hard to pick between 2 and 3 as my favorite in the series... IMO Mega Man 2 has the best soundtrack on the NES.

[@shane1489]

Classiest video game channel on YT

[@davidmreyes77]

Looking back on my young gaming years 1988 and 1989 were hands down my two favorite years of owning a NES. I had a Nintendo Power subscription and a grandmother that rented for me games from a video rental store every weekend those 2 years. What a time.

[@jorymil]

For me, it was '88 through '91. After that, I missed the 16-bit train and got into other hobbies.

[@therealthirst8099]

Mega Man 2 is one of those rare games that truly earned it's spot in the pop culture zeitgeist list of "Greatest Games Ever Made"

[@Red_Biker_Dude]

No it isn't. 4 and 9 are those though.

[@theholymackerel072]

Possibly the greatest NES game of them all.

[@Red_Biker_Dude]

I'd argue the complete opposite

[@BrianKapellusch]

Mega Man 2 and Buffalo Stance. Two of my favorite things.

[@meldriccc]

Talks about quality of 3rd party output, cuts to Hydlide (I assume it was for the "misses" comment after but the timing made me chuckle)

[@thomasffrench3639]

A yes the Dragon Quest effect. An influential game completely released internationally in a completely different context than it was released.

[@meldriccc]

Oh yeah... if we had gotten it the same time Japan did it would have been earth shattering, as compared to a very slow and confusing game when there was so much more available @@thomasffrench3639

[@escapee909909]

Technical mastery in all depts - pixels, music/effects, feel, and design all swirled up into a complete synthesizing aesthetic.

[@Pyponesan]

I'm happy that you mention Airman ga toasanai but wonder why no mention of jamais project's okusenman. Either way this game deserve his legend status. Thank for your work.

[@RabbitEarsCh]

I knew Mega Man 2 was stellar of course, but I had no idea just what a class of its own it was standing in during its release date. Sure, 1989 had strong releases (and a bunch of duds), but Mega Man II just takes almost everything up to this point to the cleaners. No wonder it's so utterly beloved.

[@steveroberts7080]

This is a hall of fame game for me. This was the first game that I ever saved up money to buy as a kid and I was really proud of that, as well as how good of a choice that I made when I took this home. Played it all summer, my younger cousin was in rapture as he watched me beat the game and at the time I think he thought I was the coolest kid in the world. At the time, with such an exceptional game freshly beaten, it was hard not to agree with him.

[@zedc6072]

love this, props for the airman ga taosenai yo reference

[@JaceyMitchell]

I love how this video dropped right as I was heading into Wily's second fortress stage. This game really lives up to all the hype. I just finished Wily Fortress 3 and just love how the boss of that stage is a giant Guts Man on tank treads, establishing the Mega Man tradition of games containing easter eggs and callbacks to older games. While all the NES Mega Man games are good, I find that 2 is by far the most memorable. It has so many memorable set pieces.

[@charon59]

Not sure if this was mentioned, but the Mega Man II issue of Nintendo Power was the first issue made available in Canada. It was sent for free to any Canadian kids who were subscribers to the Nintendo Fun Club at the time, which I was. Needless to say, once I got my grubby mitts on that magazine, I just HAD to get Mega Man II.

[@daviddalrymple2284]

That's cool to know. I started subscribing with the Mario 3 strategy guide. So the only chance Canadians had to get those earlier issues was if they bought the "Fifty for $50" special that they offered as part of their 50th issue celebration.

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

The first Mega Man game I ever played, but not my favorite. My favorite is the original, but this one is right behind it.

[@irvyne6111]

I was obsessed with this game when it was new. But I have to admit, future games improved on it a lot. I understand peoples’ nostalgia, but I don’t agree with anyone who say it’s the best in the series.

[@thomasffrench3639]

I actually just prefer Mega Man 2 more than the others. It honestly doesn’t really matter as they are pretty much all the same game and of similar quality. With the exception of Mega Man 1 and Mega Man 5 they are all high tier games.

[@SirJoel]

That last line hurts. I will forever mourn the loss of Mega Man Legends 3.

[@spacecastleshow]

Been waiting for this one for a hot minute and, surprising no one, you delivered in spades, Jeremy. Excellent video, as always.

[@num488]

The defacto classic, but 6 will always be my personal favorite.

[@billcox6791]

I feel similarly about 3 My play order growing up was 1 then 3 then 2, so 2 always felt like a step back to me. Rush instead of numbered items, richer backgrounds, being able to slide… It was a shock for me to learn years later that 2 is the beloved classic and 3 is considered a buggy mess! My understanding is that Mega Man is considered to have really come into its own from 4 onward. Unfortunately, three games was enough for me to get tired of the increasingly strained *man ideas. Maybe I really should give the later entries a chance!

[@pengwin_]

MM4 for me.

[@num488]

@@billcox6791 I really want to love 3; I really do, but those darn Doc Robot stages hamper the experience. Of the latter three, 5 is my least favorite. Just kinda feels there.

[@rootbeer_666]

@@billcox6791same. Maybe because it was the first one that I played, but pretty much everything you said rounds out what I like about the third game of the series. I was going to buy it with the money I got for Christmas in 1991, but then I saw Mega Man 4, which had come out I assume the day I went shopping. I bought it, and it was great, but I always thought I’d have been better off getting 3 as I’d still preferred it. Mega Man 2 was actually the third game I ended up playing, and I was so frustrated with the lasers in Quick Man’s stage-I didn’t have it long enough to memorize the sequence-that I’d written it off for years. Looking back, I get why Mega Man 2 is a classic, especially in how it vastly improved over the first game-which I also ended up buying one day-and it basically made Mega Man what it was at its core, so I don’t fault a single person for naming it as their favorite. Mine just happens to be 3. To your point about three being enough, I’d actually say 4 is my second favorite, because it basically takes what was great about 3 and polishes it to a brilliant sheen. After that, I kinda fell off the series, and 6 didn’t even show up on my radar.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@billcox6791yeah, this seems to be the general attitude at the time as well. A lot of people after 3 already fill of Mega Man, and while I personally love 4 and 6, unlike most fans, I understand why people don’t think as fondly of the later games.

[@jasonking3182]

Mega Man2 vs Ducktales for best NES game of 1989 shows how amazing Capcom was by that point!

[@realsquirrelhours565]

I always anticipate the Mega Man episodes, these games were my livelyhood as a kiddo. I remember the day I got this game; I was 9 and played deep into the night because it just immediately hooked me with how dazzling the music and gameplay were. It was so exciting to have a game that good in my collection when I had well worn out Super Mario Bros by that point. I still play it regularly to this day, although I think the first game still holds the record for most-played. Always love to catch the new episodes in general and it's great to see the series going strong still :)

[@pengwin_]

One of the core memories shared has to be lighting up your dark room with the flashing light of Wily's defeat.

[@realsquirrelhours565]

@@pengwin_ Oh yeah, the Mecha Dragon in particular exploding with the flashing background was so nifty, and then it just kept getting better somehow. Absolutely awesome experience and it never gets old.

[@thetylife]

Excellent video..I felt how much you love this game. Man..there are so many things I forgot it, but I still remember how OP the metal blades were...

[@stevieCMA]

All my life I've been waiting for this video

[@TheTacticalRPGOdyssey]

Such a great episode! And the instant I saw the overlay with the title of the game I could feel the 4k-ness and it is glorious!

[@GameplayandTalk]

Man, it's still such an amazing game to this day. I play through it several times a year at the very least.

[@mikewallace3030]

I thought I knew everything about this game. To find out it’s “bubble lead” (to go before) instead of “bubble lead” (the element) is mind-blowing. As a kid I saw that it was effectively a heavy bubble. A regular bubble would never do damage to anything, but a heavy bubble made of lead would. I didn’t know to question this understanding until today.

[@davidcarmichael4006]

I’ll watch this many times thx

[@dmon007]

I've been waiting for this for a LONG time. Thank you

[@Shredinsocal]

This is a really great channel that’s about to grow exponentially over the next six months I can already tell. Kudos to you for the dissertation-like, but still engrossing content!

[@JeremyParish]

There's a zero percent chance that it's going to grow significantly ever, but I'm glad you enjoyed this video.

[@thomasffrench3639]

Did you even look at this channel? He’s been doing this for years. I mean he makes great work, but it’s a pretty niche topic.

[@Shredinsocal]

@@thomasffrench3639 Did you even need to comment? I’m so sorry. I’ll try not to be a massive fucking moron next time I pay someone a compliment. Retro gaming is hardly niche, either.

[@trav8028]

Beautiful game... I would say either this or the first Mega Man game that made me love this character so much as a 5 year old in ‘89.

[@rodrigomarcondes5857]

14:17 i really appreciate this reference lol

[@kodystinson1221]

Mega Man 2 is my #1 NES game. I can not play it for years, pick it up, and play it like I just played it yesterday. It’s engraved into my DNA.

[@bgpixlarn6855]

Man, what a poetic way to round up this episode. Stuck on the moon for so many years...

[@thefrozengoat]

My favorite NES game of all time! Defined the console for me. Played every single title that ever came out after.

[@fightrudyfight5799]

Mega Man 3 is the one that hits my nostalgia the most. Renting it as a kid and my brother watching me play it. Lots of fun but yea Mega Man 2 gets way more love.

[@NeopToIemy]

I love when you include Nintendo Power info - pure nostalgia

[@Choralone422]

Mega Man 2 was the one NES game that I always wanted to own back in the day but never did. It didn't stop me from renting it about a dozen times over the course of a couple of years though! The game was just so good in so many ways. I still periodically listen to it's music to this day! Mega Man 2, along with Ninja Gaiden 2, were the first 2 games I ever really speed ran back then. While I never timed myself, I could finish both games from start to finish in under an hour and really enjoyed doing so repeatedly. My parents would remark at how I was "in the zone" during those play throughs and they always made me take a break after finishing a game since I would basically block out the world for a while.

[@MacJake]

I never thought to use the Leaf Shield against those robot-bird-things

[@JohnZyski]

I remember beating this game as a rental. Not sure how I did that.

[@kennethchia4194]

I remember how I did that, by playing the living hell out of it

[@apollosungod2819]

Simple, you forgot about food, friends and family as you were stuck in your NES for the entire rental period and even forgot about the toilet.

[@_MrJasonW]

Learning Japanese here…what’s the source of those clips with the stage titles on the screen? Available on KZbin (I did search the source credit note, but didn’t see any matches on KZbin).

[@JeremyParish]

See the lower third captions over the footage for source material details.

[@_MrJasonW]

Found it…Famimaga January 1989 preview towards the end (I was originally just searching for “Rockman 2 preview” and coming up empty). Thanks. 😊

[@JJMcCullough]

You should put that filter you put on the video of you talking on the footage of the games, so it looks like we're viewing the games on an old TV! That would be very nostalgic.

[@JeremyParish]

Filter?

[@JJMcCullough]

@@JeremyParish or whatever you do to get that effect. I miss seeing games the way they looked when I played them as a kid, more blurry and not full of these razor sharp blocky pixel edges.

[@JeremyParish]

Ohhh... you mean filming on a VHS tape.

[@JJMcCullough]

@@JeremyParish Yeah, you know what I mean though? How NES game graphics on the old TVs looked a lot smoother than they do they on modern computer screens, where the resolution has gotten so crisp you can count every pixel? Surely you must be a bit nostalgic for the old look.

[@marcovarius]

Similar to how Mega Man 9 is a throwback to Mega Man 1 and 2. I really hope they one day make a 16 bit Mega Man X9 to call back to X 1 and 2.

[@unimpressedlink2507]

I sort of hope they don’t to be honest. Backtracking like that after the massive tease that is X8’s cliffhanger ending, it would honestly feel a bit insulting lol

[@thecunninlynguist]

a classic. Music is so gooooood. Woodman, Wily 1, Air Man...sheesh.

[@guyrheuark3445]

I always like hearing you talk about games you love

[@DanJackson1977]

The lack of first party NES releases in 1989 probably wasn't due to chip shortages... Nintendo of Japan also didn't publish any 1st part Famicom games in 1989. The channel Famidaily has talked about this... the reason was that Nintendo was putting all of it's developmental resources into two areas that year 1) Gameboy games development and 2) Super Famicom development.

[@andremarc1275]

1989 and 1990 are my 2 favorite years of all time

[@robertlauncher]

I also recommend using the Buster on Airman instead of his weakness. There are times the lower tornadoes are just high enough for it to clear, and mashing it when he lands on one side of the screen or the other feels more effective than hoping the leaf shield doesn’t get bopped down by the gusts.

[@Ratralsis]

This was one of the first NES games I played as a kid when I would have been 5 or 6 years old. I had this one before the original, if memory serves (and it might not, because this was over 30 years ago). It took me many days of playing, and struggling to defeat even just a couple of the robot masters, to figure out on my own how to select new weapons from the pause screen. In hindsight, I have no idea how I didn't intuit it or understand from the manual, but the first time I learned how to use the Metal Blade, I thought I'd discovered a cheat code. And also, finally learned what those blue items enemies dropped did! Working together with my dad, we (okay, mostly he) eventually beat the game, and it was one of the proudest moments of my young life.

[@Questorps7]

“Packaged in pure tragedy.” Lol

[@ArborDaze]

Thank you so much, Jeremy. Been waiting for this one.

[@GameShowManOne]

The NES equivalent of Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan, and just as beloved and timeless. One of the system's supreme killer apps, brilliantly made, challenging but not insurmountable, beautiful to look at, and impossibly fun to play. And oh yes, it boasts THE best musical score on the entire system, by lightyears. It took other series like SMB, Zelda and Castlevania three games to really perfect, but Mega Man only needed two. If you haven't played it, you should, anyway you can.

[@kushviper]

Just rewatched The Labyrinth last weekend with a girl I’m dating. I’ve never seen or heard the word “oubliette” used other than that film and this video

[@VahanNisanian]

7:52 Mega Man also has longer blinking time than before (meaning spikes don't kill you instantly like they did in MM1).

[@TheCompletionist]

Jeremy I always consider you the foremost expert in all things with regards with retro gaming. I don't really trust anybody's intellectual insight as much as your powers of observation. I'll be perfectly honest, I am personally not the biggest fan of mega man II myself for the reasons that you highlighted in this video mainly with the overpowered weapons, weak robot masters, unfair stage design, and some highly annoying wily's castle battles but regardless of what my personal thoughts are about this game - I will never diminish those that actually enjoy this game and hold it in high regard. It may not have a personal appeal to me, and I do appreciate that for as much as you love this game you did cover many reasons why people such as myself may not enjoy this game a lot. I do think between all the nes mega man games, I think the greatest transition in improvement was definitely between the original mega man and mega man II, compared to every other nes mega man game after that. I understand that mega man II will always hold its importance in the mega man franchise and the music from this game will be absolutely timeless. It's just for me - it's one of my least favorite entries with regards to the nes mega man games but I do understand it's all a matter of personal taste.

[@Belgand]

Unfortunately the credit bar at the bottom extends a bit too far and covers up the subtitle making sense of the "Airman cannot be defeated" line. If you can tolerate the lack of consistency, there's plenty of empty space where it could be reduced in size to reveal the subtitles.

[@Wadecounty]

You've extruded another terrific review, sir! Well done.

[@shingotink5062]

This will always be my favorite Mega Man game. It's a huge upgrade from the first game and paved the road for the later games some of which are probably technically superior, but I played 2 so many more times when it was released and since.

[@TIDbitRETRO]

Mega Man is my favorite series, and MM2 is indeed a great game, but I’m always surprised how it’s held up as the “best” entry. It’s a Mega Man game that’s missing the charge, the slide, and even Rush!

[@robertlauncher]

Fantastic classic. The soundtrack especially is up there with Castlevania and, well, Megaman 3 in terms of the best compositions to grace the system. The graphics are vibrant and the gameplay solid and exciting. And it’s almost perfectly paced! Turret Boss: Not you! Edit: lol the video showing it at the perfect point

[@thomasffrench3639]

Yeah, despite me not being too nostalgic for this game as I only played it once years ago and no other Mega Man game besides 1, I decided to play all of the games in order recently, and while the other games added the slide, more balanced weapons and got rid of the slipperiness, there’s something special about this one. I think it’s the level design not having the lows of MM3, and it’s better level design over Mega Man 4 on average. I also love how this game has multiple weaknesses which was not as common in the later games. This game is just great and my favorite of the NES Mega Man games. Although I will never understand how people prefer Mega Man 5 over Mega Man 2, I totally get people preferring 3, 4, and 6; but that goes to show how amazing all of these games are.

[@BainesMkII]

I've always felt the slide and charge shot hurt the overall game design. To make the slide meaningful, stages were built around using it. But the slide is actually pretty limiting, both within its own design and with its alternatives. Within its own design, you can't shoot while sliding, you can't slide in the air, etc. And for areas built around using it, you either have no alternatives (sliding through a slide tunnel), or the alternatives are simply worse (the "decision" to either safely slide or to instead take hits because your run is slower or standing is higher profile). That goes for boss fights as well; before you had the option to run under or jump over bosses, but post-slide bosses were often designed so sliding was the "right" answer". Charge shot had a similar effect. It didn't really make the player stronger or give the player more options, it just meant enemies were now built around the player hitting them with charge shots.

[@FallicIdol]

Thats my order too followed by 1 for nostalgia

[@themilobarboyzfoodtryouts8280]

Who else was like OOOOO HES REVIEWING THE GOAT!!!

[@EvanCWaters]

By now using the background for big boss "sprites" (or even non-bosses like the anglerfish) was a common trick but damn if they don't make good use of it. Also, again, there have been NES games with pretty good music by now but MAN MM2's score is full of bangers. Crash Man's theme is ludicrously good and the Wily stage music is iconic.

[@ryanstock648]

There is a subtle hint about Crash Man's weakness to Air Shooter in his stage: you leave the atmosphere and fight him in the vacuum of space.

[@colt5189]

Mega Man games were games you had to own to beat. It took me like a year to beat Mega Man 2. As you have to memorize everything and then figure out weaknesses like using bubbles to beat Wiley at the end.

[@pauldyson8098]

Mentions MM2's excellent music, cuts right to Wily state #1. Well done, sir.

[@ACESpark]

5:38 Interesting you made the brief aside mention about hardcore Mega Man fanatics re-interpating the quality of Mega Man 2. And you're absolutely right. Given us hardcore weirdos in the fandom... I get it. I think part of it is Mega Man 2 is the only game in the series that really gets all the attention, and that just, bugs the hardcore fans. So naturally it is the most nitpicked game in the franchise, because of all that attention. Maybe Mega Man X1 being up there when talked about series quality and sales, Mega Man 11 recently surpassing 2's sales and Battle Network Legacy Collection being a suprise and very fast selling hit are about the only ones that come anywhere near in terms of sucess... and 2 just surpasses all talk outside the fandom. Fans be fans. "Overhype" is a weird feeling when talking about a series made up of a absolute ton of games. Whilst I think there are much better games in the series, personally speaking, just because later entries did stuff better and often more balanced, doesn't mean this isn't a absolute classic. And honestly, I love the game, one of the ones I have several copies of in the collection of various releases. Fans just wish others would get to love the rest of the games. There are enough of them out there, hah. Great video.

[@Rando1975]

It was a lot of fun experimenting with the weapons trying to figure out what the robot masters were weak against.

[@xxxmachoman96xxx]

It felt extremely validating to see the crash bomb wall boss appear on screen lining up with "Mega Man 2 has plenty of flaws..." Love the game to death although 3 has always been my preference.

[@karinyupinyan]

I'm just curious what's the reason why the video capture quality of the game change between two types, the darker and nicer looking one, and the more washed out, bright looking one? I'm guessing you had two different ways of capturing the game.

[@JeremyParish]

Correct.

[@karinyupinyan]

But anyway did you maybe have a deeper intent of using two methods like that, or is it not anything more than just a little quirk?

[@JeremyParish]

It was a trial to judge the difference between Analogue Nt mini capture via RGB (high quality but not period-accurate) and Famicom Titler capture via S-video (period-accurate but not as clean). I ended up using some of the Titler footage to avoid repeating material since this video ended up being longer than anticipated.

[@karinyupinyan]

Okay thanks for answering my question!

[@ProBreakers]

I had this, never got close to beating it as a kid but have fond memories.

[@billcook4768]

The first time through some of these levels and boss fights, they feel impossibly difficult. By the time you are done with the game, you can breeze through much of it feeling like a god. That god-like feeling is what the best “hard” games create, and MM2 is certainly one of the best.