When NES Mega Man Became GREAT! (Mega Man 4, 5, 6)

[@GottaBeFrank]

Thank you to Apex Gaming PC for sponsoring this video Use code "GottaBeFrank" for up to $250 your next purchase: apexpartner.app/redirect/Gotta-Be-Frank Which of these games are your favorite? Let me know!

[@generaljimmies3429]

Mega Man 6: The "First Annual Robotics Tournament" Or F.A.R.T for short. Yes, I know I'm being a child 😂

[@matthewlawton9241]

It's a shame you didn't bring up that the one Mr. X level boss is an homage to Mazinger Z.

[@MicBain]

Fun fact: Dust Man (mm4) and Crystal Man (mm5) were both designed by a young Yusuke Murata, the manga artist of One Punch Man!

[@panthekirb7561]

Mind Blown

[@MicBain]

@@panthekirb7561 ..and he was only in middle school!

[@panthekirb7561]

@@MicBain I remember back in the day people clowned on Dust Man a LOT (I never disliked any of the classic designs aside from Wind Man) Good to know Murata had such a glow up

[@thomasffrench3639]

I love that Yusuke Murata is a Mega Man fanboy. Bro probably played all of the first 6 Mega Man games when they came out, where most people would have moved onto the SNES.

[@ChaoticMeatballTV]

Mega Man 6 is my absolute favorite in the series. It really is shocking how amazing-looking that game is for NES hardware, since it holds up on-par with the likes of 9 and 10 in graphical fidelity while also retaining the charge shot and slide (admittedly, should've allowed those to be turned on and off in those games to make them better).

[@GottaBeFrank]

The game is absolutely gorgeous.

[@TheBlackSeraph]

I liked 6 better than 4 or 5. I liked the idea of alternate boss routes, the weapons didn't suck like in 5 and the changes to Rush were really good.

[@underwaterlevelz1947]

i agree, MegaMan 6 is awesome and has become my favorite in the series over time. For years I tried to convince myself that 5 is the best (maybe because I spent so much acquiring it) but I just can't find a way to elevate it. ChargeMan is my favorite theme, and WaveMan has that awesome jetski section. If ProtoMan was the actual villain, it might be my favorite.

[@SpiralPegasus]

6 is definitely the best! The adapters made the game a lot of fun. I think it should have had a few more sections where they were mandatory. Also the music is fantastic. Knight man's theme and Mr X's especially.

[@hugbuzzard]

It’s funny, I used to love 3, but after playing through all 6 original on my switch I definitely like 4, 5, and 6 better! 2 is still my all time favorite. My favorite NES game as well haha.

[@Ironcabbit]

Mega Man 5 is my absolute favorite of the series. The music is mostly bangers, the bosses are pretty unique, the animation is crisp, level designs are memorable and the challenge isn’t ridiculous.

[@SarahsKnight0]

Same here. It's always nice to find a rare fellow fan who actually thinks 5 is good at all, much less better than the seeming favorite MM2. If i had to be brutally honest, some of the bosses are really lame in 5 and it may even have the lamest special weapon set out of all the first 6 NES titles. Still, level design is great, story (as much as an NES game story can get, anyway) actually had emotional impact on me for a number of small reasons, and of course the music is awesome. Admittedly 5 also has great nostalgic and sentimental value to me, mostly in the loving way in which it was gifted to me for my 9th birthday, as the first Mega Man game I ever played.

[@SarahsKnight0]

@sigmascott4753 Curious. What would be your first favorite, then?

[@karinyupinyan]

Mega Man 4 really is my favorite of the NES games. The level design, and it's mechanics, are just so fun to blast through. Dive Man being my favorite, which is funny cause it's a water level, but it used the gimmick in actually fun ways. And yeah I agree the weapons are great, they do have quite a lot of use, and pack a decent punch as well.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Yeah. When I finished that game, I wanted to start it up again because there was so much going on that just clicked with me.

[@robertlupa8273]

Funnily enough, the guy that introduced me to Mega Man considers 4 to be his least favourite one (although he doesn't _hate_ it, just dislikes it).

[@GottaBeFrank]

Interesting.

[@Captain_Neckbeard]

You have to play 9. Mega Man 9 is my favorite game of all time.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Soon. I want to hit up the portable games before I jump back into the main series stuff.

[@28Pluto]

I've been saying MM4 is the best MM on the NES since 1992, when I got it for my birthday. Great video, thanks.

[@TTULangGenius]

As a kid who cut their gaming teeth on the NES (I'm almost 42), the classic Mega Man games are among my absolute favorites. They will never lose their luster with me. They're hard games for most younger people, but I have enjoyed watching people like my nephew trying real hard to beat these games and building the same spirit of resilience and perseverance that was instilled in me. Thank you for the fair and honest review of these games that are near and dear to me.

Lol I'm 41 myself. 42 for me this year. Also grew up with these. Introduced to mega man 2 first and then rented mega man 1 to start it off there. Played the living daylights out of all the mega mans growing up. My oldest kid that's 7 now has been trying to deal with the first 3 still. Lol

[@ldsviking]

I've been surprised at those who describe 3 as too hard and broken. Maybe it really was rushed and incomplete, but wow it captured my 8-year-old imagination. Meanwhile from 4 to 6, the games are easier, all you really need is the Mega Buster, because the charged shot is op. Isn't that just broken in a different way?

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@ldsviking I would try to experiment with the weapons from 4. They are among the best in the series in my humble opinion.

[@RosyTheRed]

25:19 Centaur Man is from Greece since centaurs are from Greek mythology like Gyro Man.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Alright

[@RamManNo1]

I see what you did 😂

[@XxLast__BossxX]

Booooo!!! Hissss!! 😂

[@possumorb3770]

6 is my personal favorite entry in the classic series. You make some fair points about it, though.

[@No-vy4jp]

One comment I have about 6 is that the excessive spike usage is becaue of the Jet Adaptor. 4 and 5 would instead have an endless pit to screw you over. The reason 6 had to include spikes is so you dont just fly into the ceiling and skip the entire level. Also for minibosses: Equip Flame Blast and spam to your hearts content. It shouldnt take more than 6 shots. As for the secret path in Mr. X stage 1, you go to the first flip platform, but then you make a big hop all the way to the second one. If I remember correctly, you can actually hold the button down and you wont get hit by the spikes. Then you go back to the first one (which should have flipped closer to the broken window) and then make another big hop to the second flip platform (which also should have flipped closer to the window) and punch that window open. One improvement I think you should have mentioned for 6 was the disappearance of the disappearing block puzzles, with only one appearing total. It was kind of useless for them to exist in 4 and 5 since you had gadgets to get past them anyways. And then it would also punish (with fittingly enough, spikes) if you run out of weapon energy. As for a more personal opinion, I find myself dying to insta-kill traps much more in 4 and 5 than in 6. 6 also felt the fastest for me, despite those darn slow rush animations. 4 had really slow bar filling and the charge shot was slower. 5 prevented you from charging while sliding. 6 prevented you from jumping out of slides, but it really doesnt affect the pace as long as you dont slide recklessly.

[@Danahell]

Also a piece of trivia is that in Mega Man 4 and 5, the one who designed Dust man and Crystal man, was a certain person called Yuusuke Murata...who many years later would be better know for drawing the manga version of One Punch Man

[@patrickbossio8044]

🤯🤯🤯

[@Myndnix]

I gotta agree that Rockman 4 is where the series got really good. The previous games were good enough, but 4 is where the games really came into their own.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I thought I replied to this. oops lol Yeah, 4-6 are the ones I would be absolutely okay with replaying. Even with their shortcomings, depending on the title, they have enough to offer to warrant a revisit in the future.

[@Jrdotan]

I have to disagree, think 3 is when shit got really damn good Stage design in 3 is amazing and it flows really damn well, it feels like if you play well theres a rhytn that youll follow, its very hard to explain how well designed a game has to be to make the player feel like that And while 4 is overall more polished, stage design is quite predictable at it, while enemy placements in 3 are just extremely creative, shit like gemini man's stage last stretch really makes the game, it feels like they had their hearts at ir for sure.

[@AwakenedPhoenix309]

@@Jrdotan The biggest drawbacks to 3 are the weapons and the constant slowdown that happens in some sections. Not quite as big a deal for the overall experience - but the Doc Robot fights leave a lot to be desired. I know a lot of people don't like them and feel like the extra stages are padding; I actually really enjoyed revisiting levels, but the boss fights were not properly tuned for the size of the hitbox. The MM3 Improvement patch goes a long way to fixing the issues I have with 3, but when we're comparing base games - 4 tops 3 on every level.

[@Jrdotan]

@@AwakenedPhoenix309 4 level design is way too self explanatory, it relies heavily on spikes and enemies are not always so well positioned, as a result, levels dont feel that inspired and they also suffer from difficulty progression shenanigans such as Toad man having its hardest section right at the beggining and getting easier and easier as it goes. It rarely has many surprises and gold rewards for taking on a difficulty challenge, which is dissapointing since 3 did challenge and reward so well, look at gemini man stage, it starts with pure run n gun, penguins at the ground and enemies at the skies, you go and kill as you progress Its long and enemy position makes it gets harder as you go forward, then you fall down and get to burst bubbles in order to get items for your efforts, which is not only an unique thing as it also works as a puzzle, but its a good reward after such a section Then you get to progress and fight minibosses, penguins mixed with fireflies, this works as an introduction to fireflies which is used afterwards in the last challemge of the stage, a large section of platforming on top of pits, fishes are on the water, shooting missiles at you from a vertical allignment, fireflies are alligned in your horizontal side and rushing at you, this makes you think, you have to lure enemies using your jumps carefully in order to suceed, timing your jumps and progressing gracefully as you execute a skillfull dance with your enemies. Getting throught this challenge makes you get an E tank right at the end which is a great reward and from a difficult perspective, it is the last section of the stage and its the hardest section, which makes sense. Megaman 4 never achieves this level when it comes to RM stages, its way too self explanatory for that, dust man is the only level that come close to it, but its still not quite there. Endgame in 4 starts brilliantly with cossack levels, but becomes boring and uninspired in wily stages again, so 3 naturally wins in my eyes.

[@Megamix_Nerai]

@@Jrdotan all your critiques towards 4 apply to mega man 3, and twice the times.

[@ryanr27]

I had no idea Mega Man 4-6 was made when the SNES was out, that’s so cool!

[@GottaBeFrank]

Yeah. They do a great job of utilizing the NES hardware, but it does seem like it should have stopped at 5, so classic Mega Man could make his SNES debut earlier, but oh well.

[@TheBlackSeraph]

@@GottaBeFrank if you lived in Europe (PAL-B,) it did stop at 5 :D . If you lived in a PAL-A territory like I did it stopped at MM3 T_T .

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@GottaBeFrankif the game is good, does it really matter?

[@OmegaDez]

Weird to think games released in 1991, 1992 and 1993 somehow weren't newer than the SNES (1990 in Japan)

[@BalderOdinson]

@@GottaBeFrank Mega Man X dropped in the US before MM6. We were seriously debating if it was supposed to be called MM10 or not. There had been 5 NES titles and 4 GB titles to that point. MMX was the 10th we had seen on Nintendo platforms.

[@toopienator]

"Metal Da- I refuse to say that" lmao that never fails to make me laugh

[@brandonmanuel2842]

I had Megaman Anniversary Collection for PS2 and GameCube. Good times.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I played a bit of it on Gamecube. It's how I saw the G4 Icons episode for the first time.

[@TangoWithTheCobra]

I used to rent Mega Man 4 all the time when it was released. The charge shot and secret items were great additions. As a kid back in the day, accidentally finding secret items in NES games was glorious.

[@clintonwilcox4690]

Mega Man 2's origin story was accurate...at the time. Mega Man 4 retconned Mega Man's origin story, changing it into how we know it today. Also, Centaur Man is from Greece (hence centaur, being from Greek mythology).

[@765craven4]

Mega Man 6 was my favorite as a kid, but growing up my favorite has become 2. For me, 2 is the game of the NES area that I replay the most, due to having a good balance of difficulty, pacing, a killer soundtrack and stage design I enjoy. 6 is the runner up for me as an adult because I also love the soundtrack and the visuals of the levels a lot.

[@fedupN]

Thank you for this. MM4 was probably my favorite of the NES Megaman games, and my favorite non X MM game with MM7. So glad to see it get some love!

[@GottaBeFrank]

Yeah. The moment I beat the game, I knew I beat a great game.

[@RainePhoenix]

All of the percussion in Mega Man 6 is top notch! Seriously, for 8-bit music, the percussion is some of the most sophisticated, complex and outstanding of that console generation. Just listen to Knight Man's theme. Playing throughout the whole thing is a rapid hi-hat punctuated by crash cymbals. Then, there are the various backbeats, the syncopared kick drums and so much more. There's just so much going on in that theme. Mega Man 6 may just have my favorite soundtrack in the entire series.

[@thomasffrench3639]

What do you think of modern 8-bit style music? I feel like instead of a game system trying to sound like instrumental music, where modern 8-bit music is trying to capture classic chip tunes trying to capture instrumental music. Although I am in love with VRC6 chip with Konami

[@RainePhoenix]

@@thomasffrench3639 The nostalgia is certainly a thing to be sure. But, sometimes, I think a lot of what was charming about old school 8-bit chiptunes is lost when trying to compose it this day and age. I don't know if it's due to composers trying too hard to recapture that magic, or not trying hard enough, but either way, it's not quite the same. That said, when done well, it can sound very good and authentic, as is the case with Mega Man 9 & 10. However, there are so many KZbinrs who have mastered the art of composing/covering 8-bit music. Rushjet1 comes to mind.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@RainePhoenix I feel the exact same way. I also just feel that most of the time its unnecessary, but some of my favorite pixel games like Rondo of Blood use CD audio, so it seems weird when people say it “fits” pixel art better to have a game have an old sound chip. Although I do love a good remix of modern games as chip tunes, but that’s because it is a remix of something that’s a song first and a chip tune is only done as a cover.

[@carlosleyva-calistenia6400]

@@thomasffrench3639Isn't it kind of a "young people trying to revive something they didn't got to actually experience" thing? I see this quite a lot with modern pixel art, which most of the time looks atrocious; even compared to bad quality graphics back in the day. I'm quite sure artists back then tried to do the best they could with the technology they had at hand. They weren't aiming to make pixels, but characters. They weren't trying to make blips and bloops, but music. Compare Final Fantasy 1 (which was an actually **great** looking game) graphics to Final Fantasy 4, then Chrono Trigger and finally to Legend of Mana with its hand painted backgrounds on the PS1. I know this had been told ad nauseam, but there's also the deal of CTR TVs making pixel art quite different than what it looks today on LCD. And artists understood these kind of limitations and adapted because they had to deal with them. They understood how to make action elements pop up so they could be clearly seen. Nowadays in modern pixel art in indy games I always have trouble to find my own character in plataformers or action games. What I'm trying to say is that modern renditions (graphics, music, gameplay...) lack that old school feeling that made things special back then because both the technology and the people making that stuff are quite different than what we had back then. There are some little things that had to be done to make things as good as possible, but now that knowledge is already lost and the lack of those things make the retro stuff feel unauthentic.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@carlosleyva-calistenia6400 I actually do like the look of retro games even without the CRT look better than modern retro-style games as well. And my main disappointment is that there is beautiful games with 2D art like Hollow Knight, that don't need the pixelated look to work. Like you don't need to make it look 2.5D for it too work. Although I will say that Inti Creates are very good at pixel art, but it is a rarity. And honestly, I wouldn't mind so much if they tried to emulate PS1/Saturn style graphics as those tend to give you enough room to make the sprites very detailed without losing definition. For example I would be completely fine with a 2D Castelvania game that looks like SOTN or Order of Ecclesia. However if you are creating a new IP, there is almost no reason why you should use pixel art. There is some exceptions like Shovel Knight and Undertale, but that is quite rare. And I'm sick of people calling games that aren't pixelated flash games. Like at least they look like they are creating something instead of taking from something else.

[@redstreak9430]

17:08 funny you say that since Yoko Shimomura of Street Fighter 2, Super Mario RPG and Kingdom Hearts fame composed that theme. As far as I know, it’s her only contribution to Mega Man

[@GottaBeFrank]

She is also the composer for Legend of Mana and Live A Live. What a legend. I can't wait to hear the music in the Super Mario RPG remake.

[@Rodanguirus]

This is such an interesting perspective, because throughout the '90s and '00s, the general consensus always felt like 2 is the unassailable masterpiece, and 3 is right up there with it/one fraction of a point behind. I think it's totally valid and healthy for a fandom that long-standing views like this get challenged (3's still my favorite of the series, but I've definitely come to appreciate 4 and 6 in particular a lot more than I used to). It's just so interesting to hear about Mega Man becoming great STARTING with 4.

[@ldsviking]

Yeah, I mentioned elsewhere but I've been surprised by the idea that 3 is "broken," when in 4-5-6 the weapons aren't as special or useful because the charged mega buster is so powerful.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@ldsviking I actually disagree with Mega Man 4 with that. The weapons in the game are very good, and Pharaoh Shot is a straight upgrade of the Charge Shot, and the other weapons aren't too shabby. I agree with 5 and 6 relying too much on the charge shot.

[@ThisThingEaten]

Mega Man 4 is my favorite of the first six games. Fond memories as a kid, but never beat it until I was in college. 6 is also a highlight for me (Jetpack Adaptor, baby!) Other favorites of mine are 7, 9, 11, X1, X4, and Legends 2.

[@GottaBeFrank]

X4 and the Legends games are ones I need to play, when I can. Heard nothing but good things about them.

[@chamchamtrigger]

So many points for referencing Street Fighter 2010, and one of the best tracks in a game with an insanely good soundtrack.

[@micahnieman673]

It's so funny to hear such glowing reviews of these Megaman games, when 2 and 3 are more typically viewed as the best NES ones. The charge shot quickly became a staple of the series ever since it was introduced in 4, but something is lost with that addition that causes 2 and 3 to be viewed so positively.

[@GottaBeFrank]

It could be that there was a narrative with KZbinrs 10 years ago, where it was stated constantly that Mega Man's 2 and 3 were the best. They're solid games, but it also left games like 4-6 as overlooked. The charge shot does make the game a little easier, but it also allows for more opportunities to experiment with the other weapons. Plus, it doesn't make every boss a cake walk. Still gotta learn the patterns and some Robot Masters will make you work for a win.

[@impact2933]

Great Video! Suprised to hear you didn't like MM6, it's my favorite of the classic games. The level environments and robot masters felt they were at their most creative, and the Rush Uprgades were great. But hey to each their own, I didn't even think notice how many spikes there were in the game. I'm glad you mentioned graphical upgrades in these 3 games, they look great even compared retro-based games made today. You can tell the dev team had a great handle on the NES at that point.

[@DavidSekala]

All six MegaMan games are my favorite when it comes to original Nintendo games.

[@SwedishKuriboh]

This was very interesting to watch considering just how different our opinions on the games are. I'm a huge fan of the NES Mega Man games, but only really grew up with 1 and 2 (mostly 2), and played the others in my teens and early 20s. Here's how I've always ranked them, from worst to best: 4. This one has always frustrated me and has always felt like the least fun one. Then again, my jaw dropped a couple of times while watching your video, because I did not know you could detonate Drill Man's missiles our hold out Pharaoh Man's weapon when fighting Wily's final form. These things still wouldn't save the lifts in Bright Man's stage or the mini bosses in Ring Man's stage, but... I might have to give this one another shot. 1. It shows that this is a first entry, and I don't mean that as a compliment. It is REALLY rough to go back to after playing literally any of the other ones. 6. Calling this "one of the Mega Man games of all time" is pretty accurate to me. It's perfectly fine, and while I do enjoy the Rush power-ups you get... I think those are the main reason I almost never used any of the Robot Masters' weapons. 5. I'd call this one the most overlooked one. I think it's got plenty of fun levels, cool items, neat bosses and... yeah, this one's just solid. Really enjoy this one! 3. I know people are divided on this one, and yeah the glitches and slowdown and stuff are a fact but... they don't really bother me that much. I like the levels, I like the power-ups, I ESPECIALLY like fighting Proto Man from time to time. Yeah, I love this one! 2. It might be the nostalgia talking, but... nah, Mega Man 2 has always been one of my favorite games ever, and the only Mega Man game that has ever come close to dethroning it was the first Mega Man X. 2 just flows perfectly, has great controls and never feels like it's overstaying its welcome. Literally the only thing I don't like in it is the one Wily Stage boss that forces you to use the Crash Bomber, but everything else is just perfect in my eyes! =)

[@GottaBeFrank]

Yeah. I'd say give Mega Man 4 another shot. It probably wont make it to the top, but it'll be a more pleasant experience.

[@2lostbikes]

Thanks for revisiting these releases. The original MM games were a big part of my childhood, and I have so many good memories with them. MM5 was the last of the original series I owned. I remember liking it a lot, and I appreciated how they added new elements to keep things interesting. The mechanics in Gravity Man's level that had you walking on the ceiling were really neat. Wave Man's level felt like a better take on a water level compared to Bubble Man from MM2. Napalm Man's jungle-themed level felt really immersive. The upgraded buster charge shot felt really natural, and would become a staple in the MMX series. That said, even as a kid who was a huge MM fan, the series was feeling a little long in the tooth at that point. I moved on to the Super Nintendo soon after this, and MMX would be a much-needed refresh for the series.

[@GottaBeFrank]

There is so much to love from the NES titles, but it is true. By 6, it was starting to wear out its welcome. I'm glad X and 7 were there to prove that the original formula can still be tweaked from a little to a lot and still be fun to play.

[@WheelAlligatesX2]

The MM4 boss's patterns are really pleasurable to battle, but I do wish they caused less damage when they touch you. The invicibility time frame could take less time to ward off too, just like MM2 or MM3 did (so that blast them with multiple shots be as effective as using charged shots).

[@michaelfreeman3189]

31:19 That sprite actually looks so amazing for the NES.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Oh yeah. I'm a sucker for large sprites in NES games.

[@lyrand6408]

Awesome video. Brings me back good memories. My favorite NES Mega Man games were 2, 3 and 6. I haven't played them in ages but for MM6 I recall being able to go through 2 'main' paths for each stages, and each one of those varying paths would make you use specific powers to get through them, so it encouraged you to use said powers (which in my opinion previous games didn't do that well except for some select enemy types and bosses; but it felt more prevalent in MM6, at least going by memory here). And because of that - at the time at least - it gave me the impression that MM6 was a bigger game, with a certain sense of exploration to it (to some extent). And the music is pretty good. All in all I'd say MM6 is my favorite of the last 3 games.

[@gwgux]

4 and 6 are tied as my favorites, but you make some good points. When I take off the nostalgia goggles, I can see where you're coming from about 6, but IMO 6 still represents the culmination of everything Capcom has learned from making the previous 5 games. When I first played 4 and got to the scene about Kalinka, it was pretty surprising for the time given how it was before the internet and it was the first time this happened in a Mega Man game. Back then, if we didn't have gaming mags to spoil it or IRL friends who played it before us, there really was no way for us to know about it ahead of time without any hints being dropped in game. When Wily was arrested at the end 6, we had good reason to think that was the end of the classic series until 7 came out. It was a different time back then.

[@PamIsley314]

TO ANYONE THAT STRUGGLED WITH THE GORILLA TANK, I found a surefire strategy that I believe even works on the later boss. Instead of relying on the charge shot like one normally would. use your regular bullets and alternate jumping with rapid fire. If you continuously jump, shoot, shoot ,shoot, then repeat (I think it's 3 shots, maybe two) the bullet at the apex will damage the boss while the other two will push him back. Once I figured this out they became a breeze, they can't even get close to you and it maintains the largest window for dodging his projectiles. Happy hunting and best of luck fellow Mega-heads! Edit: forgot the reason I commented, great video and I appreciate your insights, although mm5 has a fire soundtrack, just listen to the tinny background notes lifted from house music in stone man's theme around 0:05/0:06 kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6Cbh3uBepefpq8si=lHMLxpmpI2JX3Or1 jk music is subjective, I just really dig it :) Thanks for the vid!

[@thesmilingman7576]

11:58 I think it's because the weak point is just barely out of reach and it keeps hitting the armored part

[@85futureshock]

Mega Man 4 imo is honestly a better game than MM3. It doesn’t contain any of the padding like the Doc Robot stages and the weapons feel so much more fun. It felt like the art designers had a much more nuanced mastery of the graphics of the NES as the sprite work and details were a big step up. Also, Skull Man’s and Dr. Cossack’s 2nd fortress theme are some of the best tracks in the history of the franchise.

[@jimbillyjenkims]

So the Doc Robot stages are 'padding,' but not the ENTIRE EXTRA CASTLE in 4, 5 and 6. That's an asinine take. I'd love to see the Doc Robots make a return in 12, but instead of just the ghosts of MM11's past, they can be ANY of the past 11 games. That shit would be the tits and you know it. You like the weapons better, that's fair. Mega man Maker did Top Spin better. The robot masters all looked the same to me in 4. At least they were all distinctive in 3. Drill Man is literally discount Spark Man. Skull Man is frikken rad, though.

[@thomasffrench3639]

Eh, I honestly prefer the Doc Robots, as the levels are pretty good (with some exceptions) and you can actually save. I don't think it would work for every game, but Mega Man 4-6 just feel way too long, and Mega Man 3 doesn't suffer from that. I agree with the weapons in Mega Man 4 being better.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@jimbillyjenkims I see what you mean, but I feel like the extra castles are a more natural way to extend runtime than Doc Robots. However they do feel longer as the Castle Stages are meant to be a gauntlet, and you cannot save in between which is pretty frustrating, specifically on original hardware. I prefer it to having half of the robot masters saved for later in the game like Mega Man 7,8, &Bass

[@thepuppet3000]

wait you can use the star crush on the dropping crystals in crystal mans stage!? i wish i knew this earlier when trying to beat mega man 5. cool tip!

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

It should never be forgotten that in Mega Man 7, Mega Man was ready to KILL Dr. Wily. I mean, he was gonna KILL him.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Yeah, it's pretty aggressive considering Mega Man never showed that in the previous titles. Quite the interesting turn of event. Considering what that final boss was, I don't blame him one bit. The 3 laws of robotics can make an exception this time.

[@TheJadeFist]

Rockman 4 is the best of the classic series, personally my favourite anyways. The music, the weapons are mostly good. You get the slide and the best version of the mega buster which makes it more fun being able to charge and it not losing it if you get damaged.

[@jermallkinley279]

I glad that you reviewed these. Quite frankly, I was worried that you wouldn't. ( Pun half intended. )

[@GottaBeFrank]

LOL love the pun

[@jermallkinley279]

@@GottaBeFrank Thank you :)

[@procow2274]

One of the songs in mn4 reminds me of the music in the final area of ff1

[@kenthetrainartist]

I'm glad that nowadays people are starting to appreciate the beauty of Mega Mans 4-6. For the longest time it used to be nostalgia bias for Mega Man 1-3, ESPECIALLY Mega Man 2, and it irked me in a strange way. Defending the later trilogy like this is awesome. (4 is my favorite by the way, lol)

[@thomasffrench3639]

Honestly even as a fan of Mega Man 4 (second favorite) I am kinda sick of the dismissive attitude towards the first 3 entries, because they are amazing games, and 2 and 3 in particular are better than 5 and 6. Mega Man 5 is by far the worst entry of the NES games, including the original. Nothing really incredible about it.

[@RetroFrito]

The 4th game is so close to perfect. The shouldn't have settled on keeping that slow boss energy fill at the start of each fight, shoulda fixed that. Also, I'm in the camp that Rush Jet should have stayed the way it was in MM3. I know people say it was overpowered, but I like overpowered. Other than that, it's actually complete and feels great to play. Mega Man 5 is my absolute favorite as it feels the most polished. People say the Buster shot is too large and, again, overpowered but... again.. I like overpowered. That puny little buster shot in 6 (not only puny in size but also sound) was very disappointing. Overall 6 is my least favorite after 3.

[@butthemeatwasbad]

I gotta say thank you for highlighting how good 4 is. In my opinion, it's the first time I felt like I had complete control over Mega Man's movement and that goes a long way for me. I don't hate 2 by any stretch of the imagination, but I am bothered when people think the series peaked there when 4 was just so good.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I'll never understand how 2 or 3 can be considered the point where the series peaked. It's just wild.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@GottaBeFrank Mega Man 2 has the most secondary weaknesses making it less linear and Mega Man 3 has the best robot master stages. Not to say that 4 doesn't have it's strengths, but so do 2 and 3. Also the charge shot is pretty controversial.

[@puffdaddy6488]

19:51 Fascinating to hear this. I almost always choose Gravity Man first when playing through this game, because I feel he is so easy to take out with the Mega Buster, and I could dodge him all day long.

[@SQGReviewShow]

I've been waiting for this one! :D

[@oguzhangungor9117]

Mega Man 4 is among 9,10 and 11 as my favorite classic mega man games. It is a fantastic games.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I've heard good things about 9. I've played a bit of it recently, but I'll save my thoughts for the video.

[@geraq0]

MM4 was the first Mega Man game I played and one of my first NES games in general, so I have very fond memories of playing it over and over again. I like to see it getting attention when most people seems to remember just MM2 and MM3. Personally I find MM5 harder than MM4, both the bosses and stages, that section in Wily Castle with the conveyor belts over an abyss and with the small helicopter things is a pain, but again I played MM4 way too many times and know it by heart. I really like the level design in MM6, the way the Adaptors allow taking different paths and finding secrets across the stages is genius. Overall the second trilogy of NES Mega Man games is fantastic and I don't miss any chance to recommend them to people interested in getting into NES.

[@KBXband]

Dude Maria yamaguchi the person who did the soundtrack for five did an excellent job. This is my favorite soundtrack tied with six.

[@mopbrothers]

Rockman 4 is pure gold. The best Rockman game ever made. 5 and 6 are okay, but 4 is best. 2 and 3 have better music, but 4 is still better. 4 has a beautiful intro and it feels vibrant. It has amazing level design. A new villain and two fortresses. Best game.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Rockman 4 is the one I will always be excited to revisit. It's just that good.

[@brichan1851]

This is the first of your videos I have seen. Instant subscriber.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Thank you so much.

[@esmooth919]

4:34 might have been the same composer. Capcom did have quite a few in-house musicians

[@TheJadeFist]

5 is another topper in the classic series too, not as good as 4 but I still like it more than 6 or 1. The Crystal Man stage sucks though with the falling crystals that have no pattern and just drop randomly.

[@agreedboarart3188]

Ahhh, finally Mega Man 4 and 5 get some love. Easily my favorites of the NES games.

[@udance4ever]

nice - as someone who bought megaman 2 & 3 w my lawnmower $ - you inspired me to dive into 4, 5 & 6 w the right expectations.

[@ian-wy5fw]

I love these Mega Man videos! Id love to see you run through another series like Zelda or Mario

[@GottaBeFrank]

At some point I will talk about those franchises. I just gotta figure out which one I'll be more excited to talk about. That might be how I decide which goes first.

[@razorchance6976]

Beautifully done Frank 🙂🙏 very well on depth in the 2nd half of the mega man games, *I even agree that hearing the capcom opening jingle in 8 bit was pretty nice, my first time hearing it was also in street fighter 2 turbo, along with final fight 2 and 3, whenever I hear that opening jingle, you're usually in for a treat* and just to throw this in thabks to exo, mega man 6 came out the same year as DONKEY KONG COUNTRY 1!!!! 😂😂

[@etherraichu]

As someone who is old enough to remember waiting for Mega Man 4 to come out, I can tell you we absolutely knew it was going to be Wily in the end. We knew that no matte rhow many games they made, it would always be wily. Even in the X games it is somehow still Wily.

[@MortimurGrimm]

Another honest look at my favorite franchise with an excellent video! MegaMan 4 is an impressive game. I was very disappointed when the game released when Cossack wasn’t a new villain. Wily eventually watered down the classic series, as Sigma did with the X series. I agree that 5 was good, but a step down. For me, I just couldn’t get into 6 and it stands as one of my least favorite games to return to. I did like the Rush Adapter upgrades though.

[@yeolemillinial8295]

funny you say that pharoh mans weapon is the worst, when its actually one of the best. i take it you didn't charge it up much (also the charged ball over you head can hit enemies at no cost til you actually shoot)

[@GottaBeFrank]

It's been a while since I made this video, but I've played around even more with the sub weapons and it's much better than I remember.

[@Applemangh]

Out of the three, Mega Man 6 is the one I played the most. The Rush fusions were just a lot "cooler" to me. Although, from the sound of it, maybe 4 deserves some more attention.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I'd say 4 is worth giving another look.

[@tahamohammad8842]

3:42 when You brought up megaman 4 fan designs, I’m surprised you didn’t mention dust man. Both him and crystal man(from megaman 5) were designed by a 12 year old yuske murata, the artist of the manga remake of one punch man, meaning those 2 designs definitely have the neatest origin as they came from someone who’s still a renowned artist.

[@Gameplayer1500X]

17:10 Well now im curious what review are u referring to?

[@EatWave]

3:03 That was the magic of animated background tiles. They are like big animated Gifs that use up less RAM than actual sprites.

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

Mega Man 4, 5 and 6 were when mega man games became “easy“. The first Mega Man was notoriously difficult, and had horrible balancing issues. The second Mega Man is close to perfect with energy tanks and balancing. Mega Man 3 is problematic because of the Doc robot stages, which are obviously done to pad the length of the game. I noticed that playing through MegaMan four, five and six got progressively easier as I went along. The Beat robot drone is horrendously overpowered, and can allow you to beat the game with very little input. Of those three games, I think MegaMan 5 is probably my least favorite, because the music and the characters seemed uninspired and were forgettable. They were all still good games though.

[@GottaBeFrank]

It could also be from the fact that players had dealt with 1 and 3, so most challenges from 4-6 wont phase them. And Beat becomes more of a monster in the games.

[@banzaialex5984]

4 is harder than 2 2 is pretty easy and when it's not it's just irritating rather than well designed challenge imo (crash bomb boss, wily machine 2 phase 2 etc.) Also 4 is the game that fixed the boss weakness doing too much damage problem so the player still actually has to try when using the weakness instead of just being a free win

[@thomasffrench3639]

Mega Man 4 is the hardest Mega Man on the NES besides Mega Man 1. But yeah Mega Man 5 and 6 are cakewalks.

[@banzaialex5984]

@thomasffrench3639 yeah 5 and 6 are definitely the easiest. Although 6 is more balanced than 5 so it's not as easy imo also the bosses are less of joke in 6 than in 5 I'd say 3 is also harder than 4 although that's mainly because of the difficulty spike in the doc robot stages and less useful weapons overall

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@banzaialex5984 I actually think that Mega Man 2 is definitely harder than Mega Man 5 as well, and by a significant margin.

[@Waifu4Life]

Wow, never knew Eddy could come back if you didn't take the item, guess even this old dog can learn new tricks.

[@JamesWilliams-fj8vf]

MEGA MAN 4 IS THE BEST OF MEGA MAN 1-6 ON THE NES. DRILL MAN IS AWESOME TO.👍

[@Adamwinters]

Who would have thought that the oft-overlooked MM4 was peak level design and weapon-inventory for the entire 8-bit series!

[@thomasffrench3639]

Definitely has the best weapons, but I will contest that the level design is not the peak of the 8-bit era.

[@TheJadeFist]

@Dive Man. You want to keep your distance, if you're too close to him he'll just dash at you right away. So you want to jump over him and slide to get some distance before he fires. Then he'll fire a few (3? it's been a while) times and dash, repeat. This also lets you manage the seeking torpedo so he fires it forward into your buster shots.

[@notsyzagts7967]

Though you may not like the game a lot, it doesn't make sense to say 6 ended with a "whimper". Especially when the game was new, seeing Wily finally not escaping and getting arrested was significant. Granted, it wasn't animated or flashy but the event itself was meaningful within the MM universe. It made sense as a true finale at the time.

[@GottaBeFrank]

While Wily getting arrested is the most fitting ending, the presentation of the story bits felt really underwhelming, when compared to 4 & 5. The characters were doing something after the fight, rather than switching to still images. It was more than the presentation of the story that disappointed me. The level design felt like a downgrade as well. The levels are fine, but the spike usage is a bit overkill. It's a whimper, when compared to the other games in the video as they were better experiences, with well thought out level design and great presentation. 6 is still fun enough to revisit, but I'm going to pick the other two more often.

[@jamesknapp64]

I agree

[@SantaFeSuperChief1]

I have the, so far as I've seen, unique opinion that the Megaman series has only gotten better with every entry, (maybe not 9 and 10) so I love this video based on the title alone.

[@timmmybee]

Check out the fan game project The Sequel Wars if you enjoy 4, 5, 6 but want to play Sega Genesis versions like The Wiley Wars. Only Mega Man 4 has released so far but it's a really great playthrough with the new visuals.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I played the demo with the full remake of 4. I cannot wait to see the other games remade because Sequel Wars is awesome.

[@BrettLane256]

Coolio. I also much enjoyed the sequel trilogy more than the originals when I was a newer fan, and I also understand your disappointment with 6; it's a good game with a lot going for it, but for me it makes me wish there was a mashup game that took the best features of each into one title. I still quite like 4 - 6, I've probably played 5 the most out of them (Napalm Man is such a cool Robot Master but I wish he wasn't a pushover LOL) but in later years I would replay and rediscover 2 and replay it over and over along with World 4. Glad to hear you'll be moving to the World games after the OVAs though! Gotta rep for World 4 and World 5 again, they're great. It's kinda cool to see your trip with the series as a whole in a similar order to when I did as a kid. I really should revisit these games again sometime soon tho. I'm gonna sub now, I like your style, analysis, and content thus far. Keep it up!

[@GottaBeFrank]

I did have to change my uploads. The Rockman World series will be covered when I am finished with my current SAGE related content.

[@BrettLane256]

@@GottaBeFrank gotcha, thanks for the heads up! Still looking forward to it. :)

[@pengwin_]

"i wasnt born when this game released" pls...im turning to dust!

[@GottaBeFrank]

Yeah. Was born between the releases of Mega Man 5 and 6.

[@MissJackietheLakester]

Great video! Mega Man 6 is my favorite NES game and my favorite mainline game in the Classic Series as a whole! I think you should review the Game Boy games at some point.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I'll be reviewing all of the games in the next few weeks. I just need to play them all lol

[@MissJackietheLakester]

@@GottaBeFrank Nice! I enjoy all of them except for II.

[@etherraichu]

My copy of Mega Man 6 had a problem. If you stayed on the boss select screen for more than a couple seconds, the game would freeze and you'd have to restart. This happened 100% of the time but only affected the boss select screen, so I assume it was a rare physical defect. Fortunately you could get around this by planning in advance which bosses you were going to do.

[@GottaBeFrank]

Yeah, that sounds like one hell of a defect.

[@soundspark]

The rain effect in Mega Man 4 I believe is nothing more than a palette cycling effect. And as such that's why the non-lit parts of the rain also overlap thbe Mega Man sprites.

[@1x4x9]

Jump & Shoot Man: All you gotta do is jump and shoot!

[@alfredjacobs8139]

Personal ranking of each 4: my second favorite mega man game, was surprisingly good when I picked it up for the first time this summer. Dust man's theme becoming an instant favorite and I think it does the plot twist thingy the best, albeit basic 5: oddly enough our opinions or swapped, I found this one to be the real stinker and just wanted it to be done with. Gravity, charge, wave and probably stone man being the only stages I like. Crystal man's theme is ear grating 6: not my absolute favorite, but a step up from 5 IMO. Like in flame man, those stupid little robots you *have* to charge shot, I remember liking how you could use them as platforms over the oil spills. An original idea that made the level stick out, what I found lacking in 5... Also I'm native so I can like Tomahawk man, his weapon is great against wily if u don't have beat

[@thomasffrench3639]

What is your favorite Mega Man game?

[@reploidno9]

2 and 3 are peak Mega Man… 4, 5, 6, are definitely lower tier… However 6 is definitely the best out of the latter 3…

[@VIRGOLEGACY]

I’m always happy to see a community of mega man fans who agree that 4,5,6 are objectively better gameplaywise than 1,2,3 🤷🏾‍♂️ bias aside mega man 4 being my very first mega man game after going back to play the original 2 had me messed up lol like where is my charge mega buster my slide and where is my rush jet lol for games that are already difficult it’s good to have those abilities

[@GottaBeFrank]

I think it's people finally talking about the games they enjoyed, since Mega Man 2 and 3 were once considered the gold standard for the series. It just took some time for some players to realize this wasn't the case and found what they liked.

[@thomasffrench3639]

When are you gonna cover the Bass trilogy (7, 8, &Bass)?

[@GottaBeFrank]

It's funny you say that. I just finished playing Mega Man 7 and 8 yesterday. Once I finish the Game Boy video, I'm going to start working on the Mega Man 7 review.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@GottaBeFrank oh so you’re doing it separately? Okay. I don’t usually like to comment asking “where is part 2?” but I was kind thinking it would be cool to keep with the trilogy thing you had and calling it the “Bass trilogy” because it worked out that Bass is a central figure in all of those games. Can’t wait for the Mega Man 7 video, I’ve heard all sorts of things about that game, both good and bad, and it would be cool to see your take. I’ve played up to MM4 recently and besides your takes on Mega Man 3 (it’s a great game almost as good as 4) I feel you have been mostly on point. My ranking would be 2, 4, 3, 1.

[@GottaBeFrank]

The trilogy idea would be nice, if there wasn't a 4th game on the Bandai Wonderswan. It's called Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha and it takes place after the events of Mega Man & Bass.

[@thomasffrench3639]

@@GottaBeFrankgoddamn Wonderswan. The Wonderswan Color was the reason why he didn’t get Final Fantasy III (2D) in the west until the Pixel Remasters.

[@GottaBeFrank]

It's good that we had the remakes to give people something resembling FF3... probably. I'm familiar with a few titles, but never really played the games. 4 is the only one I played, but never beat.

[@IllmatikRebelTV]

I thought I was the only one that thought the thought the MegaMan 4 theme sounded a little like the 3rd stage in Street Fighter 2010. Lol

[@thesmilingman7576]

14:54 I thought those were various prototype versions of Dark Man

[@Grevnor]

The generation shift being slow was a real thing. I remember clearly a lot of people still playing NES several years after the SNES' release, so Capcom's decision to keep supporting and making games for the NES is not at all as crazy as it sounds. And this was in Europe, Sweden specifically. The NES, SNES and Sega Genesis all co-existed for several years in the early 90s. It was seen as more of a tier thing than a generational thing. The NES was very decent, but the SNES and Genesis were both obviously superior, with which of the two you preferred being more down to personal tastes. Also, the fact there was hundreds of NES titles at the launch of the SNES meant people kept playing NES games until the SNES market caught up, and that took several years.

[@slayerx4gaming]

i was able to get through Mega Man iv and v through a weekend rental at blockbuster. Though I did spend a ton of time going through the stages to figure out which was the best route to take. I do think these games were a lot easier compared to the first 3 games, as there was no way i could've gotten through MegaMan III the first time on a weekend rental.

[@GamingManual]

I maintain MM4 and MM6 are the peaks of the classic series on the NES!

[@tigheklory]

LOL, I love Mega Man 1-3 and found 4-6 to be not as much fun. I'm 48 and played these back in the day. Nice to see a different perspective.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I appreciate 1, I enjoy 2 because of nostalgia, and 3 is a game I can't really get behind. I totally get it when someone comes to this or the 1-3 video, telling me how they enjoy those three. I just had a better time with 4-6.

[@bluetopia42]

This is the reason why I never played MM 4-9. I played MM 3, got a SNES, then there was Mega Man X and many years later I learned about the other sequels.

[@dougdeming3115]

Bro ,Gravity Man's Music is probably in the best 5 songs in the series.

[@chrisdoe3642]

2:45 i think about this almost daily, id like to approach netflix or something withi it, im sure somebody has

[@GottaBeFrank]

Nah, we'll get more of Fully Charged and wonder where we went wrong as a species.

[@thesmilingman7576]

5:53 I'm worried that if I do I won't be able to use the weakness on the boss

[@Retrofun69]

Controversial take: Megaman 10 and 11 were the best ones.

[@pjorkan]

The harder a game is the more rewarding it is when you finish it. I like the Mega man games that are considered to be the hardest ones.

[@pursuing222]

I loved Megaman 6. Probably still my favorite of the original 6.

[@dentren48]

What’s your favorite robot master design for 4 ,5,6

[@megagrey]

I much prefer MM4 and MM6 over the much-ballyhooed MM2, but MM3 is still my favorite classic-style Mega Man.

[@Emberson-9000]

I feel like im the only one that likes the Power Stone. Its a good weapon. Strange to use, but very versatile once you get the hang of it. Plus, it has tons of ammo.

[@GottaBeFrank]

I guess it depends on how someone approaches enemies. It just never really worked out for me.

[@Jrdotan]

But it sucks It only deals 1 damage for each stone and its hard as fuck to hit shit with it, lots of enemies are immune Its really not a valid playstyle and why would one use it rather than the gyro attack or gravity?

[@ceresgc]

Megaman 6 was fine, but a letdown as the end of the NES era... Megaman V for the gameboy does a much better job as a final game, at least

[@Ericmor]

When i played Megaman 4 i found the ballon weapon in dive man´s stage, and decided to see if i missed out on anything else. How? By THROWING MYSELF IN ALL PITS ON ALL STAGES. Eventually i found the extendable hook weapon and that´s all there was in the game. Defeating Willy with those is a piece of cake.