38. Mega Man 2
I am not even sure what I can say about this game anymore, with it's constant references in other games, endless renditions of Dr. Wily Stage 1 and impact on other future games I think pretty much every gamer knows about Mega Man 2 in some form or another. But I'll go over what I love about this game and some reasons why it's rather low on the list. The level design, music and gameplay are excellent for the most part. The levels are all fun, unique and not too long or short, every stage has it's own gimmick. Air Man is in the sky, Metal Man is in a factory, Quick Man has... quick lasers... Bubble Man is underwater and so on. The weapons are all great, everybody knows about the Metal Blades but I personally like using the Bubble Lead and Air Shooter for covering ground targets and targets right above me. Sure could the Metal Blades do the same... well yeah but I do like some variety in my playthroughs. Gameplay is easy enough, you jump and shoot and you can change your bullets (or peas) to robot master weapons. The bosses are (MOSTLY) fun and provide a good challenge without being too difficult.
Why is this game so low on the list then? Well the level design isn't perfect. Quick Man's stage as a whole is a mess and really without memorisation of the laser patterns there is no way to beat the level, which is pretty bad level design. In Wily Stage 1, if you mess up the ladder section there is no sure way to regain ammo for your items which means you will probably have to Game Over and reset to get back full weapon energy. Wily Stage 4, the Boobeam Trap (Yeah seriously) is a great example how NOT to make a boss. Also the 2nd form of Wily is rather annoying with the hitboxes. Mega Man 2 is still a great game and a classic and I will always be glad to pop this game in anytime, but the best Mega Man game is still yet to come...
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