Mega Man Legacy Collection is Digitally out, so I Thought I'd Fanboy a bit and Explain 1-6

For those of you who didn't know, Capcom just released the Mega Man Legacy Collection on X-Box One, PS4, and Steam with a 3DS physical release slated for early next year.

It's $14.99 and this isn't even a debate on if you should get it, it's the NES classics plain and simple, I'll address a few things beforehand.

More then a few fans complained about it being less then the 1-8 and the two fighting games from the Anniversary Collection

And I'll say this, if you have a GC, PS2, or orignal Xbox, wouldn't be a bad idea to get this, I have it, I love it, but the fact is that was two generations ago this is FAR out of print and not easy.

I got my PS2 one a long time ago for $20, and that was GAME ONLY, I have a full copy now (long story) but still, old generation.

My point, this is going to be the greatest way ANYONE can play these amazing series, it's smaller but you get the main important things.

Anyway, this is mainly fanboying about some awesome things, telling you all about the great underlying story involved (for the 8-bit era it was kinda intense) and some bits and pieces of the fandom that are just neat.

We naturally start with the first game, Mega Man is the combat robot modifications made by his creator Dr. Light (the father of modern robotics) after the other Doctor Light Numbers (DLN) were controlled by Wily.

I'll start by stating that, different regions have different interpretations right off the bat.

Remember, in the 80's the internet wasn't a thing, and in turn regional differences could be as different as they wanted without any problems (I.E. Eggman in Japan, Robotnic in our regions).

I bring this up because in Japan, Wily was just an associate of Light, Wily was a fellow robotics genius, Wily was Light's rival, Wily never got recognition though because Light was just better.

In America, Wily was Light's assistant, he was still a genius, but overall Light's 2nd banana.

Both of these are neat, and not at the same time and it really comes down to preference.

Do you prefer Wily working with Light? Helping out building the Masters and eventually using them for himself?

Or do you prefer Wily being a fellow scientist? Always just one step behind, never getting the glory.

Both are great in their own rights, and different uses make different experiences, example the Fan Film (something I'd really recommend) takes the assistant angle and is really used to a full potential.

The Mega Mix (GREATEST PLOT DRIVEN MEGA MAN EVER!) uses the associate angle, and it does a great job of that too.

Wily and Light are equals, they have the same goals, the same drive, but in the end weather it's by his ambitions, or different goals Wily will take a different path (as said in Wanna be the One (to Watch you Die) by the Megas "Our paths diverge upon a road, you chose a darker fate to sow, I watched you turn from friend to foe it had to end like this I'll have you know,") which will cause DLN 3-8 (Guts, Cut, Elec, Ice, Fire, and Bomb man) to be used by Wily for his own purpose.

Weather it's a robot ruled future, or himself as king, Wily is a madman, and thus 1 starts.

Rock asks his pacifist father Light to outfit him for combat (done best in the Mega Mix when he explicitly states that he'll still fight even if Light doesn't, he knows he'll die, but he has to try) and thus he becomes Mega Man (or Rock Man in Japan).

Wily returns with his own robots (Metal, Wood, Bubble, Heat, Flash, Crash, Quick, and Air man) another fight, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, you know how it goes down.

Then comes three, Wily works with Light to build eight robots (Magnet, Spark, Snake, Shadow (who is an alien by the by, alien robot ninja, I am not kidding), Top, Hard, Gemini, and Needle man) to gather a power source from space so that they can build Gamma (long story) but more importantly you meet another mysterious robot, a masked robot named Break Man.

Long story short, Break Man is actually Mega Man's older brother DLN. 000 Blues, or Proto Man.

This also introduces Rush, Mega Man's awesome as hell dog who can turn into a hover-board, a sub, a spring, and later on armor, and a motorcycle.

Four, Mega Man isn't the villain, it's Cossak and his robots (Bright, Toad, Dive (two water robots when you think about it), Ring, Dust, Pharaoh, Drill, and most importantly Skull man) but it turns out that Wily had kidnapped Cossak's daughter.

Now this brings up Skull Man's awsomeness, he is the last of the Cossak numbers, he has a notable more morbid design, he has only the purpose of fighting.

There's many fan theories on Skull Man from this, namely that Skull Man wasn't all Cossak.

This is the main point of the Mega Mix story the Grim Reaper of Death, Wily releases Skull Man who captures Cossak because Cossak locked him away after the events of 4.

Skull was built only for destruction, this becomes a big thing throughout the Mega Mix, the fact that Robots dont' get to choose their paths, but another story for another time.

Five starts right after four, Light kidnapped by PROTO MAN!? You fight through the robots (Gyro, Gravity, Stone, Wave, Star, Crystal, Napalm, and most importantly Charge man), Proto was actually Dark Man, and Wily was behind everything.

Finally, there's six, there's a tournament between the robot league with robots form across the world (Tomahawk, Plant, Centaur, Knight, Wind, Blizzard, Flame, and Yamato man), Mr. X is actually Wily, yadda, yadda.

Looking at these, I know I just say yadda, yadda a lot, but overall Mega Man is more behind the surface.

The gameplay alone makes it not just a classic, but a pinnacle that other side-scrollers strive to be, add to it the fact that the story is deeper then you'd think when you peel back the layers, asking questions about man and machine, about how much of us can we really put into metal, and the fact that for once AI isn't seen as a bad thing, and overall it's just beyond beautiful.

Mega Man is a series beloved by many, a series that spans two timelines (Classical and Battlenetwork) a ton of games (classic, X, Zero, ZX, Legends, Battlenetwork, and Starforce) and is just beyond beautiful to this day.

Mega Man stood the test of time and earned the mantel of classic, it still holds to this day as one of Capcom's crowing jewels, yet what's happened to it?

Four or five years ago (I forget exactly, so sue me) Capcom had three new games for the series.

First off was Online, a Mega Man MMO set between X and Zero.

Basically, the people built new heroes off the models of the old ones, said models were more or less your class and you had who you'd expect.

MMO's aren't really my thing, but that's besides the point, that point being MEGA MAN MMO! I'd at the very least try it.

Then there was Universe, a platformer not really in line with any Mega Man, it had an interesting style and a focus on customization.

First off, Mega Man wasn't the only guy you could use, you'd get parts from other Capcom titles like Ryu or Arthur (Ghosts and Goblins) even Bad Box Art Mega Man... for those of you who don't know, I'll skip a lot of the backstory and basically just say they thought the orignal box was to cutsy for America, so re-design without knowing anything, you can guess the result.

Yeah, infamy doesn't begin to describe this guy, but it's become basically a joke that everyone loves at this point.

But the point remains, custom Mega Men built from Robot's and Capcom characters.

And look at that Roll in the corner! (Sorry, I'm a bit of a Roll fanboy, don't know who knew this, I have Roll card sleeves Roll is awesome despite not doing much of anything.)

Did I mention custom stages? Cause, you could have built those

Seriously, to top it all off, music from the Megas probably the greatest video game cover band.

The final well known, and probably the most well known was the reason myself and many others wanted a 3DS, Legends 3.

This one really sticks it to us with Capcom claiming it was US who didn't want it, that the FANS didn't prove their want.

I'm sorry, what? We helped design aspects, we bought the 3DS (which had by far one of the absolute WORST launches ever, it was basically Street Fighter 4), we were going to get a PAYED DEMO! But nope, we didn't want it, it wasn't Capcom loosing their balls after Mega Man's creator left, nope it was all our faults, even after we proved we wanted it all over the internet with various pieces of art, groups, and petitions, nope we just didn't want it enough.

Yeah, I'm still VERY salty about that, canceling it is one thing, blaming us? That's just a dick move.

Anyway though, last ended game was a reboot of X in the style of Metroid Prime, being made by the same people.

A darker FPS re-imagining called Maverick Hunter.

I don't care for FPS' but man, it looked awesome.

My point remains, Mega Man is an amazing series, Mighty Number 9 will be awesome but it's not the same.

It just doesn't have the same legacy, not the same soul if you will.

The best analogy is found in the Giga Mix comic.

Rock is going to die, I mean it, there's the Stardroids, their leader launches a pin laser when Wily shoots Rock in the face (long story short, he was trying to make it look like he was dead so that they could launch a surprise attack).

The damage is to critical parts of his brain, Cut says since they're similar models they could use parts form him.

Wily and Light flat out refuse, the parts needed would kill Cut Man, he says basically so what they can build a new one.

But remember, Robot Masters are robots with souls, with experiences, they explain they could build another Cut Man, but it wouldn't ever BE Cut Man.

Same thing with Mighty Number 9, they can build another Mega Man, but it will never be Mega Man.

And that's the key point I wanna make, we need to do everything we can to show Capcom that Mega Man is still their best bet for anything, I hope you all understand.

Mega Man is one of the greatest series ever, it's one of my top three, and look at their current state.

Castlevainia has became soulless God of War ripoff 978, Mega Man has dropped off the map, only Shim Megami Tensei is the one still alive and kicking.

Maybe we can change that though, so let's prove Mega Man is the best of the best.

So, let's get out there, and kick as with the Blue Bomber.

MEGA MAN FOREVER!