Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 PlayStation 4 Review: Blue Bomber Forever?

For a company that hasn’t actually revisited the franchise with a new game in years, Capcom is getting a lot of mileage out of Mega Man. Last year, it gave the Blue Bomber his best collection to date with Mega Man Legacy Collection, chronicling his first six releases on the NES, supported by a stunning set of galleries and history pieces to really give us some perspective.

So, it figures that it wouldn’t change a good thing, and has decided to do the same with Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, following Mega Man’s four remaining adventures, including Mega Man 7 for the SNES, Mega Man 8 for PlayStation/Sega Saturn; and Mega Man 9 and 10, 8-bit style follow-ups that came out for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 years ago.

Obviously, with less games this time around – and the somewhat inferior Mega Man 8 – there’s no question that this collection isn’t as luxurious as the first. But if you’re a fan of the series, it’s still an essential must-have, especially if you’re trying to cover all things Mega Man.

First, let’s talk about the games. Mega Man 8 isn’t a terrible game, by any means, but Capcom missed the mark when it came to capturing the mantra that we’ve come to expect from earlier adventures. It was at this point that the publisher was trying to get him to “grow up”, even though the Mega Man X titles already kind of did that. Again, it’s not a flawed game, but as you play it, you can really tell that something is a bit off.

Two Okay Games, Two Great Ones

But maybe Mega Man 7 laid that foundation already. In the move from 8-bit to 16-bit, Mega Man saw a few changes, mainly to his looks and a slower style of play. That’s not bad, though, and the game has plenty of thrills to offer, especially with the new robot baddies that Dr. Wily throws into the fray. Still, some people may prefer the original 8-bit games.

And that’s where Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 come in. Created by Inti Creates (Blaster Master Zero), these games really recaptured the nature of the 8-bit essence we grew up with, and they’re great fun. Mega Man 9 is probably the hardest of the bunch, but still rewarding. And Mega Man 10 is a far more balanced game, as you can turn on aids that will help you complete a level, in case things are too struggle-some for their own good. On top of that, their respective DLC is included as well, so the adventure is extended with additional challenges and characters.

The games are very close to their original counterparts, and Capcom threw in a rather wise move with custom checkpoints. You can actually set up your own at any point in the game, and it’s perfect if you need to take a breather, or just want to make sure you don’t get stuck to the point that you have to start a level over again. It’s a lot more helpful than a password system, I’ll give you that.

A Pretty Good Package, But Not A Great One

Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 looks great, for the most part, though it’s set up similarly to the original game, so don’t expect anything new. There’s also solid music taken from each of the entries, though the themes aren’t as memorable as, say, Mega Man 2. No matter – it’s still good fun to listen to.

Along with the four games, players also have a gallery that they can look through, with plenty of bits and pieces of history to see from these particular games. It’s neat, but not nearly as extensive as it could’ve been, as the game history seems a little muted this time around. It’s as if the developers were rushed instead of being able to explore the many themes these later games provided. Fortunately, Capcom has a chance to make up for this, should it decide to go through with its Mega Man X Collection. C’mon, it’s a given. What’s left to go after? Mega Man Legends Collection? (Actually, now that we think about it, that wouldn’t be half bad, provided the games could get a little touching up – and if Misadventures of Tron Bonne was included.)

Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 isn’t as wow-worthy as last year’s title, but it’s still a pretty good compilation of classics that are worth your time if you grew up with the older games. I wish it dug a little further into its deep history, but what’s here is still a satisfactory package. And besides, the more of these we buy, the better chance we’ll have at getting more collections like this. Respect your history!

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher.