We’re republishing this list to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the SNES classic, Mega Man X. Enjoy!
The little blue guy known as Mega Man (along with his various sidekicks and related robots) has had a very long and storied career in video games. Since the days of the NES, it’s starred in some absolute classics of the run-and-shoot genre, although for every amazing game or spin-off experience Capcom has delivered, there’s probably been a title or two that either didn’t quite hit the mark or – more often – feel too familiar. With so many games in the Blue Bomber’s back catalogue, it can be hard to know which are the best. Well, that’s where we perform.
Actually, that’s where you perform. Below you will find every game with the words ‘Mega Man’ in the title to ever grace a Nintendo console (in the West). Yes, that’s over 50 games, including all the spin-offs and side adventures — Xs, ZXs, Zeroes, Battle Networks, and more. We have also included compilations for thoroughness; several of them contain titles that are not individually available on a Nintendo console (Mega Man: Battle for Power or Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, for example; Mega man 8 on Mega Man Legacy Collection 2; Mega Man Battle & Chase in Mega Man X Collection).
This ranking is derived from Nintendo Life readers’ user ratings for the games in our database and is subject to real-time fluctuations even after publication. Yes, that means it’s entirely possible to influence the bottom ranking even if you haven’t rated your favorites yet. To do this, simply click on the game you want to rate and assign a score on the game page.
A big thank you to everyone who has already rated their favorite Mega Men. Now, let’s top it off and scroll down to find out the best (and, conversely, worst) Mega Man games on Nintendo’s consoles…
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
Anyone expecting a typical Mega Man experience from Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge will be delighted at how different this title is, a variation on the Battle Network spin-off series. While there’s a lot to take in at first, players actually have very little to do once things get going. Compared to Battle Network, the system here takes too much control away from you and is heavily based on luck and patience instead of quick thinking and fluid decisions. Familiar faces and good music can’t quite save an experience that will frustrate more than it wants to.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Sun L
Mega Man Soccer sounds like a game we made up, but it’s real, honest. This 1994 sports crossover pits eight teams of Robot Masters against each other, and it has some fun ideas, but the execution was so lackluster that it almost completely slipped our minds. Every time we see it, it feels like a surprise. “Oh yes! It… exists!”
Publisher: American gold / Programmer: Free style
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Arika
An entry in the Battle Network series, Mega Man Network Transmission has a cel-shaded art style that stands out quite nicely, the unfair difficulty and lack of imagination in the level design leaves MMNT far from the strongest entries in the spin-off series.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
Originally released on the Super Famicom in Japan, this GBA port is the version of Mega Man & Bass we got in the West almost five years later. It certainly lives up to the series’ reputation and has done enough new things to shake up the worn formula. While there are instances where unfair gameplay can spoil the experience, it offers a surprising amount of replayability and generally solid mechanics.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
Mega Man Battle & Fighters is an excellent Neo Geo Pocket Color pack that is fairer and easier to play in some ways than the arcade originals it is based on. For fans of the Mega Man formula, there’s a lot to learn here and plenty of rewards to be gained by defeating each story’s line-up of bosses. Getting to know each character’s strengths and weaknesses mixes things up and it’s fun to study and overcome your opponents’ attack patterns. Unfortunately, it’s held back by a prominent and invasive sequel option that many will find hard to ignore, and localization is non-existent, making it awkward to get into and limited in terms of how absorbed one can be in the experience.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
Mega Man Xtreme is an interesting curiosity, but its ambitions exceed its capabilities. As fantastic as the Mega Man X portable game sounds on paper, in practice Xtreme is little more than a minor imitation of the console original. Little unique content, copious typos, and subpar visuals and audio – as well as control issues, too-frequent loading and re-filling screens – mean all its big ideas are better handled elsewhere.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Biox
Mega Man II not the best entry in the Blue Bomber’s library. Removed from the inevitable comparisons to the NES versions of Mega Man 2 and 3, judging the game on its somewhat clunky merits doesn’t do it any favors either. Unique content is limited to an unforgettable new boss and new weapons, and perhaps the shortest Wily stage in history. Unless you’re an absolute completionist — or afflicted with the same morbid curiosity that we are — there’s no reason to grab this entry because of the multiple good interpretations of Mega Man on the Game Boy.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
Available in Zerker x Ninja and Zerker x Saurian flavor, Mega Man Star Force 2 took the basic template of the first game… and wasn’t really that different. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that this game came out less than a year after the previous game — Capcom was just releasing them at this point, and next year would see the third and final entry in the Star Force line.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
Mega Man Xtreme 2 is a vast improvement in every way over its predecessor. It looks fantastic, plays very well, offers a smooth and varied experience, and draws from incredible four Mega Man X games. This is much closer to the portable X experience that fans were clamoring for back in 2001, and while the screen size, some minor control issues, and a few unresolved issues from the first game add up to a bit of a drag factor, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge is a decent first attempt at a handheld Mega Man game. It’s pretty fun, but you might feel like you’re playing a watered-down version of the NES games, which will eventually make you want to play them instead. The game is over in a flash — with only six stages, it’s shorter than any other game in the series. Fortunately, Capcom noticed and kept this in mind for the remaining four Game Boy Mega Man games, each of which have ten or more stages and are overall more impressive than this first effort. Still, not bad for a fresh (mega)man.
