Mega Man 2 - Air Man Stage
The Wii Virtual Console is really an amazing invention. It lets you download old-school games directly to your Nintendo Wii. One game that you really need to play if you haven’t already, is called, Mega Man 2. This game is very awesome. In Mega Man 2 you play the character of Mega Man, a robot created by Dr. Light. You are an interesting kind of robot, because you can gain the abilities of other robots that you defeat in combat. In this game you also get certain upgrades and a robot helper, named Rush the robot dog. This is cool because Rush helps you move around the game, either by turning into a giant springboard, a horizontal moving jet, or a hovering platform. The music in this game is amazing. It sounds like some high-energy progressive rock music with electronic themes. Each stage is great, because the levels have a specific look and feel that is related to the boss you are going to face. This is great for the setting. It gives the game a very immersive feel.
Here are some hints when you play Mega Man 2. First of all you should be shooting as much as you can. The reason for this is because certain enemies can drop items. These items include bonus health, added ammo for your special weapons, or even in some cases there is a small percentage chance that a dead enemy will drop a Mega Man face, which is actually a 1UP or free life. So if you are in an area where there are lots of smaller enemies that spawn frequently and you are low on health or ammo. Go ahead and blast them over and over again and try and see what they drop. Another tip is that 1UPs respawn (reappear) when you die. So if you are able to pick up more than one 1UPs in a stage and you are close to dying, it is ok to die if you remember to grab the 1UPs over again. Another important thing to remember is that there are “E” energy tanks in the game. You can use them by hitting start and selecting the “E” tank. These energy tanks will fill your health to the max, so be sure to pick them up as often as you can. These items don’t respawn if you die so be careful. The one good thing is that even if you die, the tanks stay in your inventory. A good stage to start the game on would be Air Man stage, this level is pretty easy to beat and you can kill Air Man with only your primary weapon if you are careful. Once you play the Metal Man stage and defeat Metal Man you will get the special weapon called the, “Metal Blade.” This weapon seriously owns and you can shoot it in all 8 directions and it does excellent damage. I recommend getting this weapon as soon as you can.
The bosses that you fight in Mega Man 2 are very fun to battle against and the fights are usually intense. It may take you several tries to defeat a boss and the best way to fight them is to try and memorize their fighting and jumping patterns. Sometimes the best way to fight against a boss is to be evasive and jump over their attacks and avoid them. This will give you openings to get a few shots off. But other times you’ll find that the best tactic is to take a hit from a boss and blast them as much as you can in order to inflict more damage to them then they do to you, and then destroy them. Defeating an enemy boss is very rewarding and satisfying because the music is cool and you basically teleport to your base and get upgraded. The whole upgrade sequence is nothing short of rad, and you will feel good when it happens.
Overall Mega Man 2 is challenging but not impossible to beat. I think it is easier than Mega Man 1, and it has good replay value, mostly because of the music. One important thing to keep in the back of your mind while playing Mega Man 2 is not to let yourself get frustrated. And when you die, just try and remember the patterns that lead you to your death, and try not to repeat them. Mega Man 2 makes you use your brain and is more than a simple action game. It helps you to memorize patterns, which is good for building intelligence. Remember that some areas like certain spots that have power-ups are only accessible if you use your Rush Dog robotic helper. Also some places like the large ravine in the Heat Man stage that can be completely bypassed by using the Rush Jet. If you like action platform games, then you are going to love Mega Man 2. Leave a comment if you have beaten it before or if you are stuck in an area!
-Tyler