Rock On, Man: Why I Love Mega/Rockman

Mega Man games are tough. So is life. There have been times when a player feels that it is impossible to beat a level or boss, that the time they spent getting to the boss's gates is negated by quick and sudden defeats, or struggling to figure out the boss's weakness (unless the player already searched it up on the internet) causes them to forfeit several lives before discovering that they have not yet beaten the other boss, the one that provides the weapon they need to have a decent chance of beating this current boss...

I imagine that many people have played Mega Man games and simply gave up when they couldn't even beat one level. The challenge typically only increases as a player reaches the final stages of Wily's castle. The difficulty can easily deter people and cause them to quit. One of the bosses is usually designed to be easily beatable enough through Mega Man's primary weapon, the Mega Buster, but trying to beat the later bosses without their weaknesses can prove daunting. I'm sure some can pull this off, but for most players using the bosses' weaknesses is the way to go. Rock, paper, scissors.

Simply reaching the bosses can be hard enough. Quick Man's stage in Mega Man 2 has multiple instant-death lasers that can be extremely difficult, especially for new players, to avoid without Flash Man's Time Stopper weapon (which, as the name suggests, freezes time). But that weapon's ammunition is best saved for when actually fighting Quick Man, unless one has the skill to defeat Quick Man with the Mega Buster. Even then, on "difficult" mode (which is "normal" for the Japanese version of Rockman 2), Time Stopper only depletes half of Quick Man's health.

Of course, difficult challenges are meant to be overcome. I used to not be able to get past the first of the four final stages in Mega Man X. I hadn't yet found all the power ups, particularly the armor that halves the damage X receives. However, with each new discovery, whether it be a new item, upgrade, weapon or strategy, and each failed attempt at beating a tough level or boss, the player improves, evolves, and adapts, which eventually culminates in the final boss's defeat and the game's completion...

Level by level, eventually the player manages to reach the final stages. After several (or many) tries, they can eventually reach the final boss. The final boss might be tough, and the player will likely see more than a few game over screens before they can finally beat the game. They might beat the final boss's first phase... only to realize that it has multiple forms...

If Shakespeare believed that "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players;" then the same lines can apply to the comparison between life and video games. Mega Man games, much like life, present players with obstacles one after the other. Every time players overcome one challenge, another tougher challenge awaits them. It can be easy to feel discouraged, but we must always remember that it is through failure, or rather, learning through our failures and mistakes, that we ultimately attain, as well as appreciate, the success we find after persevering through tough challenges. This applies to both life and video games.

This is what Mega Man teaches us: how to persevere and overcome hardships. What seems impossible at first will eventually become feasible, and then perhaps even easy. All it takes is time, practice, and effort. Such is the case with anything in life. The Chinese call this process of achievement and refinement of one's skills through hard work and effort 功夫, or gōngfu. In psychology, the concept of growth mindset is embodied through grit and determination as one treats his or her failures as opportunities to learn and improve.

Mega Man is about growth and perseverance. Mega Man is noble and adorable. Mega Man represents multiple generations of gamers who put in the time and work to get good.

Capcom might not love Mega Man that much. Mega Man should be Capcom's mascot and VIP, not Ryu, much like what Mario is to Nintendo and Sonic to Sega. Unfortunately and tragically, Capcom has devalued Mega Man by releasing too many Mega Man games within too short of a time period (with few refinements) as a means of quick cash grabs. Ironically (or logically if one applies common sense), this has resulted in the later Mega Man games not finding as much success with sales, and eight years' passing since our last Mega Man game. Six games on the NES. Eight Mega Man X games, with only three (arguably four) being games of quality. Too many Battle Network games. Not enough Legends games. I haven't played Star Force. Apparently they're not that good. The Mega Man Zero games are pretty good though.

Thank you Capcom for cancelling Mega Man Legends 3. Thank you for blaming the "lack of fan support" for its cancellation and for going out of your way to discourage and disappoint Mega Man fans. But, sarcasm aside, thank you for bringing Mega Man back to life.

I once thought that Mega Man had died, with zero lives left. His last game (Mega Man 10) released in 2010, and it was quite enjoyable. It took some time, but I eventually came to terms with Mega Man's death. There wasn't as much grieving as one might have guessed. No tears were shed, for I had found peace. Mega Man had a good run. It would have been nice if he were still alive though. Then he appeared in Smash Bros., and I saw that Nintendo gave Mega Man more love through his inclusion in Smash than Capcom had in perhaps two decades.

Then they announced Mega Man 11. I beat it the day after it released. Is there new hope for Mega Man?

I think so. Mega Man 11 was alright, not bad, pretty good perhaps. Mega Man will live on. Maybe Capcom will finish Mega Man Legends 3. Maybe I shouldn't hope for too much.

I also collect a lot of Mega Man merchandise. Check it out:

My container for Mega Man memorabilia, with some of my more recent purchases on top.

Mega Man X and Mega Man 2 30th Anniversary Classic Cartridges by iam8bit ($100 each)

 I'm afraid of opening the boxes...

 Mega Man 11 Collector's Edition Guide (retail $40)

 Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works (retails $35, currently goes for $300 on Amazon) and Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works 25th Anniversary (retails $60)

Mega Man Limited Edition Headphones (retails $44; couldn't get the price sticker off successfully...)

Mega Man Buster Replica (retails $40; currently sold out)

Zero Figures (SH Figures $40,D-Arts Black Zero $100+ on Ebay)

I love Zero.

Mega Man and Proto Man Kotobukiya Plastic Model Kits ($30-50)

Mega Man Deluxe Statue and E Tank (retails $130)

Mega Man Legacy Collection for 3DS with Gold Mega Man Amiibo (retails $50) 

Mega Man 11 Amiibo Edition (retails $60) 

Mega Man Schematic T-Shirt from Hot Topic ($20)

And then of course, here are the games.

For my closing remarks, Zero is my second favorite video game character, right after Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid. I love X too. I'll write character analyses of both X and Zero in the future. I'm in the process of uploading my blind playthrough of Mega Man 11. The game has left me wanting more.

I love Mega Man games so much that I went out of my way to earn MMH/MEH ranks for both X and Zero in Mega Man X5, twice. I also maintained S rank throughout every Mega Man Zero game, also twice. Only a select few understand what this entails. I've played through every Mega Man game multiple times. Commitment like this is what separates true fans and gamers from filthy casuals.

Without a doubt, I love Mega Man. Rockman rocks.