Written By Craig
The Megaman (or Rockman in Japan) series is one of the best and most famous videogame franchises ever. Capcoms’ Blue Bomber has spanned a variety of systems, the NES, Gameboy, home computer, SNES, Sony Playstation, Sega Gamegear, Sega Saturn and the Sega Genesis. The NES Megaman series was the pinnacle of 8-bit gaming, nothing came close.
In 1994 Capcom remade Megaman 1, Megaman 2 and Megaman 3 for the Sega Genesis and put them on one cart called “Megaman: The Wily Wars”. The remake was both graphical and aural, the improvements weren’t jaw dropping but they made the game presentable for a 16 bit system, think of Super Mario Allstars.
Even though its remade, the presentation of the NES MM games are emulated almost perfectly, it feels like going back to a familiar place, visiting an old friend, you cant help but feel the nostalgia. The gameplay however feels a tad different, the control can be a bit shaky at times, its not bad but you may find yourself under or over jumping at some areas. Also, I am not sure if this is because I have become better at playing games or not but the Wily Wars’ Mega Man 3 is a lot easier than its NES counterpart. There was also one new addition, Wily’s Tower, which is a special game that is opened up when you complete all three games included in the collection.
Like I said before, the graphics don’t take advantage of the Genesis to the fullest but it gives the game a more polished and colorful look. The stages keep the same NES layout but they are graphically redesigned. Even Megaman himself looks better than the squinty-eyed NES blue bomber.
The soundtrack is faithful to the NES style but is much higher in quality compared to the NES and the fact that its now in stereo also adds to the improvement.
SCORE:
Gameplay – 7
Graphics – 7
Sound – 7
Entertainment – 8
Overall: 7.5
Overall, The Wily Wars is a great remake of three timeless classics and is a nostalgic trip into gaming history that’s well worth taking.
