Ranking The Core Mega Man Games From Worst To Best

Few video game franchises have lasted nearly as long as the core Mega Man series. Since 1987, we've gotten ten games, with an eleventh arriving in late-2018. It's the AC/DC of game series, since it's basically the same thing every time–mad scientist commands evil robots, go blow them up–but gamers never seem to tire of it. Not every Mega title is created equal, though. Some are worth your time and others can easily be ignored. In order from worst to best, here's what we think of each chapter in Mega Man and Dr. Wily's endless feud.

The one and only 32-bit core Mega Man didn't make a great impression for several reasons. For one, you could only choose between four stages at a time–conquer those, and an additional four would open up. This did nothing but add linearity to Mega Man that nobody asked for.

In addition, this was the first classic Mega Man game to feature voice acting...and also the last. That's because Mega Man 8's voice acting might be the most ridiculous in gaming history. Mega Man, for whatever reason, sounds like a elementary schoolgirl, while Dr. Light talks exactly like Elmer Fudd, going on about "Dr. Whywee" and "energy cwystals." The evil bots don't fare much better — Frost Man sounds like a Looney Tunes reject (which is fitting, since IMDb asserts that he's voiced by Dr. Light's Fuddsian actor, too), Clown Man squeaks like Urkel putting on an '80s valley girl voice, and Aqua Man actually threatens you with "I'm Aqua Man, but you can call me Handsome Guy!" Sorry, pal, Jason Momoa you are not.

As for the game itself, it's mostly standard Mega Man fare, with the added ability to use more than one weapon at once. That's a neat idea, but you don't need it to win, so the one new thing Mega Man 8 brings to the table is really only useful if you're pretending Mega's gone rogue and is utterly annihilating everything in his path. Come to think of, that's a great idea for Mega Man 12. Get on it, Capcom.

In 2008, twelve years after Mega Man 8, Capcom gave us a sequel for PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. But it didn't look like a game from that era–rather, Capcom replicated the 8-bit Mega formula, making 9 look and sound much like 1 and 2. It was a breath of nostalgic air, and the game itself was pretty damn good too, though it didn't add much new outside of Splash Woman, the first (and so far only) lady evilbot in series history. The game does sport dozens of challenge stages, so if you don't care about Wily, and just want to test yourself by beating bosses with nothing but the Mega Buster, Mega Man 9's got you covered.

Speaking of the Buster, you can't charge it in this game. You also can't slide, since the point of the game, according to Capcom producer Hironobu Takeshita, was to mimic the "old, early" games in the series. At first, it feels pretty awkward–long-time Mega Man fans have gotten so used to sliding and charging, not using those abilities just feels weird. Plus, it makes no sense in canon. Mega Man had those powers in previous games, so why would he suddenly not? That said, it does add a fun new challenge, but if you'd rather not deal, you can always play as Proto Man, who can both slide and charge. It's a rare example of the prototype being way better than the finished product.

Unlike Corn Flakes, Mega Man is the original, but not the best. It's an unabashed classic that started everything, and its system of letting you tackle the stages in any order you like, then gaining the weapons of the bosses you defeated, was positively revolutionary for the time. Subsequent games, however, have improved on almost everything to the point where Mega Man, while a great game, almost feels incomplete.

So what does the first Mega Man sport that dates it? For one thing, there's only six robots, though a 2006 PSP remake introduced Oil Man and Time Man to make it eight. Plus, Wily's castle has no map, a minor-but-pivotal part of the series's personality. In addition, you can't slide or charge up your Mega Buster, and there are no additional characters who can. Then there's the points system, something Capcom experimented with in this one game and then immediately abandoned. Gamers don't need 200,000 points when they've beaten Wily–they just need to beat Wily. Seeing him groveling on the ground after getting his tail whipped is reward enough, as is the knowledge that they've successfully fought for everlasting peace.

Mega Man 4 was the original "here's a new bad guy, actually nope it's Wily" game, from back when the twist was still fresh and fun. In addition, fighting two doctors gave us two castles and two castle maps, which was an awesome tradition that sadly didn't survive past Mega Man 6. (Presumably, Wily failed so much he could no longer afford two new castles a year, and was forced to make cutbacks.) What's more, Mega Man 4 introduced Dr. Cossack, the scientific genius forced to work with Wily in exchange for his daughter's safety, and who then spends the rest of the series on the side of good.

As for innovations, the game boasts two: one minor and one totally epic. This was the first game to feature Eddie, a flip-top bot who appeared at various points in the game to throw Mega Man randomized items. Sometimes you got a 1-Up or an energy tank, while other times the little jerk would prank you with weapon energy when you didn't need any. More importantly, however, Mega Man 4 introduced the ability to charge your Mega Buster for stronger shots, which changed the franchise completely. It's almost weird to play any Mega-games without it at this point.

Mega Man 3 might be the perfect core Mega Man game. Aside from no charged Mega Buster, basically everything that truly makes a Mega Man game appears here. You've got eight awesome robots (plus four extra stages featuring bosses based on the already immortal Mega Man 2 baddies), then Wily's castle. What's more, Mega Man 3 abandoned the generic Items in place of Rush, the lovable dog sidekick who was an immediate smash hit–because if there's one thing gamers love more than games, it's doggies.

Rush wasn't the only series-changer Mega Man 3 introduced. Foer the first time, Mega Man could slide, which added a whole new dimension of play and strategy. We also met Mega Man's older brother, Proto Man. He obsentibly worked for Wily, and would appear throughout the game to fight his baby bro, but winds up saving his life at the end because blood is thicker than paychecks. Speaking of Wily, this game marks the first time he swerves Mega Man by pretending to turn good, only to later reveal he's just as evil as ever.

Memorable stages, musical earworms for days, and a difficulty level that's just Nintendo Hard enough to demand your attention, but not so hard you turn into Rage-Quit Man, round out the reasons why Mega Man 3 is Blue Bomber at his peak. If Mega Man 11 wants to claim the top spot, it will need to be amazing. And leave Couch Man at the Robot Thrift Store.