Megaman has had an illustrious career over the past three decades, spanning a total of 38 mainline games (Yes, I counted them) spread across 2 timelines, at least 4 genres and countless game systems. If you thought it was hard enough to keep track of every Kingdom Hearts game due to the sporadic console releases back in the day, then you had your work cutout for you with Megaman.
But with so many games, some are bound to be more polished or more fun than others. Today we’re ranking the ten best of the best out of the entire Classic, yes Megaman Soccer was briefly considered for this list, but didn’t make the cut. Pour one out for them.
With obligatory opinion disclaimers out of the way, let’s dash-jump right into the top ten. Starting with…
Actually, a brief honorable mention is in order:
Honorable Mention: Megaman V
The Gameboy Megaman games have had a spotty track record, but most can argue it was worth it as it gave us Megaman V, the fifth installment and a completely brand new game with its own set of unique bosses. Now you may question the canocity of this GB title but while it may seem spotty at first, it’s been confirmed canon by Megaman 10’s DLC bosses being from this game. You can even use their weapons in the main story campaign which was frankly mind-blowing.
With cute fun facts out of the way, onto the real list proper.
Number 10: Megaman 11
A Phoenix is a mythological creature that rises from its own ashes, but have you seen it rise from someone else’s ashes? That’s indeed what happened when Megaman 11 made its long awaited return in 2018 after the decaying corpse of Mighty No. 9 has fully scattered away.
Melodramatic analogies aside, there’s not a whole lot to talk about with Megaman 11 when it’s removed from the context of its release. It’s a fairly standard Megaman affair, just without Inti Creates’ design philosophy holding it back.
Number 9: Megaman 10
What a glorious artwork!
While it would’ve been funnier to have 11 in this spot as further salt to rub MN9’s wounds, it’s hard to deny Megaman 10’s was Inti Creates’ best affair with the little blue guy, expanding upon and fixing many of the issues that held 9 back and giving us a meaty platformer to truly sink our teeth into. The amount of content is truly commendable. Makes you almost wish it was the level design that accompanied it wasn’t as shallow.Number 8: Megaman 3
Megaman 3 gets a lot of unwarranted (and sometimes warranted) hate for how difficult it is. Now we’re gonna be here debunking any of that per se, but the game deserves a lot of credit for its creative setpieces and level design. This is when Rock finally cemented its grounded level design philosophy and not only found its footing, but stuck the landing as well. The idea of intricate enemy design where every enemy has its own personality and each room becomes a puzzle was finally fully realized and adopted from this point forward (well, before Inti Creates fully tossed it aside).
Number 7: Megaman 7
Finally, a funny placement! Megaman 7 really does not deserve all its flack being fixated on the final boss alone, as 7 is not only a legitimate solid boot through and through, but it should be commended for making the 16-bit transition near flawlessly. While Rock’s chunky sprite can be an understandable source of ridicule, it is ultimately harmless and doesn’t detract from 7’s fantastic level design and actually fun and well thought out mini-bosses, something Inti Creates would’ve likely emulated if they played the games.
Number 6: Megaman 6
Two in a row? One of a kind! This does break a chain here. 7 and 3 were infamous for their difficulty, while this one was infamous for the lack of one. Admittedly however, it’s really blown out of proportion, as 6 is more than capable of keeping you on your toes if you don’t know what you’re doing. Really, the only setback in this adventure is the lack of solid weapons and no, your armor doesn’t really count. Sure, it’s fun to wreck stuff, but you’ll likely start missing Pharaoh Shot or Gravity Hold by the end. Which leads us to…
Number 5: Megaman 5
Two of a kind, now three of a kind? That’s a full house! Terrible poker jokes aside, 5 is seldom on people’s minds, often deemed forgettable or mediocre which does frankly boggle my mind. Given that both Gravity Hold and Gyro Attack are both legitimately some of the best and most fun weapons in the entire series.
It’s got some neat boss battles too, Crystal Man is fun and the stages are great. 5 was kinda more of the same, or just a 4-lite, but 4 was already a phenomenal Megaman game, so more of it doesn’t hurt at all.
Number 4: Megaman 1
You can’t beat the classics as they say, unless you’re the next three entries. In a beautiful sense, Megaman 1 is the Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow of the Megaman franchise. Casually, it might not seem much, but breaking down the game on a technical level will promise you hours upon hours of fascinating anomalies to unpack, each one more mind-blowing than the last. It is a game that keeps on giving and never once got boring for me on repeat, with each revisit promising me to uncover a new fact about this that I never knew. Such as the fact both Elecman and Fireman fights can be turned into a bizarre yet addictive rythm game.
I’m a firm believer you should always respect the classics, especially when they’ve earned said respect and in my heart, Megaman 1 more than deserves it. It’s also just a really great game to replay in general. Never overstays its welcome.
Number 3: Megaman 4
To quote the great Nico, Megaman 4 is the best the NES games could possibly get. It learned every lesson it could from 1-3 and applied them beautifully. Nothing really went to waste. Except maybe Toadman. But seriously, great levels, fantastic weapons and incredible boss fights (Toadman notwithstanding).
After a trilogy of games that were all unfinished all for their development-hell reasons, it’s nice getting an NES Megaman that’s not only complete, but carries itself with confidence. Rain Flush, Pharaoh Shot, Flash Stopper, Dive Missile, Drill Bomb, Skull Barrier… that’s not me listing every weapon. That’s genuinely how many great weapons 4 has and the crazy part? Half of them are solid candidates for best weapons in the entire series.
Number 2: Megaman Powered Up
Remakes go two routes, recreation or reimagination, Powered Up does the latter, it’s a full-on reimagining of Megaman 1, complete with two new robot masters and even a new weakness chain.
But it doesn’t quite end there, this is arguably the most robust Megaman game of all time in terms of content. Now, content is only as good as its fun value and for my money? I’d say playing as all 8 robot masters, plus Protoman, plus Roll, plus three other versions of Megaman is pretty damn fun.
In addition to a level editor and challenge mode, this had as much stuff crammed into it as possible. It is the ultimate love letter to the franchise and something we may never see duplicated ever again in Megaman.
Number 1: Megaman & Bass
Putting on Rockman & Forte here feels fair especially with the modern internet age of English Patches. Unsurprisingly, this is classic at its peak. While the Megaman series is no stranger to having multiple playable characters, Rockman & Forte gave it the ultimate balance, with its dual-heroes being the most fleshed out duo ever.
It can’t be understated how compact Megaman & Bass feels. Sure, Powered Up and 10 let you play different characters, but they were simple means to spice up a replay. The choice between Rock and Forte is far more significant, not only are you committing a whole playthrough to one character, but you’re picking between two fully fleshed out playstyles.
First-time players often undersell Megaman’s capabilities, often citing his lack of double jump and his buster not being 8 directional like Bass makes him the one who’s often rejected, but his stronger buster and ability to shoot through walls is a true game changer. Sure he’s a little more difficult, but this leads us to MM&B’s greatest strength; its replayablity.
Simply put, R&F embodies one of the best qualities of the series and that is the more you practice the game, the more you get rewarded for learning and mastering its levels. It’s incredibly satisfying to finally master and overcome a level that once gave you hell, and it’s why this game left an unforgettable impression on me. Let’s not forget it’s other biggest strength; a shop that doesn’t suck! This will never be replicated in Megaman.
Let us know what your favorite Megaman game is! Zero 4? Legends 2? Megaman Soccer? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
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. I still have lots of other Megaman games to try out still the zero games , legends , battle network the rest of x and classic holy shit this series is super fucking massive
