My Arcade, the mini arcade franchise, who has games like Street Fighter II, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Contra and much more, created the ultimate Mega Man arcade. This unit has ALL six NES games into one mini machine. Even if you are a fan of only 1 or 2 of these, it is nice to have all of them in one place to play when you want to.

The original Mega Man series, dubbed Classic Mega Man marks the start of the franchise, released on the NES on December 17, 1987. In the original series, Mega Man is a robot originally named Rock (nicknamed “Mega” in later installments), created as a lab assistant by the scientist Dr. Light with Dr. Wily as his partner. Following treachery by Dr. Wily in which he reprogrammed most of Dr. Light’s robots, Rock volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot to defend the world from Wily’s violent robotic threats, thus becoming Mega Man.

This recreation of the NES games are pretty similar to the originals.  The sound and graphics come close to the NES versions. The controls are a bit tricky compared to the NES D-Pad. It does take some practice to get used to the controls. The buttons are vert precise and work well on the unit. Seeing the side graphics and the marque make it nostalgic to play.

Mega Man, known as Rockman^[in Japan, is a platform game developed and published by Capcom in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was directed by Akira Kitamura, with Nobuyuki Matsushima as lead programmer, and is the first game of the Mega Man franchise and the original video game series. Mega Man was produced by a small team specifically for the home console market, a first for Capcom, which previously focused on arcade video games.

Mega Man 2 (stylized as MEGA MAN II) is an action game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan in 1988 and in North America and PAL regions the following years. Mega Man 2 continues Mega Man’s battle against the evil Dr. Wily and his rogue robots. It introduced graphical and gameplay changes, many of which became series staples.

Mega Man 3 (stylized as Mega Man III) is an action-platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game of the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on September 28, 1990. The game was released in North America later in 1990 and in European regions by Nintendo in 1992. Taking place after the events of Mega Man 2, the plot follows the titular hero as he helps his creator, Dr. Light, and a supposedly former enemy, Dr. Wily, collect parts for a peace-keeping robot by defeating several Robot Masters that have gone haywire.

Mega Man 4 (stylized as MEGA MAN IV) is an action-platform game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the fourth game in the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan in 1991. The game was localized in North America the following January, and in Europe in 1993.

Mega Man 5 is an action-platform video game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the fifth game in the original Mega Man series and was released in Japan on December 4, 1992. It saw a release during the same month in North America and in 1993 in Europe.

Mega Man 6, known in Japan as Rockman 6: The Greatest Battle in History!! is an action-platform video game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth installment in the original Mega Man series. It was originally released in Japan by Capcom in 1993, and in North America by Nintendo in 1994. It was included in the Mega Man Anniversary Collection released in 2004. Its first release in Europe and PAL region was June 11, 2013, for the 3DS Virtual Console, nearly twenty years after the game’s initial release.

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Consoles for sale.

There are many different reasons as to why retro video games started to go up in price.  Sellers upping the price because more people are buying, the news about WATA selling games in the millions, and streamers/YouTubers talking about a certain game and why you should play it.  There are so many variables to this that this subject can be simple like a high school economics class or as difficult as a grad school lecture.  While retro gaming is enjoying a newfound resurgence, there is one thing us gamers and collectors need to be wary of.  Prices are going up, and there are many who would love to take advantage of us.  At the time of this writing, retro game conventions like Too Many Games and Retropalooza already occurred in both the East Coast and Texas.  While scrolling through my twitter feed I saw tweets from attendees and there was 1 thing most were complaining about.  The bonkers prices for certain retro games.  Attendees from these conventions were posting pictures on how much games were and conversations were happening on Twitter.  Hobbyists were upset on how these games have become so expensive and how it may deter newcomers.  Others were mad on how some people buying these games are seeing it as an investment and are waiting to sell it off later.  While I can’t speak for collectors/investors, I know what kind of collector I am.  I collect to play my games.  If a game is super expensive then either I’ll wait and hope the price drops, or I’ll save up.  Who knows?  Maybe you’ll get lucky like I did recently with a Mega Man game.

Now even with tools like Pricecharting and GameValueNow, you still don’t know if people are just inflating the price.  Especially with WATA being a buzzword that has definitely gotten some collectors on edge.  Case in point, I recently bought a copy of MegaMan Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian for the Nintendo DS at GameStop.  The game was in the original case and it had the manual.  Granted 1 insert was missing (the Nintendo DS safety one) but since the manual was there and for sake of argument, I consider this CIB.  I paid $14.99 for it and when I bought it, Pricecharting had a loose copy of the game averaging $72 and CIB for $98.  So one of 2 things is happening here.  Either people on eBay are overcharging and inflating this game’s price, or I truly got a steal at a GameStop and they royally messed up.  I told some friends about it and they told me what I payed for at GameStop is what the game is really worth.  Yet continuing to look at eBay and OfferUp the price for this game is still high.  So I even don’t know what to believe.  Even though I bought this at a chain store who knows what this game is actually worth.  I don’t plan to sell it (Mega Man is one of my favorite franchises) and truthfully I still feel I paid a good price for the game.  It just means when I go into the secondhand market I have to be über careful.

As great as they are, dedicated game stores and collector shows can have dodgy sellers.  I was visiting my favorite collectible show and saw a vendor selling the new Legend of Zelda Game & Watch.  However, the vendor was selling it (brand new/sealed) for $100 and had a sticky note saying “SOLD OUT SYSTEM”.  This made me rub my head a bit, because earlier that week I went to GameStop (same one I got Mega Man at) to pre-order my copy of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and walked out with the Game & Watch at retail price.  Retail price if you didn’t know is $50.  Whats more is before I left my house, I checked to see if my local Target had some in stock.  They did and it was serendipity that GameStop also had some in stock.  The system was just released too, so maybe when the vendor got his they were sold out and I got lucky with a new shipment that just came in.  Either way, why would this seller claim that the system is sold out everywhere, when I can just go to Target and buy 5 of them?  I understand the vendor may need to charge a little extra for overhead, but double the MSRP is pretty shady.

You may recall a pair of articles I wrote in the beginning of 2020 on starting a new video game collection on the cheap (you can see part 1 here and part 2 here).  The more time that’s past the stronger the urge to properly update them.  Sure there are some good tips in there, but they were written pre-pandemic.  Console prices have gone up and some are harder to get than ever before.  Pre-pandemic finding a Wii U was easy as can be.  Now it’s one of the most sought after systems.  According to Pricecharting back in September of 2018, a loose console (black 32 GB model)  would cost you about $62.  Now a loos one is about $150.  Prices fluctuate, which means for us collectors and gamers we need to constantly be researching.  Making sure a game is worth it or setting a limit on how much you’re willing to spend are good ways to start.  I hope to the pixel gods above me that game prices go down again, but if they don’t, that’s just something myself and millions of other game collectors have to deal with.  The world is opening up and things are slowly getting better, but we must be ready for the changes that follow.

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Mega Man 8 for the PlayStation.  If memory serves this is the first Mega Man game I’ve ever played and my entry point into the series.  I knew who Mega Man was thanks to the old cartoon series but didn’t dive fully into the games until much later.  Now 8 may get some flak in the community for the bad voice acting (yes it truly is THAT terrible) but it’s still a solid Mega Man game.  All 8 robot masters may not be available to fight right at the get go but its still a fun game, even if Clown Man haunts players nightmares.  Now the part that really gets me, even when I first played it, was the snowboarding part from Frost Man’s stage.  Now after a few times memorizing the stage, getting through it to fight Frost Man isn’t the worst thing in the world, its the snowboarding part thats in the beginning of Wily’s castle at the end of the game.

This is the part that haunts me, and has haunted me ever since I first played the game.  For the life of me, I could never get past the snowboarding part.  Now for those who have never played the game, while on the snowboard there’s a high pitched voice that will prompt you to either jump or slide, and of course the commands get quicker the further into the level you get.  However with the last jump you have to jump, then slide, then jump again all in one pixel perfect jump.  I have tried so many times to get that jump right and no matter how many times I try I could not get it.  I have always either made the jump way too early and missed the last edge to get to the end of the level, or hit the jump button way too late and instantly fell to my death.  I’m honestly surprised how I haven’t destroyed my PlayStation controller.

That dang jump has haunted me for over 15 plus years, and every time I get there, I try it for a while, then put down the controller out of sheer frustration and play something else for a while to let out some steam.  Will I ever go back to Mega Man 8 to beat that accursed jump?  Of course I will.  Even though the game doesn’t really add to the Mega Man formula, it’s a fun game and the first true Mega Man game I’ve ever owned.  It’s just that ONE part that gets me every time.

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About A Robot Named Fight:

Combining the best of the Metroidvania and Roguelike genres, A Robot Named Fight’s monstrous creatures, huge item variety, quirky writing and synthwave soundtrack hit the sweet spot between retro and modern platformers. Also, the game features local co-op. Start a new game, have a friend join in and battle the Megabeast side-by-side ‘90s style.

For More on the Game, Click Here. 

Old School Gamer Magazine: How was this game born?

Matt Bitner: A Robot Named Fight was an idea I attempted some seven or eight years ago when I was first learning to program in ActionScript 3. It was something like “Mega Man meets Diablo” at the time. I left it on the shelf for a long time as I pursued a career making mobile games for a company called Hitcents. In early 2016, my grandmother died of complications with lung cancer and COPD and left me in a position to pursue the game full-time again. The game is dedicated to her. I’d had years to stew on the concept and learned a lot from my love of roguelikes and my hobby as a not-so-great Super Metroid speed runner. The result is the procedurally-generated platformer you see today.



OSGM: What has development been like so far?

Bitner: I’ve been developing the game more or less by myself for just over a year. My wife has done all of the social media marketing and I’ve had friends help with QA and creating trailers. My friend Zack T. Jones did the awesome art you see on the store page and helped me storyboard some of the intro and endings. In the final months, I got in contact with a PR firm, Novy Unlimited – and they’ve been a tremendous help in promoting it as well. Still, I’ve largely made the game in chronic isolation – constantly in crunch mode. It’s been really great to finally put it out there and have a community to interact with on Steam and Discord.

OSGM: What makes this game special?

Bitner: There are very few Metroidvania/roguelike mashups out there right now. I could be wrong, but I believe A Robot Named Fight is the only one out there with item-gated progression, a single overworld map, and permadeath. It’s also the only one I know of that’s more focused on the Metroid as opposed to the vania. The intended item order is randomized at every run. There are potential sequence breaks. It’s been getting really positive feedback from both Metroidvania and roguelike fans.

OSGM: What games influenced this one the most?

Bitner: The biggest influences on this game are definitely Super Metroid and The Binding of Isaac. I intentionally made the controls and player movement feel as close to Super Metroid as possible. I think Super Metroid is arguably the greatest game of all time. Myself and millions of gamers are forever indebted to Makoto Kanō and Deer Force.  The Binding of Isaac is far and away my favorite roguelike, and the nature of A Robot Named Fight’s meta-progression pulls heavily from Edmund McMillen’s modern classic. Still, you can see the influence of a lot of other games in there, too. Megaman, Contra, Doom, Abadox, Splatterhouse. That’s a long list!

OSGM: As an indie studio, what do you think you guys do differently than the big studios?

Bitner: “You guys.”

Making a game with a big studio or even a small team is radically different than making a game by yourself. With a team, you have the benefit of a more diverse skill set and the camaraderie of other people. You can stay focused on a more singular task. Developing the game entirely by myself has been daunting, but it has also enabled me to work quickly – understanding all the moving parts of the game inside and out. I haven’t had to compromise with others’ creative input, which has its pros and cons. It’s scary to self-finance a game and not have a steady income during development. I’ve learned to wear a lot of hats and often argue with myself over feature-creep and sticking to budgets and deadlines. The typical dynamics of a game development team have kind of manifested as personal neurosis.

OSGM: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Bitner: To be completely honest, development has been not so fun and wild. It’s been more taxing and arduous, yet fulfilling. Still, toward the end of development, I started streaming on Twitch while working – and a nice little community of several people grew around it. I would stream play tests – and they’d spot bugs for me, keep me company … and every so often encourage me to day drink. (I’m looking at you, Erik.) Since launch, more people have popped up on Discord and in the discussion boards on Steam. The other day, I was talking to a guy who’d found some cool sequence breaks that could potentially let you skip a large chunk of some runs. Stuff like that has been really rewarding.

OSGM: Why do you think preserving old-school game mechanics in new games is important?

Bitner: I think old-school games still have so much to offer the world of gaming. Hidden gems like Infiniminer and classics like Dungeon Keeper inspired the likes of Minecraft. Rogue was made in 1980. Metroid was ’86. Both of these games have inspired some of the most popular indie genres as of late. I imagine that there are a whole lot of genres waiting to be discovered in under-appreciated gems from the past. There’s also a kind of unpolished charm to a lot of old-school game mechanics that you’re not likely to find in too many AAA titles. Things that are strange or not immediately intuitive. To many, permadeath sounds like a terrible idea on paper, but it can be really rewarding.

OSGM: Retro-themed games are thriving on consoles today thanks to games the likes of Kamiko, TowerFall and Super Meat Boy among others. Any thoughts on this making its way to consoles?

Bitner: I would love to get my hands on some dev kits and start porting the game to consoles. It’s made in Unity, so it wouldn’t take very long to port at all. There are no concrete plans yet, but don’t rule it out for the future.

OSGM: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Bitner: My parents got me a Sega Genesis for Christmas one year. I was only four years old when that system came out, so this was a few years later. I remember being through the roof. My reaction at the time would probably be a viral video now. So that’s a big one. Playing Doom on my dad’s 486 when it came out was a defining moment.

OSGM: How does this game disrupt the video game landscape?

Bitner: Metroidvania and Roguelike is a really unintuitive genre combo. Some of the principles behind those genres seem diametrically opposed. I’m really happy to be among the handful of games attempting to crack it. It has a lot of potential for the future. I hope A Robot Named Fight contributes a whole lot to the idea of what a Roguevania / Metroguelike / Roguetroidvanialike is meant to be.

OSGM: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Bitner: This is a really good question. I’ve been noticing that roguelike fans find the game a little too easy, while Metroidvania fans have found it to be too difficult. They each have their own contradictory gripes. I’ve been doing some extra balancing in the days since release to address some of this. It will be a very interesting game for people that enjoy speed running Metroidvanias. But ultimately, I believe the people that are fans of both genres will get the most enjoyment out of it. That includes me.

OSGM: How do you want this game to be remembered?

Bitner: I hope A Robot Named Fight is remembered as a forerunner of a really cool genre combo that hopefully takes on its own personality. I know that sounds lofty, but I guess what I’m really saying is: I hope someone makes an even better Metroidvania / Roguelike in the next few years. That might not be the best thing for me personally, but after almost eight years invested in the idea. I really hope to see it take off.

OSGM: What are your goals for the game? / What’s next?

Bitner: The game is complete in more ways than one, but I really hope to keep supporting it. Working by myself, I wasn’t able to get in every item idea and boss fight and an odd secret that I wanted to. I have a backlog of notes that I hope to slowly trickle in as free updates. Eventually, I might tackle a larger paid DLC. The nature of the game really lends itself to ever-growing content. Games like Terraria and The Binding of Isaac have really inspired me in that regard.

OSGM: Anything else you’d like to add?

Bitner: I hope people bear with me. This is my first solo release, but I’m dedicated to this thing.  I’m sure there will be some missteps along the way, but I really want to keep it alive for a good long while.

—

Patrick Hickey Jr. is the author of the upcoming book, “The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult and Classic Video Game Developers,” from McFarland And Company. Featuring interviews with the creators of 36 popular video games–including Deus Ex, NHLPA 93, Night Trap, Mortal Kombat, Wasteland and NBA Jam–the book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of the most influential and iconic (and sometimes forgotten) games of all time. Recounting endless hours of painstaking development, the challenges of working with mega publishers and the uncertainties of public reception, the interviewees reveal the creative processes that produced some of gaming’s classic titles.

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