Mega Man

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the video game franchise. For the character, see Mega Man (character). For
other uses, see Mega Man (disambiguation).

Mega Man

Mega Man among various characters from theMega Man, Mega Man
X and Mega Man Legends series.

Genres

Action, Platformer, Run 'n gun,RPG, Third-person

shooter,Fighting, Hack 'n slash

Developers Capcom, Inti Creates (2002-2010)

Publishers

Capcom

Platforms

Nintendo Entertainment System,Game Boy, Game Boy

Color,Game Gear, WonderSwan, Neo Geo Pocket
Color, Super Nintendo Entertainment System,Sega
Genesis, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Nintendo
64, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
2,GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo
DS,PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation
3, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

First

Mega Man

release

December 17, 1987

Latest

Mega Man Legacy Collection

release

August 25, 2015

Mega Man, alternatively written as Megaman and MegaMan, known as Rockman (

Rokkuman ) in Japan, is a video game franchise created by Capcom, starring the robot
character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. Mega Man, released for the Nintendo
Entertainment System in 1987, began a series of over 50 games on multiple systems. By March
2015, the series had sold approximately thirty million copies worldwide, [1] and is often cited as one of
the most renowned video game franchises of all time.
?

The classic Mega Man series consists of ten main titles and a spin-off, Mega Man & Bass, as well as
all Game Boy, Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear and other console titles featuring the original design
of Mega Man. The classic series is considered to be the origin of the story, with Mega Man being the
first installment, and continuing with ten direct sequels. Chronologically after Mega Man
8 comes Mega Man & Bass, followed by Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10.
Although the classic series has yet to reach an ending, the storyline shifts to the Mega Man X series,
followed by the Mega Man Zero series, Mega Man ZX and Mega Man Legends. Although it is
confirmed that the Legends series takes place sometime in the distant future after the ZX series,
there is an uncertain amount of time as to when it actually takes place. All series follow one
continuous timeline except for Mega Man Battle Network and Mega Man Star Force which exist in an
alternate universe (one in which network technology flourished instead of robotics technology),
with Star Force occurring two centuries after the Battle Network series.[2]
The official source book Rockman Perfect Memories outlines the Classic, X, and Legends series and
makes mention of the Battle Network and Zero series (which were fairly new at the time of the book's
publication). While the ZX and Star Force series were not yet conceived when the source book was
published, Capcom is explicit within the games themselves regarding their placement in the
timeline(s).
Contents
[hide]

1Games
o

1.1Original series

1.2Handheld original series

1.3Mega Man X

1.4Mega Man Legends

1.5Mega Man Battle Network

1.6Mega Man Zero

1.7Mega Man ZX

1.8Mega Man Star Force

1.9Rockman Xover

2Timeline
o

2.1Main timeline

2.2Spin-off timeline

3In other media

o

3.1In other video games

3.2Television appearances

3.3Film adaptation

3.4Artbooks

3.5Comics and manga

3.5.1Archie Comics

3.6Junior novel

3.7Music

4Legacy

5References

6External links

Games[edit]
Main article: List of Mega Man video games

Original series[edit]

Mega Man battles a mini-boss fromMega Man 9. Note the run-and-gun and platform gameplay.
Timeline of release years
1987

- Mega Man

1988

- Mega Man 2

1989
1990

- Mega Man 3

1991

- Mega Man 4

1992

- Mega Man 5

1993

- Mega Man 6

1994
1995

- Mega Man 7

1996

- Mega Man 8

1997
1998

- Mega Man & Bass

1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008

- Mega Man 9

2009
2010

- Mega Man 10

In the story behind the original series, Mega Man is an android called Rock, created as a lab
assistant by the scientist Dr. Light with Dr Wily as his assistant. Following treachery by Dr. Wily in
which he reprogrammed all of Dr Light's robots, Rock was converted into a battle robot to defend the
world from Wily's violent robotic threats. Thus he becomes Mega Man.
See also: List of Mega Man characters

Though all Mega Man games feature unique stories, settings, and characters, they nevertheless
share several common features that have made the series one of the most consistent in video game
history. All main Mega Man games released prior to 1997 are side scrolling with 2D platforming
levels. The player character is Mega Man, who must fight through the levels using some variation of
the "Mega Buster"a cannon attached to his armto shoot the robotic enemies inhabiting his
environment. When Mega Man was released in 1987, the characteristic that made it revolutionary
was the choice given to the player of which robot master to attempt first. After defeating a Robot
Masterthe boss of a levelMega Man gains the ability to use that Robot Master's special weapon.
Each Robot Master is representative of a specific element or object, with such bosses as Fire Man,
Ice Man, Stone Man, and Elec Man. The weapons Mega Man gains share the theme of the defeated
boss. After defeating all of the Robot Masters, Mega Man travels to a multi-stage fortress to confront
Dr. Wily, the person responsible for the robotic enemies' destructive acts. In the fortress, Mega Man
fights past new bosses, clones of the game's Robot Masters, and Wily, who is usually in a large
multi-phase war machine.
Enemies are weak to at least one weapon; for instance, Fire Man will take more damage from Ice
Man's weapon than from other weapons. This concept draws inspiration from rock-paper-scissors.
Robot Master levels can generally be completed in any order, resulting in a strategic hallmark of the
series: determining the best order to defeat bosses and earn weapons. Sequels of Mega
Man games contain new enemies alongside familiar ones, new bosses and weapons, and perhaps
new gadgets. Later installments of the game give the player the option of commanding other player
characters with different abilities, such as Proto Man, Duo, and Bass.
To date, the Classic series has not reached a definite conclusion, although later entries in the series
have hinted at possible connections to the X series (such as the "Roboenza" of Mega Man
10 possibly being a precursor to the Maverick Virus and Wily's schematic of a robot resembling Zero
in the ending of Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters). But due to the Classic series' light-hearted and
nostalgic nature, it may never reach a definite conclusion. Originally developed for the NES, the
original Mega Man series experienced graphical improvements in fourth and fifth generation
installments. The series had no titles developed for sixth generation consoles but returned in the
seventh generation purposely sporting graphics, sound and gameplay similar to the original NES
titles to inspire a nostalgic look and feel, distributed as downloadable content instead of retail titles
like the previous installments.

Handheld original series[edit]

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge Game Boy, 1991

Mega Man II Game Boy, 1991 (JP), 1992 (US)

Mega Man III Game Boy, 1992

Mega Man IV Game Boy, 1993

Mega Man V Game Boy, 1994

Mega Man (Game Gear) Game Gear, 1995, (US only)

Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future WonderSwan, 1999, (JP Only)

Rockman Battle & Fighters Neo Geo Pocket Color, 2000, (Japanese Only)

Mega Man X[edit]

Timeline of release years

1993

- Mega Man X

1994

- Mega Man X2

1995

- Mega Man X3

1996
1997

- Mega Man X4

1998
1999
2000

- Mega Man X5

2001

- Mega Man X6

2002
2003

- Mega Man X7

2004

- Mega Man X8
- Mega Man X Command Mission

2005
2006

- Mega Man X Collection

Mega Man X Super Famicom/SNES, PC, 1993

Mega Man X2 Super Famicom/SNES, 1994

Mega Man X3 Super Famicom/SNES, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC, 1995, 1996

Mega Man X4 PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC, 1997

Mega Man X5 PlayStation, PC, 2000

Mega Man Xtreme Game Boy Color, 2000

Mega Man X6 PlayStation, PC (South Korean version only), 2001

Mega Man Xtreme 2 Game Boy Color, 2001

Mega Man X7 PlayStation 2, PC (South Korean version only), 2003

Mega Man X8 (subtitle: Paradise Lost) PlayStation 2, PC, 2004

Mega Man X Command Mission GameCube, PlayStation 2, 2004

Mega Man X Collection Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, 2006

Capcom wanted a redesign in graphics and control as the Mega Man series moved from the NES to
the SNES, prompting the creation of the Mega Man X series in 1993. Set in the future, this series
follows the story of Mega Man's successor, Mega Man X, a new, advanced robot that has complete
free will over his actions, thoughts and feelings. This character, often referred to as simply "X", is
also a creation of Dr. Light, put into suspended animation and uncovered 100 years in the future by a

researcher named Dr. Cain. The Mega Man X series features more realistic 16-bit graphics and
greater freedom of movement. In the Mega Man X series, the characters grow in abilities and power
as the game progresses.
As the series progressed, various other player characters have appeared, such as fellow Maverick
Hunter Zero who was created by Dr. Wily of the Classic series, OVER-1, created jointly by Dr. Light
and Dr. Cossack, a Reploid with an adolescent personality named Axl who has the ability to shapeshift into other Reploids. Zero would later star in his own spin-off series, Mega Man Zero.
To date, the Mega Man X series has not reached a definite conclusion, having been left unresolved
ever since the eighth title in the spin-off franchise ended with a cliffhanger.