Note that I won't be ranking them according to collections such as Anniversary Collection and Legacy Collection and neither will handhelds be mentioned here since I have NO handheld systems. Games like Megaman NAVI and Megaman Star Force won't be included. Spin-off games like Megaman Legends 2, Megaman Legends and Misadventures of Tron Bonne will be included. But I'd actually rank them by series as to avoid confusion but I'd actually also rank the series ACCORDING to my preferences. This won't cover up an entire list either and I still am getting hesitant to get Megaman 11 and play Megaman 9 and 10 too...
I. Megaman X series -- my favorite X series
It's no secret that Megaman X is my favorite entry of the whole Megaman franchise. Sadly, I thought that X has been neglected. I wish that we could have had Megaman X9 and X10. Now, which games are my favorite?
Megaman X4
Megaman X is what I'd call something I'd pick over Megaman & Bass any day. Megaman & Bass tried to capture this formula but FAILED. So why is it the favorite of my series? It gave Megaman X and Zero their very own identities. The game allows you to play in two separate storylines which makes it more challenging to play as either which. Zero has his Z-Buster absent and uses his iconic Z-Saber -- it's hard to play at him as first BUT it gets more fun when you learn various saber techniques.
Megaman X8
Megaman X8 for me has all the combo savvy experience. I admit this is a HUGE improvement from Megaman X7's lousy gameplay. The game is more consistently 2D (except for two stages that involve Gigavolt and Avalanche Yeti) with some cool combo possibilities. Axl now is an improved version of Bass in more than one level. Zero can now equip several cool weapons and make way for more cool combos. X is back to from being that wimp in X7. It's really too cool to miss! Need I mention I just feel like this is the Megaman Legends game we never had? If you notice closely the game also has Megaman Legends references such as the dream of creating a paradise in space, Sigma Palace may remind you of Elysium or Lumine is a more malicious version of Megaman Juno.
Megaman X6
Okay go ahead and SHOOT ME but I'm not going to make it a secret that I do love X6. X6 was criticized for overly difficult designs, really crazy random factors (which can be frustrating), rescuing hostages can be a pain especially when you lose the chance to save them (yeesh) but the easier controls, having your weapons refill every time you die and well Alia DOES NOT freeze the game every time she contacts you (YOU CAN IGNORE HER NOW) balances the challenge. Though I do admit there are some frustrating factors like accidentally triggering Zero's downward slash when you're on a rope or those annoying doughnut mechs but the perseverance is truly worth it. It's a test of skill and patience for every longtime X player.
Megaman X Command Mission
A nice spin-off of Megaman with an RPG/Adventure mode but it does have its downside. Once you've got X, Zero and Axl -- every other character just becomes overshadowed. There are some interesting stages. Others that are just SO FRUSTRATING (such as random encounters) or do you remember that desert stage or the alarms in the factory? I know it can be frustrating but it's still fun at the same time. Just be patient!
Megaman X
The first game in the SNES era was fun to play with and it's definitely got the whole formula perfected one way or another. For me, this is the best 16-bit Megaman X game due to how balanced the difficulty was. It was fun having random factors such as Flame Mammoth's stage could freeze if you first beat Chill Penguin. The fortress stages do seem to throw back to Classic Megaman games such as Vile as a combination of the Darkman robots from Megaman 5, some bosses feel like hybrids (ex. Spark Mandrill looks like a combination of Elecman and Gutsman, Armored Armadillo is a better version of Gutsman's stage and the nostalgia is there with less frustration while keeping up the challenge fresh.
Megaman X2
While the game has some improved weapons (though I wish Wheel Gator's weapon was more of a tribute to the ever-powerful blade in Megaman 2), there are some Megaman 2 throwbacks (such as Bubble Crab's weakness and Flame Stag's weakness) but there was one frustrating factor -- the X-Hunters! I thought trying to get the Zero parts and planning everything well can be frustrating considering that there was no option to exit the stages anytime. The game tends to get really slow unless you want to fight Zero and restore him. Also, Sigma here feels more like a wuss than he was in the third game.
Megaman X3
Be careful for what you ask for, right? You wanted a challenging game but this one takes the challenge to incredibly CRAZY proportions. I know Megaman X6 is difficult but I find this game more difficult for this reason -- I played X6 first and there's the lack of refill your weapons energy after you lose a life. Trying to find Vile, Bit and Byte and having to defeat them with character-specific weapons or they just come back as teleporter bosses are painful. Please, I'd rather grind Dynamo's collection of souls or fight Hi-Max than these guys! Sigma here also happens to be incredibly and FRUSTRATINGLY difficult it's not fun anymore. I even had to use Golden Armor to defeat him. The final form is just so annoying to the point of it really is SH*T. After you defeat the final form you had to ESCAPE and if you fail -- you start the whole annoying fight all over again! Pfft!
Megaman X5
Perhaps my least favorite from the PSX era for this reason -- incredibly SLOW gameplay. Why couldn't I just skip those cutscenes I have to drill with OVER AND OVER AGAIN when I was able to do them during X4? I can forgive the NES and SNES Megaman games but not this one. Another factor I pretty hate about this game is that Alia is worse than the Kattlelox TV reporter from Megaman Legends. At least, Kattlelox TV reporter could be skipped if she interrupted you but no not Alia. She really slows the game DOWN. That's why I'd pick Megaman X6 any day over this game that started the decline of the series. Fortunately, Capcom did decide to make the right decision and give X6!
Megaman 7
Perhaps the black sheep of the Megaman X franchise. If Megaman 7 is considered the black sheep of Classic Megaman then I think this is the black sheep of the X franchise for many reasons. The game has you start as Axl and you can't use X if you don't rescue 64 reploids. Axl is wonky and he's only been more well-defined in X8. I also have to say WTF why did they take away Zero's spinning jump? It makes Zero so much harder to use than he is. The inconsistent 2D/3D gameplay combined with a super wonky camera is awful. TBH if they wanted to make it 3D then make it 3D all throughout and of course NEVER WIMPIFY X!
II. Classic Megaman
I haven't played Megaman 9, 10 and 11 yet. I remember being obsessed with Megaman in the Family Computer days and I was glad to get Megaman Anniversary Collection. Now to rank my favorite Classic Megaman games from top to bottom.
Megaman 3
I heard this is Keiji Inafune's least favorite game (?) but I don't care of it's true or not. It's my first Megaman game and I thought it made me think how unfairly difficult Megaman 1 and 2 really are. The game started to balance everything from ease to difficulty such as making Shadowman's Shadow Blade less of a win button, bosses aren't so hard and I admit I love the Doc Robot stages that featured Megaman 2 bosses revived in a rather generic body. Then there's also the whole prospect of Dr. Wily pretending to reform only to double-cross everyone!
Megaman 6
Was this game even supposed to be the final Classic Megaman game? I remembered how this game had Megaman participating in Mr. X's tournament (who's too obvious to be Dr. Wily) and dealing with eight reprogrammed robots who once had their purposes. The game started to introduce a more advanced version of Rush -- he becomes both Jet Adapt and Power Adapt which were both fused into Megaman 7's Super Adapt. But I do like Megaman 7 less due to issues I'll later discuss.
Megaman 5
Megaman 5 can be controversial due to rather stupid weapons (such as Charge Kick, Water Wave and Power Stone) but I admit it's still a fun run with the game attempting to experiment on new stuff. There's that frustrating bubble level in Waveman's stage together with the jetski stage where you can't use any weapons (or EVEN pause it) but it did make way for ideas in Megaman X! The plot involves Dr. Wily using his Darkman robot to frame Protoman and we'd later get Vile as a more powerful version of Darkman -- did Dr. Cain find Darkman's blueprints to create Vile out of it? The Darkman stages can be frustrating but they can also be fun -- especially in finally owning Darkman.
Megaman 4
The game just started introducing the Mega Buster and bringing back items that you can find to make your game easier. Remember the wire and balloon? I admit, some of the stages can be ridiculously hard like Pharaohman's and Toadman's (the rain can slow you down and thankfully it's NOT acid like in Rainy Turtloid's stage in Megaman X6!). The game itself did start the rather controversial no direct password to Dr. Wily's castle as the only password you had to the final part was the first castle segment. Same went with Megaman 5 and 6 but it's not that big of a deal if you ask me!
Megaman 7
Perhaps one of the most disliked games ever for reasons such as why the stage select screen only starts with 4 bosses. Didn't we have that in the Megaman Game Boy series huh? It does have interesting plots such as Bass and Megaman. It's also hinted in here that maybe Megaman X being a totally separate robot just got retconned in spite of the original article that said they were different bosses. Bass is the first anti-Megaman robot and a prototype for Zero. Megaman later displays some amount of free will which either suggests he would later evolve to become X (at the cost of his memories) OR that Dr. Light saw the kind of hero that the future will need so he created X sometime later. But the gameplay can be that boring compared to the other titles above! But hey I do like this game but not as much and I think it's unfairly berated in contrast to Megaman X7!
Megaman 8
Maybe a very imbalanced game. It did feature interesting segments such as the involuntary Rush Jet levels. Yup, Rush finally got more useful by actually not running out of fuel to pass through big gaps and I find them fun. On the other hand, what prevented me from enjoying this game is that it does tend to be too easy and too difficult depending on which boss stages you are playing with. It does try to bridge the Megaman X games by actually adding the concept of Evil Energy which could've been used to create the Maverick Virus. Also, Duo seems to be the very basis of creating designs for Maverick Hunters in Megaman X4's flashback if you play as Zero. I guess both Duo and the Evil Energy served as useful bridges to the missing gaps between Classic Megaman and Megaman X.
Megaman 2
Perhaps the most unforgiving Megaman NES game or not yet many praises this as the "best Megaman game". I would like to list why I think it's overrated. A good example is that Metal Blade makes it almost spammable except some enemies are still immune to it. Others that I didn't like about this game are the controls, you have to be pixel perfect, it's almost impossible to start with Heatman's stage or Quickman's stage (due to the cannons) if you're a beginner and not to mention the FORTRESS BOSSES. You die and you have to start over from the last checkpoint which is just freaking stupid. I even loath Dr. Wily's final battle where he uses an alien hologram where it's immune to almost everything. This was the last Classic Megaman game I've finished due to how unmerciful it is.
Megaman
Maybe what's more unmerciful (if ever) is the first Megaman game. Thankfully, I played it in Anniversary Collection so having no password is not much of a problem. My problems are the rather ridiculous level designs such as Gutsman's stage (tilting platforms) or Iceman's stage has to be that SUPER HARD. I think it's just aged pretty badly for the game that actually started the whole trend.
Yeesh, perhaps the MOST unforgiving Megaman game ever! Who can remember how crazy this game was? I did play it on an emulator so I still played it. What made this game super hard? Whether you played as Megaman or Bass -- the game is still that horrendously difficult! Who can remember all the bosses here? I even have to admit the King stages were that difficult one way or another. Bass gave you an easier time navigating but his Bass Buster doesn't let you move while you use the shots. At least, Axl may have this weakness in Megaman X8 BUT it's definitely more fun to use Axl than Bass in more than one level. For me the WORST Classic Megaman game I've ever played and I don't want to pick it up EVER again.
III. Megaman Legends
I was a fan of the spin-offs but they rank last for this fact -- it's because Capcom didn't milk this one to its full potential. It's obviously a different continuity from Megaman to Megaman X (As evidenced by Barrel's diary in Megaman Legends 2 where it says the baby was named after Roll Casket's favorite video game character!) but it was a fun spin-off. Sadly, Capcom neglected it and we could have had Megaman Legends 2 for the PS2, PS3, PS4 and WHY WAS THE GAME CANNED? Now for my thoughts on the games under this entry!
Megaman Legends 2
Perhaps my favorite Megaman Legends game for having diverse environments, interesting throwbacks to Classic Megaman and Megaman X (such as Megaman Volnutt's job was to shoot down Aberrant Units or that some bosses' weaknesses do a throwback such as the Frog Reaverbot can be easily drilled down). I love how you explore one new island after the other (though rather limited) and get to have side missions that increase the game difficulty. You finish the game then you get Easy Mode which is a good way to have your revenge on the CPU -- all the while it doesn't really make the game too easy either!
Megaman Legends
The concept of a 3D Megaman was carried out right and I wonder why didn't Megaman X7 study this or the game above? It was an adventure game and I love how the game deviated from the original Megaman with another Megaman who's neither Classic nor X. The game takes place in Kattlelox Island which has a mystery. Hmmm it also does have some interesting comedic villains in the Bonnes or the legendary disaster storyline. What I do love is the sidequests and the missions here. But it's not really that great for me and I usually end up playing Classic Megaman games.
Misadventures of Tron Bonne
It was interesting to play the prequel to Megaman Legends though it's really too limited. Remember the quest to get a million zenny only to pay double the amount? There were interesting side missions but they do end up pretty badly done. It was fun to try playing as the villain Tron Bonne (or better anti-villain) and see what happened before Megaman Legends. If you completed EVERY MISSION you will get the special where it tells you that the story is continued there. For me, it was fun at first but I usually don't find the Bonnes to be the most interesting villains ever. I'd rather be playing as Sigma or Vile and cause havoc as them than as the Bonnes!
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So what's your favorite to least favorite Megaman games by category?
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