For many in my generation, it’s easy to think back and remember getting more frustrated than otherwise thought possible while playing some classic NES or SEGA games. One of my most frustrating, while at the same time enjoyable experiences, was battling crazy robots in Mega Man. There have since been several iterations of Capcom’s original blue mechanical hero and his friends, but some of the most fun came out on the 8-bit systems, “back in the day.” Retro-gamers rejoice, as the phenomenon has taken on quite a following in the last little while, and companies the world over are well aware of the pull that their classic characters still hold. So this year Capcom has graced us with the Mega Man Anniversary Collection.

While the 17th anniversary is not usually highly touted as an important one (Mega Man first launched into action in 1987 on the NES), Capcom decided now was as good a time as any to give their robot-warrior a new release. Out on the GameCube and PS2, Mega Man Anniversary Collection features Mega Man 1 - 8 as well as a few extras, and a couple goodies that differ based on the system you purchase it for. If you go for the PS2 version you’ll get a full episode of the Mega Man animated series and if you go GameCube you’ll get several videos with the producers. While neither is a deal breaker their both nice if you’re a real Mega Man fanatic. Thankfully both versions come packed with Mega Man The Power Battles and Mega Man The Power Fighters. These two games are arcade fighters that never saw the light of day over in North America, and while they are relatively simplistic boss battle ladders, they are nice to have for a change of pace. Just don’t be looking for these to give you a new Mega Man experience that you’re not familiar with.

To help those who may be unfamiliar with the Mega Man genre as a whole, here’s a bit of background… Mega Man is a cute but deadly little blue robot created for the good of mankind by Dr. Light.As in most games there is an evil to combat the good, and this comes in the form of the nefarious Dr. Wily. Dr. Wily has an obsession with creating very odd and strange evil robots to do his dirty work. These robots always have a theme: Air Man, Wood Man, Tengu Man, etc… and their domains are meticulously decorated in their own personal styles. You take on the role of Mega Man and make your way through the different lairs of the baddie-robots in your quest to take down Dr. Wily. Basically the way it works is that you inherit the abilities of any robot you destroy, so when you take down say Heat Man, you can use his powers on other robots. Some of the weapons work better against others like how Air Man’s weapon just annihilates Crash Man. The strategy here is to beat the robots in the correct order so you have the easiest go at it.

If you’re totally new to these games, trust me that they play out much more fun than they sound, and are going to be some of the best 2D platformers that you’ll ever play. Great level designs combined with some of the most complicated and frustrating jumping puzzles you’ll ever face is what gives Mega Man its claim to fame.

Graphically you’re not going to be wowed by the Anniversary Collection, but if that’s what you were after you probably wouldn’t be purchasing this game. The graphics are exactly as you remember them, and they actually hold up quite well. While there may be an initial shock of seeing 8-bit artwork again, you’ll feel right at home after about 5 minutes, and even forget that you’re playing this on a next-gen system. Adding to this feeling is the fact that there’s even the familiar screen flicker and assorted slowdowns you remember so well from your NES days. Surely these games are all running on emulators on the new systems to make sure that you have the most genuine experience possible.

The sound effects and music will also bring you right back into your childhood (if you’re out of your childhood of course). They sound just as great as ever (ahh… Air Man’s stage), but if you choose Navi mode, you’ll get remixed versions of the songs in Mega Man 1 – 7, which is a nice subtle touch. Navi mode is basically the heads-up display from Mega Man 8 which shows where you have to go, and how many lives you have left. When you enable this feature you get the benefits of this mode on all the previous seven versions.

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Gameplay and control in Mega Man Anniversary Collection is quite simple, with jump and shoot being some of the only actions you need to perform. In the later games you have access to the slide move as well. The buttons are mapped more or less logically, and Capcom has included a “burst shot” button as well for use on the first couple games which saves you from jamming on your shoot button so much.

What makes the Mega Man Anniversary Collection such a fine example of retro-gaming is the care that went into bringing it to the next-gen systems. The minor gripes that we’ve had with Nintendo’s classic series on the GBA have been due to graphics being stretched and squashed while being moved over the smaller screen. Problems like these aren’t present in this game, as it’s emulated perfectly on the same screen it was played on 17 years ago. If you were a fan of the Mega Man games in the past and want to re-live some memories, or if you just can’t get your NES to start anymore you probably won’t be disappointed with this game. If you’re a younger gamer out there wondering what all the fuss is about over these “retro” games, this a great place to start. Back in the day there were only a few games that you had to play, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Sonic… and Mega Man; you owe it to yourself to experience the beginning of the series.