Mega Man 64

Mega Man 64 is the North American and European name for a port of a game that was originally released in Japan as Rockman Dash for the PlayStation back in 1997 — Capcom decided to bring the three-dimensional adventure to the Nintendo 64 as well, to reach players on a console that otherwise saw few action RPGs and adventure games. Instead of the classic 2D platforming that had made the series famous up to that point, this is a journey into a fully three-dimensional world with a camera behind the hero's back and a more open approach to exploring individual locations.

The story follows Mega Man Volnutt, a treasure hunter in a post-apocalyptic world flooded with water, who together with his companion Roll and the rest of his airship's crew searches for the legendary technology of a lost civilization known as the Refractors. The game combines exploring towns and ruins, talking with inhabitants, collecting parts to upgrade equipment and rebuild a robotic partner, and combat sections with a lock-on targeting system that foreshadowed later action-adventures using a similar aiming system.

Because the N64 cartridge had less storage capacity than the PlayStation's CD medium, the port had to undergo changes to the graphics, music, and some animated sequences, yet it still managed to carry over most of the original game's content, including side quests and upgrades. The differences between the two versions were most noticeable in sound quality and the length of the cutscenes, while the gameplay itself, the pacing of exploration, and the combat system remained essentially unchanged. For N64 owners, it was one of the few ways to play this departure from the series' traditional platforming without needing to own a rival console, which makes the port an interesting historical crossroads between two platforms. Today, Mega Man 64 is often mentioned as an unusual detour in the series' history, one that will appeal mainly to players looking for something other than classic run-and-gun robot battles.

Why play it: It offers a unique excursion for the Mega Man series into 3D adventure territory, with exploration, equipment crafting, and a lock-on combat system.