Mega Man 2

When the team at Capcom was finishing the first Mega Man, no one expected a bright future — the first game sold miserably. The sequel was therefore made at night, in free time, as a last desperate attempt to give the blue robot a chance. And out of that desperation was born Mega Man 2 — the best-selling classic Mega Man and, in the eyes of many, the peak of the entire series.

The game's genius lies in its structure. You choose the order of the eight robot bosses and, after defeating them, steal a weapon that you then use against the next enemy in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Seeking out the right weaknesses and building up your arsenal is immensely satisfying and gives the game an almost puzzle-like dimension beyond pure action and platforming skill.

And then there is the music. The soundtrack of Mega Man 2 is among the most famous in video game history — the melody from Dr. Wily's stage became iconic and is known to this day even by people who have never played the game. Together with a sharp, legible graphical style and precise controls, it forms a work that ages exceptionally well.

This game's influence on action platformers is impossible to overlook. It established the formula that the series would then refine for decades — the third game added sliding and the robot dog Rush, but it was the second that laid the core. It became the definition of the genre and the benchmark against which even modern successors are measured.

Playing Mega Man 2 today means experiencing the NES era in its purest, most polished form: demanding but fair, addictive and musically unforgettable. A last attempt became an immortal classic.

Why play: For the peak of the classic action platformer with an ingenious weapon system, perfect controls and one of the best soundtracks in the history of games.