Michael Dworkis (Senior Writer): My first Nintendo, the NES arrived in my home with a chorus of angels. I had cousins with Coleco Vision, friends with Atari, but I wanted the NES. My parents gave it to me as a Chanukah present and with it its included game of Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt. The Zapper was cool and all but this wasn’t what started a lifetime addiction to console games.
Enter Mega Man 2. It looks so cool. This robot dude with an arm cannon! I popped in the game and started blasting away at villainous robots and the eight Robot Master bosses. Before long, I would go on to defeat each one, but there was a catch. You see each weapon had a particular effect on a boss. I had to use my head on this one. Pitfalls, traps, giant robot monsters attempted to get in my way, but no, in just a few short weeks, Mega Man had defeated Doctor Wily. The funny thing, I never even though about whether there was a first Mega Man. I just though the game was called Mega Man 2 and that was it. Like the first came out for a different system. Soon after Mega Man 3 was released, and I became obsessed with the franchise.
There was something about the Mega Man franchise which kept me hooked to console games. Sure, I had classic arcade games such as Spy Hunter and Roadblasters on the NES as well, but it was Mega Man which kept me hooked. Hooked where the only reason I wanted a Game Boy was because of the continuing saga of Mega Man games. The levels were puzzles and your reflexes had to be quick. I often believe this element enhanced my own reflexes, being sharp with my eyes and seeing things move around me while others had yet to process. With each new game, new aspects and abilities were added. Capcom always found a way to keep it fresh and exciting. When the Mega Man X series came out, you damn right I went and had my parents buy me the Super Nintendo.
Just don’t talk to me about Mega Man Soccer. We do not discuss this.
