Capcom's Mega Man may not be as popular as he once was, but the Blue Bomber has managed to build up a decent legacy over the years. While the many spin-off franchises can be pretty inconsistent when it comes to quality, the classic series that started it all tends to fare considerably better.

With twelve mainline entries dating back three decades, it’s shocking just how good most games in the Classic line-up actually are. None of the main games are fundamentally broken, and there’s a deeper level of polish involved whenever Capcom gets around to funding a mainline Mega Man game.

Updated October 19, 2023, by Tom Bowen: Capcom's Mega Man series was incredibly popular throughout the nineties and still holds a special place in the hearts of many even to this day. Despite releases having dried up a little in recent years, most of the classic Mega Man games are still a lot of fun to play, as the meticulously crafted gameplay mechanics have stood the test of time surprisingly well. Anyone looking to revisit some of the best Mega Man games while they wait for the series' twelfth mainline installment is in luck, as there are plenty of great and easily accessible options available. They're all available on PC and modern consoles through various collections, meaning there's no excuse not to check them out today.

13 Mega Man

The game that started it all is also the worst. While not a bad game by any means, the original Mega Man has some serious flaws. Its difficulty curve is anything but graceful, it’s too short, and the overall level design is rather hit or miss. Nothing’s terrible, but only a few stages stand out as all-time greats.

That said, it’s not a particularly bad game. The biggest hurdle is the difficulty, but it’s fun enough once the player realizes what the game wants out of them. More importantly, Mega Man has great bosses and enemies that play well with the Blue Bomber’s weapon set.

The Best Mega Man 1 Boss Order

1. Guts Man (Mega Buster)
2. Cut Man (Super Arm)
3. Elec Man (Rolling Cutter)
4. Ice Man (Thunder Beam)
5. Fire Man (Ice Slasher)
6. Bomb Man (Fire Storm)

12 Mega Man 6

In a bubble, Mega Man 6 might be one of the better Mega Man games; if nothing else, it's one of the more “complete” games in the series. The last to be released on the NES, Mega Man 6 essentially serves as a mechanical victory lap for the series, generally being fun enough to play and decently designed.

Unfortunately, Mega Man 6 does little that's new, even if it does most things well. By this point, Mega Man on the NES felt tired. This is to say nothing of the fact that Mega Man 6 came out a month before Mega Man X on the SNES, with the latter being Capcom’s real priority.

The Best Mega Man 6 Boss Order

1. Flame Man (Mega Buster)
2. Blizzard Man (Flame Blast)
3. Plant Man (Blizzard Attack)
4. Tomahawk Man (Plant Barrier)
5. Yamato Man (Silver Tomahawk)
6. Knight Man (Yamato Spear)
7. Centaur Man (Knight Crush)
8. Wind Man (Centaur Flash)

11 Mega Man 8

Mega Man 8 has a great soundtrack and even better visuals. When it comes to presentation, it’s one of the best games in the series, in spite of its awful English voice acting. Unfortunately, like most PS1 Mega Man games, Mega Man 8 suffers from an over-reliance on gimmicks.

More often than not, Mega Man 8 suppresses the traditional Mega Man gameplay. It’s disappointing, considering how gracefully Mega Man X transferred from the Super Nintendo to PlayStation. Mega Man 8 does have a Sega Saturn port, but it’s far more expensive than it’s actually worth. Besides, it’s not like the Saturn version fixes the game design.

The Best Mega Man 8 Boss Order

1. Grenade Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Frost Man (Flash Bomb)
3. Tengu Man (Ice Wave)
4. Clown Man (Tornado Hold)
5. Astro Man (Flash Bomb)
6. Aqua Man (Astro Crush)
7. Sword Man (Water Balloon)
8. Search Man (Flame Sword)

10 Mega Man 10

After the surprise burst of quality that was Mega Man 9, hopes were incredibly high for Mega Man 10. The Blue Bomber was back, and he was focused on the basics. Unfortunately, Mega Man 10 is, in many ways, Mega Man 9’s antithesis. Where the latter simply wanted to be a good Mega Man game, the former wanted to be memorable.

Mega Man 10 doesn’t over-rely on gimmicks like Mega Man 8 does, but it puts far too much stock in its set pieces. As a result, the level design suffers, and the game fails to come close to Mega Man 9’s quality. It’s a shame, really, since this was the only game to feature Mega Man, Proto Man, and Bass as playable characters.

The Best Mega Man 10 Boss Order

1. Sheep Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Pump Man (Electric Wool)
3. Solar Man (Water Shield)
4. Chill Man (Solar Breeze)
5. Nitro Man (Chill Spike)
6. Commando Man (Wheel Cutter)
7. Blade Man (Commando Bomb)
8. Strike Man (Triple Blade)

9 Mega Man 5

Mega Man 5 has some pretty good level design, but it lacks in almost every other area. The Classic series was starting to show its age with its fifth entry, and after Mega Man 4 introduced the Mega Buster, there was really nowhere else to take Mega Man as a character.

Mega Man 5 was left needing to build off what had already existed, which should have made for an incredible game. However, Capcom never really knew what to focus on mechanically. Mega Man 5 a fully competent Mega Man game, but it never excels as well as it should.

The Best Mega Man 5 Boss Order

1. Star Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Gravity Man (Star Crash)
3. Gyro Man (Gravity Hold)
4. Crystal Man (Gyro Attack)
5. Napalm Man (Crystal Eye)
6. Stone Man (Napalm Bomb)
7. Charge Man (Power Stone)
8. Wave Man (Charge Kick)

8 Mega Man & Bass

Mega Man & Bass’ Game Boy Advance port effectively killed the game’s reputation. With a cropped screen and sluggish controls, the GBA version is a nightmare to play and makes an already difficult game even harder. It’s a pity that this is the version that came west, because the Super Famicom original is considerably better.

Both Mega Man and Bass play differently enough to warrant two playthroughs. The fact that there's a world map of sorts and that the Robot Masters branch off in different paths leads to some interesting balancing. The game also features a database with information on every character in the Classic series up to that point. In everything but name, it’s the real Mega Man 9.

The Best Mega Man & Bass Boss Order

1. Cold Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Burner Man (Ice Wall)
3. Pirate Man (Wave Burner)
4. Ground Man (Remote Mine)
5. Tengu Man (Spread Drill)
6. Magic Man (Tengu Blade)
7. Astro Man (Magic Card)
8. Dynamo Man (Copy Vision)

7 Mega Man 3

Mega Man 3 is an amazing game with some lackluster pacing issues. Doc Robot is an interesting concept, but his design is bland, and having to find him multiple times is tedious. Moreover, Mega Man 3’s second half, in general, can feel like padding at times. Other than that, though, it’s an airtight game.

Well-designed levels, some of the best bosses in the series, and a great weapon set give Mega Man 3 a lot of value. While Doc Robot can be annoying and his presence doesn’t add anything too meaningful, he does lengthen a good game in a clever way.

The Best Mega Man 3 Boss Order

1. Top Man (Hard Knuckle)
2. Shadow Man (Top Spin)
3. Spark Man (Shadow Blade)
4. Magnet Man (Spark Shock)
5. Hard Man (Magnet Missiles)
6. Gemini Man (Shadow Blade)
7. Needle Man (Gemini Laser)
8. Snake Man (Needle Cannon)

6 Mega Man 7

The first Classic entry on the Super Nintendo and the only Classic SNES game to come west, Mega Man 7 doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. While it introduced many ideas that would end up plaguing Mega Man 8, it pulled off its concepts well. The game even takes some design elements from Mega Man X, emphasizing exploration and armor pieces.

Mega Man 7 is an all-around good game with great visuals and great music. Its levels are well thought out, the game is well-paced, and the difficulty curve isn’t a nightmare. It’s definitely jarring going straight from Mega Man 6 to Mega Man 7, and not necessarily in a good way, but MM7 stands well enough on its own.

The Best Mega Man 7 Boss Order

1. Burst Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Cloud Man (Danger Wrap)
3. Junk Man (Thunder Bolt)
4. Freeze Man (Junk Shield)
5. Slash Man (Freeze Cracker)
6. Spring Man (Slash Claw)
7. Shade Man (Wild Coil)
8. Turbo Man (Noise Crush)

5 Mega Man Powered Up

Mega Man Powered Up is a remake of the first game in the series. Like the original game, Powered Up tasks players with stopping Dr. Wily, though there are a few notable changes. Along with the significantly improved visuals, Powered Up implements a new challenge mode, as well as a level creator mode.

Mega Man Powered Up was well-received by fans and critics, exemplified by its 82 critic score and 8.7 user score on Metacritic. Unfortunately, the positive critical performance didn't equal a positive commercial performance, meaning that the planned Mega Man Powered Up 2 was canceled.

The Best Mega Man Powered Up Boss Order

1. Bomb Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Ice Man (Hyper Bomb)
3. Fire Man (Ice Slasher)
4. Oil Man (Fire Storm)
5. Cut Man (Oil Slider)
6. Elec Man (Rolling Cutter)
7. Time Man (Thunder Beam)
8. Guts Man (Time Slow)

4 Mega Man 2

Considered by many to be the most iconic Mega Man game, Mega Man 2 solidified the series’ legacy. This is predominantly thanks to the Eight Robot Masters, no Score system, a Password system, and really tight levels. Unsurprisingly, the game shows its age today, and it is often a bit too easy in terms of difficulty, but it’s hard to deny Mega Man 2’s quality.

Furthermore, the soundtrack and stages really are top-notch. The weapon set is also great, though the fact that Metal Blade decimates anyone and anything really neuters the value of every other weapon. Still, the game is well designed otherwise, and Mega Man 2 is perhaps the most fun to just sit down and play.

The Best Mega Man 2 Boss Order

1. Metal Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Bubble Man (Metal Blade)
3. Heat Man (Bubble Lead)
4. Wood Man (Atomic Fire)
5. Air Man (Leaf Shield)
6. Crash Man (Air Shooter)
7. Flash Man (Crash Bomb)
8. Quick Man (Time Stopper)

3 Mega Man 4

The real NES Classic Mega Man, Mega Man 4 is by far the best of the bunch. The introduction of the Mega Buster may have forever trivialized moment-to-moment gameplay (for some), but its contributions absolutely cannot be ignored. It made Mega Man stronger, and it made his enemies tougher to deal with.

Mega Man 4 plays like Capcom at their best. They look back on the best elements of the first three games and bring them to life around one new mechanic. Mega Man 5 and 6 would struggle to keep Mega Man 4’s momentum, but MM4 is too tight a game to ignore.

The Best Mega Man 4 Boss Order

1. Toad Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Bright Man (Rain Flush)
3. Pharaoh Man (Flash Stopper)
4. Ring Man (Pharaoh Shot)
5. Dust Man (Ring Boomerang)
6. Skull Man (Dust Crusher)
7. Dive Man (Skull Barrier)
8. Drill Man (Dive Missile)

2 Mega Man 11

Out of nowhere, Mega Man 11 proved that Capcom still had it in them. Created by a team of developers who grew up fans of the franchise, Mega Man 11 acts as a soft reboot of sorts for the series. It has new priorities, all of which serve to modernize the Mega Man formula without straying too far.

The game itself has some of the best-designed levels in the franchise, not just the Classic series. The new weapons are all creative and fun to use, the soundtrack is catchy, and the Gear system is far and away the coolest mechanic to grace the Classic series. Mega Man has never felt more modern and fresh.

The Best Mega Man 11 Boss Order

1. Block Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Acid Man (Block Dropper)
3. Impact Man (Acid Barrier)
4. Bounce Man (Pile Driver)
5. Fuse Man (Bounce Ball)
6. Tundra Man (Scramble Thunder)
7. Torch Man (Tundra Storm)
8. Blast Man (Blazing Torch)

1 Mega Man 9

It really cannot be stressed just how good of a game Mega Man 9 is. Not only does it look back on its predecessors for inspiration, but it also avoids being derivative and instead creates an identity of its own. In many respects, it's Mega Man 2’s natural successor, treating itself as a mechanical third game with only the concepts introduced in the second.

This isn’t that interesting of a concept, but it’s executed so well that it’s impossible not to see the value in this style of game design. Mega Man 9 really did feel like a resurgence for the series, arguably more so than Mega Man 11 currently does.

The Best Mega Man 9 Boss Order

1. Galaxy Man (Mega Blaster)
2. Jewel Man (Black Hole Bomb)
3. Plug Man (Jewel Satellite)
4. Tornado Man (Plug Ball)
5. Magma Man (Tornado Blow)
6. Hornet Man (Magma Bazooka)
7. Splash Woman (Hornet Chaser)
8. Concrete Man (Laser Trident)

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