Sam's video game collection essentials

Micro Machines is a brand of toy vehicles that debuted in the mid-1980s, and British video game developer Codemasters decided to make a video game based on these toys. You may notice this cartridge looks a little different than normal NES cartridges. That’s because this is an “unlicensed” game, meaning it was made without Nintendo’s consent or approval. After Atari failed in part because of saturating the market with too many lousy games, Nintendo developed a security chip for their games so that not just any old person could simply make and release an NES game without their knowledge, and that gave them quality control over the market. However, some companies learned how to bypass the chip and therefore bypass going through Nintendo for the release of their game, and Codemasters was one of the companies that took advantage of this. Luckily, just because a game is unlicensed doesn’t mean it’s bad, and Micro Machines certainly is not. As for the game itself, it is unsurprisingly a racin...

While on the same level of popularity as series like Mario or Zelda, Metroid is a very significant and acclaimed series from Nintendo, and this hit NES game is the one that started it all. Metroid appears to be a normal side-scrolling action platformer, but upon spending even a short time with it, you’ll realize it’s quite different from those games. Most platformers use a level-based structure, where the game presents a series short and linear stage for you to get through. Metroid, on the other hand, is almost like one huge wide-open level (albeit divided into sections) that the player can explore freely. And littered throughout the world are many power-ups so the player will gradually grow stronger and gain more abilities as they explore. Upon acquiring certain abilities, the player will be able to access areas that they couldn’t before, creating an extra incentive to go back to revisit old areas and providing a thrill when the player is rewarded for doing so. This blueprint provided...

They made SIX Mega Man games on one console?!? They sure did, and Mega Man 6 was one of the last significant NES releases in the console’s long lifespan. A neat thing about this game is that the robot master bosses were all designed by fans. During development, Capcom asked fans of the series to mail in their original creations, and eight of them were utilized for this game!  Mega Man 6 largely follows the same tried and true formula. The standard abilities of Rush the Dog have been changed though, as now Rush actually fuses with Mega Man to give him special new power-ups. Boss weapons were made more useful than they were in the past two games, which is a welcome change.  For me, Mega Man 6 is significant because it’s the game that I have the first clear memory of playing as a kid. I remember being at my friend Dan’s house one day and I think we rented it. I have a few specific memories from that time that for some reason always stuck out in my mind. For some reason we were ne...

The Mega Man games just keep on coming. Mega Man 5 is another quality entry, though it doesn’t really do much that’s terribly new. The biggest thing it introduces is probably a recurring minor character named Beat, a little robot bird that helps out Mega Man. In this game, you have to collect a series of letters hidden throughout the stages to unlock the ability to use Beat, who you then are able to summon, and it flies nearby Mega Man ready to attack enemies until its ammo is depleted.  One could also fault Mega Man 5 for not correcting a flaw in 4, that being the lack of practical use of the boss weapons. And this game even buffed (improved) the power of the charge shot which Mega Man can use whenever he wants. Mega Man 5 is still a wonderful game, though, since the formula it sticks so close to is a good one. It has what might be my favorite level in the series, which is Gravity Man’s stage (pictured), where arrows in the background pointing up or down will indicate the directio...

When I beat the post-2 Mega Man NES games about a decade ago, I came away with the opinion that 4 was my favorite on the console by a slim margin. I felt it had the best combination of catchy music and quality gameplay. Although I’m not sure if I’d hold the same opinions after a second tour of Mega Man’s adventures which I do think I’ll be doing at some point. The big thing that Mega Man 4 introduces to the series is the “charge shot.” Your basic starting weapon has been upgraded. Now, you can hold down the shot button, and as Mega Man starts flashing and the charging sound effect reaches its peak, you can let go of it to unleash a stronger shot than normal. This makes the early part of the game a little easier when you don’t have other weapons to fall back on, and also is a good fallback when you don’t have the ammo that you need.  I’ve heard Mega Man 4 receive criticism for having boss weapons that aren’t nearly as useful as in other games, which is understandable since a lot of ...

Mega Man 3 adds two very significant characters to the series. One of them is Mega Man’s robot dog named Rush, whom he can summon a limited number of times to help him get around in levels to serve as either a spring, hoverboard or submarine. Also new to this game is the mysterious Proto Man who at times challenges Mega Man to a fight. Gameplay-wise, Mega Man 3 only really adds one major thing, but it’s a pretty big deal. That thing is the “slide” maneuver, which sends Mega Man forward on the ground a short distance faster than he normally walks. To me, the slide is a fantastic addition. Mega Man’s slow walking speed sometimes makes dodging tricky business, but the slide gives the player a nice evasive tool to cover extra distance quickly when needed.  In terms of reputation, Mega Man 3 is the second-most-highly regarded game on the system behind Mega Man 2. In fact, Mega Man 2 vs. Mega Man 3 came to be a rather common debate amongst fans. I am squarely in the Mega Man 3 camp, thou...

This is the game that really made a name for Mega Man. The first game wasn’t a huge success, and the higher-ups at Capcom concluded that a sequel wasn’t a priority, at least in the immediate future. But the developers themselves saw the potential to build on the concepts of the original game and very much wanted to make another one, so they managed to convince their superiors to allow it with the stipulation that it wouldn’t interfere with other unrelated projects they were already assigned to work on. Passion projects are often an ideal foundation for a quality piece of entertainment, so it shouldn’t be a big surprise that Mega Man 2 rose above the original in every way, including sales, and it would be the best-selling game in the series for nearly 30 years. There actually isn’t a whole lot new in Mega Man 2 in terms of changing the core gameplay features. The biggest new feature is “E tanks,” which are healing items you can find in the levels that you keep on hand for any moment you...