Hey guys, let’s have an awesome argument about whether Mega Man 2 or Mega Man 3 is the better game, because that’s not old and stupid and pointless at all! Actually, I have a better idea: Just enjoy this article and take comfort in knowing that they’re both totally great.
In other news: Phil “Awesome” Armstrong submitted the cover for GameSpite Quarterly 6 right around the same time I finished the text and layouts, so I have submitted that bad boy for a press proof. The book should be on sale around November 10, I figure.
As you can see, the cover for next issue is completely wonderful. The contents aren’t too shabby, either! It’s the natural companion piece to GameSpite Quarterly 2 — last year, we celebrated Talking Time’s picks for the greatest games ever. This year, we’re looking at the games that didn’t make the cut, that are often dismissed or overlooked: the most underappreciated (asterisk*) games of all time. It’s an interesting list populated by interesting articles.
* Yeah, it’s the same asterisk as with GSQ2: one denoting total subjectivity, so don’t get too bent out of shape if you don’t totally agree with the list. Hell, I don’t totally agree with the list. That’s what makes it interesting.
So Legend of Mana, Donkey Kong 95, Four Swords Adventure, Secret of Evermore, Megaman Legends, and Final Fantasy 8 are the only ones I can glean from the cover. I guess I could go back and look up the voting topic to figure out the rest, huh?
Oh and I love you Loki you are amazing
That cover is incredible. If that were a poster I’d buy it.
Wario Land II and Snatcher are kind of obvious, there. The one at bottom right isn’t completely baffling if you know it’s a bullet, and if you recognize the three-eyed skull in the image right above that as the Lv. 5 Death spell. I admit the buttered muffin and jigsaw puzzle piece still have me a little stumped, and I edited the whole dang thing.
MegaMan 3 has a special soft spot for me, as it was the first NES game that I tackled wholly on my own merits. There might have been 1 or 2 games I’d actually beaten before it (namely Contra and Super Mario Bros.), but I had seen my older siblings beat those enough times that I felt like I was just emulating them. MegaMan 3 felt like an incredibly epic adventure to me, and I had a frightening level of pride in myself when I finally brought its credits to a close. On a side note, I recall starting into the game with a paralyzing fear of the new slide mechanic.
The buttered biscuit is Deadly Premonition!
I still say Mega Man 3 has Top Man and therefore it can never be as good as Mega Man 2, no matter how awesome it otherwise is :P
Holy crap, this is definitely poster-worthy stuff! Is that anywhere near an actual possibility someday, Jeremy?
Is that toaster dog from Secret of Evermore or from Space Station Silicon Valley?
Oh never mind. I seemed to remember the dog from SSSV being a toaster too.
The one under the title is an elf dreaming of a puzzle, if that helps.
Lv. 5 Death = Final Fantasy V? I approve.
Four Swords Adventures, yes. Underappreciated by its own sword, I’d say, but definitely underappreciated. This cover art is incredible.
Truth be told I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of arguing over which of the two Mega Man games is better. I think both are fine because they bother offer unique experiences built on the same great mechanics. 3’s only fault is being a little rough around the edges for being rushed out, but it’s sad that no Mega Man game since has attempted to do what 3 tried to do. Also…
“Dismissing it because Mega Man 2 might be better would be like dismissing every other basketball player simply because Shaquille O’Neal exists.”
Wilt Chamberlain would be fine with such a point of view.
I love the inclusion of Zell’s hotdog.
Who is the person talking to the cactus?
I look at Mega Man 2 and 3 as one game split into two.
and i’d totally buy a poster of that cover.
Mega Man 3 is fantastic, but it’s also notable for having the finest title screen music of the NES era.
Posaune: It’s the male protagonist of Legend of Mana.
The MM3 title music is fine, but just so anticlimactic following the magnum opus that was its predecessor.
The extra stages and MM2 boss inserts were also highly superfluous IMO.
Not to say that the game is crap compared to MM2. It did a lot of admirable things. But it wouldn’t be prudent to be anything less than sincere.
The Legend of Mana frame has already sold at least one copy of this book, FYI. That’s the most perfect reference possible to that game.
P.S. Bonus mysterious blank comment!
P.P.S. …that is now invisible, making my bashful joke about slightly breaking the comments seem weird and…mysterious?
My biggest dissapointment with Mega Man 3 was that it didn’t have a cool animated intro. Not that that impugns the quality of the game or anything…Besides, we all know that Super Adventure Rockman was the best Mega Man game because it only came out in Japan, and therefore, is automatically the best (or at least in competition with Rockman EXE 4.5).
BTW, looking forward to that new issue. In the meantime, I may be able to actually buy some of the older issues for once! :)
Chiming in to say that the cover looks amazing. Sold!
I like the list. Only game that I’ve played on the list that I disagree with is FF Tactics Advance which I stopped playing because the interface was absolutely horrid (any game that doesn’t show you stat changes when buying new equipment in this day and age can go die) and it was basically a bit crap and I really regretted the 20+ hours I sunk into it. Still I’m actually looking forward to reading why it’s on the list!
oops wrong article!