Mega Man Anniversary Collection

This is the kind of anniversary present that’s usually followed by a divorce

Tags: Categories: Game Cube Reviews, Reviews

Posted by Jake McNeill on Aug 4th, 2004

Title Players
Mega Man Anniversary Collection (title page) 1
Developer Publisher Genre Online
Platformer No


When Mega Man was born, there was Nintendo, standing by its side. The two were inseperable, seemingly made for each other. Soon, there was a sequel, and another, and another! Sure, Mega Man had a breif moment of infidelity (The Sega Genesis saw an extremely limited release of Mega Man: The Wily Wars, a collection of the first three games in the series), but even that couldn’t quelch these flames of passion.

Soon, the couple was gifted with a spinoff series (Mega Man X), and the happy little family lived in harmony… for a while. But people were whispering… They said something didn’t seem quite right, that things were getting old and stale, and just didn’t seem quite as fun anymore. Sure, on the surface, Mega Man and Nintendo were enjoying a friendly game of soccer, but behind the scenes things were fallling apart.


This soon came to a head when Mega Man decided to “try new things”, left Nintendo and brought Mega Man X with him. They’d now be making appearances on the Playstation and Saturn, Nintendo’s greatest rivals. Today, Mega Man rarely makes his way to Nintendo consoles, save for half-hearted attempts to show he still cares (Mega Man 64 and Mega Man Battle Network Transmission). Mostly, the only time Nintendo ever sees him is when he shows up to collect alimony on the GBA spinoffs (the Mega Man Battle Network series and Mega Man Zero series).

Now, as if to make amends, Mega Man is celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of his first appearance, and he’s given Nintendo owners a present in the form of a compilation of (nearly) every game to star the original Mega Man (no Mega Man Soccer). Sadly, while there may have once been love between Mega Man and Nintendo, now we see that Mega Man has only come back for one thing: money.


Breaking from the silly metaphor here, let me do a bit of explaining. The Mega Man Anniversary Collection, released for the PS2 and the GameCube, is a compilation of ten Mega Man games. Some are the stuff of legends, a few were good but not particularly memorable, and one is a real stinker (I hate Mega Man 7 with a passion), but all in all, this $30 package is an incredible deal, especially considering at the games’ original prices, they’d cost a combined $400, not including the arcade games which have never been brought to consoles until now. Actually, let me rephrase that. It was an incredible deal… on the PS2.

For the GameCube version of the collection, Capcom made a few changes that detracted a bit from the game, changed around the extra features a little, got the menu screens a bit muddier, then took a step back and gleefully spit in the faces of GameCube owners, laughing at them while running off with their money.


This spiteful loogie took the form of a control scheme that goes against 15 years of series tradition, and is unchangeable in the game’s option menus. Remember all those years where A was jump and B was fire? Now it’s the other way around. As a result, the controls are now needlessly cumbersome to the point where the games are a chore to play. These games often required split-second timing and coordination, and flopping around the controls essentially ensures you’ll be fumbling your way through the games, if you can even play them at all.


As for the rest? Well, the “Navi mode” (a kind of remix mode) in the GameCube version is missing the (crappy and inconsistent) remixed songs from the PS2 game (they’re only unlockable in the menus), leaving only the redesigned menus and crappy, useless, poorly-translated game hints (”Use the weakness weapon!”). I suppose the Navi mode is pointless in both versions, but it seems even moreso in the Cube Version.

Also, the extras include a G4 interview rather than the cartoon episode the PS2 version had, although which is the less insignifigant bonus feature is a toss-up. Both versions of the game feature comparable load times, graphics and sound identical to the original games, both the understandable removal of glitches like the Mega Man 1 pause trick, as well as the unforgivable removal of cheats like the Mega Man 3 high jump.


For all its problems, the GameCube version of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection is a collection of incredible must-have games, but this fact is lost on a compilation with a few small problems and one big game-destroying one. The PS2 version is a must-buy, especially if you don’t own Mega Man 1-4, but the GameCube version is a needless waste at best, if not an insult to those of us that remember the good ol’ days when Mega Man did right by Nintendo.

What Works Score
+ It's Mega Man! And lots of him! 5.0
What Doesn't
- Capcom intentionally changed the controls and made the Cube version essentially unplayable.
- Oh, and the PS2 version has more features, too.
Under the Shrink-wrap
Buy the PS2 version. Don't get the Cube version unless you want to waste $30 on a game that’s essentially an insult to GameCube owners.
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