It’s been a long time since we’ve had a proper Mega Man game, with 11 being the most recent entry in this series. While we’ve had a few classic re-releases from Capcom, the company has decided not to make any new games for the Blue Bomber, at least not right now. Capcom will probably release another collection of old games before long, but it looks like the character won’t get a new game anytime soon.
As we ponder what old games featuring the character can be re-released, there’s an easy one that Capcom should consider: Mega Man Powered Up. While this looks like a kid’s game, it’s actually the best version of the first Mega Man fans can play.
Fans who’ve played the first game know that it’s a challenging romp, something that was pretty typical for the NES era. Visually, it looks like the rest of this series, so fans might be okay with trying this game out, but once they feel how weighty and clunky his controls are, they will want to go back to 2 and the rest in a heartbeat.
This is where Mega Man Powered Up changes things up. Since this was a remake for Sony’s PSP handheld, it already looks a lot better. We’re sure some fans won’t enjoy the chibi visuals, but it’s colorful and holds up well to this day. Controls are where this game shines, as it feels significantly smoother than the original, with jumps and shooting feeling more precise.
Players can immediately feel that smoothness, as Powered Up features a brand-new intro level that helps them get used to the controls. Some fans might prefer being put in the deep end like older games, but this intro level is pretty harmless. It’s also not the only new addition in this game.
Mega Man Powered Up also adds two new bosses to the game: Oil Man and Time Man. Oil Man is pretty close to being an offensive caricature, but the character is a decent enough fighter. The same can be said about Time Man, except for the racism, but it’s what fans can expect from a boss in this series.
New bosses aren’t the only cool addition in this remake, as the blue bomber also had a neat level editor that had a healthy fan community. Players could make all sorts of levels for the character to jump and shoot through. It didn’t have as much depth as, say, Super Mario Maker 2, but the mode was still good to have.
Mega Man Powered Up could use a re-release for modern systems. Visually, it looks pretty great, but a resolution or FPS boost could help things. Having this and Maverick Hunter X in one re-released package would make for a solid Capcom collection.