System: NES

Company: Capcom

Released: March 1994

Catagory: Action/Adventure

The sixth Mega Man game was the last one for the NES, but it sure left the NES with style. An excellent game with more items and secrets than ever awaited those daring enough to put this game into their NES. This is more "adventurous" than the first five Mega Man games due to the multiple routes in several stages. There are plenty of new items in this game also. Your faithful dog Rush will now transform into AWESOME armor and a jet suit thanks to Dr.Light. If you can manage to find the four BEAT parts, the helpful robotic bird will once again come to the Blue Bomber's aid. There is also an energy balancer hidden somewhere in the city that will automatically fill up your weapon energy without having to select the weapon. Talk about a must have item!! Fliptop will also be waiting for you in certain stages. With all this help, the Blue Bomber can't lost can he? Don't be so sure. This is one tough game!! There are new "Mini-Bosses" in some stages and they are HUGE!! There's something that I want to say about MM6. Many people say that MM6 was rushed because the NES wasn't doing so well and Capcom just wanted to get this game out in the stores. That doesn't make any sense! Heck, MM5 came out less than a year after MM4 and look at how AWESOME that game is!! MM6 came out 15 months after MM5! Back to this review, MM6 is a great game and a MUST HAVE for any Blue Bomber freak.

Storyline: After defeating Dr.Wily in Mega Man 5, all has been quiet for a year. The billionaire Mr.X has sponsored the 1st Annual Robot Tournament. This tournament is where the most talented robot designers in the world show off their cybernetic creations and have them fight other robots. The robots do battle in a series of tests to see which robot can claim the title of "The Most Powerful Robot In The World." Dr.Light and Mega Man are at the tournament but Mega Man does not fight because his sole duty is to protect mankind; not join a robot fighting tournament. Everything goes smoothly at first and everyone enjoys watching the robots battle each other. The excitement is top notch as the final eight robots enter the arena to decide who is the best. The mysterious Mr.X appears and has something important to say. He explains how the final test for the robots is to take over the world!! Everyone is in a panic as Mr.X and his kidnapped robots teleport out of the arena. Mega Man steps in and is curious about who this Mr.X really is. Why would this character want to take over the world? It's a cool storyline except that this Mr.X looks a little bit like someone else. The sixth Mega Man adventure has begun...

Graphics: Like the other Mega Man games, MM6 has EXCELLENT graphics with nice detail, color, animation, and even some double scrolling!! The Tomahawk Man stage has double scrolling that looks superb! (especially where the sun is in the background) You venture through an eerie castle, a cool forest, and more. The animation is as good as ever in Mega Man 6. In four stages of the game, the graphics are different after you beat the boss! (This is a way of knowing which stages have the BEAT parts.) The last few stages have some of the best graphics I've ever seen for the NES. You won't be let down by the graphics in MM6.

Music: Every Mega Man game has tunes that you'll get hooked on and MM6 is no different. New, original music plays while you blast the robotic scum. The Blizzard Man, Mr.X stage, and Knight Man themes are probably my favorites. The music fits the stage(s) really well in MM6! The Yamato Man theme sounds like the stage is in China or Japan. The tunes in Mega Man 6 are long also. Flame Man's theme starts out slow then gets fast and plays for a long time before starting over. MM6 has excellent music.

Play Control: The play control in Mega Man 6 is like the other MM games. It is fluid and precise. The weapon control is great!! The Rush Power and Rush Jet adaptors both have great control. What can I say except that the play control in Mega Man 6 is FANTASIC!! I like how well the Rush Jet adaptor controls and the Silver Tomahawk is awesome! Your Mega Buster blast is a bit smaller than in MM5 but it still has great control.

Challenge: A category that the Mega Man series has shined in is the challenge that the games have. Every NES Mega Man game is REALLY fun yet challenges you to perform at your best. Mega Man 6 is not any different. MM6 is probably the toughest NES Mega Man game. The initual eight stages are surprisingly hard and it only gets tougher in the last several stages. The second boss of Mr.X's castle is REALLY TOUGH unless you figure out its weak spot. (which weapon works well) The Dr.Wily castle has some tough spots also. (yeah I spoiled the surprise) For a great challenge, try out this game!

Funfactor/Lasting Value: Mega Man 6 is a great Mega Man game and after playing it, I REALLY would have liked to see another NES MM game. The game doesn't quite have the feel of MM5 but is still a REALLY fun game. There are LOTS of secret items and several routes in some stages which add to the funfactor. The multiple routes, excellent graphics and sound, and the tons of stages in MM6 give this game a LOT of lasting value. If you want to play a really fun and involving game with lasting value after you beat it, get Mega Man 6.

Ending: Every Mega Man game for the NES has a FANTASIC ending but MM6 has something that even the first five Mega Man games didn't have. Dr.Wily being captured! YES!!!! After defeating Dr.Wily's modified ship, Mega Man captures the maniacal scientist. There is a screenshot showing Mega Man holding a rope with Dr.Wily's hands tied up. Cameras flash and news reporters write in the news that the madman is captured at last! Dr.Wily is placed in prison and a screenshot showing "The Capcom News" explains how peace has been restored and how Dr.Wily now rules over a prison cell. After this course of events, each robot master shows off a little and the credits roll down the screen. After all the credits roll, the Capcom logo is revealed and three important words appear. "To be continued..." Mega Man 6 has a terrific (and LONG) ending!!

Here are my personal ratings for the game Mega Man 6 on a scale of 1 to 5:

Storyline: 4.0
Graphics: 4.7
Music: 4.5
Play Control: 4.5
Challenge: 4.9
Funfactor: 4.5
Ending: 4.8

Negatives: Mega Man 6 is a fantasic game but there are some negatives. The major negative is the unoriginality of a few stages and the weapons you receive. Wind Man is too much like Air Man and Gyro Man while Flame Man seems to be alot like Fire Man and Heat Man. The weapons are a little disappointing as well. The Silver Tomahawk and Flame Blast are really cool but the Plant Barrier and Centaur Flash are not very well done. Four Mega Man games for the NES have a certain "shield" weapon! The Storyline in Mega Man 6 was also rather disappointing. The Robot Tournament idea was cool but Mr.X looks just like Dr.Wily except for the beard. It's a little too obvious. The feel of the other Mega Man games just isn't quite there in MM6. Don't get me wrong. Mega Man 6 is a REALLY fun and Megamanish game but that unexplainable feel that the other NES MM games have isn't quite there. The music in MM6 is great except for one area. The Dr.Wily stage theme was a little disappointing because it didn't pump you up and give you that "last stage" feel like in the other MM games. Another negative is the fact that the Mega Buster's blast isn't as big as in MM5. I REALLY liked the big blast. I don't want to scare anyone off with these negatives. Mega Man 6 is a MUST PLAY game and is as good or even better than its predecessors in certain catagories. It just could have been more original. However, if that doesn't bother you, then you'll find nothing wrong with this great game.