Mega Man (1987 video game)

Mega Man
Japanese cover art by Keiji Inafune
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Akira Kitamura
Producer(s)Takashi Nishiyama
Programmer(s)Nobuyuki Matsushima
Artist(s)
  • Yasuaki Kishimoto
  • Naoya Tomita
  • Keiji Inafune
  • Akira Kitamura
Composer(s)Manami Matsumae
SeriesMega Man
Platform(s)
Release
December 17, 1987
  • Famicom / NES
    PlayStation
    Mobile phone
    Android, iOS
    • WW: January 5, 2017[7]
Genre(s)Action, platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Mega Man, known as Rockman[a] in Japan, is a 1987 action-platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The first installment in the Mega Man franchise and the original video game series, Mega Man was produced by a small team specifically for the home console market, a first for Capcom, which up until that point focused on arcade video games. It was directed by Akira Kitamura, with Nobuyuki Matsushima as lead programmer.

The game follows the humanoid robot and player-character Mega Man and his quest to save the world from the mad scientist Dr. Wily and the six "Robot Masters" under his control. Mega Man's nonlinear gameplay lets the player choose the order in which to complete its initial six stages. Each culminates in a boss battle against one of the Robot Masters that awards the player-character a unique weapon. Part of the strategy of the game is that the player must carefully choose the order in which to tackle the stages so that they can earn the weapons that will be most useful for future stages.

Critics praised Mega Man for its overall design. Mega Man established many of the gameplay, story, and graphical conventions that would define the ensuing sequels, subseries, and spin-offs in the Mega Man franchise. The game has since been re-released in game compilations such as Mega Man Legacy Collection, ported to mobile phones, and become a part of console emulation services. A sequel, Mega Man 2, was released the following year. A remake with 3D graphics, titled Mega Man Powered Up, was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2006.

  1. ^ "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  2. ^ MM25: Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works. Udon Entertainment. August 2013. pp. 30–33.
  3. ^ Wee, Lim Choon (October 18, 1990). "Rockman goes to the rescue". New Straits Times. New Straits Times Press. p. 15. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  4. ^ MM25: Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works. Udon Entertainment. August 2013. pp. 130–131.
  5. ^ GPara staff (June 4, 2007). "初代『ロックマン』iアプリに完全移植されて配信開始!" (in Japanese). Gpara.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  6. ^ Palley, Steven (January 1, 2004). "Mega Man Preview". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  7. ^ Dotson, Carter. "'Mega Man' 1-6 Releasing for iOS and Android on January 5th". Touch Arcade. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.


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