Mega Man (1987 video game)

This article is about the Nintendo Entertainment System game. For the Game Gear game, see Mega Man (1995 video game).

Mega Man
Image of a baby blue, rectangular box. The bottom portion reads "Rockman" along with a Nintendo Family Computer label below, while the artwork depicts a human robot boy in a blue outfit running from several robot characters. The landscape is a rocky valley with what appears to be a white structure in the distance.
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)
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. It was directed by Akira Kitamura, with Nobuyuki Matsushima as lead programmer, and is the first game of 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 previously focused on arcade video games.

The game follows the struggle of the humanoid robot and player-character Mega Man against 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 remake with 3D graphics, titled Mega Man Powered Up, was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2006.

  1. ^ "Capcom Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Capcom. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  2. ^ Mega Man: Official Complete Works. Udon Entertainment. January 6, 2010. pp. 6–10. ISBN 978-1-897376-79-9.
  3. ^ The Games Machine staff (May 1990). "Mega Man". The Games Machine (30). Ludlow, UK: Newsfield Publications: 60. ISSN 0954-8092.
  4. ^ Mega Man: Official Complete Works. Udon Entertainment. January 6, 2010. pp. 94–5. ISBN 978-1-897376-79-9.
  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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