Sure, some of the weapons you come across aren’t that great, as I outlined last week, but generally, they knew what they were doing. It was hard to narrow it down to just 10, the number 10 spot was hardest to fill and I ended up picking it for historic purposes. I also threw in a bonus list for the top 4 items but that was pretty easy.4. Magnet Beam (MM)
If you could see it, it could be quite useful for stages like Ice Man’s slippery stage and Wily’s spike pits. It was also needed to beat the game. Too bad we only saw it one more time, barring re-releases.
3. Energy Balancer (MM6/7/8/9)
The ultimate labor-saving device. It’s such a pain to have to switch weapons just in order for an energy capsule to work, and equally painful to see a giant capsule to go to waste. Now all you have to do is pick up ammo and it will automatically go towards your emptiest weapon. No more having to count pixels to get the best deal, this one does it for you.
2. Item 2/Super Arrow (MM2/5)
Where would you be without Item 2? You’d still be jumping lava pits and endless holes in Heat Man’s inferno. Super Arrow was just an upgrade of it, if you could hop on fast enough. What’s cooler than a ride that’ll knock a boss out in a couple hits? ... Of course there’s also the other argument of how ridiculous a robot in tights riding on a flying plunger looks.
1. Original Rush Jet
There’s no replacing the original. The ability to travel up and down as well as horizontally was a great one. Too bad they downgraded later to give a little more challenge.
10. Atomic Fire (MM2)
The fist chargeable weapon, coming 2 games before the Mega Buster. Sure its uses were limited, but it led the way for other great weapons; not only the Mega Buster, but also all the weapons in the X series and even a few more on this list.
9. Crash Bomber (MM2)
We all remember tensing each time we fired a shot in that boss room, hoping beyond hope that we’d hit. But now and then we’d miss and have to die and start over. It could break blocks as well as cause some hurting for Quick Man, but we all know it’s main purpose was to take down that one boss: those blue-and-pink-flashing light-bulb things. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, ask anyone who’s beaten Mega Man 2 and I’m sure they’ll know what you are talking about. And yes, it IS possible to beat that boss in one life, no matter what people say.
8. Hornet Chaser (MM9)
It’s about time the series got an item-grabbing weapon. Hornet Chaser will not only grab health and ammo out of reach, but it will also home in on hard-to-reach enemies; sometimes doing one when you want it to do the other. My only gripe: it won’t grab E-Tanks.
7. Shadow Blade (MM3)
Anything that goes where you want it to go is awesome. Anything that comes back afterward is even better. Anything that doesn’t charge you if it didn’t hit has to be Shadow Blade. You can shoot Shadow Blade in 5 directions instead of the measly normal 2. Plus, you just look awesome flingin’ ninja stars at everything in sight.
6. Top Spin/Charge Kick/Slash Claw/Flame Sword (MM3/5/7/8)
Bad execution? For the most part, yes. Bad idea? Absolutely not. Sometimes it’s just no fun blasting baddies as soon as they appear onscreen. For everything else, there’s close-range weapons. Sure, Top Spin was a horrible flop. Sure, you couldn’t hit hardly anything with Charge Kick without getting hurt yourself. But ideas were excellent, and got better with time, finally ending with the amazing Flame Sword.
5. Rush Adapters (MM6/7)
Sure the new “Rush Jet” limited your mobility even more than the past 2 versions, even taking away your ability to slide, but being able to hover in short bursts whenever you want without having to worry about ammo is pretty cool. The POW Adapter was pretty cool too, but one of the things that gave MM7 some coolness was the ability to use both at once in the form of the Super Adapter. Maybe your flight distance was shorter, but with sprite sizes covering half the screen, it’s not a big deal, especially considering your heat-seeking fist.
4. Leaf Shield/Jewel Satellite (MM2/9, MVC2)
Yes, in general MM’s shield weapons stink. But both the original and the newest edition are worth using. Leaf Shield was almost as useful as Crash Bomb was in that 4th Wily level (curse those infinitely re-spawning canheads!). Jewel Satellite nearly renders you invincible to weaker enemies and allows you to “farm” in certain places such as Pug Man’s stage and Wily’s first 2 castle stages (bless those infinitely re-spawning canheads!). As an added bonus, you can also fire these shields at enemies; Leaf Shield will not only fire straight out, but also up and down, mowing everything in its way down like grass.
3. Pharaoh Shot (MM4)
Not only does Pharaoh Shot allow you to aim, but it’s also chargeable AND close-range-compatible! Why isn’t this at the top? Even this super-weapon has limitations. Even though it can fire in 6 directions (one more than Shadow Blade) it really doesn’t compare to these final two:
2. Thunder Beam (MM)
What could be better than a chargeable weapon that can shoot in 6 directions? One that can shoot in 3 directions at once! Elec Laser is also powerful beyond comparison, as seen by its ability to kill Mega Man in 3 hits. It’s because of this weapon that the original Mega Man is the only one in the series that I haven’t beaten.
1. Metal Blade
Did you really expect anything else here? Not only is it strong, it can shoot in 8 directions! Not only is it the weakness to about half of the bosses in the game, it’s also it’s owner’s weakness; a one or two shot kill. Plus, it’s ginormous compared to the Mega Buster. It even comes with a huge ammo clip. Bottom line: aiming weapons ftw.
~HS
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