Mega Man 2 is one of those NES classics that just feels right—tight controls, killer soundtrack, and that perfect mix of challenge and satisfaction. You start off blasting through robot masters like Metal Man and Bubble Man, stealing their weapons after you take them down (Heat Man’s stage still gives me nightmares, though). The levels are short but packed with tricky jumps and enemies that force you to learn patterns, not just mash buttons.

What makes it special? The weapons system. You’ll swap between Mega Man’s arm cannon and whatever ability you stole from the last boss—some are useless outside their intended matchup, others are weirdly OP (looking at you, Metal Blade). And yeah, the difficulty spikes hard in the Wily stages, but beating that final boss after a dozen tries? Pure relief.

Controls are simple: run, jump, shoot. But mastering slide-jumps and weapon swaps is where the real skill kicks in. If you’ve never played it, this is the one that cemented Mega Man’s legacy—just don’t throw your controller when Quick Man’s lasers wreck you for the 20th time.