History VideoGame / MegaMan2

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: The North American boxart features adult-sized musclemen dressed up as Mega Man, Quick Man, and Crash Man in an airbrushed futuristic setting.

* BubbleGun: The Bubble Lead shoots large bubbles that crawl along the ground and down walls.

* ChargedAttack: The Atomic Fire weapon predates the charging Mega Buster first introduced in ''VideoGame/MegaMan4''.

* ContinuingIsPainful: The game [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zags this trope]] -- a continue will refill all of your weapon energy, but cost you all your E-Tanks.

There was even a literary adaptation via the ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' series, which can be heard read by Creator/JamesRolfe [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6_XJHcHg7I here]].

** Heat Man's stage looks like one, albeit one filled with lava.
** Wily Stage 3 takes place inside Wily Castle's plumbing.

** The Atomic Fire is very powerful and looks cool when fully charged, but it chews up so much ammo that it's best used sparingly, and its normal shot is so pathetically weak that it's all but useless otherwise.

* AnimalMecha: Several enemies are robots modeled on animals, such as frogs, fish, bats, and more. Every enemy in Wood Man's stage (a large forest) is one of these, with the largest being the massive Friender minibosses, which are giant fire-breathing robot dogs.
* AngryGuardDog: Three giant robotic dogs called Frienders are fought in succession in Wood Man's stage, and they block progression due to their size (and you can't pass through them thanks to an invisible wall that disappears when they're beaten).

** The Metal Blade is the most powerful weapon in the game -- and one of the most powerful ''in the entire series''. It delivers high damage, cuts through multiple mooks at a time, has a machine gun rate of fire, travels fast and long, can be shot in eight directions, has [[RuleOfCool a cool appearance]], and comes with an ammo capacity so large (112 shots) that it takes a conscious effort to deplete it. On top of all that, besides Metal Man being very easy to beat (meaning you can get the weapon right at the start of the game), the Metal Blade is a major weakness for four of the robot masters, the second-to-last boss, and ''[[DeathByIrony Metal Man himself]]''. If it weren't for several enemies and some of the bosses being immune to the Metal Blade [[note]] Air Man, Crash Man, Quick Man, Mecha Dragon, Guts Tank, Boobeam Trap and the Alien [[/note]], it would make the Mega Buster all but obsolete.

** The Time Stopper can (among other things) be used to freeze the lasers in Quick Man's stage and skip some of the Frienders in Wood Man's stage.

* EpilepticFlashingLights: The Wily Castle bosses in particular; when fighting the Mecha Dragon, Guts Tank, Wily Machine 2, and [[spoiler: the Alien]], the whole screen flashes white ''every time they take damage''. After defeating them, the screen continues to rapidly flash while they fade out. The screen does not flash while fighting the Picopico-kun and Boobeam Trap, although it still rapidly flashes after they're defeated. The [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS 3DS]] Virtual Console version tones down the screen flashing, though this is likely because of different screen refresh rates.

* HumongousMecha: The Mecha Dragon in Wily Castle 1 and the Guts Tank in Wily Castle 3 are the two largest bosses in the game, with both of them taking up almost the entire screen. In the latter's case, its fist is as big as Mega Man is.

** A fully charged Atomic Fire, as well as the Leaf Shield will beat the Hot Dog/Friender mini-boss in Wood Man's stage in a single hit on either difficulty.

** In Wood Man's stage, you fight a giant blue robot wolf / dog that breathes fire. Its name is Friender, much like ''Anime/NeoHumanCasshern '''s sidekick, who is visually identical and possesses the same ability.

** The Time Stopper can be used creatively in certain areas to trivialize certain parts of stages, such as freezing the lasers in Quick Man's stage, freezing the Goblins in Air Man's stage and move across them much more quickly, freezing time to skip the Frienders in Wood Man's stage, and more.

* LaserHallway: Taken UpToEleven in Quick Man's stage, where the bulk of the stage has Mega Man evading giant, instant-kill laser beams.

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: The North American boxart features adult-sized musclemen dressed up as Mega Man, Quick Man, and Crash Man in a airbrushed futuristic setting.

There was even a literary adaptation via the ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' series.

* OneHitKill:
** Spikes and the lasers from Quick Man's stage kill Mega Man regardless of how much life points he has left.
** Mega Man can do this himself to several bosses (on normal difficulty). Wood Man can be downed by a fully charged Atomic Fire. Crash Man can be done in with a properly placed Air Shooter. Quick Man can be destroyed by [[ArtificialStupidity running into the same properly placed Crash Bomb over and over]]. And the second time you run into Metal Man, [[WeaksauceWeakness he can be downed by a single Metal Blade]]. (Bear in mind that, on Difficult, most of these one-hit kills require at least two hits)
** A fully charged Atomic Fire, as well as the Leaf Shield will beat the Hot Dog/Friender mini-boss in Wood Man's stage in a single hit on either difficulty.
** Directly touching the Mecha Dragon will blow you up no matter how much health you have.
* OneWingedAngel: Wily pulls this by [[spoiler: turning into an alien in the final boss battle. Of course, it's just a hologram]].

** A fully charged Atomic Fire, as well as the Leaf Shield will beat the Hot Dog/Friender mini-boss in Wood Man's stage in a single hit on either difficuly.
** Touching the Mecha Dragon directly will blow you up no matter how much health you have.

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: This game toys with the trope. While there is a clear circular line of weakness, most of the bosses have at least one other weapon (typically the Metal Blade) that they're weak against. This is one of the few Mega Man games where it can be considered open-ended.

** The Atomic Fire is very powerful and looks cool when fully charged, but it chews up so much ammo that it's best used sparingly, and otherwise its normal shot is so pathetically weak that it's all but useless.

** The Metal Blade is the most powerful weapon in the game -- and one of the most powerful in the entire series. It delivers high damage, cuts through multiple mooks at a time, has a machine gun rate of fire, travels fast and long, can be shot in eight directions, has [[RuleOfCool a cool appearance]], and comes with an ammo capacity so large (112 shots) that it takes a conscious effort to deplete it. On top of all that, besides Metal Man being very easy to beat (meaning you can get the weapon right at the start of the game), the Metal Blade is a major weakness for four of the robot masters, the second-to-last boss, and ''[[DeathByIrony Metal Man himself]]''. If it weren't for several enemies and some of the bosses being immune to the Metal Blade [[note]] Air Man, Crash Man, Quick Man, Mecha Dragon, Guts Tank, Boobeam Trap and the Alien [[/note]], it would make the Mega Buster all but obsolete.

The game later received a [[UpdatedRerelease 16-bit upgrade]] for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis as part of the [[NoExportForYou Europe and Japan only]] ''Mega Man: The Wily Wars''/''Rockman Megaworld'' cartridge (as well as the Japan-only ''Rockman 2: Complete Works'' [=PS1=] port). The game eventually saw a major re-release as part of ''Anniversary Collection'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. The NES version has received a UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole re-release on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, and UsefulNotes/WiiU, with the latter two versions including a [[SaveScumming save state]] ability, and is part of ''Legacy Collection'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, PC, [=3DS=], and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The ''Wily Wars'' remake eventually saw an American release, first as part of the old "Sega Channel" service, then as part of a bundle with many other games in the ''Sega Genesis Mini''. There was even a literary adaptation via the ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' series.

%%* AnimeHair: Mega Man in the opening.

%%* DramaticThunder: On the Wily Castle map screen, though it's just flashing with no sound effects.

* EasyLevelTrick: On the very last stage, hold right and keep going. You will be ahead of all the lava / acid drips that you don't need to time your movements.
%%* ElementalBarrier: Wood Man's Leaf Shield.

* FrictionlessIce: Although it's not really ice (in fact, the ''Wily Wars'' version makes it out to be crystals), Flash Man's stage is made up of surfaces that carry Mega Man forward even after he stops / tries to change direction.

%%* RubberForeheadAliens: [[spoiler: Wily's OneWingedAngel in the final battle]].

%%* VillainsWantMercy: Wily in the ending.

** The Boobeam Trap can't be damaged by anything other than the limited-use Crash Bomber. There's no way to restore ammo during the fight, so if you waste even one shot (or come in with less than a full stack), you've already doomed yourself[[labelnote:*]]Technically you can waste one shot and still have enough ammo, but this requires making a very tricky shot while falling to catch both a turret and a wall in the same blast.[[/labelnote]]. Fortunately, you aren't truly ''stuck'', but you will need to sacrifice a life and fight enemies in the hopes of squeezing ammo from them. Thankfully, your respawn point is right before a prime ammo-farming spot.

->''[[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture In the year of]] [[YearX 200X]], a super robot named Mega Man was created. [[BigGood Dr. Light]] created Mega Man to stop the evil desires of [[BigBad Dr. Wily]]. However, after his defeat, Dr. Wily created eight of his own robots to counter Mega Man.''

* BubblyClouds: Air Man's stage takes place on a series of platforms high in the clouds.

* NoSell: Quick Man will stop to block quite a few weapons fired at him without them harming him, including the Metal Blade. He does stop moving briefly when he does so, though, allowing you to quickly switch weapons and hit him.

''Mega Man 2'' (''Rockman 2: The Mystery of Dr. Wily'' in Japan) is a run and gun {{Platformer}} VideoGame, released by Creator/{{Capcom}} for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] in 1989 (1988 in Japan).

The core gameplay from the previous game remains largely the same. You, as Mega Man, run and gun through stages and defeat their bosses in a non-linear order while [[PowerCopying acquiring their weapons]] to use against another boss in a [[ElementalRockPaperScissors rock-paper-scissors]] strategy. The developers made numerous changes, however, to make the gameplay more flexible and accessible to gamers. ''Mega Man 2'' offers two difficulty settings[[note]]only in the North American version; the Japanese version only has the "Difficult" setting[[/note]], a new password function, three special items, and energy-refilling E-Tanks to make the game more forgiving in difficulty. The boss roster received two extra slots (eight robots rather than six) and the stage designs are much improved over the previous game's. The presentation also received some extra love courtesy of well-designed stages, better sprite and artwork, a cartoony plethora of enemies cribbed from design contests, and [[AwesomeMusic/MegaMan a load of energetic 8-bit tunes]] to complete the picture. Capcom also dropped the arcade-style score system from the original, but nobody really missed it.

While the [[VideoGame/MegaMan1 original game]] was only a modest hit in Japan and an outright flop in the US, this sequel quickly put the series on the map worldwide and became the best-selling game in the entire series (over 1.5 million copies). To this day, critics and fans alike consider ''Mega Man 2'' not only one of the best [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] games ''and'' one of the best games (if not ''the'' best game) in the whole series, but also ''one of the greatest video games of all time''. Even Keiji Inafune himself calls this one his favorite game in the series.

The game later received a [[UpdatedRerelease 16-bit upgrade]] for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis as part of the [[NoExportForYou Europe and Japan only]] ''Mega Man: The Wily Wars''/''Rockman Megaworld'' cartridge (as well as the Japan-only ''Rockman 2: Complete Works'' [=PS1=] port). The game eventually saw a major re-release as part of ''Anniversary Collection'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. The NES version has received a UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole re-release on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, and UsefulNotes/WiiU, with the latter two versions including a [[SaveScumming save state]] ability, and is part of ''Legacy Collection'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, PC, [=3DS=], and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The ''Wily Wars'' port eventually saw a US release, first as part of the old "Sega Channel" service, then as part of a bundle with many other games in the ''Sega Genesis Mini''. There was even a literary adaptation via the ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' series.

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: The US boxart features adult-sized musclemen dressed up as Mega Man, Quick Man, and Crash Man in a airbrushed futuristic setting.

* DifficultyByRegion: The US release includes a "Normal" mode where Mega Man takes less damage and deals more damage to bosses. Selecting "Difficult" on the US release simply sets everything back to the Japanese version. (It should be noted that the Wily Wars version did not include the "Normal" mode.)

** The ''Wily Wars'' port plot is centered on Dr. Wily creating a time-travelling Wily Machine and trying to take down Mega Man in the past, prompting Dr. Light to send Mega Man back in time to fight him while reliving his second adventure. Of course, that plot point is exclusive to the manual -- the in-game plot is as bare bones as ever.

** Item-2 creates a platform that flies forward at high speed, which can be used to bypass several tricky obstacles. ** The Time Stopper can (among other things) be used to freeze the lasers in Quick Man's stage and skip some of the Frienders in Wood Man's stage.

** Mega Man can do this himself to several bosses (on normal difficulty). Wood Man can be downed by a fully charged Atomic Fire. Crash Man can be done in with a properly placed Air Shooter. Quick Man can be destroyed by [[ArtificialStupidity running into the same properly placed Crash Bomb over and over]]. And the second time you run into Metal Man, [[WeaksauceWeakness he can be downed by a single Metal Blade]]. On Difficult, you'll need two hits.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The Mecha Dragon is a robot [[AllThereInTheManual with a blimp built into its body]].
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The boss of the first Wily Stage is the Mecha Dragon, which has no impact on the story, but looks more imposing and is far more dangerous than every previous enemy.

* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: The boss of the first Wily Stage is the Mecha Dragon, which has no impact on the story, but looks more imposing and is far more dangerous than every previous enemy.

* OneHitKill:
** Spikes and the lasers from Quick Man's stage kill Mega Man regardless of how much life points he has left.
** Mega Man can do this himself to several bosses (on normal difficulty). Wood Man can be downed by a fully charged Atomic Fire. Crash Man can be done in with a properly placed Air Shooter. Quick Man can be destroyed by [[ArtificialStupidity running into the same properly placed Crash Bomb over and over]]. And the second time you run into Metal Man, [[WeaksauceWeakness he can be downed by a single Metal Blade]]. On Difficult, you'll need two hits.
** A fully charged Atomic Fire, as well as the Leaf Shield will beat the Hot Dog/Friender mini-boss in Wood Man's stage in a single hit on either difficuly.
** Touching the Mecha Dragon directly will blow you up no matter how much health you have.
* OneWingedAngel: Wily pulls this by [[spoiler: turning into an alien in the final boss battle. Of course, it's just a hologram]].

* AnimalMecha: Several enemies are robots modeled on animals, such as frogs, fish, bats, and more. Every enemy in Wood Man's stage (a large forest) is one of these, with the largest being the massive Friender minibosses.

* ChickenWalker: The Sniper Armor enemy is a giant mecha with a pair of reverse-jointed legs. However, it never actually walks ingame.
* CheckPointStarvation: None of the Wily stages have {{Boss Corridor}}s like the Robot Master stages, meaning that if the player dies to a boss, they'll respawn at the stage's halfway point, rather than just before the boss. Worse, weapon usage is often required, which can eat away at the player's reserves if they happen to die a lot.

* CheckPointStarvation: None of the Wily stages have BossCorridors like the Robot Master stages, meaning that if the player dies to a boss, they'll respawn at the stage's halfway point, rather than just before the boss. Worse, weapon usage is often required, which can eat away at the player's reserves if they happen to die a lot.

%%* AnimalMecha: A number of enemies, but most prominently the Battons and other enemies in Wood Man's stage.

%%* BeneathTheEarth: Just before the [[spoiler: actual]] final boss.

* BossRush: Just before the [[spoiler: [[DiscOneFinalBoss fake]]]] final boss. This also marks the first use of a one-room Teleport System to access the bosses, as opposed to each one being fought after another.

%%* CoresAndTurretsBoss: The boss of Wily Castle 4, the Boobeam Trap.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Though not by much. The more upbeat melodies of the previous game are largely replaced by more serious and intense ones. Plotwise, Dr. Wily is now actively carrying out war against Megaman in particular, and of course unlike the game's upbeat ending, this one ends with the realization Megaman might be doing this ''for a long time''

%%* DramaticWind: Mega Man on the title screen without a helmet.

* HairRaisingHare: The Robbits from Wood Man's stage are robotic rabbits tha attack by shooting carrots at you.

%%* HumongousMecha: The Guts Tank in Wily Stage 3.

%%* PlatformBattle: The fight against the Mecha Dragon in Wily Castle 1.

%%* ZergRush: The Tellys in Crash Man's stage and Wily Castle. The Copipis released from a Pipi's egg also use this tactic.

* LogicalWeakness: Wood Man, despite being a robot, is made of wood and is weak to Heat Man's weapon. Heat Man, however, is naturally weak to Bubble Man's weapon. Bubble Man's weakness to the Metal Blades also makes sense as bubbles do not react well to sharp stuff. Quick Man, meanwhile, is weak against the Time Stopper. This even extents to the enemies -- the fiery Changkey Makers are destroyed in one shot by the Bubble Lead and Air Shooter.