The Bosses of Mega Man 10

As a huge classic Mega Man fan, I wanted to talk a bit about the newest game in the series: Mega Man 10. I know it’s been out for over a month on WiiWare, but I downloaded the Xbox 360 version later on because, well no particular reason except I have MM9 on 360 as well. So here’s a blog with a quick mini-review of MM10, a rundown on the bosses, stages, and weapons, and my favorite classic Mega Man games in general.

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog about Mega Man 9 and if anyone remembers it, knows that I ended up NOT enjoying that game much. I really liked the idea behind MM9: make a new game with 8-bit graphics and sound, since most associate Mega Man with 8-bit. It was very clever. But I just felt like the game wasn’t executed very well. Mega Man 10 is kind of the opposite. They improved some of the problems I had with 9, but the idea behind the game isn’t as groundbreaking as it was initially. I think Capcom just went through the motions with this one, which is to be expected of them.

One of the problems I had with Mega Man 9 is it was just way too hard. I know that Mega Man games are supposed to be challenging, but 9 was just downright frustrating. They fixed this problem in 10 by adding an Easy Mode. I would complain that the Easy Mode is a bit TOO easy, but since I got what I wanted, I shouldn’t complain too much. And it truly is a different mode, too. Slower and weaker enemies, more power-ups, and platforms covering some of the instant death pits and spikes. Purists would probably cry foul at an Easy Mode, but as far as I’m concerned, any game that makes itself accessible to all types of gamers and skill levels is OK in my book. Now your younger siblings and family members can enjoy it, too!

Another improvement is they let you play as Proto Man right off the bat. You don’t have to pay to download him. Actually, there is a DLC character in MM10, and that’s Bass. I actually downloaded Bass as a playable character here, because he’s brother Jeff’s favorite Mega Man character. And any way I can get Jeff to play the games I like, I’ll do it. Jeff’s already beaten the game as Bass! He plays similar to how he did in Mega Man & Bass, what with the multi-directional shooting and all. And speaking of the different characters’ abilities, I can understand why they ditched Mega Man’s charge shot. I really don’t miss it at all. But I do wish they would bring back Mega Man’s slide.

Even though I didn’t like Mega Man 9, I admit they did a lot of things right. The music in most of the stages was great, the weapons you got were actually useful in the levels, and the whole idea of a new 8-bit Mega Man game was genius. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with 10. Most of the music is bland, the weapons are useless in the stages, and the 8-bit motif isn’t as creative anymore. Again, I feel that Capcom just kind of went through the motions with this one. But I still downloaded the game anyway so Capcom must’ve done something right.

Anyway, here’s a rundown on the bosses, stages, and weapons of Mega Man 10.

Nitro Man

As a kid, I loved Transformers, so I always like the Mega Man bosses that turn into vehicles. Like Turbo Man’s race car and Napalm Man and Ground Man’s tanks. Nitro Man turns into a motorcycle, and his weapon is the exact same thing you get from Wheel Gator in Mega Man X2. Speaking of Mega Man X, Nitro Man’s night highway stage reminds me of the first intro stage of MMX. You have to jump over honking mac trucks before they hit you! Nitro Man’s music is one of the few tunes I like in MM10, as it is very upbeat and peppy.

Commando Man

This military themed boss and stage is set in a desert. I guess it’s like Desert Storm. You’d think with a name like Commando Man, Capcom would’ve taken the opportunity to put some classic arcade reference in there from the Commando games. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done that with a Mega Man game. In Shade Man’s spooky stage, you could enter a code that would change the music to the Ghosts N Goblins theme. The main obstacle in this desert stage are sandstorms that can push you off the edge of where you’re standing, and prevent you from seeing where you are. Commando Man’s weapon is just a standard exploding bomb missile type thing. I don’t like his stage music except for one particular bass lick.

Blade Man

This guy has swords for hands and a knife for a head. He was actually one of the harder bosses for me, as he darts around the room, sticking his head on the walls and ceilings and shooting triple blades at you! His castle fortress themed stage is similar to Knight Man’s, although Knight Man’s stage did everything ten times better than this.

Strike Man

He’s my favorite boss in Mega Man 10. He’s a giant baseball and his stadium stage is sports related. It’s silly, but not TOO silly like Clown Man and Magic Man bordered on being. In his level you have to watch out for curveball pitching robots, evil lockers, ball shooting baskets, and soccer goalie mini-bosses. I like his music, too. Near the end it sounds like a peppy baseball clapping cheer.

Sheep Man

OK, Capcom has clearly run out of ideas. But then, we already knew that years ago. Sheep Man is electrical, I guess because wool generates static electricity. His weapon is totally useless. You shoot a cloud upwards and a bolt of lightning comes down out of it. I actually kind of like some of the ideas in his stage, though. I’m not sure if it is supposed to be set in cyberspace, but there are these mouse cursor enemies. There are also colored disappearing blocks that provide some puzzle elements and remind me of Mr. Driller. And there are conveyor belts that you can run across to charge up platforms and a light bulb mini-boss that you must charge and hit him when he’s lit.

Pump Man

This water themed boss is made of pipes and has a water pump for a head. His sewer stage has downward flowing water that can affect your jumps. It’s hard, but I liked his level anyway. Strangely enough, his weapon is yet another shield, but at least it’s one of the more versatile shield weapons in Mega Man games. You’d think his weapon would be some kind of water squirter or something.

Solar Man

A ball of fire hovers over this guy’s head, and his weapon is a little sun that shoots out waves of fire left and right. His stage is set inside a furnace with lots of lava and those little fire guys with sunglasses that you see in a few other Mega Man games. The best part is that his stage music is totally rockin’. Very high energy and Jeff says one part even sounds like Trogdor! Makes sense with all the ‘burninating’ going on!

Chill Man

You’d think Capcom could come up with more creative ice robot names, but at least it’s not as bad as “Cold Man” from Mega Man & Bass. His weapon is a ball of ice that, when it hits the wall or floor, makes some spiky icicles. His stage has elements from Gemini Man and Cold Man’s stages. Lots of breakable ice blocks. Pretty boring, really, and I like the graphics in Gemini Man’s stage better.

What’s Next?

And that’s all I feel like saying about Mega Man 10. If Capcom makes a Mega Man 11 (later rather than sooner), I don’t want another 8-bit one. Maybe they could make it 16-bit, since there was only two 16-bit classic Mega Man games prior (Mega Man 7 and Mega Man & Bass). Or better yet, why not make it more like Mega Man 8, with modern 2-D visuals and hand-drawn cartoony graphics? Actually, what I’d rather have is another Mega Man Powered Up game. The first Mega Man Powered Up was a PSP remake of the original NES game. It had cute graphics, multiple difficulty levels, let you play as ALL the bosses, free DLC, and even a level editor! THAT’S how you make a classic Mega Man game! I would love to see a Powered Up version of Mega Man 2 or 3.

Cary’s Favorite Classic Mega Man Games

I’ll conclude by listing my favorite games in the classic Mega Man series. Fans argue which is better, MM2, or MM3. I side with 3, simply because it took all the drastic improvements from MM2 and refined them. Kind of like the Smash Bros. series, really. Plus, MM3 introduced one of my favorite characters, Rush the robodog! But, MM2 is a VERY close second to favorite. In fact, there are some things about MM2 I like better than 3. And MM2’s Dr. Wily stage tune is my favorite piece of video game music ever, even to this day!

Horrible voice acting aside, I also really liked Mega Man 8. It felt like a very polished game, and I loved the cartoony graphics. I always imagined that’s what they were going for in the old games, anyway, since all the robots had googly eyes and stuff. Only thing I didn’t like about MM8 was the “Jump! Jump! Slide! Slide!” parts. If you’ve played MM8, you know what I’m talking about!

Even though it’s not in the classic series, the first Mega Man X game is also one of my top favorites, and it’s exactly what the Mega Man franchise needed at the time. And of course, I loved Mega Man Powered Up and it’s one of my all time favorite PSP titles.

In the comments section, let me know who your favorite Mega Man 10 bosses are, and which games in the whole series you like the best!

Discussion Area - Leave a Comment




Tired of typing this out each time? Register as a subscriber!