Play Mega Man 2 Online

Mega Man 2 came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, developed and published by Capcom. It arrived a couple years after the original, a time when the NES library was really starting to fill out with ambitious action games. This one didn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it polished everything to a brilliant shine.

You control the blue robot Mega Man, running, jumping, and shooting through stages to stop the mad Dr. Wily. The main goal is to take down eight robot masters in any order you choose. The signature mechanic is taking the special weapon from each boss you defeat; you then use that weapon against another boss who is weak to it. The levels are built screen by screen, full of precise platforming and enemy patterns that demand quick reactions. It's challenging but rarely feels unfair, and the pacing is relentless. Figuring out the correct boss order and exploiting their weaknesses makes you feel genuinely clever.