Mega Man 2, known in Japan as is a 1988 platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released in Japan in 1988 and in North America and PAL regions the following years. Mega Man 2 continues Mega Man's battle against the evil Dr. Wily and his rogue Robot Masters. It introduced graphical and gameplay changes, many of which became series staples.
Although sales for the original Mega Man were unimpressive, Capcom allowed the team to create a sequel. They worked concurrently on other Capcom projects, using their free time to develop the game and incorporating unused content from the first game. Takashi Tateishi composed the soundtrack, with Yoshihiro Sakaguchi serving as a sound programmer.
Mega Man 2 received critical acclaim. Reviewers praised its audio, visuals, and gameplay as an improvement over the first game. Many publications rank Mega Man 2 as the best game in the series and one of the greatest video games of all time. Its soundtrack has also been considered one of the greatest of all time. It was a commercial success, with more than 1.51 million copies sold, and remained the best selling Mega Man game until it was surpassed by Mega Man 11 in 2019. It has been included in several game compilations such as Mega Man Legacy Collection, and rereleased for mobile devices and console emulation services. A sequel, Mega Man 3, was released in 1990.
Gameplay
thumb|256px|left|alt=A square video game screenshot that depicts a character sprite standing on a red floating platform between two yellow structures near the top and bottom of the image.|[[Mega Man (character)|Mega Man (left center) uses the floating platform items to jump to a difficult-to-reach ladder in the Crash Man stage. Below him is the new introduced Energy Tank item (bottom center).]]
In Mega Man 2, the player controls Mega Man as he traverses eight stages to defeat the bosses, Dr. Wily's Robot Masters: Metal Man, Air Man, Bubble Man, Quick Man, Crash Man, Flash Man, Heat Man, and Wood Man. Each Robot Master features a unique weapon and a stage related to their weapon's power. For example, Air Man shoots small tornadoes and is fought in a sky-themed level, while Wood Man can use a shield of leaves and is found in a forest-themed stage. After completing certain stages, Mega Man receives a special item. Mega Man defeats the eight new Robot Masters and then challenges Wily himself. During the final fight, Dr. Wily flees into the caves beneath his fortress. When Mega Man follows, Dr. Wily attempts to trick Mega Man into believing he was impersonated by an alien. Mega Man defeats the alien, revealing it to be a holographic projection device with Dr. Wily at the controls of the now malfunctioning device. After the scientist begs for mercy, Mega Man spares Wily and returns home.