Mega Man (1987 video game)

Mega Man, known as Rockman in East Asia, is a 1987 platformer game developed and published by Capcom for the NES/Famicom. The first installment in the Mega Man franchise and the original video game series, Mega Man was produced by a small team specifically for the video game console market, a first for Capcom, which up until that point focused on arcade games. It was directed by Akira Kitamura, with Nobuyuki Matsushima as the lead programmer.

The game follows the humanoid robot, Mega Man and his quest to save the world from Dr. Wily and the six "Robot Masters" under his control. Mega Man's nonlinear gameplay lets the player choose the order in which to complete its initial six robot master stages. Each culminates in a boss fight against one of the Robot Masters that awards the player-character a special weapon. Part of the strategy of the game is that the player must choose the order in which to tackle the stages so that they can earn the weapons that will be the most useful for the future stages.

Critics praised Mega Man for its overall design. Mega Man established many of the gameplay, story, and graphical conventions that would define the ensuing sequels, sub series, and spin-offs in the Mega Man series. The game has since been re-released in game compilations such as Mega Man Legacy Collection, ported to iOS/Android, and became a part of console emulation services. A sequel, Mega Man 2, was released 1 year later in Japan and 2 years later in the US. A remake with 3D graphics, titled Mega Man Powered Up/Rockman Rockman, was released for the Sony PSP in 2006.