Mega Man Legacy Collection
Emulated compilation of the first ten classic Mega Man games.
Mega Man Legacy Collection is a two-volume set of compilations from Capcom, gathering emulated versions of the first ten mainline games in the Mega Man "Classic" series. These titles originally came out between 1987 and 2010, and the collections include extra features and behind-the-scenes content. The first volume, developed by Digital Eclipse, was released in 2015, while the second, created internally at Capcom, followed in 2017. Both volumes came out on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, with the first also appearing on Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo Switch ports for both arrived in 2018. The success of these compilations led Capcom to produce similar Legacy Collections for other Mega Man spin-off series, such as Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero/ZX, Mega Man Battle Network, and Mega Man Star Force.
The first Legacy Collection covers the NES-era games: Mega Man through Mega Man 6. The second volume compiles the later entries: Mega Man 7 on SNES, Mega Man 8 on PlayStation, and Mega Man 9 and 10 on Wii. Legacy Collection 2 also includes all downloadable content for Mega Man 9 and 10, which can be unlocked by finishing each game or entering a secret code on the title screen. Players can choose between the Japanese "Rockman" versions and the international "Mega Man" versions of each game. Both collections have a "Museum" mode with concept art, sprite sheets, production images, and a music player. The Nintendo 3DS and Switch versions of the first collection add an "Antiques" section with over 200 extra images, including scans of original box art and Japanese instruction manual pages. A "Challenges" mode offers over fifty time-based missions, such as completing specific goals in stages or defeating multiple bosses. Some challenges are split into sections of levels from the included games, with portals for Mega Man to travel through, and all weapons unlocked from the start. Using a Mega Man Amiibo unlocks eleven additional challenges on the 3DS and Switch. Cheat sheets showing the optimal order to defeat Robot Masters are included in the first collection but not the second. Legacy Collection 2 adds an "Extra Armor" feature that halves damage taken. The first collection has a Database mode with character profiles, similar to the Rockman Complete Works releases.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Digital Eclipse / (MMLC) · Capcom / (MMLC2)
- Publisher
- Capcom
- Genre
- Action, platform
- Modes
- Single-player
- Series
- Mega Man
- Platforms
- Nintendo 3DS / (MMLC) / , Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
- Title
- Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 & 2
- Director
- Mike Evans / (MMLC) · Jun Koike / (MMLC2)
- Producer
- Laura Jacob / (MMLC) · Frank Cifaldi / (MMLC) · Kazuhiro Tsuchiya / (MMLC2) · Tomohiro Saito / (MMLC2) · Daizo Nonaka / (MMLC2)
- Designer
- Frank Cifaldi / (MMLC)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The first Legacy Collection focuses on the series' initial entries for the NES: Mega Man (1987), Mega Man 2 (1988), Mega Man 3 (1990), Mega Man 4 (1991), Mega Man 5 (1992), and Mega Man 6 (1993). Legacy Collection 2 compiles the later mainline entries: the SNES game Mega Man 7 (1995), the PlayStation game Mega Man 8 (1996), and the Wii games Mega Man 9 (2008) and Mega Man 10 (2010). Legacy Collection 2 also includes all downloadable content released for Mega Man 9 and 10, unlockable by completing each game or inputting a secret code on each game's title screen. Players can choose between the Japanese 'Rockman' versions and the international 'Mega Man' versions of each game. Both collections feature a 'Museum' mode with galleries of concept art, sprite sheets, production images, and a music player. The Nintendo 3DS and Switch versions of the first collection include an additional 'Antiques' section with over 200 images, such as scans of original box art and Japanese instruction manual pages. A 'Challenges' mode offers over fifty time-based missions; eleven additional challenges can be unlocked in the 3DS and Switch compilations by using a Mega Man Amiibo. Cheat sheets on the optimal order to defeat Robot Masters are added in Mega Man Legacy Collection but not in its sequel. An 'Extra Armor' feature in Legacy Collection 2 reduces damage taken by half. The Switch version of Legacy Collection includes a gameplay rewind feature, later added to previous releases via a free update, excluding the 3DS version.
Reader's Guide
Mega Man Legacy Collection was developed by Digital Eclipse as a proof of concept for future video game collections, using the Eclipse Engine to decompile source code and achieve extreme accuracy without traditional emulation. The collection was designed to celebrate the NES games, not just present ROMs, and included concept artwork and unreleased material granted by Capcom. The Challenges mode was designed for speedrunners, and one challenge, 'Craig's Challenge', was named after Craig Skistimas from YouTube channel ScrewAttack. The TV filter simulates a CRT television in-engine, with an additional SCART monitor filter added per developer preference. After completion, Frank Cifaldi called the final product 'his baby' and stepped back to start the Video Game History Foundation. The success of the compilation led Capcom to develop Legacy Collection releases of other Mega Man spinoff series, including Mega Man X Legacy Collection (2018), Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (2020), Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (2023), and Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (2026).
Did You Know?
- The first Legacy Collection was developed by Digital Eclipse using the Eclipse Engine, which decompiles source code for extreme accuracy.
- One Challenge mode mission, 'Craig's Challenge', was designed by and named after Craig Skistimas from YouTube channel ScrewAttack.
- The Switch version of Legacy Collection introduced a gameplay rewind feature, later added to other versions via a free update, excluding the 3DS version.
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