Differences between the Rockman and Mega Man games?...

[dave4shmups]

In terms of enemies, stages, and game endings? What got me wondering about this was a video of a guy who got the Retron 5 early, and tested Rock Man 4 on it-which he said had some special sound features, like Castlevania III on the Famicom. I do have a Famicom AV, but I don't know if the Rockman games are worth importing, beyond 4's sound features. And, are they English-friendly?

[BrianC]

In terms of enemies, stages, and game endings? What got me wondering about this was a video of a guy who got the Retron 5 early, and tested Rock Man 4 on it-which he said had some special sound features, like Castlevania III on the Famicom. I do have a Famicom AV, but I don't know if the Rockman games are worth importing, beyond 4's sound features. And, are they English-friendly?

They are pretty much the same as the US versions. As far as I know, Rockman 4 doesn't have any special sound chip and has the exact same music as the US version. Rockman 6 has different music for the intro, likely due to the US version's intro being longer (I like the US version better, but this difference has nothing to do with a special sound chip. The Mega Man Anniversary Collection's version of MM6 goes back to the JP music, probably due to it being a localization of the PS1 version rather than the NES). Mega Man 2 has an extra difficulty level for the US, but still retains the JP difficulty on difficult mode. There isn't much of a language barrier, except for cutscenes being in Japanese. Other than that, there is barely any text in the games. Rockman 4 and 5 are cheaper than the US versions, so they are worth importing if you don't already have them.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Alternatively, you could get Rockman 1-6 Complete Works for the PSX. They are supposedly the definitive versions of the Famicom games. Each had a stand-alone retail release in Japan.

[BrianC]

Alternatively, you could get Rockman 1-6 Complete Works for the PSX. They are supposedly the definitive versions of the Famicom games. Each had a stand-alone retail release in Japan.

I know the sound is off is a few of them and I heard the early ones have input lag. I know they have remixed soundtracks, but it doesn't sound like they offer else anything over the NES/FC versions. I watched a video of Rockman 1 complete works and was surprised by just how off the sound was compared to the original NES/FC version.

Edit: Looking at prices, aside from maybe Rockman 1, it looks like the Complete Works may be more expensive than the FC counterparts, as well. Another thing worth mentioning is that the navi mode in the Complete Works Rockman versions is all in Japanese, so it's useless if you don't know Japanese. It's basically just hints that weren't really necessary to begin with, though.

[Jonathan Ingram]

I know the sound is off is a few of them and I heard the early ones have input lag.

The PSN versions, maybe? I finished 2-3 and 5 on PSX and didn't really notice any input lag.

I know they have remixed soundtracks, but it doesn't sound like they offer anything over the NES/FC versions.

The new content and options are certainly nice:
http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_Complete_Works

[BrianC]

I know the sound is off is a few of them and I heard the early ones have input lag.

The PSN versions, maybe? I finished 2-3 and 5 on PSX and didn't really notice any input lag.

I know they have remixed soundtracks, but it doesn't sound like they offer anything over the NES/FC versions.

The new content and options are certainly nice:
http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_Complete_Works

I wasn't aware of the boss attack, extra power ups, or mission modes (mainly because they don't seem to be in the Anniversary Collection), but, as far as the main game goes, they still don't sound like they are worth getting over the original NES/FC versions. There is also the database and extra artwork, though the former is probably useless unless you know Japanese.

And as far as the sound goes, I watched videos of the actual PS1 version and I'm definitely certain about the sound being off in the original Rockman. The verison in the Anniversary Collection is based on this version and seems to have even worse sound.

The PSN versions, maybe? I finished 2-3 and 5 on PSX and didn't really notice any input lag.

The person who told me about the input lag didn't notice it with 4-6, only 1-3, so I doubt it's a PSN issue. I also heard the developers of 1-3 and 4-6 on PS1 are different. Edit: Looking at the credits in MobyGames, it looks like I heard wrong. It seems Capcom themselves did the ports/emulation and some of the staff is even shared with the later NES games.

Edit: Looking at the power ups, it looks like it's similar to how it's implemented in games like MM 4 and 5 GB and MM7 and 8. Stuff like weapons using less energy or weapons capsules being able to fill other weapons if picked up when energy is full. The power ups are all listed in Japanese, though. It looks like much of the new content in Rockman Complete works has a language barrier, unlike the games themselves.

From what I read about the Complete Works, they seem to be pretty much direct ports or emulations with minor added features. They sound better than the Anniversary Collection counterparts, but the NES versions are the originals and it still sounds like they aren't ported/emulated perfectly.

Another thing I remembered. MM3/RM3 NES/FC still has the beta testing tools intact, which are very fun to play around with. I heard this was removed from the Complete Works version. Last I checked, the US NES cart is still cheap and is pretty much the same as the JP version.