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'Mega Man Vs.' is a Gaming Mash-Up Made in Heaven

by Ben Deitz on December 31, 2010 at 04:00 PM


It's almost a brand new year, so we thought we'd say goodbye to 2010 with a round of indie and flash platformers that both hearken back to yesteryear while looking ahead towards tomorrow. The genre that 'Super Mario Bros.' created 25 years ago is still going strong, and whether you're a nostalgia hound or just a gamer who needs his twitch action fix then this week's picks aim to deliver.

The video game mash-up is a genre that could only be borne of the indie scene, thanks to licensing and copyright hairiness. Fantastic entries such as 'Mario Crossover' have shown us just how wonderful it is to mix and match our favorite heroes, and the 'Mega Man Vs.' series is an awe-inspiring example of how to successfully meld classic NES games.

Megaman Mashups



'Mega Man Vs. Metroid' takes our favorite robotic protagonist and pits him against our favorite space bounty hunter, Samus Aran. Rather than putting Mega in Samus' place, however, the game plays out like a 'Metroid'-themed level of 'Mega Man,' replete with the former series' enemies and settings. Mega Man maintains his trademark moves: you jump using "Z" and fire your mega buster using "X". Holding down and hitting Z will cause Mega Man to slide, and holding the Z key will charge your mega buster and allow you to make more powerful shots. The mix of the two games actually works surprisingly well, although it's missing 'Metroid''s patented hidden secrets (although there is one branching path in the level).

'Mega Man Vs. Ghosts & Goblins' is a crossover that works even better than its predecessor (Perhaps because having Mega Man's life bar gives us an actual chance of making it through the punishment that is 'Ghosts & Goblins'). Either way, tearing through zombies and demons as a futuristic blue robot is infinitely better than as the boxer-shorts-clad 'Ghosts & Goblins' star Arthur. In fact, we've died so many times playing as Arthur in the original that it was with a certain amount of glee that we faced him as this game's boss.

If the sheer awesomeness of these mash-ups isn't enough, be prepared: both games feature acquirable weapons and a secret playable character. We don't know if series designer Staticreator plans on continuing the games in the future, but if he does, we humbly suggest bringing 'Castlevania' into the mix.

Tags: flashgames, gamesonthego, gaming, ghosts goblins, GhostsGoblins, mega man, MegaMan, metroid, Samus Aran, samus-aran, SamusAran, timewasters, top, videogames

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