41. Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun & Blue Moon (GBA)

While not everyone may agree that it was for the best, Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun & Blue Moon did make some fairly significant changes to the series. Regardless, virus busting is as engaging as ever and exploring the charming worlds both inside and outside computers provides a fun and unique experience. Barring a few tweaks, the core experience is still the same that made many fans fall in love with this series, and Red Sun & Blue Moon are solid games.

40. Mega Man (NES)

The first outing for that bluest of bombers, the formula laid out in Mega Man may have been refined in its immediate sequels, but the irresistible mix of run-and-gun platforming and tight controls were there from the get-go. If you're looking to get into the series, this 8-bit beginning is still a good place to start and will give you an appreciation of the subtle improvements Capcom implemented over the first three NES entries.

39. Mega Man III (GB)

Offering gorgeous visuals, a great soundtrack, an excellent new boss, a fun new weapon, and some surprising improvements on the NES originals, Mega Man III is a solid outing. The difficulty might be a bit high, but E-Tanks cushion the blow for all but the most masochistic Mega Man fans.

While Dr. Wily's Revenge and Mega Man II were limited, they had their respective merits; this, however, is the first of the portable series that was a great game in its own right. Fortunately, it wasn't the last.

38. Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel & Protoman (GBA)

It's another Mega Man Battle Network game, what more is there to say? This fifth entry doesn't really change things up too much, so if you enjoyed the previous game — as we did — you're likely to enjoy this one as well. Capcom originally also released both games as one title on the DS just a few months after this release with some extra stuff thrown in for good measure, so there's not too much incentive to track down Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel & Protoman on the GBA. Not bad, though.

37. Mega Man IV (GB)

Mega Man IV improves on its source material to an unbelievable degree considering the hardware it's running on. Alternate routes, optional pickups, a store system, completely redesigned levels, and the meatiest Wily experience yet in the handheld series make this an overlooked outing.

This was the last of the Mega Man handheld entries to remix stages and elements from the NES titles, but it was a brilliant end to that run before the following game branched out into something new altogether.

36. Mega Man 64 (N64)

Fondly remembered for admirably taking Mega Man into the third dimension, Mega Man 64 was a port of Mega Man Legends, and while it's a little clunky by modern standards, the PlayStation famously pioneered mechanics like lock-on targeting before Nintendo would give their take on system in Zelda. Ocarina of Time. Mega Man 64, though, didn't arrive on Nintendo's console until the end of 2000 and arguably looked a little creaky in direct comparison to Link elegance and Mario's athleticism.

35. Mega Man Star Force 3 (DS)

Arriving in 2008/09, this third and final entry (pair of entries, actually — with slickly-named Black Ace and Red Joker variants) in the Star Force subseries delivered more of the same. Some new battle system features and minor tweaks gave fans a nominal reason to pick up the last game in the 'trilogy', but by this point everyone knew exactly what they were getting.

34. Mega Man X: Command Mission (GCN)

A decent battle system was the standout feature of this GameCube title, although the Nintendo version boasted GBA connectivity which put a radar on the handheld's screen when connected via the bespoke link cable. As a spin-off to the X series, expectations were high; in the end, though, Mega Man X: Command Mission was short, but not overly sweet.

33. Mega Man Battle Network (GBA)

Capcom struck gold with the Battle Network series, creating six main titles and plenty of spin-offs which all sold well. Mega Man Battle Network lays the foundation for its sequels, introducing players to a fun, unique battle system, plus an interesting world and characters. Its successors arguably do the job a little better, but the first game in the Battle Network series is still a great place to start.

32. Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 (Switch eShop)

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 is a little disappointing, although Capcom deserves credit for doing the best it could to polish up the weaker games in the series. At the end of the day, putting lipstick on a pig can only do so much, and these games unfortunately don’t hold up quite as well as the first four entries in the series. Even so, X5 and X6 are pretty good and, though X7 is a hot mess of confused design, X8 has plenty of fun moments. If you liked the first four games in the series, you’ll probably enjoy these four to an extent, but bear in mind that this is easily the most skippable of the two collections.

31. Mega Man 7 (SNES)

For players new to the Mega Man franchise, Mega Man 7 is a great place to start: a pure platforming experience in contrast to the more complex Mega Man X, and colourfully inviting without the harsh challenge of earlier core Mega Man entries. It's by no means the best title in the series — gigantic sprites make the game frustrating at times and lead to more generic level designs to accommodate the character models — but it's nevertheless a solid addition to the library.