19. Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (Switch)

Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection is everything that you could’ve hoped it to be. This is ultimately six great Mega Man games presented to you with a slew of customisable features, extra content, and quality-of-life updates.

If you’re a fan of either Mega Man or side-scrolling action games in general, you owe it to yourself to give this release a go and see what all the fuss is about. These are hard and occasionally frustrating games, but they offer up some rewarding, action-heavy gameplay that even today stands among the best of its class. Don’t pass this collection up.

18. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 (Switch eShop)

All told, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 feels like a letdown compared to the stellar presentation of its predecessor. Missing features and the lower quality of games easily make this the more skippable of the two, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that this is a bad collection. Entries 9 and 10 just about justify the collection on their own, but those who are looking to get their feet wet will want to pass on this and jump in with the first collection. Good, but not great.

17. Mega Man ZX (DS)

While its direct sequel might have added bells and whistles, Mega Man ZX built on the formula of both the Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero series and Inti Creates built something that struck a chord with fans. There may have been some dark times ahead for Phil Megaman, but the DS hosted a couple of gloriously light spots.

16. Mega Man V (GB)

Mega Man V was the first wholly original series entry in the Game Boy, with the preceding games being mashups inspired by his NES adventures. Against all odds and exceeding any reasonable expectations, it turns out to be one of the best Mega Man games, period.

The difficulty might be a tad low, and the soundtrack only intermittently hits the peaks we've come to expect from the series, but all of that is made up for by an endlessly creative experience, 10 new special weapons, and a whopping 15 main bosses.

This might be one of the most overlooked games in the Blue Bomber's catalogue, but that just means it's primed for rediscovery. If you have any interest at all, you'd be doing yourself a great disservice by passing on Mega Man V.

15. Mega Man Zero Collection (DS)

Collecting together all four of the Game Boy Advance games in one convenient package, Inti Creates added an Easy mode and a couple of extra bits and pieces while assembling the Mega Man Zero Collection, but for the most part the games were left to sell themselves in this compilation.

Fortunately, the Zero series — which arguably follows the same trajectory of quality as the vanilla Mega Man games (so, good, brilliant, also-brilliant, not-quite-as-brilliant) — was a short and sweet sideline to the Rockman brand and at a time when franchise fans had little else to look forward to from Capcom, this was one hell of a lifeline.

These games are now conveniently available on Switch, too.

14. Mega Man Zero 3 (GBA)

Diminishing returns? Pah! — there's no such thing as too much Mega Man!

Mega Man Zero 2 made some drastic changes to the first game's formula to make it more enjoyable, and Mega Man Zero 3 finetunes things a little more, but stops short of major changes; a classic example of not messing with something that works.

If you enjoyed the previous titles, you will absolutely get a kick out of this one as well, and all the collectibles should keep you entertained. Again!

13. Mega Man X Collection (GCN)

Compiling the first six Mega Man X games into one package, this disc was a great way for longtime fans to replay the best games in the series or to catch up for those who might have missed entries due to them being on PlayStation. 

Even ignoring some of the lesser entries, just having the first three on one disc was a treat for fans, and it's the only way to officially play Mega Man: Battle & Chase (think 'Mega Man Kart') on a Nintendo console, too.

12. Mega Man 4 (NES)

Following on from the classic one-two punch (or should that be two-three punch) of its direct predecessors, this fourth entry is still a very good game, even if it can't quite live up to the two previous entries.

It vacillates between perfect refinement of the formula and a lack of care and inventiveness, and its soundtrack is another area where it doesn't compare favourably to its forebears. That doesn't make it bad at all, but you wouldn't put 'Not as good as 2 or 3' on the poster, would you?

Mega Man 4, then — 'A very good Mega Man game.' Yep, print it.

11. Mega Man Anniversary Collection (GCN)

Mega Mans 1-8 collected together on one disc sounds like a mighty fine proposition, no? And so it was. It wasn't without faults, but this compilation also included Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, two arcade rarities outside Japan.

In fact, the only huge mark against this game was the truly bizarre decision to make 'B' the jump button with the GameCube's big chunky 'A' button firing the Blue Bomber's Arm Cannon. This control scheme could not be altered which caused no small amount of trouble for players who had years of muscle memory built up from playing the classics. A puzzling choice, but an otherwise fine collection from Capcom.

10. Mega Man Legacy Collection (3DS)

Mega Man Legacy Collection is a great package for 3DS owners with a lot of content and stuff to do. For newcomers it's worth acknowledging that each game is very challenging, and could be too much for someone who isn't used to the steep learning curve. With that in mind, the wealth of extras, the challenge mode and the sheer scope of six games nevertheless make Mega Man Legacy Collection a great option for anyone who's looking for an old-school Capcom treat who'd rather play on a smaller handheld than Switch.

9. Mega Man 10 (WiiWare)

Mega Man 10 was an old-school sequel that built on the retro rebirth of Mega Man 9, with 8-bit graphics that made the game feel like you'd gone back in time — back to a reality where SNES never released and Capcom just kept iterating on the classic Mega Man formula. Inti Creates and Capcom did remarkable work here, and while it would be several years until the character returned in another numbered sequel, that was worth the wait, too.