My Mega Memories

Growing up, my parents didn’t buy me and my brothers new video games often. We got them occasionally, but considering the cost of Jewish day school and living, they were an expensive hobby. Whenever my brothers and I received one, it was something we couldn’t complain about. It didn’t matter if it was complete garbage, we had to make the best of it. Many of my earliest memories with video games, therefore, were of learning to appreciate trash and quality-alike.

Every once in a while, however, we’d encounter a game that was excellent. Such was the case of Mega Man II on the Game Boy. I spotted it on sale in a discount bin at a pawn shop after going out for lunch, and I pointed it out to my younger brother. We then took it home and tried it out on our Game Boy Color, and the rest was history. There was something special about booting up the game and listening to the opening theme. Even now it reminds me of a funeral dirge, but a charming one. And the game was great.

It was also really difficult. I’ve written about this before, but one of the issues I have with older video games is how challenging and unfair they are. Perhaps it was due to limitations, but for however short older games were, they were equally as difficult. Mega Man II was no exception, especially since the Game Boy had a reduced screen and draw distance. The fact that this game was ported to a handheld at all was a miracle, even if it had to find clever workarounds to meet its capabilities. Among these included showing four levels at once, as well as everything being zoomed in.

I didn’t know this at the time, though. I was too busy learning the ropes and making mistakes, constantly jotting down different passwords on scraps of discarded paper. Eventually I learned which levels to play first, as well as which upgrades worked with each boss. It took plenty of trial and error, but I completed the first four levels and discovered a new area. My hopes were dashed, however, when I realized said area wasn’t for Dr. Wiley, but a new hub for four levels and bosses. I was pissed.

That anger quickly subsided. It’s easy to laugh at how naïve I was, but I didn’t know! It was the late-90’s, and the internet was a fee-for-use service with limitations. We also used landlines to connect, and waiting to go online was frequently delayed or interrupted by outages, weather hazards, or someone making a phone call. Since the internet was as much a novelty as a new game, I had to persist through my frustrations.

Anyway, I learned an important lesson about not trusting that Game Boy titles were automatically complete because I’d cleared a screen of immediate enemies. It acclimated me to how Mega Man II operated on the Game Boy, splitting the game’s eight bosses into two groups of four to not overwhelm the system. Other than that, I had no complaints. I’d beaten the 1st four bosses, so how hard could the 2nd four be? Not too hard, though not exactly a cakewalk.

Fast-forward several more months, and I’d finally completed both hubs and gained all of the necessary power-ups. I was ready for Dr. Wiley! Nothing would get in my way now, right? Right?! Well…

To date, I’ve yet to beat Dr. Wiley in Mega Man II. I tried, I even came close several times, but I always ended up either dying, or running out of power-ups. Dr. Wiley, in my childhood mind, was also really cheap and unfair, throwing wrenches in my strategies right as I was gaining the upper hand. It didn’t help that my brothers managed to beat him, leading to personal insecurity. What was I doing wrong?

As it turns out, nothing. My brain works differently, processing tasks slower than most. But I was devastated that I was falling behind as the middle sibling with a limited social circle. I couldn’t share my successes and frustrations with my peers because they were uncomfortable around me, so I relied on hearsay and my own failures. Not beating Dr. Wiley was another example of that, and it stung.

As my failures kept piling, I finally gave up and moved on. It didn’t help that our Game Boy Color had broken from being dropped on the ground, and that our Game Boy Advance couldn’t do the game justice because of its lack of a backlight. I’m also pretty sure I lost the game, not bothering to search for it because the Game Boy Advance had “better games” that I was more interested in. So long, Mega Man II! For a while, at least.

It wasn’t until university, when I became a writer on ScrewAttack, that my interest in Mega Man II for the Game Boy returned. This time, it wasn’t to play it, but rather write about it. I remember reminiscing about my experiences as part of a weekly writing theme, even having my piece highlighted in a video from a fellow g1. It gave closure to my childhood memories and its importance growing up. Sadly, ScrewAttack no longer exists...

But that doesn’t mean I can’t write about the game, especially now as an adult. After all, Mega Man II’s currently on Nintendo Switch Online for the Game Boy. And replaying it briefly has reminded me that while I’m no longer 9 years old, I still remember the game fondly. It may not excite me the way it once did, especially since I don’t have the time or patience to “get good”, but that doesn’t mean I don’t cherish my memories of fighting Dr. Wiley and failing…constantly.

At least the opening theme’s great.