Mega Man

ロックマン (Rokkuman)NES, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Wii +101987

  1. JP1987
  2. NA1987
  3. EU1989
  4. RU—

In Japan Mega Man is called Rockman (ロックマン), the name also used across East Asia. The easiest legal way to play it today is Mega Man Legacy Collection, which includes the NES version and is sold on Steam and the Nintendo eShop.

Capcom released Mega Man in Japan as Rockman for the Famicom on 17 December 1987. It was made by a team of only six people, directed by Akira Kitamura, with music by Manami Matsumae and character designs largely by Keiji Inafune. Capcom considered licensing Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) for the game but dropped the idea.

The game is often cited as the first with a non-linear level select: players choose the order in which to fight the Robot Masters, and each defeated boss gives up a weapon in a rock-paper-scissors chain of weaknesses. Eight Robot Masters were planned, but cartridge space and the schedule left room for six. Unlike later entries, it also has a scoring system.

For the West the hero was renamed Mega Man, and the North American box art, with an adult-looking hero holding a handgun, is widely cited as one of the worst game covers.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Mega Man NES December 1987 Capcom 2
NA Mega Man Anniversary Collectioncompilation; also GameCube (2004) and Xbox (2005) PlayStation 2 2004 Capcom 2
JP ロックマンRokkumanFamicom NES Dec 17, 1987 Capcom 1
AU Mega Man NES Dec 29, 1987 Capcom 3
EU Mega Man NES Dec 13, 1989 Capcom 2
KR Mega Man NES Dec 15, 1990 — 3
JP ロックマンRockman Complete Works PlayStation Aug 5, 1999 Capcom 2
EU Mega ManVirtual Console; North America and Japan followed in 2008, 3DS in 2012, Wii U in 2013 Wii 2007 Capcom 2
WW Mega Man Legacy Collectioncompilation; also 3DS, PS4 and Xbox One in 2015 Windows Aug 24, 2015 Capcom 4
WW Mega Manmobile release; also Android iOS Jan 5, 2017 Capcom 2
EU Mega Man Legacy Collectioncompilation Switch May 22, 2018 Capcom 5

Also known as: ロックマン JP1ROCKMAN JP1Rockman JP2

Box art by region

  • Mega Man box art, North America release
    NA Mega Man
  • Mega Man box art, Europe release
    EU Mega Man
  • ロックマン box art, Japan release
    JP ロックマン

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • TitleFamicom (JP)NES (NA/EU)

    The Japanese title screen has a completely different logo; the international logo remained the series standard outside Japan until Mega Man 8.3

  • AudioNES (EU)

    The European release changes some sound effects: the Mega Buster shot plays only five of its eight rising notes, and the landing sound is different.3

  • TitleFamicom (JP)NES (NA/EU)

    In Japan, pressing Start on the title screen plays a sound and makes Mega Man flash; the Western versions just flash "PRESS START" silently.3

All differences (5)

Translations

  • English Official

    Capcom1987NES · Japanese Famicom versionReleased · complete

    Capcom's official English release on the NES.2

Where to play legally today

  • Nintendo eShop Purchase

    Mega Man Legacy Collection

    NES version

    Checked: 2026-10-135nintendo.com

  • Steam Purchase

    Mega Man Legacy Collection

    NES version

    Checked: 2026-10-134store.steampowered.com

Reception

At first a sleeper hit spread by word of mouth, the game won Best Console Game (8-bit) at the 1990 Golden Joystick Awards, and Capcom reissued it in North America in September 1991 because of demand. IGN later ranked it 30th among NES games.2

In lists

Sources

  1. 1ja.wikipedia.org
  2. 2en.wikipedia.org
  3. 3tcrf.net
  4. 4store.steampowered.com
  5. 5nintendo.com
  6. 6ja.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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