Ok, as I'm a massive Megaman nut, I'll try to summarize the major Megaman chronology/games, etc..: Incidentally, your Megaman 64 is actually just another name for Megaman Legends 1 (mentioned below in the Megaman Legends section)
I've tried to avoid blatent spoilers, but some may be in there:D Sorry!
Here are the Various Series
Megaman, X, and Zero are all set in the same timeline, while Legends and Battle Network are completely different "retellings" of the story.
A. Megaman
B. Megaman X
C. Megaman Zero
D. Megaman Legends (Alternate Story)
E. Megaman Battle Network (Alternate Story)
FYI, you can get classics Megaman 1-8 and the two rarer arcade fighting megaman games in the compilation game, Megaman Anniversary Collection for PS2... There is supposed to be a similar compilation coming for PS2 of the X series, 1-6, sometime soon...
A. Megaman - The classic series, which began when Dr. Light & Dr. Wily were working on robots to promote scientific interests (Gutsman, Cutman, etc...) Dr. Wily stole the robots & tried to take over the world, causing Dr. Light to rebuild his robotic boy, "Rock", into Megaman (Rockman in japan), to battle Dr. Wily's robot bosses.
Ultimately, the game series currently ends with Megaman 8 (mabye more in the future), and primarily features Megaman, his "brother" Protoman, his Dog Rush, and sister Roll battling Dr. Wily & his robots...
This series generally comprises the following games:
1. Megaman 1 (NES) - Megaman vs. the 6 boss robots serving Wily
2. Megaman 2 (NES) - Megaman vs. 8 new boss robots serving Wily
3. Megaman 3 (NES) - Wily appears to have reformed, helping Dr. Light build a massive Peacekeeping robot, and needs megaman to find the 8 energy sources for the robot from 8 new boss robots. (SIGNIFICANT NOTE: Also introduces Protoman (Blues in Japan), and Megaman's Dog, Rush)
4. Megaman 4 (NES) - A new scientist, Dr. Cossack, whose motives are unknown, attempts to take over the world, with 8 boss robots.
5. Megaman 5 (NES) - Protoman appears to have gone rogue, and Megaman must fight through 8 new boss robots to discover the truth.
6. Megaman 6 (NES) - A new villian, "Mr. X", attempts world domination, and megaman must fight 8 new boss robots to reach "Mr. X"
7. Megaman 7 (SNES) - Wily's imprisonment triggers more boss robots to free him from Jail, and Megaman must track him down, along the way meeting a mysterious new robot named Bass (Forte in Japan), and his Wolf Treble. Is Bass really the benefactor and ally to Megaman he claims to be???
8. Rockman & Forte (SNES/GBA) - A game that wasn't really translated into english until recently for the GBA, this features Megaman & Bass fighting (each for their own reasons & storylines) against a mysterious robot named King).
9. Megaman 8 (PS1) - When a mysterious comet containing "Dark Energy" hits Earth, and Dr. Wily gives the power to his new boss robots and Bass, Megaman must ally himself with a robot from space (Duo), who bears the powers of light, to defeat the dangerous dark powers.
Also, there are various games for Gameboy that somewhat cover the events of the NES games, with some slight differences, as well as some other, offshoot games, such as the NES Rockman Board Game in Japan, and Megaman Soccer for SNES, and Megaman Battle & Chace (a go-kart like game) for PS1).
B. Megaman X - The apocalyptic X series takes place in the future of the Megaman universe. Years after presumably Wily & Light's deaths, an archeologist, Dr. Cain, finds an advanced robot in a capsule. It's a futuristic Megaman, named X, and he was placed there by Dr. Light, until self-diagnostics could be completed. He is an advanced lifeform, known as a reploid, a robot that is completely capable of human-like life and thought. Many more are created based on his design, and reploids begin to populate the world.
However, some turn rogue for whatever reasons, going "Maverick". An organization, the Maverick Hunters is formed, with it's leader, Sigma. Later, a reploid is found under mysterious circumstances, named Zero (looking vaguely like a blond-haired Protoman), who joins. Later, Sigma himself becomes "infected", and goes Maverick, and Zero assumes leadership of the Maverick Hunters. It is when Zero is injured in battle, that X must assume leadership, and lead the fight against the Mavericks and their leaders, under Sigma, while uncovering truths about the past and everyone's origins.
This series was a bit more gritty & mature, and steeped in story and mystery, and all of it's secrets have not yet been unveiled. Also, instead of boss robots like "Cutman, Knightman, etc..., these boss reploids are animal-oriented, and have names like "Volt Catfish, Burning Tiger, Poison Moth, Split Mushroom, etc...)
1. Megaman X (SNES) - Megaman X fights against Sigma and his Maverick bosses
2. Megaman X2 (SNES) - The X-Hunters declare their intention to destroy X, and he must defeat them as well as recover traces of Zero's whereabouts.
3. Megaman X3 (SNES) - Thanks to a "Dr. Doppler's" technology, the Sigma-related Maverick "virus" seemed gone, but when various rogue reploids form the "Doppler Force" and attack, the Maverick hunters X & Zero are needed again.
4. Megaman X4 (PS1) - We begin to see hints of who Zero's dark creator in the past is in this game, compared to X's creator. The story involves a group called the Repliforce, under the command of Colonel, who declares their intentions to take over things. Also, this story consequently follows two paths, Zero and his fight against Colonel, and X as he helps Iris, Colonel's sister, who simply wants peace.
5. Megaman X5 (PS1) - When X & Zero investigate Sigma's attack on an orbital space colony, Eurasia, they discover that Sigma's Maverick Virus is spreading and the Colony is descending rapidly toward a collision with Earth.
6. Megaman X6 (PS1) - With the world in ruins and humans and reploids in hiding after the colony impacting earth, Zero and Sigma are nowhere to be found. Then, a wandering reploid scientist named Gate finds a nightmare virus derived from Zero's DNA in the ruins...
7. Megaman X7 (PS2) - With the pacifistic X having left the Maverick Hunters, Earth looks to the "Red Alert Syndicate", a group of more violent hunters, for salvation. This features the first appearance of a significant new character, Axl, a DNA-copying reploid, who was a member of Red Alert, but has grown wary of it's leader, Red's true motives.
8. Megaman X8 (PS2) - While humanity works on the Jakob Project, a space elevator, reploids are designed, able to copy the DNA of other Reploids, but the concern is that they might be able to copy virus-infected reploids, such as Sigma.
9. Megaman X Command Mission (PS2) - A tactical strategy game, this has Megaman X, Zero, Axl, and 4 new characters leading missions to various locations to put down a revolt in which a reploid known as Epsilion has been taking a new resource known as Force Metal.
C. Megaman Zero - This GBA series is not really about Megaman, but Zero, in an even farther out future of the Megaman / Megaman X series'. In this far-off future, X appears to have gone hyper-zealous, and in supposed "defense" of the human city Neo-Arcadia, pretty much declared all reploids who don't submit as Mavericks. To this end, innocent reploids are hunted down and killed. It is only when Ciel, a human scientist living with the refugees and helping their rebellion, reawakens Zero's body from a cryogenic sleep, that he turns the tide of their rebellion against the fanatical X... This game also features helpful Cyber-Elves, little assistant creatures that must be fed energy to grow to a point where they can assist you during play.
1. Megaman Zero 1 (GBA) - Zero helps Ciel and discovers Ciel's own connections to and the truth behind the psychotic tyrant, X, who claims to be protecting humanity and Neo-Arcadia from all the evil reploids in the world.
2. Megaman Zero 2 (GBA) - Zero reunites with the rebels, trying again to stop the recovered evil Copy-X, as well as the rebellion's new leader Elpizo, who is becoming increasingly obsessed with using the Dark Cyberelves power to defeat the evil Copy-X by himself...
3. Megaman Zero 3 (GBA) - While his lieutenants (who may not be all that bad, just following different paths in life) have been running Neo-Arcadia in his absence, the evil Copy-X returns, seemingly buddied up with a manipulating person/creature known as "Dr. Wiel" (much to the dissapointment of his own lieutenants), along with his creation, Omega. Zero must confront truths about his own body and who he really is, and what his true connection to the monsterous Omega is...
4. Megaman Zero 4 (GBA) - Only released thus far in Japan, this has a story that has to do with Weil oppressing everyone, Neo-Arcadians included (and Copy-X allowing it to happen), as Zero & company help a caravan of reploids reach a humans' oasis.
D. Megaman Legends - A spin-off series featuring a Megaman that appears to be a human boy,j found as a child, and raised by his adoptive Grandfather and sister, Barrel & Roll Caskett. They are explorers, and they travel around a world mostly covered in water, searching on rare deserted islands through remnants of a lost civilization for "Refractor" energy crystals to power the cities of the world. On the way he encounters the wacky pirate family, the Bonnes, as well as discovers truths about the origins of the world & himself.
1. Legends 1 (PS1) - Megaman searches for Crystals while discovering the world.
2. Legends 2 (PS1) - Megaman & company dive into a mysterious place, in search of Roll's Parents...
3. The Misadventures of Tron Bonne - A wacky spinoff-game about the adventures of the female member of the Bonne family who hunts for treasure with her family & robot servants;
E. Megaman Battle Network (Rockman.exe in Japan) - This GBA series is another alternate timeline story, about a boy named Lan who has an Artificial Intelligence partner named Megaman who resides on a PDA-like device called a P.E.T., and their adventures in saving the world from various evildoers and their plans to use their Netnavis to bring about destruction or world domination. Over the course of the series, Lan meets new people, delves into the mysterious past of various places and people on the internet and real world & the dark origins of various Netnavis, as well as learning to bond further and further with Megaman, as the danger from various villians and the Net World crossing over into the real world increases...
The games involve Lan & his netnavi Megaman protecting the internet and the real world from virus and various NetNavis, by fighting and using "BattleChips" gained from defeating foes to use special attacks in fighting
1. Megaman Battle Network 1 (GBA) - Megaman & Lan vs. the World Three, an Evil group of NetNavi operators causing havok in devices from cars to microwaves across the world, to take it over.
2. Megaman Battle Network 2 (GBA) - Megaman & Lan vs. the Gospel organization, who has increased Netcrime in the world, following World 3's defeat.
3. Megaman Battle Network 3 (Blue & White versions) (GBA) - The lines between reality and the cyber world begin to blur as Megaman & Lan learn truths about their origins, and must battle the return of the World 3, and their leader, who desires the destruction of the internet world.
4. Megaman Battle Network 4 (Red Sun & Blue Moon versions) (GBA) - A new evil group wants to collide an asteroid with the Earth, and Megaman & Lan must stop the plan, while coming even more in Sync with each other, avoiding the dangerous lure of using the villans' "Dark Chips", which push Megaman close to being violent and uncontrollable, and using the new Soul Unisons, allowing Megaman to take on the aspects of other NetNavis.
5. Rockman.exe 4.5 Real Operation (GBA) - Japanese only game that simulates a real "PET" device, in which you have your own NetNavi companion who can remember important dates, tell you things, and fight viruses on your GBA...
5. Megaman Battle Network 5 (Team Protoman & Team Colonel versions) (GBA) - An evil group is using Dark Energy to take over parts of the internet, corrupting them. Megaman must team up with either Protoman and one team of Netnavis, or Colonel and another team of Netnavis to try to liberate the internet, while again dealing with Dark Chips, Soul Unisons, etc...
6. Megaman Battle Chip Challenge (GBA) - A side-adventure, featuring you as the operator of one of Six netnavis, competing in the Battle Chip Grand Prix tournament against many rivals, in one-on-one duels, (effectively cutting right to the NetNavi vs. NetNavi fights, cutting out all the wandering around and NetNavi vs. virus battles from the other games).
7. Megaman Battle Network Transmission (Gamecube) - A sidescrolling game featuring the Battle Network Characters;
Hope this helps! Again, I reccomend the Anniversary collection for PS2 to play the classic series, and the upcoming X collection for PS2 to play the X series (and of course X7, X8, and Command Mission are *for* PS2). The Legends series can be found Preowned in most Gamestops, etc... And the Zero and Battle Network series' are for GBA, and can be found preowned as well, pretty easily;
- |
