u/epicgordan

Just four out of 50 Challenges done, with only 1 Gold Helmet earned against the Yellow Devil (thanks, Pause Trick).

These Challenges are brutal, man. Not only do I need to clear all 50 of them, I need to earn the Gold Helmet in all of them. And I'm just not ready for them yet. You saw through my playthroughs of the other six games. The evidence shows that I'm clearly not good enough to complete this game. And with three more games to go out of my Twelve Games selected back in Christmas 2025 (including two mystery RPG's), I've decided to put this game on hold. At least until the proper time can arise where I can give these games the proper time of day to not only properly Perfect these games, but also a sufficient mastery of them as well.

As an aside, but these videos were all filmed months ago, and was the chief reason it took so long for me to upload onto YouTube. So all those comments regarding Summer of Sonic? Forget about 'em. In the face of some real world issues, I've decided to cancel Summer of Sonic altogether. Going forward, Tekken 2 and the two Mystery RPG's are the only other games that I'll be working on. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I do plan on uploading a video explaining what is going on with Summer of Sonic and why it's being cancelled.

https://youtu.be/oaZlUohffhM?si=kHLuvhZaYZiQ7PkV

While not as good as Mega Man's 2 through 4, I do consider it a return to form of sorts following the bland padding of Mega Man 5. Rush gets retooled for the better, and upgrades are fun to use once again, including a secret one provided by Proto Man! May have came too little too late on the NES, but Mega Man 6 is still a bloody good sendoff to the NES.

I forgot to mention this in Mega Man 5, but unlocking Beat the Bird by collecting all the letters that spell Mega Man V is the main condition for that game's Perfect Playthrough. Mega Man 6 is a little different; in addition to collecting the secret Proto Man upgrade that allows Energy Replenishing orbs to automatically restore Energy of your most depleted suit (even if you're not equipped to it), you now have to spell out Beat's name. This time, you do this by taking the secret routes to the Robot Masters in order to defeat them.

https://youtu.be/AnO--k4Ix-s?si=B0TG890sMQxr1dEr

Mega Man 4 was way easier than 3, and in a lot of ways, felt more approachable. But it's also the point where the series began to stagnate on the NES. And Mega Man 5 suffers greatly for it! Long stretches of nothing happening mixed with enemies that tank hits greatly. And the powerups just aren't fun to use anymore.

https://youtu.be/gHsfHpvwURE?si=ONOnuPPsQCJzrbeM

Going from the hardest Mega Man to arguably the easiest (though still pretty hard). Blame the Rain for being OP. There are two items that require going off the beaten path in order to achieve a Perfect Playthrough. Also, Charge Shot.

And while it's my pick for my third favorite Mega Man game--sometimes, I'd even rate it ahead of Mega Man 3 for second best--it's also the point where the series begins to stagnate on the NES.

https://youtu.be/aK5Okgv0RbE?si=HMCqxp64v6u-YGbf

The other candidate for best Mega Man game on NES. Also my pick for the hardest game. I'd even argue its brutal difficulty is the chief reason I prefer Mega Man 2. And that's in spite the debut of both Rush and Protoman.

Since I will be acquiring every single upgrade and powerup naturally over the course of the game, no other conditions are needed for a Perfect Playthrough. Beating the game is all that needs to be done. And with no strings attached.

https://youtu.be/-Xf7J0K_CE4?si=wSaBoFwps6XAXfFs

We go from arguably the worst Mega Man on NES to arguably the best on the system. Physics are fixed, so the controls are gonna feel super smooth. And the powerups, especially the Metal Blade, are actually really strong and fun to use.

https://youtu.be/wAtKqLqCqJc?si=mrZ1X1cjawwf47ws

While it isn't horrible per se, the original Mega Man does not control well; he drops like a brick in mid-air, and enemies respawn infinitely at the most inconvenient of places. Also possible to softlock yourself if you fail to pick up a powerup. And although it did enjoy mostly positive reviews at the time, the game was a commercial flop, and nearly killed any chance at a sequel from taking place. The team was granted the okay so long as they worked on the game during their off hours. And what we would eventually get out of this is one of the greatest NES games of all time.

https://youtu.be/PDjd-Q96gtQ?si=kVAspE1fkVWeTepK

Sorry for the late update, but here is the start of my newest Perfect Playthrough. I will primarily be focusing my efforts on the mainline titles on NES as opposed to the Challenges though.

Each game has its own conditions for a Perfect Playthrough. Mega Man 1 requires every upgrade to beat the game, but one of these items is technically optional to get. Just note that if you don't pick the item up, you will not be able to beat the game.

Mega Man 2 actually requires capping off your E Tanks on your way towards beating the game.

Mega Man 3 is the only game released on NES that requires nothing else beyond beating the game. Every collectable in the game is a mandated acquisition.

Mega Man 4 has two secret items that need to be collected en route to beating the game.

Mega Man 5 requires collecting all the letters that spell out Mega Man V in order to unlock Beat.

And Mega Man 6 has a secret meeting spot with Protoman, as well as four branching paths that I need to access in order to spell and unlock Beat himself.

Maybe someday, I'll get around to covering the Challenges. But for now, I will be prioritizing the core games as featured in this collection.

https://youtu.be/Rvs50C3jSyE?si=Buh9tp7kgSry3nAI

Yesterday, I ended the Groundhog Grind of the Yugioh Early Days Collection. And today, I do the same with the Contra Anniversary Collection as I show off the two Probotector games (Super Probotector on SNES and Probotector for the Mega Drive) as well as the Bonus Book.

With these two collections from Konami finally completed, I only have four more Games of Christmas, as well as Summer of Sonic, to go. I decided to change Mega Man Legacy Collection's premier date to be a week from today. And while I still have Tekken 2 slated for June 6, I'm no longer feeling quite as confident at making that date at all. I also have my two mystery JRPG's, including my next mainline entry to worry about as well. But it still remains to be seen when I plan to unveil either of them.

https://youtu.be/IShJGsaItm4?si=zfYQDVtazfFsrjI8

Final playthrough of Contra Hard Corps, where I take the miniature robot, Browny through to both the Bad and True Endings of the game. Both options require Saving the Scientists, then refusing Dr. Mandrake's offer to surrender. Refusing to surrender will force you to kill Mandrake a little earlier. And if Deadeye Joe is already dead by this point, then there will be no one left alive to safely transport the Alien Cell, and it'll run amok, giving Colonel Bahamut a chance to make his escape at the end. But if Deadeye Joe is still alive, he'll be able to transfer the Alien Cell over to the Rocket where we'll have arguably the most epic of the four key endings.

Of course, you'll still be faced with one last option afterwards. You can accept Bahamut's offer to join him, and you'll unlock the bad ending straight away; but this will result in an automatic Game Over, and you'll be forced to use up a Continue. Or, you can refuse, and have one last epic showdown with Bahamut and Deadeye Joe as you make your way on top of the rocket that's housing the Alien Cell. You'd think the hero dies at the end here, but then your pilot buddy from Level 2B will swoop in to save the Day.

Again, the most epic, and in my opinion, the truest of all six endings.

https://youtu.be/r0SuZ5XWVsM?si=yRp8CsbpmTWAN0mO

Third campaign through Contra Hard Corps, this time as Fang. I chose to Rescue the Scientists, then surrendered to Dr. Mandrake. If Deadeye Joe is already dead by the time you surrender to Dr. Mandrake, Bahamut will have enough time to install the Alien Cell onto his super weapon and will unleash it upon the world, thus unlocking the Tragic or Sacrificial Endings. But since I ignored Deadeye Joe in order to rescue the scientists, Deadeye Joe will still be alive to bust us out of our prison cell onboard a train, and this will allow us the opportunity to stop Bahamut before he even gets a chance to install the Alien Cell into his super weapon. This is technically one of two good endings where the villains are all slain and the day is saved, but this one is arguably the cleanest out of the four main endings.

It's just not THE true ending. We'll get to that next time.

https://youtu.be/qDyARGqSVP0?si=JhjtqPp35inSxlA-

Second playthrough of Contra Hard Corps., and this time, it's Sheena's turn. And for her Playthrough, I went and quickly uncovered the Secret Ending before proceeding with the ending where the villain escapes.

The Secret Ending can be achieved regardless of whether or not you pursue Deadeye Joe or rescue the Scientists. You climb up the wall just before you took on the Stage 3 boss, and accept the offer to take on the Secret Arena and win there. It ends with the player character traveling back in time and marrying a monkey.

The ending where the villain escapes is achieved by pursuing Deadeye Joe and refusing to surrender to Dr. Mandrake. With both Deadeye Joe and Dr. Mandrake prematurely dead in this ending, there's no one left to safely handle the Alien Cell, and it goes rogue, thus allowing for Colonel Bahamut to escape.

https://youtu.be/oUXNz61YDJ0?si=ux03jc-ZmfbU789k