Mega Man II

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Mega Man II.

Famitsu Preview#

Weekly Famitsu issue 0147 (October 11, 1991) showed some screenshots of the game that have some interesting differences!

Levels Differences#

Clash Man Stage

Famitsu Preview	Final

The pipe graphics in the Clash Man stage are very different! They're much more detailed compared to the final version.

Hard Man Stage

Famitsu Preview	Final

Small Life Energy is not present.

Top Man Stage

Famitsu Preview	Final

The part of the floor near the entrance to Top Man's room is straighter, connecting with the metal part on the sides.

Sprites Differences#

Mega Man

Famitsu Preview	Final

Here Mega Man is on top of the Rush Jet five pixels above him, in addition to being on a layer behind the sprite, unlike the final version.

Pierobot

Famitsu Preview	Final

Pierrot and his Gear are quite small, both being roughly 16x16, while the final version is a bit more similar to what's seen in Mega Man 2 for the NES.

Hari Harry

Famitsu Preview	Final

Hari Harry has a different sprite than his final version.

Houdai

Famitsu Preview	Final

Houdai has a rather strange appearance and a very thin barrel, they look much less like their Mega Man 3 version for the NES.

EGM Preview#

Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 029 (December 1991) demonstrated the game, taking some rather poor-quality screenshots in the process, resulting in captures both made from multiple screenshots and/or being poorly stretched out.

Title Screen#

EGM Preview	Final

The copyright info is missing, likely since it wasn't clear when the game was being released at this point. Due to the poor screenshot quality, the title screen is stretched vertically, making the logo appear bigger than it should be. Additionally, the font on the title screen has slightly different graphics than the final version, with shading that closely resembles the title screen of the previous game.

Stage Select#

EGM Preview	Final

The Robot Masters' portraits are completely different, seemingly based on their original artwork; the final version uses imitations of the NES version's portraits. The tiled background around the mugshots seems to have been compiled from multiple low-quality screenshots of the stage select, as the tiling seems to be completely off.

Password Screen#

EGM Preview	Final

The different tiles were carried into the password screen too, and so was the part where it's made of poorly-compiled screenshots, causing the tiling to look wrong.

Boss Intros#

EGM Preview	Final

In the final game, Air Man simply draws from his in-game graphics, which are based on the NES Mega Man 2 graphics, but in the prototype he seems to have a completely redone sprite.

EGM Preview	Final

Clash Man (or Crash Man) has a very different sprite, being much simpler than his final version and similar to one of his unused sprites in the final game.

Levels Differences#

Air Man Stage#

EGM Preview	Final

EGM Preview	Final

Air Man's stage inverts the clouds and sky colors in the final game, likely to make the difference between the clouds and sky tiles still noticeable but less awkwardly colored.

Clash Man Stage#

EGM Preview	Final

Some graphics changed, mainly a detailed circular platform object becoming more triangular for the final game, likely as its usage as a platform later in the level made it look like Mega Man would be floating in air while standing on it. The pipes that spawn Tellies was also shrunken to be flush with the wall, likely to make the screen look less cramped.

EGM Preview	Final

Certain metatiles were changed to look more consistent, and less randomly placed.

Capcom Promotional Video#

A promotional video by Capcom from the end of 1991, there are some recordings of Mega Man II. Interestingly, whether by mistake or not, some parts of the recording are from a prototype version of the game!

HUD#

Promotional Video	Final

In the recording, you can see that, just like in the early versions of Dr. Wily's Revenge, the HUD originally had borders! Although unlike Dr. Wily's Revenge, where the borders had graphics reminiscent of the Weapon Menus from Mega Man 1 and 2 on the NES, here they are just simple light gray tiles. This data is still present within the final version.

Clash Bomb#

Promotional Video	Final

In the recording, the Clash Bomb is not destroyed by the small spinning tops when it is touched.