Classic Mega Man tuneage poll

I think Megaman 2 had, pound for pound, the most innovative and original of all the music ever featured in the series. I remember going to my friend's house with my tape deck so that we could record the music to listen to on our Walkmans (A very primitive attempt at ripping VGM in 1988).

But really, nearly every track was a standout. Bubbleman, Crashman, Airman, Flashman and Metalman were highly memorable. Wily Stage 1-2 is pretty much legendary. Even the lesser stages - Quickman, Woodman, and Heatman - had music that eclipsed pretty much anything from Megaman 6. But Bubbleman's Stage is definitely my all-time favorite Megaman track.

And I think the remix attempts are a testament to the high quality of Megaman 2's composition. Over at OCRemix, there are more MM2 remixes than any other game in the Megaman series. Why? Because the originals were quality and a remixer usually prefers to begin with something strong and identifiable, or else there's little point in doing the remix.

My runner-up is Megaman 5. A lot of people would argue that Megaman 3 was better, but I think there was a tremendous rise in originality when they sat down to write for 5. Waveman, Chargeman and Gyroman's stages have wonderful themes. Stoneman and Gravityman were memorable also. Megaman 3 had its strong moments, like Snakeman and Magnetman, but 5 felt a bit more polished.

But don't even get me started on how purely awful the music in Megaman 6 was.

Jam it back in, in the dark.