I’ll admit it: I was skeptical of Mega Man Legacy Collection, especially coming to a platform where I could already download all six of the included NES Mega Man games on Virtual Console for roughly the same price. On paper, all that Legacy Collection adds is a few challenges, token Amiibo support, and some historical extras ranging from concept art to ads and box art. In general, this game just seemed to be a shiny wrapper for something we could already play on the system. So why should anyone double (or triple or quadruple or septuple) dip on the NES Mega Man games in this package? Well, it’s because these games have never looked better than they do in the Legacy Collection package.

All six Mega Man games included visually pop off the screen on the 3DS. That’s not because of stereoscopic 3D (though there is a neat effect that lifts the game screen in front of the mandatory border); that’s because each game looks vivid and vibrant, with colors that look crisp and clear. Legacy Collection features these games as you remember them; not as they are on Virtual Console or mobile phones, or through an RF switch or AV cable.

The package is made better because the games included are fantastic. I still think the original Mega Man is too hard and brutal for its own good, but Mega Man 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all top-shelf NES games. Playing around with this collection gave me renewed love for Mega Man 6 in particular, even if the Rush adaptors kind of break the game.

The challenges, 11 of which are exclusively unlocked by a Mega Man Amiibo, are all novel ways to replay chunks of Mega Man games. They string together sections from different levels in different games with a focus on completing them as fast as possible. Part of me wishes these were handled in more of a bite-sized NES Remix style, but it’s fun to try to complete these segments of stages within the various themes. I really enjoyed the water level-focused Amiibo challenge in particular.

All of the historical elements are nice, but I found it a little clumsy to sort through. Each game has so much concept art that it’s easy to just get overwhelmed slowly going down the list. I’m happy a repository for this content exists, but I don’t see myself doing much with it.

If you haven’t dipped into Mega Man games on portables yet, Mega Man Legacy Collection is a no-brainer if you’re ever hankering for some classic Capcom action going forward. It’s a little bit of a tougher sell if you already have access to these games. All six of the NES Mega Man games look better than they have in years in this collection, but the added challenges and archival content don’t bring too much to the package.. Mega Man Legacy Collection works best as it was originally pitched: it’s like a Criterion Collection for video games. Everything looks better and it has unseen behind-the-scenes content, but it’s still mostly the same as the barebones DVD you can find elsewhere.

Note: We've heard from other reviewers that the digital version of Mega Man Legacy Collection has some graphical issues. We reviewed the physical verison so we reviewed what we played. Let it be known, though, that the digital experience might be worse.