These are but the first eight levels. I really don't want to spoil the Cossack and Wily fortresses for you, where the dial goes beyond 10, beyond 11, beyond the limits of logic and reason. We're talking Gurren Lagaan levels of lunacy, my friends.

Sure, the game follows the same plot as Mega Man 4, and sure, you fight the same Robot Masters, but that's where the similarities end. Beneath the surface, so much code has been rewritten, so much extra content has been packed in, that if you were to try to run this on actual NES hardware, you'd probably blow up your house and disrupt the power grid in your neighborhood. All the bosses have wild new attack patterns, enemies from other Mega Man games have been incorporated, and levels are larger and have multiple paths. Hell, there is a miniboss in Ring Man's level that is essentially Lololo and Lalala from Kirby's Dream Land!

Instead of sticking to straight running, gunning, and jumping, MI is always mixing up the game style. You could be hopping on a pogo stick through some mine tunnels, dealing with constantly changing status ailments, or even commandeering enemy craft. One of my favorite parts (minor spoilers) occurs late in the game when you have to fight a series of Robot Master hybrids, fusions of old foes like Quick Man and Wood Man with abilities cribbed from both. Very cool!

When people lament how stale the Mega Man series has gotten, it's not the fault of the property itself but of the minds behind the property who insist on treading the same familiar territory and not truly exploring the possibilities. Rockman 4 Minus Infinity demonstrates what can be done when someone who truly cares is behind the wheel. I urge you all to download the MI patch as well as a Japanese Rockman 4 ROM (track that one down on your own), then get to playing this remarkable achievement right away.