New Nintendo 3DS owners and retro gamers, rejoice!  Mega Man X2 is now available on the North American Virtual Console!

The game goes for just US$7.99 , but in keeping with a #ThrowbackThursday spirit, here’s what I think makes this game really special and worth revisiting:

1) Green Biker Dude

The game starts you off on one of them futuristic hover bikes, and that’s already pretty rad… but notice the Reploid in the background? Some say that Maverick Hunter–now popularly known as  Green Biker Dude — is destroyed in the first few seconds of the game. Pretty grim for a KA-rated game at that time, but the good news is now Green Biker Dude lives on forever as meme .

2) Dash from the beginning

The original  Mega Man X , also available on the Virtual Console , gave our beloved Mega Man gameplay mechanics a velocity boost, allowing the dev team to add more platforming challenges and faster enemies. It was amazing, but you had to get that through the Dash Boots Upgrade. Now, in  MMX2 , you get that from the very beginning of the game!

And the cool thing is the Dash Boots Upgrade is still a part of  MMX2 , but this time, it gives you an Air Dash; literally my favorite video game mechanic of all time.

3) Wheel Gator

Actually, not much to say here; I just really like his name and design, and for some reason, every time MMX2 gets brought up, I immediately think of this guy. Anyways, since we’re on the topic of  MMX2 Mavericks, which one’s your favorite?

4) X-Hunters

Violen, Serges and Agile; throughout the game, this trio would chase X down, appearing in random stages, providing an extra level of challenge. Defeating them wasn’t the easiest feat–especially if you were having a bad run and encountered them with your health on the low end–but it really paid off in the end. However, if you  don’t defeat them…

5) Battle against Zero

In the first  MMX , we get to see Zero come in, save the day in the beginning and make an ultimate sacrifice at the end. In this game, Zero is allegedly dead, but you have the opportunity to rebuild him by defeating the aforementioned X-Hunters; failing to do so will result in Zero being reconstructed and reprogrammed for pure evil… and you have to deal with it. This is the first time we get to fight against Zero, making it an extra special moment. It’s also the first time we get to see him using the Z-Saber!

6) Shoryuken!

Mega Man X gave us the overpowered  Hadouken ;  Mega Man X2  builds upon that tradition bringing us the mighty  Shoryuken ! Judging by the GIF above, I’d say it’s worth the trouble of chasing it down. 😉

Well, that about covers it from my side.  MMX2 fans out there, let us know your favorite moments/features in the comments.

And for those of you interested in picking up this Super Nintendo classic, hit up the Nintendo eShop on your New Nintendo 3DS or Wii U  for just  US$7.99 .