We all seem to beat the Robot Masters in one way or another. What order do you take when defeating the Robot masters?

Which set? lol.

I know Classic MM quite a bit, so I try to just remember what beats what. Of course this doesn't work as well for games I don't play often.

MM1: Start at Gutsman
MM2: Start at Flashman (wussy!)
MM3: Start at Snakeman.
MM4: Start at Toadman
MM5: Start at Starman
MM6: Start at Centaurman
MM7: Start at Burstman
MM8: Start at Grenademan

Heh.. I forgot to add what I was gonna type when I went to upload a new vdeo.

Anyway.

Megaman 1 - Bombman
Megaman 2 - Bubbleman
Megaman 3 - Topman
Megaman 4 - Toadman
Megaman 5 - Stoneman
Megaman 6 - Windman
Megaman 7 - Freezeman
Megaman 8 - Frostman

With Megaman V on the GB, I always go after Mercury or Venus first.

The only one I do that I would consider "odd" would be that I can start MM2 with Heatman or Quickman.

Megaman 1 - Bombman
Megaman 2 - Metalman, METAL BLADES PLS KTHX
Megaman 3 - Needleman, Rush jet~
Megaman 4 - Toadman
Megaman 5 - Gyroman, Must have that Gyro attack. Then I go to Starman and continue the cycle as normal
Megaman 6 - Windman
Megaman 7 - Freezeman, for getting RUSH pieces without backtracking
Megaman 8 - Dunno, I don't really play this one... Frostman, I guess.
Megaman and Bass - Coldman... it's either him or Groundman
Megaman V - Venus, then Mercury... does this one even have a definite pattern?

Megaman X - Chill Penguin for the dash upgrade, then Storm Eagle, continuing the pattern from there.
Megaman X2 - Wire Sponge.
Megaman X3 - Blizzard Buffalo, for the upgrade
Megaman X4 - Web Spider, same reason
Megaman X5 - Crescent Grizzly
Megaman X6 - Commander Yammark, not that I plan on playing this game again for quite a while
...haven't played past that point in the X series

Megaman ZX - Hivolt for Model H
Megaman ZXA - Pedoplant Rospark because he's easier than Chronoforce (only other choice at first), and you can get the subtank in Chrono's stage with Rospark

Not going to list the Zero series. Not a particularly huge fan, and I haven't played them enough to know who's who, and like everybody else, I CAN'T REMEMBER THEIR NAMES! :D

MM1 - Cutman. Need that Rolling Cutter.
MM2 - Metalman. Need that MetalBlade.
MM3 - Topman. Used to be Magnet, but Top when I'm not cheating like mad.
MM4 - Toad. Nintendo Power told me to.
MM5 - Gravity. Nintendo Power told me to.
MM6 - Flameman. Nintendo Power told me to.
MM7 - Cloudman. He's a wuss.
MM8 - Grenademan. That game really relies on those weaknesses.
R&F - Coldman. Not much choice there.

Being that I wasn't aware of weaknesses until X5, my orders are pretty wacky.

1: I start with Cutman, then go for Bombman, Fireman, Iceman Gutsman, Elecman

2: I do Metal, Bubble, Flash, Air, and Wood in any order, then Heat, then Crash or Quick

3: Start with Topman, then Magnet, Snake, and everyone else in no particular order except Shadow is always last

4: Start with Toad, then random, except Ring and Bright are last

5: Start with Gravity, Star, and Charge, then everyone else in no specific order

6: Knight, Centaur, Blizzard, Flame, Tomahawk, Yamato, Wind, Plant

7: Burst, Junk, Freeze, Cloud, Shade, Slash, Spring, Turbo

X: Chill Penguin or Sting Chameleon, then random

X2: Wire Sponge, then random

X3: Gravity Beetle, Tunnel Rhino, Toxic Seahorse, then random

X4: Magma Dragoon, then random

X5: Grizzly Slash, then.... *gasp* I actually follow the weakness cycle!

X6: Commander Yammark, Ground Scaravich, then random

X8: I start with either Gravity Antonion or Optic Sunflower and follow the weakness cycle

Zero 1-3: Raaaaaaaandom

Zero 4: Noble Mandrago, Fenri Lunaedge, Pegasolta Eclair, Heat Gemblem, Tech Kraken, Mino Magnus, Sol Titanion, and Popla Cocapetri

ZX: Hivolt and Hurricaune first, then random

ZXA: Rospark first

It doesn't make much sense to use any order other than "next boss = whichever one is weak to the weapon I just got". If you're doing something else like avoiding the use of Special Weapons for extra challenge or something, then it could be any random order, there can't be much significance to anyone's random tastes. So yeah, it mostly comes down to who you start with; the one that you can't use their weakness to beat. Sometimes (all too rarely) the order of items you gain also affects your order strategy.

MM1: Cutman is an obvious first choice. The buster can send him flying so it's easier without needing his weakness. Only problem is if you go straight to Elecman after that, then you need to make a return trip for the Magnet Beam, and that's inconvenient. I hate taking on Gutsman without Hyper Bomb, so I usually take one more step back and do Bombman first.

MM2: Here's where it's complicated. I always do Metalman first, no-brainer. Bubble and Flash can come at any random point afterwards, but at least one of them tends to come second. Quick follows Flash, and Heat follows Bubble. Some people would rather get Item-2 before Heatman's stage, but you know the music video that illustrates that dilemma. I can handle the disappearing block pattern fine and I care more about weakness order. So then it's Wood, Air, and Crash. Thanks to the split weakness path, my order changes up a lot for the most part, and sometimes I actually do go for Item-2 early.

MM3: Topman first because he's easiest, and that takes care of his mini-weakness cycle. Then I always pick differently between Needle, Snake, and Gemini since none of them seem any easier than the other without their weakness. My Doc Robot selection is pretty random too since I can never remember which bosses are where and it's not like it matters anyway.

MM4: Toadman obviously. Armed only with the buster you can keep him from getting a single attack off.

MM5: Starman since hitting him with Water Wave can be a pain, so it doesn't make much sense to wait until you have it.

MM6: Plantman, similar to Starman.

MM7: Burst, naturally since his main weakness is in the second group. Otherwise Freeze, but that's a pain in the ass.
Edit: Avi reminded me that not starting with Freeze means more inefficient backtracking! I hate inefficient backtracking and avoid it when possible. I always seem to forget about this in MM7 though and gravitate towards Burst first anyway. Damnit.

MM8: Tenguman. There's too small a window to hit him with his weakness anyway. Then for the second group, Astroman. I forget why. Sometimes I just go numerically.

MMI: Cutman is surprisingly badass here, so I think I start with Elec or Fire instead.

MMII: Metal, I think. Possibly Air for Rush Jet early on. Like in the other "2", the weakness cycle here isn't so clear and simple.

MMIII: Snake. You gotta beat him to get Rush Coil for crying out loud. My sheet doesn't have an arrow pointing to him either, so either he doesn't have a weakness or I forgot to label it for some reason. Same thing with Dust in the second group who has Ruch Jet, so I guess I start with him at that point.

MMIV: Toad again for the first group, and then Crystal for the second. They make it easy for you this time since the BEAT/WILY letters you collect are spelled out in the order of that weakness cycle.

MMV: Neptune and Mercury in either order. Kinda annoying that they put two bosses at the start whose weaknesses don't become available until later. Then in the second group start with either Jupiter or Pluto. Like in MM2 it gets random at this point.

R&F: Ground for MM, Cold for Bass. MM is good against most of the bosses with his Mega Buster, except Cold because of that Ice Wall and the thing coming from above. Cold is kinda tailor-made for Bass' Buster. For Rock the lesser of three evils is Ground since the only other option is Astro.

PC1: My sheet has Dynaman first for some reason. My memory is hazy but I think Sonic should be first since hitting anything with the Detonator is a pain. I dunno, maybe I wanted Dynaman first for another reason.

PC3: Waveman. That's how I do it in the walkthrough too. Although come to think of it he's not that weak of a starter. His weapon has more range than most of the others so you'd think it would be wiser to go with one of the straight-shooters first instead. Maybe my srategy has been influenced by his epilogue portrayal.

Battle/Fighters: Since every RM you start with his easiest by design, I switch up a lot. Sometimes in a complete reversal I'll figure out who I want to fight LAST so I can get the most complete battle out of them. Like Cutman in PF I'll usually tackle last to increase my chances of seeing his easter eggs.

X1: Penguin. Gotta get those boots.

X2: It's been too long, I can't remember so well, and my guide sheets for the X series are arranged differently, so I can't tell by looking at them. I think Ostrich to get the boots early.

X3: Buffalo. He's easy, and again, the foot capsule is a good place to start.

X4: Spider, again for the easy first capsule. All the bosses are kinda tough without their weakness though.

X5: Grizzly, Foot Capsule. I'm detecting a pattern here. Plus, his weakness is in the second group anyway, so what else?

X6: Yammark. Same as above. Damn, the X series makes the order choices way too obvious.

Xtreme: God this sheet is messily drawn. Um...Eagle I think?

Network Transmission: Only a minor point in this one, but when the choice of four locations come up, it makes sense to head for Needleman first since the elemental weakness cycle stacks this way.

Z1: At first I only picked whatever mission was listed first. I like how this game took the focus off the boss of the stage and made it more about the missions. I wish they didn't go straight back to the same old Stage Select for the sequels. Once I figured out the pattern, I'd save the Guardian missions for last and aim to get all the elemental chips as early as possible.

Z2: The next two Zero games offered a convenient pattern of making each four boss group include a normal, fire, ice, and thunder type. In this game I tend to start with the normal type. The storyline seems to be set up that way anyway. Plus, those stages are where the Subtanks are. Of course, despite his difficulty Magnion is an even better starter since defeating him reduces the amount of enemies in other stages for some reason, and getting rid of the Pantheon Hammers in Ourobockle's stage makes getting through it with a perfect score MUCH easier. Then follow the weakness path. For the second group, I go with Harpy early to get back into that crashed bomber and get the items I missed. I'm a little rushed to complete collections. Fefnir and Leviathan can come in any order.

Z3: Mantisk has the first Subtank, but I never go there without having the flame chip first. I actually start with Inarabitta, follow the weaknesses, and take Mantisk last, which means late Subtank, but I go for ranking anyway and use Cyberspace on return trips, so it's not like I'm using Subtanks in this game anyway. Second group doesn't matter to me. They all work out the same regardless of order. Third group starts with Foxtar to get Double Jump. No sense putting that off. Then Cerberian last just because I hate his stage more than the other two.

Z4: He may be one of the harder ones, but I always gotta go with Genblem first in order to get Double Jump as soon as possible. That just makes everything else so much easier. After that, use Shoenga as Kraken's weakness and get the best EX Skill in the game. Ice Javelin acts as a great supplement to both Thunder bosses and all the Normal types as well. After that I head to Cockapetri's since the Crossbynes in his stage let me complete the Ice Boots that I'll want before taking on Fenri next, whose stage gives me the last parts I need for Quick Charge 3! The order matters less from now on, but Mandrago works fine next since she has the last SubTank, and then Magnax and Pegasolta. I just make sure to do Titanian after Magnax so I can use the Tractor Shot to bludgeon that bastard Sub-Boss to death.

I like how Zero4's strategy has so many more intracies to it than usual. It actually took me a while to figure out that order by weighing the pros and cons of each stage's placement. I wish more games would make it that involved.

Yeah, those are all the appliccable games I have notes on.

Edit: Forgot ZX series, which I completed most recently, ironically enough.

ZX: Like everyone else, I like to get Hx early on. It's like the Double Jump of Z3 and Z4. After that, I don't think anything else matters, although following a weakness cycle would almost work if not for that stupid way this game uses weak points. If you're trying for a Level 4 Victory the boss fights are all too frustrating (except for the Ice types. They're both ridiculously easy for some reason) and if you don't care about Victory Level, then the fights are all over too quickly. Either way, the fights in this game aren't very fun.

ZXA: As mentioned above, Rospark makes the most sense when the choice comes up. For the second group, one thing I make sure to do is save Condorock for after getting the weapon that can hit the compactor block switches through walls. For Grey that's Model H's V Tornado, and for Ashe it's Model L's Ice Block. Using these make that last room much less annoying. For the last group I go for the Goyles first since their ability is used to get a lot of special items and I don't have to even do their crummy stage right away. I can get their A-Trans and come back later to do the actual level. Then it's Bifrost and finally Hedgeshock. In any playthrough after the first, Hedgeshock's usefulness is diminished by Model a stealing her shtick and being available from the start. It makes sense to leave her until last.

Actually, the best X3 run is this:

Tunnel Rhino: Break through the blocks and get an E-Tank. That drill comes in big handy, and Rhino is VERY easy to beat if you're ok at wall dashing.

Blizzard Buffalo: Do I even have to say it?

That...panther...thing...: Easy to beat with buster (fire weak shots and dodge appropriatly), use the drill to get the Arm upgrade.

Then go in weakness order.

Here is how I usually start.

MM1 - Cut or Bomb. I can beat either one with relative ease with normal shots. Then I go in weakness order.

For MMPU.....still Cut as Mega Man. For the RM's I go counter clockwise starting at the stage before their own.

MM2 - Metal...but I shake it up with Flash Man once in a while. Then I go for weaknesses....but then again like half the bosses are vulnerable tot he Metal blades anyway...

MM3 - Spark or Magnet. Spark because I like him, MAgnet for functionality. Then weaknesses.

MM4 - Toad..usual reasons. then Weaknesses.

MM5 - Gravity, then follow the weaknesses.

MM6 - Flame....cuz I luv his stage music. Then weaknesses.

MM7 - Freeze....cuz by this point it seems most of the time Ice guys are the ones to start with...then weaknesses...

MM8 - Frost...as I said...seems the ice guys are the ones to single out.

MM&B - Cold Man....nuff said.

X1 - Chill Penguin, needs mah dash.

MHX - Still Chill as both X and Vile. He's jsut so easy by now.

X2 - Wire Sponge, to quote Gaunlet, Nintendo Power told me to.

X3 - Random....the bosses are quite tricky and I just explore level and gain heart tanks and stuff til I kill one...then weaknesses.

X4 - Frost Walrus.....see MM7 for my reasons.

X5 - Cresent Grizzly, he is pretty easy for me.

X6 - Commmander Yammark, I singled him out the first run through I did and I keep up the tradition.

X7 - Soldier Stonekong, cuz he's easy.

X8 - Sorry Marl, but I kick your namesake's butt first. :P If it makes you feel better I feel guilty playing X8 any time I off any of the RM's. lol

The others I ahve yet to really play.

MM1: CutMan
MM2: Either FlashMan or MetalMan
MM3: Either NeedleMan or HardMan
MM4: DustMan
MM5: ChargeMan
MM6: TomahawkMan
MM7: JunkMan
MM8: TenguMan
X1: Storm Eagle. Only one I can actually beat...
X4: Frost Walrus

MM1: Guts Man/Cut Man, depending on the mood, but always those two so I can get the Magnet Beam and the Elec Beam as soon as possible.

MM2: Air Man, easy to beat and Item 2 FTW, I love the Metal Blade (who doesn't?) but this allow me to get those two extra items in Metal Man stage as well.

MM3: Top Man, I want the Shadow Blade but with only the buster that isn't going to be possible.

MM4: Skull Man, so I can travel safely through Drill Man stage and get the Rush Jet as soon as possible.

MM5: Star Man, easy to beat and I get the Super Arrow.

MM6: Plant Man, Jet Rush!!

MM7: Freeze Man, so I don't have to revisit stages.

MM8: Clown Man, no reason sans he's the easiest to defeat for me.

MM&B: Cold Man, same reason as everyone.

MMI: Elec Man, surprisely easy to beat and with the best weapon.

MMII: Air Man, for Rush Jet.

MIII: Gemini Man, to beat Shadow Man with the Gemini Laser.

MMX1: Chill Penguin obviously, for the legs parts.

MMX2: Wheel Gator, easy to beat and allows me to get the legs parts.

MMX3: Blizzard Buffalo, leeeeegs parts.

MMX4: Web Spider, leeeeeeeeeeeeegs parts (X), Magma Dragoon, for the flaming sword uppercut (Zero)

MMX5: Grizzly Slash, easiest boss, and I get Zero's best technique.

MMX6: Commander Yammark, easiest boss.

MMX7: Gravity Antonion, easiest stage/boss and I get Zero's best technique.

MMX8: Optic Sunflower, no special reason.

Last time I played, I went in the reverse order: Guts to bomb. Air to wood. etc.

Quick question, but how in god's name are you supposed to HIT airman with the leaf sheild?

By getting close and not firing right into a tornado like an idiot, just like how you're supposed to hit him with anything.

Try hitting Air with the Sakugarne. It's MUCH harder. And .... much less effective.

1: I start with Bombman.

I..I don't remember anything else. *fail*

Let's see here...

Mega Man 1-Cut Man, obivously.
*skips pass the other games because I haven't played them*
Mega Man 7-Cloud Man
Mega Man 8-Frost Man (<--FINALLY beat you after your damn stage, sonvabugger...)

Oh, now I remember...
7: Cloudman. (But I still can't beat it.)

Lol, Impossible Savestate fun?

Rockman: Ice Man, then everyone else in reverse weakness order.
Rockman 2: Heat Man, after that it's totally based on mood.
Rockman 3: Spark Man, Magnet Man, Hard Man, Top Man, Shadow Man, Snake Man, Gemini Man, Needle Man. One of the few times I actually go in weakness order.

I don't remember anything else at the moment, I'll add some more at some point.

Making those impossible battles was fun. Too bad there's not much action for the Power Fighters in the save state hacking scene or I'd try it there too.

Generally having Sakugarne throughout the game was fun. You get what, two stages to use it in after offing Quint?

Evidence suggests that they intended it for use for the second half of the game, but yeah. It was fun to use it in more than the one level.

Megaman 1 - Cutman or Bombman.
Megaman 2 - Metalman.
Megaman 3 - Topman followed by Magnetman. Shadowman is always last.
Megaman 4 - Either Ringman or Toadman.
Megaman 5 - Gravityman
Megaman 6 - Plantman
Megaman 7 - Burstman
Megaman 8 - I think it was tenguman.
Megaman and Bass - Coldman.
Megaman V - Mercury

Megaman X - Chill Penguin.
Megaman X2 - Wire Sponge.
Megaman X3 - Blizzard Buffalo, toxic seahorse, gravity beetle, neon tiger. And then i just go by the weaknesses.
Megaman X4 - Frost walrus
Megaman X5 - Crescent Grizzly
Megaman X6 - Commander Yammark,Ground scaravich, i get zero and rape turtloiid with the z saber, metal shark player, shield sheldon. And then i take out Heatnix, Wolfang, and Mijinion with either wolfang or mijinion being last.
Megaman X7: Ride boarski or Tornado tonion then random because weaknesses don't seem to do much in this game and the bosses aren't that hard.
Megaman X8:Optic sunflower.

Bomb man
Crash man
Spark man or Shadow man
Skull man
Gravity man
Knight man
Cloud man
Sword man
Frost man

'Sallight. I take no offense. After all, that is before the epilogues.

Me? I don't fight any particular boss first. Mainly because half the time I can't even remember their weaknesses.

For MM2, I go with the no-brainer starting point of Metalman, then take the Wood-Air-Crash path, then the Flash-Quick path, then the Bubble-Heat path.

Oh, yeah, the Atomic Fire does significant damage to the Mecha Dragon at full charge. (I think around 10 or so.)

MM1: Cutman. The dork can't take a punch. Like Rai said, it means doing Elecman's stage twice to get the Magnet Beam, but it beats the ever-loving hell out of doing Guts Man's, or Ice Man's stage without it. I hate those flipper platforms, and I hate the footholders. I. Hate. Footholders. Those things are more retarded than the disappearing blocks since you can't predict where the hell they're going, and they shoot at you. Nothing sucks more than jumping towards a footholder just as it changes direction and/or shoots at you. At least you always knew where the reappearing blocks would show up, and they didn't always shoot at you, but I digress. From there, I just follow the usual order.

MM2: Airman. He can't take a punch, either. And I want that Item-2. More than the Metal Blade. From there, I go wherever the wind may take me. Sometimes I beat up Crashman next, sometimes I go for the Metal Blade, it's all a toss up.

MM3: Topman. Like everyone said, he's easy as hell to beat up. From there, I go after Shadowman, then Snakeman. After that, I have enough weapons to take on whoever I want, but never take on Spark without the Rush Jet first. Those platforms in Spark's stage that shoot you up to the ceiling suck, and I don't want to deal with them if I don't have to.

MM4: Toadman's another mark, but really, I take on Drill first. No way am I waiting 'til the very end to get the Rush Jet. From there, I follow the usual order.

MM5: Chargeman, since he has an easy pattern and an easy stage. His weapon sucks, but then again, just about everyone's does. From there, I follow the usual order.

MM6: Flameman. Nintendo Power told me to. That and, it sets you up nicely to pick up Beat and the Rush Jet.

MM7: Burst. Nintendo Power told me to, and fighting Freeze without the junk shield is not fun. Even then, it's not much fun.

MM8: Grenademan. His Flash Bombs are pretty good if you ask me, and it lets me get through Frostman's stage as painflessly as possible. Once you get through the friggin' jet ski area, all you have to sit on your ass and bomb Frostman into the Stone Age, easy-peasy. For the next round of RMs, I go with Astroman. Why not?

R&F: Coldman. He's the easiest one for me to beat up with just the Mega Buster. Too bad he's weak against the easiest weapon too use.

MMI: Fireman. Nintendo Power told me to, and he got dumbed down big time for this game. For the teleporter room, I start with Flashman because Nintendo Power told me to.

MMII: Crashman. Nintendo Power told me to. He'd probably be easier with the Air Shooter, but I can still kick his ass without a scratch, so I don't really care.

MMIII: Snakeman, for the Rush Coil. Sure, he's weak against the Spark Shock, but I ain't waiting that long to get the Rush Coil. From there, I beat up Drillman, so can I make life in Dustman's stage shitloads easier. His weapon lets me squeak past a tough spot in his stage, and the extra two energy tanks you get from Drill's stage keep me from dying when I don't have to. I have no idea why Dust's stage is so ungodly long and sucky this game.

MMIV: Toad dies first this time. He's a wimp, and he's got the Rush Coil. Next, I go after Chargeman. I got his pattern down, and he's got the Rush Jet. Absolutely no way I'm touching Crystal's stage without it.

MMV: I've got Mercury down pretty cold, and I like the grab buster. Then I take down Venus (for the Rush Coil), Neptune and Mars in that order. For Round 2, I start with Jupiter since you don't need anything fancy to kick his ass, and it sets me up to take out Saturn and get the Rush Jet nicely. Pluto and Uranus are next after that.

PC1: Sonicman. His weapon's the easiest to use out of the bunch, or at least for me it was.

PC3: Torchman. He was the first RM I ever beat that game, and it kinda stuck.

X1: Penguin, for the boots. Then I get things started right with Storm Eagle. The beauty part is, Flame Mammoth's stage becomes a cakewalk when it's all frozen over.

X2: Wire Sponge, as he has an easy-to-get heart tank and sub tank, and he doesn't put up much of a fight. Overdrive Ostrich'd be first, but you can't get the boots without the spinning wheel, so what's the point?

X3: I probably should start with Blizzard Buffalo, but I always start with Neon Tiger for a heart tank and a sub tank. That and Nintendo Power told me to.

X4: Web Spider for the boots again.

X5: Grizzly, not just for the foot capsule, but the game practically tells you to.

X6: Yammark. You guessed it!

X7: I've only played it once, and I went with Tornado Tonion. He looked like an easy mark.

Xtreme: It's a port of Mega Man X, so Chill Penguin draws the short straw for the boots.

Z1: I took the missions in the order they came at me. Since I couldn't tell who I was getting mixed up with, it was all the same to me.

Z2: Ourobuckle? My memory's kinda short 'bout this game.

Z3: Devilbat Schilt. If I could beat him nice and quickly (and I usually can), his weapon would make kickin Flazard nice and easy and get his weapon. Mantisk gets the axe after that, then Childre. After that, I go after whoever I want. If there's a weapon I want, I just cheat use an "Easy A" elf.

Z4: Noble Mandrago. From there, my memory's pretty spotty. I remember going after Heat Genblem and Tech Kraken pretty early, but I think it was a toss-up after that.

Zx: Whoever had Model Hx. I haven't played that game in ages.

ZXA: Rospark croaked first after Buckfire. I can't remember a think after that.

MM1: Bombman- He's an easy kill, just as easy as Cutman, IMO. I have the timing down pretty well in Gutsman's level to get by the track platforms, so I don't need the Magnet Beam for that. The chasm in Iceman's level is another story... Only problem is that the Hyper Bomb is kinda crappy in this game, so sometimes I go for Fireman first for his very-useful Fire Storm.

MM2: Airman- He's easy to beat, and Item 2 is indispensable for the later stages. From there I typically go for Crashman, then Flash, Quick, Metal, Bubble, Heat, and Wood. A pretty nice order, if I do say so myself.

MM3: Topman- My order is very similar to what Spark just said. I next go to Shadowman's level to get his useful weapon and Rush Marine early on, then use Shadow Blade on Snakeman, and Rush Marine to get through Geminiman's stage easier. From there I go beat Needleman for the Rush Jet, which makes Spark and Magnet's stages much easier, and finally Hardman.

MM4: Dustman- He's a fairly easy mark, and I like getting the Dive Missile and Drill Bomb earlier, though it means having to wait longer for the Pharaoh Shot. Hard to say with this one. Rush Jet certainly makes the track section at the end of Brightman's level easier. Also important is having either the Skull Barrier or Flash Stopper for the end of Drill's stage.

MM5: Waveman- Nintendo Power's order works fine for me here.

MM6: Windman- He's easier to beat with the buster than Flameman, and his weapon makes it easier to beat the latter. From there I can get all the Beat parts without having to repeat stages.

MM7: Burstman- The fight with him isn't hard, but it is annoying and I prefer to get him out of the way. Though I do have to repeat Junkman's level after getting the Freeze Cracker for the Super Adapter part. On the second loop, I start with Slashman.

MM8: Grenademan- As Geoff said, Flash Bombs are useful to have early on. On the second loop, I start with that pansy Aquaman, getting one set of Bolts the first time through, and another once I have the Astro Crush to access them.

MM&B: Coldman- Like most people, he's the easiest choice to start with.

MM1GB: Elecman- He's a wuss compared to the NES Elecman, and it's always nice to get Thunder Beam early. Second loop, I beat Flashman first with the Ice Slasher, and go from there.

MM2GB: Crashman- Like Elecman, he was greatly dumbed down since the NES game; I can often beat him with the buster without taking a hit. Actally, I think it's harder to beat him with Air Shooter in this one due to the comparatively low damage and the fact that the Crash Bombs he fires when he jumps (the best time to use the Air Shooter) can block the attack in this one. Moving to the second loop, I start with Needleman as he's weaker against the Air Shooter than Crash.

MM3GB: Snakeman- Mainly to get Rush Coil early on. Next loop, I usually start with Diveman for the same reason Geoff mentioned (much easier to use Dive Missiles to beat Drillman). Sometimes though, I just want to get Dustman's horrendous stage out of the way.

MM4GB: Toadman- They made it too easy here, making the loop much more straight forwand. For the second loop, I found Crys is pretty weak against Ring Boomerangs, so I start there.

MM5GB: Mercury- For the very-useful grab Buster, then Venus for the Rush Coil. Then I beat Neptune and use his weapon on Mars. For the second loop, I typically either beat Jupiter with Bubble Bomb, then use his weapon on Saturn, or beat Pluto with Grab Buster and use his weapon on Uranus.

MMX1: Storm Eagle- His weapon is awesome, and I like going through Flame Mammoth's stage at least once before it gets frozen over.

MMX2: Wheel Gator- It's more tedious trying to fight him with Strike Chain anyway, since he spends most of the battle hiding in the muck. Then I use his weapon to get the foot upgrade in Ostrich's level, then I beat Wire Sponge with his weapon and fight the rest of the loop from there.

MMX3: Blizzard Buffalo- Perhaps the easiest of the eight, also his weapon is useful in case I run into Bit early on. Then, going on the rest of the loop, I pick up Tornado Fang early to use on Byte. from there, I may diverge and go to Tiger's stage for the Buster upgrade, or Blast Hornet's level for the first ride armor parts.

MMX4: Web Spider (X)/Magma Dragoon (Zero)- I go to Spider's stage as X first for the easy foot upgrade, then the ultra-useful head part in Peacock's level, then use Lightning Web to reach the Buster upgrade in Owl's stage. Using Zero, I fight Dragoon first for the rising flame slash, which is immediately useful on Frost Walrus for the downward ice stab.

MMX5: Crescent Grizzly- Time's not on your side, so I ususally just start with Grizzly for the first Enigma parts and go from there. Sometimes I'll kill myself off over and over in Kraken's level to bring the timer down enough to get better power ups, and it seems to increase the success of the Enigma working.

MMX6: Commander Yammark- Easy boss. After that, I tend to follow the loop. But Blaze Heanix's level is effin' hard, so I may take some detours for power ups.

I really need to go back to X7 and X8...

Oh, yeah, I also remember the order for MM8:

First Loop: Start at Tenguman. For some reason, having the right weapon has the least effect on the difficulty of the battle compared to the others.
Second Loop: Swordman. I can Buster Duel this guy...and No Damage clear. His moves are actually quite easy to anticipate.