It would have taken about an hour less to beat it if I wouldn't have decided to see where it starts you out if you return to the Title Screen during the final boss segment -- it starts you out at the beginning of Wily's Fortress. This is the first time in a very long time that I've stopped for a meal and left a game running because I didn't want to lose progress -- I was a few stages into Wily's Fortress, and had a feeling that it would return me back to the beginning if I quit and reloaded.
This is now the 2nd MM game I've played, and this series is quickly turning into my most disliked video game series of all time. There are way, way, WAY too many places where you have to know what the next screen holds or else you will die. You cannot react to what's on screen and survive. Having bosses who can only be damaged by one specific weapon, and not getting full energy for your weapons when you die is just atrocious design, as it forces you to either mine for energy refill drops; or suicide through your remaining lives to get everything at full charge when you Continue, which is faster than mining drops unless you get really lucky.
The only good things I can say about the game is that the stages are mostly very short and I really liked the music.
Just like MM1, this was an awful experience.
