xXBChaceXx
|-Game
News, Reviews, and Rants-|
Mega Man! Where Are You, Mega
Man?
It’s a true tragedy in the hearts of Mega Man fans. Mega Man, and Mega Man
X, has nearly slipped into obscurity. The last release of an official Mega Man
game was 2010, with the release of Mega Man 10, and before that, the release of
Mega Man 9, in 2008. It’s been four years since Mega Man has had his own game.
There have been several cameo appearances, in games such as Ultimate Marvel
versus Capcom 3, where one of Zero’s alternate costumes was quite similar to
that of the picture on the left. It was rather insulting, I might add, to fans
due to the fact that Mega Man, or Mega Man X, was an iconic hero. Another
instance of this, was in Capcom’s Street Fight X Tekken, where Mega Man made an
appearance, however, it was far from Mega Man, but the box art Mega Man, a fat,
oafish looking man in a Mega Man suit, wielding an awkward ray-gun as a weapon.
Yet another insult, intentional or not. The worst let-down to the fans, was
when Capcom permanently postponed the release of Mega Man Legends 3, the third
installment in the running series of 3D Mega Man games. This game was then
canceled, with little warning, and Capcom, even still, mistreats its beloved
Blue Bomber.
Capcom has appeared to have forgotten about Mega Man, and its passionate
fan-base of gamers.
Mega Man was created by Keiji
Inafune, and made his debut on the NES in December of 1987. This began a series
of over 50 games on multiple systems, and new, innovative ways to play Mega
Man. Series such as Mega Man X, Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Battle Network, and
Mega Man Zero, all spanned from the original NES classic. As of December 31st
of 2010, the Mega Man series has sold over 29,000,000 copies, making it
Capcom’s most prolific franchise.
The question that I’m presenting is simply this: Why would Capcom abandon
such a great franchise? This is also considering the fact that it was one of
the company’s most loved and popular video game franchises, and it generated
significant revenue.
The answer remains a mystery.
In my own personal opinion, I believe that Capcom could reinvigorate fans,
and perhaps alter the state of their company, if they rebooted the Mega Man
franchise on next-gen consoles and PC. There most certainly is enough of an
install base, and fans are dying to play more of the Blue Bomber (as much as I
am). Capcom, as a company, is known for its famous franchises, such as Devil
May Cry, Street Fighter, and others. However, with the rather negative reviews
of the Devil May Cry reboot, and the constant updates to Street Fighter IV,
from SF4, to Super Street Fighter 4, to SSF4 Arcade Edition, and to the newly
announced Ultra Street Fighter IV. It would appear that gamers are growing
tired of what Capcom is releasing, year after year. There is little innovation,
or change, in their games, and the franchises that are doing quite well (Street
Fighter) they are consistently abusing to generate revenue from devoted fans
with over-priced ‘updates’ which add between 2 to 4 characters, and further
balance the game. These are NOT sequels. Where is Mega Man in all of this? Absent. Mega Man has
been neglected by Capcom, and continues to fade into obscurity. It’s a crying
shame.
After the original creator, Keiji Infaune (INAFKING), left the company on
October 29th, 2010, Capcom has all but abandoned Mega Man. Inafune
announced that he was leaving to “start his life over,” and had since been a
member of the company for 23 years prior to his leave. His last influence on
the series was with Mega Man 10, the last known Mega Man game in which Inafune
was a part of, as the Producer.
There is still hope for Mega Man fans yet.
Inafune, after his leave, established his own gaming company, called
Comcept. However, since Capcom still owns his franchises and creations, he
cannot create future installments to any of the Mega Man games. Disappointing,
yet, perhaps it was time to retire the Blue Bomber, and create a new hero? And
that’s exactly what Inafune did.
A Kickstarter project was underway, and received unconditional support from
fans of Inafune’s work, raising nearly 4 million dollars of pledges.
Introducing Mighty No. 9!
Mighty No. 9 is Inafune’s newest ambitious project, and marks the debut of
a new, highly anticipated franchise. Closely reminiscent of our beloved hero,
the Mighty No. 9 franchise will be heavily focused on platforming and gunplay.
Inafune himself, and a team of veteran Mega Man devs, will be closely working
on the project. More info on Inafune’s new game as it develops!
Mega Man will always be a famed hero of the late 80s and early 90s, even
into the early years of the new millenium. Perhaps it’s time for fans (like
myself) to let go of the nostalgic past games (Mega Man, Mega Man X) and look
forward to the future (Mighty No. 9). That may be. But, Mega Man will always be
known as an icon that defined Capcom as a company, and redefined the
platformer, with action-oriented gunplay, and an unforgettable protagonist.
Mega Man won’t be forgotten by fans, and will live on through Mighty No. 9.
From a devoted Mega Man fan of 17 years…
-Brian
…Can’t wait to play…
Update 2-14-14: After beating Dead Rising 3, I have come to find out that there was an unlockable Mega Man X costume and Buster gun. I'm utterly ecstatic about that. However, I still miss my Blue Bomber...
Mega Man X image owned by Capcom
Mighty No. 9 image owned by Comcept and Keiji Inafune
No comments:
Post a Comment