The Five Things I Hope to See with Mega Man 10
The month of January has passed, and that means we’re one month closer to the release of Mega Man 10. Chance are you’re getting your hopes up, because I certainly know I am. So much so, in fact, that I took the time to write down some of my biggest hopes for Mega Man 10 in this here little article. Kind of like I did before with Legends 3, except this time it’s a game we know is coming. Now without further ado, internet opinions!
#1: Endless Mode
Endless Mode was by far one of the greatest things to come out of Mega Man 9. What better a way to increase a game’s replayability than to have a stage that’s always different, and doesn’t end until you do? Endless Mode was easily the best downloadable content Mega Man 9 had to offer, and was so liked that ROM hackers started making their own endless versions of other Mega Man games. Of course there is still room for improvement, as I feel that Mega Man 9′s Endless Mode didn’t offer enough variety. It featured, I would guess, roughly 40 to 50 unique stage segments, not counting the boss rooms. After a while you got to know them all, and that’s just inevitable. But what’s more, it didn’t utilize all the obstacles Mega Man 9 had to offer, like Galaxy Man’s portals, Tornado Man’s magnetic platforms, and Jewel Man’s swinging beams.
Even if it is downloadable content again, I’m pretty confident Mega Man 10 will feature its own Endless Mode. It had better anyway, because it’s incredibly fun.
#2: All New Music
Mega Man 9′s return to its retro roots featured a return to some great sounding chiptune music as well. However, in an effort to relive the wonderment of the renowned Mega Man 2, Mega Man 9 directly borrowed some of its music, and this seemed just a bit strange. Granted, while most of the reused music was little jingles and such, people still prefer something new in all aspects. You can’t recreate the awesomeness of Mega Man 2 by trying to copy it exactly. The worst offender is menu theme, which uses Mega Man 2′s password theme. This little song can quickly get grating if you spend any decent amount of time navigating the menus. It’s especially true when looking up online rankings, which still don’t seem to load that well even a year after Mega Man 9′s release.
I will note that during my hands-on with the Mega Man 10 demo at CES, I did hear that the jingle for the stage start theme is the trademark jingle from Mega Man 2, but it’s a fresh arrangement that gives it some more pizazz. So I am hopeful of the rest of the music having its own unique qualities if it ends up being borrowed from other games.
#3: More Mega Man on Virtual Console
When Mega Man 9 came out in 2008, we didn’t just get Mega Man 9, but the first three Mega Man titles on the Wii’s Virtual Console as well. It was a great way to get people geared up for the new Mega Man 9, and I’d hoped they’d do it for Mega Man 10 as well. I even tried to find this out during my trip to CES, but Capcom’s PR wouldn’t comment here nor there on the matter. Of course, wouldn’t you know it, just as I’m considering this for the article last week, Rockman 4 gets announced for Virtual Console in Japan! And it ought to get to us as well. I’m sure there are also expectations for Mega Man 5 and 6 as well, and while I think those two are kind of weak Mega Man titles, they are still pretty decent NES titles, so I do look forward to them.
Incidentally, do you know what I’d love to see on Virtual Console? Mega Man X. Sure, some of you are probably thinking it’s being held until Mega Man X9 gets announced, but I don’t know if I can wait that long. Mega Man X is not just a great Mega Man game, it’s one of the best Super Nintendo games, period. Get this one out there, Capcom!
#4: A New Kind of Final Boss
Since Mega Man 4, it’s been kind of a tradition that the last boss of a Mega Man game is the Wily Capsule – an escape capsule-like ship Dr. Wily operates that appears and disappears while attacking Mega Man. I’m all for tradition, but there are some things that I don’t see as needing to be a tradition. While it was appropriate for Mega Man 9, which was more focused on being a revival, I’m hoping we’ll get something a bit new in Mega Man 10, something not so predictable. I’m not saying the last boss shouldn’t be Dr. Wily still – c’mon, you know he will be. But let’s have him try something new for his last-ditch effort to stomp Mega Man. The Game Boy line of games tend to have fairly unique takes on the last battle, so there’s definitely to do something different than the Wily Capsule.
#5: Zero
We know the Mega Man series and Mega Man X series eventually— Hahaha, I’m just kidding you guys.
#5: Doc Robot
One of the most unique concepts of Mega Man 3 was an enemy known as Doc Robot. These guys emulated the Robot Masters from Mega Man 2, so it was basically getting to fight them over again, and they appeared in revamped versions of the stages you previously beat. This was a really cool concept, and I’m let down that it really hasn’t been reused in other Mega Man games (except Mega Man V for Game Boy, to a degree). Of course, it’s not so much about Doc Robot itself, but about expanding the game. It would be great to have more stages than the eight Robot Master stages and then Wily Castle. Let’s have some more in between. And how cool would it be to face the Robot Masters from Mega Man 9 again in some form? Or heck, how about various Robot Masters from all the earlier games? If you want to please Mega Man fans, then more stages and more bosses is definitely one of the best ways to go.
You know, while I might sound kind of complainy in each of my topics, ultimately these complaints center around the same thing: wanting more. And when it comes to a video game, that’s the best kind of complaint someone can have!
What do you want to see with Mega Man 10?
Filed under: Editorials
I know you were joking, Heat, and I’m not mad at you, but you don’t know how sick I am with everyone saying Zero will be in any classic series game, real or fanmade. He had a cameo in Power Fighters. That’s it.
And I want to see endless mode again, and the Doc Robots would be a nice touch to see again. Oh, and by new arrangement, you mean like, the same tune, just different-sounding, like how Mega Man 4′s was? If anything, I wouldn’t be upset if they used the one from 5 again.
Oh, and little mistake, I think you mean Galaxy Man’s portals, not Gravity Man’s. ^^;
- A second castle to explore would be cool.
- Mini bosses are quite boring, some of them are irritating. The idea came from MM8 AFAIK.
- Weapons energy. The MM9 version uses a near-exact MM5 system; it’s all about weapon energy consumption. As example, Metal Blade requires 1 unit for 4 or 5 shots. This thing must change.
- Blue tanks. One more is back, the “W”. Why? Isn’t easier to make the weapons to be less intensive on energy drop?
- I wouldn’t request a password system, but it’s something… classic and pure nostalgia.
- Fanboys request pl4y4bl3 n3w chars; personally, Rock and Blues are fine. ^_^;;
- Bring back some old robot master, even if in a strange new form, like Gustman in MM2 (as GutsDozer (?) tank) or in MM7 (upgraded Gutsman).
- I love those bonus spheres dropped by enemies on MM1, but since MegaMan games have no score since MM1, well… MegaMan PoweredUP has such spheres, even if useless. ^_^;;
Bass. I Wanna see Bass,We Need Bass. Oh,and a slide upgread for Megaman
1) Bring back Dr. Cossack and Kalinka
Make this the last 8-bit Megaman
2) Tells us which ending in Megaman & Bass was canon
3) What happens to the remaining evil energy?
4) Where’s Duo?
5) Will the Rockman Killers ever return?
6) Please follow the original storyline instead of trying to impress MM2 fanboys
7) Have a mode where Megaman receives his slide and mega buster back
9) Is there going to be variety that can top MM7, MM8, and MM&B?
10) Also bring back Darkman or the Stardroids
The first three reasons are a given, though I must disagree with you on the issue of 2′s Menu Music. I felt it had a much better place in 9, wheras in 2 you heard it for about a tenth of a second, then *BOOM* Robot Masters, 9 gave you a lot more reason to enjoy the song. As for my personal wants, More Mets!
@arbiter
You do realize you’re asking them to bring back several game-specific plot points and characters, right? That’d be like saying Dr. Doppler should have been in X6, even though he died / served his plot purpose in his debut game.
Cossack and Kalinka have little reason to be “brought back”.
Duo left the planet at the end of Rockman 8.
The Rockman Killers all died. Twice. And don’t use both “Rockman” and “Megaman” in a single post, it makes you look inconsistent and stupid.
Adding Rockman S and Rockman C unlockables as seen in Rockman-Rockman isn’t out of the question.
The last 8-bit Rockman? 8-bits is where he thrives. Rockman 8 wasn’t anything more than a disappointment.
Again with bringing back random, unnecessary bosses. The Rockman World 5 bosses all died, with the only truly unconfirmed death being Sungod himself. Darkman’s only purpose was to frame Blues, there isn’t any real reason to have another appearance.
I agree with #2 and #4 100%. #5 is interesting, too; it’d be neat to fight old bosses in a MUCH more new game (as opposed to bosses that are only a year old) – maybe even ones from 7 and 8?
#1 and #3, I don’t care too much about. I mean, I’ve played through the NES and SNES MMs so many times that I’m sick of them. Also, I have the collections, so it’s not as though I don’t have access to non-rom versions without using the original consoles.
Anyway, nice article.
@ Fisherman
Are you by any chance an idiot or are you just trying to sound stupid?
These are my opinions and plus robots have been brought back from the pass before like Vile in the X series. Also they are called Rockman Killers, so thats what I call them, so please check yourself before attacking someone. You also know that many of the stuff you said are speculations made at fan sites. And don’t act like you are a bigger Megaman fan just because you call him Rockman. MM7, MM8, and MM&Bass are very good games are I appreciate them all. There is so much they can do will old MM bosses. So you sir have failed.
@Fishman
That really was unnecessary just because someone has a different opinion then you do doesn’t mean you should attack people. I believe that artbiter was stating that in upcoming Rockman games that certain characters could be brought back which I can agree, just not in Rockman 10.
I think that Rockman 10 should just have fresh new music unlike 9.
“I did hear that the jingle for the stage start theme is the trademark jingle from Mega Man 2, but it’s a fresh arrangement that gives it some more pizazz.”
That’s cool to hear! I have to admit, this is one of my top wants too, for all original music. Considering that co-op’s already been debunked, it actually is probably my top want.
I’d like to see:
Second Castle
Hidden in-stage items (ala MM4 or MM7)
A beat that ATTACKS.
Rush Marine (It would be a cool gimmick)
A minigame mode that let you use old weapons from previous games that everyone loves.
Things I’ll never see, but I’ve always thought about:
Getting a weapon from Wily, that you can use on a second playthrough.
Classic robot masters as hidden in-stage bosses (ala the fake robot masters vs real robot masters in MM6, but with different bosses and as rewards for REALLY tough alternate routes)
Two player mode.
-DOC Robots copying Mega Man 9 bosses.
-2-Player CO-OP. Maybe through an item called “Protoman” where he comes down, and the 2p controls him. He recharges like a Power Up would. It’s a hidden power up though (or DLC).
-Endless Mode which was amazing.
-2P Versus mode (always dreamt of one).
This is all I’m asking for. :p
a second castle.
no more of wily’s scapegoats. there are only so many people wily can be blamed on. (if he has to have one, use something like darkman, who at least was semi convincing).
thats what I would like to see.
sorry for the double reply, but I mean wily can blame on, instead of blamed on.
Hmm, Bass is a definite. Among the many plotholes in Megaman, making Bass disappear would probably one of the worst things they could do. Also Megaman killers were unique Im not sure about reviving them but having a new one wouldn’t be so bad. Boss refights and not capsule ones but bosses from different games would be phat on a new level.
@Heatman I read somewhere that Sigmas looks were inspired by doc robots.
@Fishman Duo came back in Power fighters 2. Also this is a place where people post things they hope are in the game, no need to tear him apart.
(I liked Megaman 8 >:l)
@artbiter – With respect, but you act as a fanboy only. The guy was right, why do you insist in those facts? It’s not helpful and constructive after all.
@Zepper
Please explain, because I was merely stating an opinion and this guys attacks me for making an opinion and makes it seem like his opinions are fact which are not. So he isn’t right.
Bass.
That is all.
@artbiter
While it is a valid opinion, it seems like an unusual move for the series to make. After all, Wily was never too keen on rebuilding old robot masters, regardless of how cool they were. Many of your opponent’s replies were more than mere speculation, but sound fact. Capcom has already featured almost half of all the classic robot masters in at least two classic-style games already, one on the NES and another on the GB.
The part I disagree on is the Cossack/Kalinka thing. Why shouldn’t they be given a cameo? They had a short story arc that was completed, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have another one. They’re not deceased to boot.
@UND-4D0-G
Thanks for not attacking me. I was mainly referring to Duo, Darkman, and Rockman Killers to make a comeback in the future, not in Megaman 10. I think those two have misunderstood my comments. I mean Heat Man suggest Doc Robots who have not been seen since Megaman 2 yet Fishman and Zepper didn’t jump donw his throat or call him names.
-I’d like to see a database like the one featured in MM&B.
-I don’t want to see Duo or Evil Energy. They’ve overstayed their welcome, and they were only in two games.
-Bass needs to come back. And I’d like something akin to Sonic Adventure 2, where all three robots combine their efforts to take down a supreme final enemy.
-I’d like MM10 to stay as far away from the X series as possible. There’ll be a time and a place for that.
-I’d like a cut scene where Mega Man gets punched in the face, preferably by Proto Man. I just think it’d be really funny.
-I’d like more small things, like changing Roll’s costume or going in without your helmet. Maybe buy old powers as combat data?
That’s all I got.
i think they should quit with 8 bit now just because it was cool with 9 and all as a revival but i would really like to see some quirky animations good voice acting and more fleshed out charaters like megaman powered up had i mean megaman 2 catered to the old school fans and thats nice but there are those of us who like the charaters and would like to see there personalities more and even like more back story on charaters like protoman and make bass less 2 dimentional of a charater i mean they’ve never really gone indept on that charater yet usually he talks so crap and we beat him up i wanna see more to him that just distroy megaman you kno so a deeper story and more things like that would be nice oh and uh rush fusions again i mean they havn’t done that since 7
I got nothing…
But I did notice that Capcom brought the quick switch back from Megaman 8, which allowed players to switch weapons without having access the weapons menu.
At least Megaman 8 was good for something.
@blaze0041: The quick switch is older than Mega Man 8. It debuted in Mega Man X and was brought to the classic series in Mega Man 7. Basically, when the controllers got shoulder buttons, you could use them to swap weapons. Incidentally, the Wii remote held sideways does not have an obvious way of duplicating what you could do with shoulder buttons. Maybe the A button will act as a one-way cycle through the weapons. I wouldn’t think they’d try to map the B trigger to anything.
Onto my thoughts on what Mega Man 10 could use:
I kinda missed the two fortresses in Mega Man 9. Once again, the jump to 16-bit and later 32-bit started the pattern we see today: one fortress with four stages. At least then you’d get an intro and half-way stage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the retro games killing off those conventions, but at least give us back a longer fortress or two shorter ones.
Requests 4 and 5 are interesting in how they relate to each other: maybe a more Sigma-like final form would be good for Wily instead of the escape saucer. The only time we saw Wily do that was in Mega Man 3 where he stole Gamma. Maybe a more elaborate version of that boss fight would do the trick, though it doesn’t have to be a room-filling robot; Sigma also had a holographic projection of himself from X2 and the “Sigma Heads” from X4.
I’m not too keen on having a Doc Robot simply rehash the last installment of Robot Masters. A more interesting approach would be to mix up a medley of similar Robot Masters to shuffle through when you revisit a stage. For example, at the end of Solar Man’s redux stage, you fight a Doc Robot that switches between Fire Man, Heat Man, and Flame Man’s attack patterns. For Chill Man’s stage, you have to watch for whether he uses Ice Man, Blizzard Man, or Freeze Man’s moves. Depending on weapon weaknesses and programmed attack patterns, the context switching would be a great way to keep you on your toes.
hey, the pic of megaman listening to music seem to be cropped from a larger image, can anyone give me a link if they know the pic, I am a megaman pic collector, so thanks in advance
Ran is actually the third playable character.
You heard it here first, folks.
Completely agree with Doc Robot. Loved him in Mega Man 3… well technically I hated him in Mega Man 3, but in the good way.
@arbiter
Bawwwwww. If you’ll recall, you were the one who resorted to petty name-calling, not me. You (and others) are so fervently defending the expression of opinion, but the moment I express mine, I’m “attacking someone”. And for Christ’s sake, my name is clearly writted as “Fishman”. You don’t see me calling you “Arby’sitter”, do you?
If you’re going to use “Mega Man”, you can’t throw around terms like Shirogane Luna and Burnin’ Noumander as acceptable English names, because they’re specifically Japanese names that already have English Equivalents. The Rockman Killers are to be used only in context with other Japanese terms. Call them “Mega Man Killers” if you’re not going to start using “Rockman”. I don’t and have not ever suggested that I am somehow “a bigger Megaman fan just because you call him Rockman”. Just as it is your choice to use “Mega Man”, it is my choice to use “Rockman”. You should not, however, have situations to the effect of “Megaman and Forte” or “Rockman Model ZX Versus the Pseudoroids”. Such a thing isn’t a personal choice, it is a display of ignorance.
@Doctor Andy
While I “liked it” too (keep in mind that there really aren’t any Rockman games I dislike aside from the DASH series, and even then, I really, really like Tron ni Kobun), the problem with Rockman 8 and Rockman X4-6 is that, to me at least, the stage progression and combat felt mind-numbingly slow. Rather surprisingly, though, Rockman and Forte’s SNES affair doesn’t suffer from any of the perceived shortcomings I place on 8. This may be attributed to superior stage design and difficulty levels more suited to me personally.
Really, I’d have to say that the “Jump Jump” “Slide Slide” sequences in Frostman’s Stage and Wily Stage 1 were fantastic, though. With the consistency I apply to my terminology comes inconsistency in what I like and dislike. While I don’t believe characters who have no purpose in reappearing should do so (Darkman), the Skull Robots and their four “hardmode” stages are one of the reasons I consider Rockman 3 to be the best of the NES titles. As others have suggested, a setup similar to Rockman 6′s branching paths combined with “fake bosses” could be implemented, but rather than fighting a “fake boss”, one could encounter an older boss from earlier in the series for a fight.
Anyway, this is getting a bit long, so… inb4arbiterQQ.
@Fishman
You called me stupid on your first post directed at me so you started this whole thing. You literally came on here to start a fight for no reason at all. My first post was clearly something I want in the feature. Also I have right to call them Rockman Killers as I have not played the US Gameboy Megamans. I have only played the Japanese Rockman World series so I know them only as Rockman Killers. If you have read any of my post carefully, then you would understand that they only folks that I referred to as Rockman were the Rockman Killers, but everything else I played American versions of. I was born in Japan and used to live in Japan.
Wow, its a shame this thread is already down to more or less name calling: someone be the bigger person and just let it drop already. In case they don’t implement some of these ideas, at least I can get a buzz from discussing them and seeing if there are enough people that maybe future games will implement them.
As someone did mention it, I will point out I don’t want to see “Jump Jump Slide Slide” revisited, though perhaps it would be annoyingly appropriate for the higher difficulty levels as the entire affair very much reminded me of NES game cheap kills. That is to say, of the games where you go to jump a gap and suddenly from off screen an enemy crashes into you and you plummet to your doom. Or a single shot hits you as you just cleared that really long jump and sends you reeling back… off the edge of the platform, to your doom. XD
So, needless to say from such a comparison, I didn’t like them. Perhaps if they had been shorter stretches and/or been optional, then it’d have been fun. One of the features I enjoyed in the NES games was that strategic item use would allow you to “nerf” certain difficult stages. While I don’t think it is good to have a Rush Jet bypass all the “challenge” of a stage, perhaps if it was a choice of a boarding (or similar) segment versus either a) using up a useful item early and having to work to recharge it or go without it or b) missing out on some groovy items. With respect to option “a” it could be one of those things where you burn an item like the Crash Bombs or Hard Knuckle that would otherwise be used in the boss fight as the “major weakness” and with respect to “b” it could be something like going through the misery of “Jump Jump Slide Slide” scores something sweet… like a Mega Man 3-style Rush Jet. Skip it and you could still finish the game, but snagging it becomes a major reward.
I know this post is long, but a thought occurred to me that combines several things already said on the thread:
Sprinkle “Doc Robot Challenges” via alternate routes in the game. Doc Robot would be a “Mid Boss” and defeating him would result in a (non-weapon) upgrade or similar bonus for Mega Man (or whatever character you’re using). The Doc Robot segment part of the stage would be extra hard and likely something of a retooled version of the normal stage. They could also include Doc Robot as an alternate end stage boss, and again perhaps with an item or other “goody” (if the Bolts/Screws system is used, for example, an automatic upgrade or large bolt/screw payoff). The idea being for a greater challenge you could just do the Doc Robot bits. Maybe even allowing you to do the classic “Only using the Mega Buster” challenge in a more brazen manner: defeating Doc Robot twice counts as beating the Stage and so doing every single one would allow you to go to the castle without any Boss Weapons (maybe some extra items as I said, but no actual boss weapons).
TL;DR – Um… I really, really like Doc Robot?
Five thing I’d like to see in Mega Man 10:
1. Bass.
2. Bass.
3. Bass.
4. Bass.
5. Another asskickrific soundtrack.
I think all Mega Man fans want to see Bass in 10. And I want to see that as well.
Not to mention the inevitable return of either Gutsman or Cut Man. Those two have become the regular staples of a few Mega Man games, it seems. For example, in Mega Man X8, you get to fight Cut Man if you do one of two things: Button codes on the title screen or Command Mission save data.
Oh, and how about the return of the Mega Ball? That was given to us in 8, and I think it might have had a reference from Mega Man Soccer for the Super Nintendo.
Oh and guys, stop arguing on the message boards. It makes you both immature
Thanks.
I totally agree with you on the Doc Robot concept, Heat. In my opinion, MM10 needs a surprising and unique idea like this to have it stand apart. Even if it isn’t Doc Robot, I’ll be happy if they let you fight a few of the robot masters from the previous games in some form or another. I also really hope they have more than 12 or 13 stages this time.
.-. I just hope that ChillMan and BladeMan do something that will not make me pissed about their names. If the fights are lame, then I’m going to continue using those names for my robot masters.
However, if they are cool fights, I’ll stop being so damn butthurt and pick new names.
I really think the return of Doc Robot would be good for another reason: you could get passwords for beating the stages!
I like the length a double fortress adds, but in the end its too much to play all at once!
1) Mega Man gets his slide and charge shot back as optional upgrades. In MM9, I HATED how they took them away for no good reason other than “they weren’t in MM2″. Note to Capcom: the series does NOT revolve around MM2, y’know.
Sure, they gave them to Proto Man, but it just makes Mega Man seem more unusuable by comparison. Why play as the blue guy when the red one, despite weaker defense, is more powerful?
2) Bass as a third character is fine and all, but I’d personally like to see Roll in a playable appearence for once. Maybe give her her kung-fu broom like in Powered Up! or Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.
3) Give us some more to do between blasting 8 Robot Masters and the Skull Castle. I would like to see a DocMan-esque side quest, or maybe a new Mega Man Killer.
4) An Escape Unit for leaving completed stages at will. I didn’t like having to go the whole stage just to get a few bolts.
I have to agree with numbers 1, 2, and 4. I also agree with 5, but with Doc being used in 3, I’d like to see something fresh and new. A second fortress would be awesome to traverse through, as the idea died out by MM7.
Also, I’d like to comment on the NES Style Graphics being used in these newer titles. As much of an NES nut that I am, I feel that bringing back that “nostalgic” feeling would work in today’s gaming world, but only to a certain extent. Honestly, the games would have fared just as well if they were done with the same graphic style as the ReBirth series from Konami, or from a 2.5D perspective using 3D models. As long as it has that core gameplay that we all know and love, then it would sell. Mega Man Powered Up comes to mind with this matter. It had that cutesy art style in a 2.5D perspective with 3D models. But at it’s core, it was purely a classic Mega Man game with a bunch of neat features mixed in. (Capcom, green light PU2 already).
The slide and charge shot weren’t removed “just because they weren’t in MM2″ but rather because they wrecked game balance. The designers themselves have said charge shots wrecked 4-6 and made them entirely too easy.
Well you did get your Doc robot, even resulted in seeing a boss from 7 & 8 in 8-bit style.
Anony:
The charge shot is annoying just because it was used for more depth. Rarely, but at least a few enemies did require charge shots to kill. As for easy… in a few games you what, charged before advancing to the next screen to open with one strong shot? Otherwise, rapid fire was much more useful: the Mega Man Anniversary Collection has spoiled me with it. XD
Things like the Rush Jet from Mega Man 3 and the Rush Adapters made the games easier… but that was more a matter of design intent, not flaws. I liked the change though wish they’d included a few bonuses so that the good players could still feel challenged while using them.
Reread this article, and aside from Wily being the end boss and no Zero in sight, you basicly got what you wanted. The Wily Archives are, essentialy, Doc Robot.
I hope to see a MAJOR, REPEAT MAJOR, Wily vs. Mega Man showdown!!!!!