Are There Too Many Mega Man Sub-Series for a Proper Reboot?
With Mega Man‘s iffy status as of late, one idea frequently paraded around to anyone who will listen is that of simply rebooting the franchise; that is, starting over again from square one, and letting the world of Mega Man unfold before us once again.
But are there simply too many different series, their settings scattered across time and space to make that happen? Capcom USA Senior Vice President Christian Svensson weighed in on the idea with such thoughts on Capcom Unity’s Ask Capcom forum in a thread suggesting “How about a Reboot to the MM Legend Franchise into a new entry in the MM franchise“:
I (and probably I alone so please don’t ascribe said belief to “Capcom”) think one of the problems MM has had as a brand is that we’ve had too many competing splinter sub-brands within it. I’m not sure starting yet another is the way to get the franchise as a whole back on track more than creating greater brand confusion but we’ll take it under advisement.
It makes sense, in a way, with so many of the series tied together already; would a reboot of one mean they all need to be rebooted? Or can they stand well enough on their own despite what connections they may have?
On the other hand, one might also remember that Capcom did more or less try this once before with Mega Man Powered Up and Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X. When those came out, it was unclear to a number of fans what relation they had to the original versions and what was considered “canon,” including Time Man and Oil Man’s place in the great pantheon of Robot Master numbering, the fate of Dr. Cain, and Vile’s relation to Sigma. Were these meant to replace the original installments, or stand apart?
Of course, hindsight has more or less placed them apart, given there were no continuations. Maverick Hunter X assets manage to find their way into other Mega Man X material, though Mega Man and Roll from Powered Up seem to commonly be shown alongside their respective Classic counterparts, rather than in place of them.
What do you think? Should any of the series get a fresh start, or would it be more trouble than it’s worth?
Thanks for the tip, Trigger.EXE!
Source: EGM Now
Tags: Capcom, Capcom Unity, Christian Svensson, Mega Man Classic, Mega Man X
Filed under: Mega Man News
Adaaification wrote: “Nothing from the old, only new ideas with a touch of the old.”
How can you have a touch of the old if there is nothing from the old?
-ud
I guess is the right time for Capcom to make a BBA Mega Man Game.
Plz.
As as often as the idea of raiding Capcom’s offices with a torch and pitchfork brings a smile to my face, I really do have to agree with Sven on this one.
“Brand confusion” really is a problem with Mega Man. Besides the 7 different series, 2 of which are really just sequels with cast replacements, there’s also a great deal of radically different art styles seen during the last console generation in addition to the remake and to the fact that MM9 was, in both gameplay and presentation, a reversion back to the days of old. The franchise has been through a number of “pseudo-reboots” already, and I think that the fanbase is getting tired of it.
Mega Man has already spent a long, long time looking back, and continuing to do that isn’t going to make things any better. Not only is the franchise rich and diverse enough to continue, but it is so much so that failing to continue in favor of a “true” reboot would be considered by many to be a heavy casualty.
Mega Man doesn’t need a reboot, it just needs more effort put into the series it’s got hanging now. The last thing it needs is for Capcom to just retcon everything and leave its current fanbase hanging…that’d divide the lot of us even more. What they need to focus on is tying up loose ends to simplify what they have on the table now, in a way that’s evident that they actually care about the franchise. Which means no more of this retreaux rubbish and no more cheap cash-ins.
@Reiko
Depends what you consider I enjoyed those castlevania games a lot 2D or the 3D ones. LOS took a lot form god of war and I hated God of War style of game play I really do at least I did play this game for 2hrs to say no I did not like that so defently not going to be ignorant about it like most old castlevania fans,but I reffuse to acknowledge it as Castlevania. In fact LOS wasn’t even going to be titled with Castlevania to begin with. I heavily dislike the approach and the story may be great to some it messes with my sense of what was already done at a level thats like what so you are Dracula and your descendents are trying to kill you okay makes so much sense. Tell me how is that great story its boring as all hell and the gameplay is very uninspired because they had to use that style of gameplay. I know castlevania over the years with their series adopted multiple styles of gameplay from stage scroller platformer to the metroid style of play that I thought was really cool. For the 3D it started with the adverture like game to a more DMC style approach combined with the elements of its 2D parts. Now we got GOW style play and thats getting old as much as it was enjoyable as it was then its reached its limit for me.
Now don’t get me wrong I do know of great reboots ,but that is only a few I dislike for reboots. Its like why couldn’t they just finish the series with Julius’s 1999 castlewars you know the one game where Dracula was finally finished off before being reincarnated to Soma. And do not get me started with judgement because that game was a flop as well to me. Foir its worth it was aneat idea ,but its art syle execution fell flat and the bust jokes kinda like okay? But yeah LOS just ever felt like the right idea of a 3D game. If they really wanted to make it castlevania couldn’t they not rely heavily on GOW combat engine?
For whats its worth Reiko thats my explanation as to why I do not appreciate LOS and it isn’t because of ignorance nor ill acceptance to trying new things. As for the whole belmonts not being properally playable I felt it made sense because there was right to experiment with new characters as time in that line passed on.
@Nintendo Bros 64
“I guess is the right time for Capcom to make a BBA Mega Man Game.
Plz.”
Some people just want to watch the world burn.
@ManwholovesRockamusic
I’ll admit, I don’t like God of War much either, but LoS was fun to me despite some of the issues I had with it. Those being the lack of Castlevania music and the design of the final levels.
Anyway, Symphony of The Night was fun, but every Metroidvania after just didn’t appeal to me, mainly Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin. If IGA had made more games like Dracula X Chronicles, that would’ve been great since I love that game. But, alas we got Harmony of Despair which a lot of fans dislike.
That’s not to say that it isn’t okay for a producer to experiment, but introducing new characters to replace the main cast is tiring, IMO.
Suffice it to say, I do look forward to Mirror of Fate on the 3DS since it looks like a classic Castlevania, Belmonts and all. After LoS is finished, I’m hoping for a remake of Simon’s Quest or Dracula’s Curse.
Well i guess when it comes to Megaman,there are just so many games. Anniversary Collections were awesome. I remember playing Megaman 2 when it first came out and it was top of the line at the time lol. But as the series kept going and branching out not only did they make more games, they also had to keep up and release them across a variety of consoles and handheld systems. Powered Up and Maverick Hunter X were good ideas, weither cannon or not. But in all honestly, a Powered Up 2 or Maverick Hunter X2 Would’ve been just as cool. But if a reboot would be made, a good idea would be to reboot the first game in the series, and maybe add-on to them with DLCs to expand the base game to include a whole series, sticking to it’s roots, however giving it a full graphical face lift. Including Achievement/Trophy Support would be a plus.
@Reiko
You don’t know what your talking about… None of the GBA titles recycled any sprites, and every single character sprite with the exception of Alucard (which was a shout out to fans) was brand new throughout the entire handheld line and I cannot think of any monsters that were recycled either (if there were it wouldn’t be many or even important ones). The PSP remake of Rondo used 3D models. The only game to reuse many important sprites was Harmony of Despair, which wasn’t even a handheld release (and had reasoning behind it). The very fact that Harmony of Despair and the DS titles shared similar resolutions and fluidity of animation to that of SotN, is a testament to the amount of effort put into those titles visually (as the DS is around as powerful as a PSX). The music in most of those titles were rarely reused, and most of the ones that were was remade. The original music in the games for handheld vastly out number any reused if there were any, and were well composed and well received by fans and critics. The stage design had completely new tiling, background design and was varied throughout the game. The games had a decent length to them with big castle maps and proper management of their accessibility, even before we get into the depth of its RPG elements (that were nicely balanced in most of those games). The stages had longevity in most of those games, mixing a proper use of hidden items and paths to add replay. Each of those games added a fresh new defining game mechanic to stay fresh. CotM added the DSS, Harmony of Dissonance added the Spell Book/ and Dash ability (which completely changes the pace from other titles in the franchise). AoS added dominance, DoS (the direct sequel) further elaborated this with Yoko’s soul casting. PoR added co-op, Order of Ecclesia added the Glyph System and a completely revamped stage layout in favor of the more traditional earlier games, while keeping aspects of the more recent ones, like the RPG elements. That is everything a Castlevania fan could possibly want, and they were doing really well among the fans. Don’t give me that sales bull, that stuff doesn’t indicate a good game, which the handheld ones certainly were (some among my personally favorite games ever made).
^Skip this wall if you’re not interested in Castlevania…
On the topic of rebooting Mega Man/Rockman, I can predict two things that would most likely happen.. One it would separate that fanbase (more so than now). Two, it would most likely have to be highly experimental, if that’s the case most of the split fanbase would weigh on the side of the original series if its unappealing. Not only that but if the new titles bomb it could potentially scar the casually appeal of the franchise, making the companies responsible for the series reluctant to engage with the series as a whole for the foreseeable future (especially in the case with Capcom). Me personally, I vote no to a reboot. There is just too much history and unfinished um…stuff. I also don’t think there’s anything majorly flawed within the established series, the people who want a more story driven game can still have that with sequels and remakes, that retcon inconsistencies and further elaborate on the story without reinventing the series.
Something’s better than nothing…oh wait Xover…sorry nevermind.
I always considered MMPU and MHX as simple remakes rather than full on reboots. That said, some may wonder what the difference is. Well to me a remake is simply an update to the original with some expanded content and maybe more detail added to the exsisting story. A reboot, on the other hand, is a complete revision. Take for example, Castlevania Lords of Shadow. That game is a reboot of the series with nearly nothing in common with the original. MMPU & MHX are telling the same story in a more elaborate way with basically the same characters and setting.
@RedrazerZero – Uhh, he does know what he’s talking about. The GBA games didn’t outright copy too many sprites (although I believe there were a few), but all of the DS Castlevanias used a bunch of sprites from Rondo of Blood & Symphony of the Night. Each subsequent game also took some sprites from the previous DS entries as well.
Honestly I didn’t read the rest of your post though because that was a wall’o'text.
I think I’d be in favor of a (few) reboot(s) once all of the series are effectively finished. I think all fans basically want to see their stories reach a conclusion before we get into retelling or telling new stories. It wouldn’t be a great idea for Capcom to ignore that, at least not for their PR image.
That being said, I personally would love to see the Mega Man X series revisited in the form of a remake-ish reboot. What I mean by that is I still want Mega Man X to be a sidescrolling armor-collecting shoot-em-up game with 8 bosses and generally the same plot and characters … buuut with some differences and additions. Instead of bombarding you all with a wall of text, here’s a breakdown of what new things I’d like to see in addition to what we have, or what I’d like to see changed:
Gameplay:
-Online Co-op campaigns
-2-Player versus fights
-Level builder
-Episodic installments; end-of-series collection with new content seamlessly integrating & adding to experience
-Option to interact with & delegate other Maverick Hunters in between stages to change/add to level layouts & influence story outcome
-Have X retain (some) armor upgrades with each installment and incorporate design characteristics from last armor into his standard blue armor design for current episode
-More Ride Armor action
-Less/No “all Ride Chaser” stages
Story:
-More focus on X, less on Zero
-Better character development for Sigma as not the big bad for each installment
-Repurposing X-Hunters, Dr. Doppler, and Repliforce as separate antagonists from Sigma
-Minimal dialogue a la Mega Man X but better writing/more engaging characters a la Maverick Hunter X/X4
-Incorporate more meaningful themes with each game that guide & integrate into gameplay naturally & implicitly (becoming stronger, becoming too strong, becoming the enemy, ethics of creating free-willed race, ethics of empowering one above the rest, etc.)
Presentation:
-Awesome anime-style openings like X3′s
-Stylized 2D sprite redesign like mix between Shadow Complex and Mighty Switch Force HD; very close to colour palette of the SNES X games
-Add to melodies of repetitive songs for X2, X3; use SNES instruments or close facsimiles
Couldn’t we make a new series? After all, there IS about a 6000 year gap between ZX and Legends.
Following Square’s example of why they declined to remake FFVII:
The idea of resorting to a remake just to pander to an existing fanbase is bad for innovation not only for the company in question, but for the whole gaming industry (i.e. leading by examples).
@Michael Alexander Clarke
That is a baseless comment, I can just as easily say the DS games didn’t reuse a bunch of sprites… There were some reused sprites (which is the case with most sprite based games) it wasn’t many, and no character sprites were reused (except Alucard/Richter). Also when I said he didn’t know what he was talking about, I meant to set up my counterargument on his general knowledge on things related not just his comment on sprites… I also don’t know specifically but no sprites were reused throughout the GBA titles I believe…
http://spriters-resource.com/other_systems/cvrob/sheet/10322
http://spriters-resource.com/psx_ps2/cvsotn/index.html
http://spriters-resource.com/ds/castlevaniaorderofecclesia/index.html
http://spriters-resource.com/ds/cstlevniadawnofsorrow/
@Reiko and Michael Alexander Clarke
Compare for yourselves the amount of reused sprites if you wish. Don’t be afraid to browse that site I’ve been going there a while, and its safe for me, but just completely forgot about it. If you find it a viable source compare the amount of reused sprites from those games to something like Mega Man… If this is against an regulations to the comment section mods can remove this comment.
Reboots are an incredibly lazy means companies use to avoid taking risks. I’d hate to see Mega Man subjected to that. Skillful and creative design should be able to handle all of the established continuity.
Jacob Rush, you’ve said everything that I ever would have on this subject. My hat off to you, sir.
I suppose that leaves me with nothing fresh to bring to the table but a few personal gripes: “brands”. …Seriously? You’ll notice in the comment given, the guy took special care not to refer to Mega Man as anything apart from a brand. Hell, he even took the term “sub-series” and reworded it as “sub-brand”. What the hell, guys?
…My anger seems unfounded? Allow me to elaborate. A series or franchise is what we see Mega Man as. It holds continuity, beloved characters and themes, it’s not just a product, it’s a world. …A “brand”, however, is a name you slap onto a source of income. There’s no emotional attachment whatsoever; so when you are speaking to a fan who views it in the former, to take special care to refer to it purely in the latter really grinds my gears.
With that, I’ll let you all get back to meaningful conversation. Sasquatch, out~!
Why can’t they just make another series…. -.- that’s like the same thing as rebooting…. almost. Besides, they need to finish what they started wiith the other series’. They need a proper ending first.
@Vanya: I agree with that idea, but when they can’t fit with the sequels due to contradictions (Cain buying it in MHX, maybe the Robot Master numbering in MMPU), that’s when it kind of steps over the line.
And it’s a thin line. Star Fox 64 is considered a remake of the original, but it’s as much a reboot as well with how much was changed.
I personally would like to see a new Megaman series starting from scratch. I think giving Megaman a new up to date hip and happening modern look and maybe some new battle style or something is excatly what Megaman needs right now. Something that gets the old fans all giddy again over Megaman and perhaps attract a group of new fans. And we need new fans we havent had them since the Starforce series four years back and its clear Crapcom wants a bigger amount of fans giving them money.
@RedrazerZero
That doesn’t prove much to me. Like Michael Alexander Clarke said, tons of sprites in the DS games were recycled. Hell, even ReBirth on the Wii had recycled textures! What does that tell you? IGA and Konami were lazy and stuck to that method for over 10 years because it was much cheaper to use 17 year old sprites than creating new ones from scratch, so I do happen to know what I’m talking about.
First and foremost, they need to finish what they got first. End the original series, then the X, ZX, and finally the Legend ones. A reboot after that, or during, would be good, but only, and only if done right. What a lot of companies fail to realize that what made the originals of a franchises so good from start was the original story, sometimes total change is good, and sometimes it is not. I believe, story wise, if they did this with Mega Man, the first game, story wise ought to be close to same as possible, robot masters, powers, characters, and so forth. Next would be moving Mega Man into the 3D world. Some would think the Legends engine would be good, but I would say that I would have to decline just the engine by itself, as I truly believe that if you could take what made Legends 1 and 2 really good, and some how combine that engine with the Rachet and Clank one that was used on the PS3, I think we would definitely have the true answer to having Mega Man in 3D. I think it would work, as you could still keep everything traditional and intact to what everybody loved with all the Mega Man games, especially the Original series and the X series, and keep the fan base of old and new happy, but that’s only if done right.
@Reiko
That doesn’t prove anything? It proves that out of the 100+ monster and character sprites in DoS, (the one that reuses the most from earlier titles) only around 27 are reused. It proves that no protagonist sprites were ever reused and in cases like Soma & Shanoa consist of over 200 frames of animation. It proves that the monsters that were reused barely have 10 frames of animation and some were altered. It proves that some monster sprites that were reused were redrawn to fit the resolution (compare witch from SotN to DoS). It proves that the DS games share similar resolutions to similarly powerful systems. It proves that the GBA games had original and shared nearly no assets. Should I continue?
Rebirth really? The game made by M2, the company known for throwbacks and re-releases? No response.
Now look at Megaman Zero, X and EXE (not knocking them but they do reuse assets, but so do most detailed sprite based series). Oh and talk about reusing 17yo PC Engine sprites how about 22yo NES sprites. You sound like you’re nitpicking things to hate on (not having the Belmonts as mains for one).
Oh and btw Castlevania was never a hugely successful franchise in terms of sales, despite being highly acclaimed. The only stand alone sprite-based game ever to break the million-units mark was CotM.
The Classic series has been great, and doesn’t need a reboot (although it does need a “final” entry at some point with the introduction of Zero). The X series could use a semi-reboot, basically ending it at X5, and keeping X6 but without actually making Zero playable. X7 and X8 could easily be incorporated within the X1-X5 timeframe as sidestories, as could Command Mission (with a few tweaks for timeline issues).
IMO, the Zero serires is where thing started to go remarkably wrong. You don’t kill off X, period. Having him act as a Dr. Light character is fine, but he should have eventually come back as playable. And I have no idea what Capcom was thinking with the entire ZX series.
Also, make Legends 3 already!