Capcom Opens Beta Version of Unity Suggestion Box

Remember back in late November, when we told you about a new initiative hinted at by Capcom Community Manager Seth Killian that would allow Mega Man fans, and Capcom fans in general, to let their voices be heard for new games they would like to see (such as MegaMan Legends 3)?

Well, Capcom has now officially revealed what that initiative is, and opened the Capcom*Unity Suggestion Box! And it works as follows:

People submit suggestions, and then everyone votes on which ones are the best. The voting process is simple: just click the “promote” and “demote” buttons next to an idea. Promote stuff you like, demote stuff you don’t like. The more people like a certain suggestion, the more the idea will rise to the top. You can only vote once on each idea, but feel free to vote for your own.

Other questions in their mini-FAQ note that not only are they listening, but votes matter in helping to separate the cream from the crop. Furthermore, “your top overall suggestions will be reviewed at our internal meetings. That means every 2 weeks, everybody that matters here is going to get an earful about what’s important to you.”

You can get the full scoop here, but a word of advice before you start drafting submissions: look around first. Mainfinger pointed out to me that “at least two different Legends 3 posts, meaning upvotes are split.” That is not constructive work, people! One would hope that such similar posts would be taken together, but as of this writing, we cannot safely assume as much.

“This is just a Beta, but if it has problems, suggest improvements by using the Suggestion Box. For everything else, the sky is the limit. Resident Evil Outbreak crew, I’m looking at you. Powerstone 3 people? Yes, this is your chance. Mega Man Legends lovers? Your time is at hand!”

Emphasis mine.

And of course, you have to be a Unity member to vote… but why wouldn’t you be?

Oh, and if anyone was wondering, yes, I am going to add “Mega Man Dating: Kinky Navigators Edition,” just as soon as I’m sure no one else has ripped off my idea.

Capcom’s Killian Elaborates on “Competition” for Legends 3

A few days ago, we reported a tease left by Capcom Community Manager Seth Killian in the Capcom*Unity’s Ask Capcom forum, explaining that there would soon be a way for fans to show their support for a MegaMan Legends 3, though they would “have to compete with the Powerstone 3 and RE: Outbreak psychos for attention!”

With everyone preparing to go to war in support of their favorite franchise, we caught up with Captain-Commander Seth Killian and asked him to explain a little further about the nature of the conflict with the Powerstone pushers and the Outbreak outlaws.

“I was hoping to clarify by actually just showing everyone what I meant,” he explained, “but I’m not sure exactly which day it will be ready. At any rate, it’s definitely not meant to be a competition between those three groups –they are just some of the most vocal around here.”

“The competition,” he continued as we ducked a preemptive mortar shell, “will actually be between any and all ideas, no matter how nutty, ridiculously expensive, or flat out dumb they might be ”

So there you have it: anything goes. It sounds like anything from a MegaMan Legends 3 to a Mega Man X9 to MegaMan Battle Network 7: Penny Slug/Wooden Nickel to Mega Man Dating: Kinky Navigators Edition will be fair game for suggestion.

Mega Fans: Get your suggestions ready!

Get Ready to Make Your Voices Heard for Legends 3

It’s on.

Well, not just yet, but it will be soon.

For years now, fans of the Blue Bomber of the far-flung future have wanted to know just how they can make it perfectly clear to the suits at Capcom that yes, we do want a MegaMan Legends 3. And just a few hours ago, Capcom Community Manager Seth Killian responded to such an inquiry on the Capcom*Unity forums, stating that “Actually, we’re working on a way for you to be able to do just such a thing, and hope to have the new Unity feature available soon-ish.”

“The bad news,” he adds, “is that you’ll have to compete with the Powerstone 3 and RE: Outbreak psychos for attention! ”

“Seriously though,” he continues, “I know that having such a clear outlet is important, and we’re working on even more direct ways for you to let your voice be heard internally here at Capcom.”

So there you have it; you can stop trying to register domain names and put down your petitions; hopefully Capcom won’t keep us in too much suspense at the new Unity addition.

Naturally, we will keep you informed of anything we hear on the situation, and let you know when it is time for fans of Diggers, air pirates, and the like to rally together as one and make our voices heard.

Inafune Remains Adamant About Legends 3

What’s new in the realm of MegaMan Legends 3 news? Consistency, one might suppose.

Capcom Community Manager Seth Killian appeared recently on the 4 Guys, 1UP Podcast, and naturally, the subject came up. Prompted about the mere possibility, Killian said:

“It’s definitely not dead and Inafune says, I saw him yesterday and he always says that. He knows that’s a question from fans all the time and he talks about it all the time: ‘you know when I finally get some time, I’m going to work on a Legends 3 or something.’ He definitely would like to see it happen.”

So, same old, same old. I get the feeling that Bionic Commando might have something to do with this; journalists begged and pleaded for that one, too, and when it came out, sales weren’t up to snuff. So it may be little wonder that all the begging and pleading for a Legends 3 isn’t helping make it a higher priority for the brass at Capcom.

News Credit: The Examiner, via the SEGA Forums, via Protodude’s Rockman Corner

Five things Legends 3 must have

Mega Man Legends 3 fever is buzzing, folks. More and more you hear people asking about the title, and with last year’s release of Mega Man 9, support for the revival of Legends is beginning to boil over. I don’t see how Capcom can go on as the cries of hungry wolves grow louder.

Needless to say, however, I am preparing myself for Mega Man Legends 3 to not be everything I’m expecting. Fan anticipation is setting the bar pretty high, and there are bound to be some disappointments. A lot of fans, for example, would be greatly put off if Legends 3 got a handheld release, although I personally believe there’s a good likelihood of this. These are ideas we’re just going to have to get used to if we want our prayers answered.

There are some things, though, that I think go without saying need to be in the next Legends (but I’m going to say them anyway). They’re pretty simple things, too, and I’d be very disappointed if they were somehow left behind. Following are the top five things I believe Mega Man Legends 3 has to have.

1: The Data Dance
When Mega Man Legends originally came out, a childhood friend and I played it non-stop. Since then, whenever the game comes up in discussion, he always brings up Data’s conga-esque dance. It’s pretty unlikely that Capcom would fore go Data as a save spot in Legends 3, but with updated graphics and such they might feel the need to overdo it. This isn’t Dancing with the Stars here, Data just simply needs to go on doing his little hand bobbing with the occasional juts to the right and left. On that fateful day when I boot up Mega Man Legends 3, regardless of what system it’s on, seeing Data do his little jig will immediately make me feel at home with the new entry in the series. Also he’s the key to all the mysterious surrounding the series’ back story and whatever, but that issue comes second at best. Dance, monkey! Dance!

2: Rob Smith
No, not the guy from The Cure. I’m talking about the man who provides the voice of Tiesel Bonne. Mega Man Legends is a series known for its voice work. Granted it follows Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4, so just about anything would be considered better. Playing through Legends again, it’s not the greatest dubbing ever – a lot of times a character’s tone of voice doesn’t match their expression (go see how Mega Man reacts to nearly being crushed by the Feldynaut). Regardless, the voice acting is pretty good and the voices typically suit the characters well. And no voice stands out better than that of Tiesel Bonne. Tiesel’s confidence and manic enthusiasm, which can quickly turn to screaming and whimpering, easily makes him the most memorable characters in the series. It also helps that he’s well written, and his personality, aside from being a villain and all, is so likable. I can understand that it’d be hard to find all the original actors given how much time has passed. But hear me out, Capcom, if there’s one guy you have to track down and beg for, it’s Rob Smith.

3: Naughty Mischief
My favorite recurring moment in both Legends titles is when (through implication) you get to catch Roll changing or otherwise not dressed, and it’s not just because I’m a pervert. Ok, maybe it is just because I’m a pervert. But seriously, the series is sprinkled with this kind of spicy humor. While the occasional adult magazine gets changed to a comic book during localization, but he has still glimpsed both Roll and Tron in the buff (and Sera if you use a Game Shark cheat – image may not be safe for work, or brain). With the Hot Coffee debacle and all that noise, I gather Capcom might be more uptight about this sort of thing. But you have to remember these elements have nothing to do with sexuality. These are characters just hitting puberty, and it’s the humor drawn from the awkwardness of the situation that we all went through growing up. I’m not asking it to be tasteless, just be sure to have another funny event of Mega Man walking in on Roll. And make sure Mega Man does the fist pump afterward. Or maybe an air guitar solo.

4: The Classics
While I do know of a lot of fans, I still think the music in Mega Man Legends is underrated. Not a lot of it is memorable, but on there other hand there IS a lot of hit, and all of it does the job of matching the settings they’re used in well. The original Mega Man Legends was a little more orchestral in all its MIDI-like glory, whereas Mega Man Legends 2 was more synth and video game-ish, as it contained more diverse environments to explore, but both are fantastic. And one thing in common is they contain a fair amount of music from classical composers, including Bach, Vivaldi and Chopin. Yeah, I bet you thought some of that music was familiar. Maybe you’d heard it in a movie or a commercial for financial investments. Nope, it’s the true classics, and I really hope Capcom intends to keep using them, even if sparsely. I’m pretty partial to Mozart’s 40th symphony.

5: Zero
Last but not-hey, don’t go away! Get back here! Ok, ok, I admit that the Legends series doesn’t NEED Zero. But c’mon, the guy has appeared in some form in nearly every Mega Man series and spin-off, and he’s one of Keiji Inafune’s nearest and dearest characters. He could fit into the Legends world, especially if they did him right. Like, say, making him a pirate. And not simply another competitor like the Bonnes or the Loathes, but closer to a real deal pirate: manly, tough, fearless, and a bit crazy. Even other air pirates fear his name, but, perhaps they’d be forced to work with him? Well, that all depends on where the story goes. On top of that, Legends versions of Iris and Ciel could be his salty wenches and sidekicks. He’d be Mega Man’s toughest rival pirate yet, but he’d still have his own humorous flaws. I can’t think of a more fitting way to include Zero into the series. For a better idea, here’s something my friend Andy drew a while ago:

Yet another call out for Legends 3

More petitioning to Capcom for Mega Man Legends 3, this time coming from gaming blog Scrawl, where one Sal feels Capcom should be focusing on the sought after continuation instead of other franchise sequels like the recently announced Dead Rising 2 and Lost Planet 2. I don’t know if I can exactly agree there, since both Dead Rising and Lost Planet probably sold better than Legends did back in the day. But I do agree that we are in a climate that is ready for Legends 3, and the time is right to bring it out. I also agree with the argument on Legends 2’s ending, which is by far the biggest unanswered cliffhanger in all of Mega Man (sorry X8 fans). Needless to say, how much more crying out for Legends 3 is it gonna take for Capcom to relent?

Another call out for Legends 3

I honestly do believe that Mega Man Legends 3 is poised to be, well, the next Mega Man 9. Sure it wouldn’t have the convenience of being inexpensive to produce and downloadable, and it’s not the only Mega Man series fans are clamoring for a return of. However, I do believe it’s the most sought after revival, from both Mega man fans and general gamers alike.

Jesse Gregory over and WingDamage.com has an article up proposing that not only does Mega Man Legends 3 need to be made, it needs to be made for the Nintendo Wii. The article goes over the first two games, fleshing out their charm and potential, and then gives some examples of how a Wii adaptation could work control-wise.

I’m not exactly convinced the Wii’s controls would be better for Legends 3, though I do think it’s the most likely choice due to the current install base (though I also believe the PSP is pretty likely). Nevertheless, support for the series on any gaming device is great to see. We need to keep telling Capcom we want Legends 3, because I do think they will eventually deliver it to us, even if it’s just to shut us up!