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Posted By Austin Yorski about 8 months, 2 weeks ago
How could you not love that face?
Capcom hasn’t completely given up on our beloved Blue Bomber, but they have made some unpopular choices with the brand as of late. Whether it was the cancelled Mega Man Legends 3 or the new iOS game, fans have let the Japanese publisher hear their displeasure. Interestingly, Capcom USA’s Senior Vice-President, Christian Svensson, recently shed some light on his personal qualms with the direction the franchise had been heading.
In response to a forum poster asking if Capcom could just reboot the whole Mega Man series, Svensson said, “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.”
Honestly, I find myself agreeing with that core sentiment. Between X, Legends, Battle Network, Zero, ZX, Star Force, and sundry other one-offs, Mega Man is a name that has attracted a ridiculous amount of clutter. A reboot could certainly add more confusion to the mind of the average consumer, so it’s understandable why Capcom would prefer to build on the established brands. However, I’d rather see them burn the whole thing down and start over than leave the poor guy to rust.
What do you think about the idea of a Mega Man reboot? As a fan, how do you want the Capcom to handle the future of one of their most valuable IPs? Do you have any hope of a surprise announcement for the 25th Anniversary Celebration? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Siliconera
I can see starting back at MM1 but not really changing much, maybe adding Rock as his daily and Mega as the battle persona ditto with Blues in some similar aspect. Also giving the world some life like existed in some of the mid number megaman games before Capcom got skittish and closed that whole area down. The comics coming out right now seem to do a fine job in that respect.
I’m still waiting for Bad Box Art MegaMan to get his own series.
I’ve said it before but as unpopular as it is I’ll still say it again. Classic Megaman (That’s Rock, Roll, Blues/Protoman, Dr. Wily, Dr. Light, etc. etc. ) is the ONLY Megaman series to me. That’s not to say the spinoffs like X, Zero (Spinoff to a spinoff), Battle Network, Legends or Starforce are bad games. But they aren’t Megaman. They should have all been seperate IP’s altogether with the exception of maybe X/Zero as those do technically take place after the Classic line. But even then, the gameplay is different, the control, and response time is different. So again it’s it’s own thing. That being said Capcom’s series is now an awful lot like Hasbro/Takara’s Transformers in that there are all sorts of series each with their own characters, and continuities. So to axe any of them means there will be a lot of backlash from customers. I would suggest waiting inbetween iterations a few years to prevent burnout. Perhaps for the anniversary do Mega Man 11. Skip a year, and in 2014 do a new Mega Man X. Skip a year, and in 2016 maybe surprise everyone with Legends. So on, and so forth. Fans of each series, and crossover fans would be happy (Provided the games were made well), and no one would feel series fatigue.
Now, I’ve never really cared about the Mega Man franchise. I’ve played a couple of his games, but I never really got into it. Regardless, I find his statement puzzling, as many different franchises have had so many sub-brands, too many to count. A lot of people here have used Mario as an appropriate analogy, and I would be in favor of seeing a Mega Man reboot at the very least. Heck, I would think that Street Fighter would be just as confusing in terms of the number of games attached to just their main numbered games alone. I mean, Street Fighter 2 has at least seven different variations while Street Fighter 3 has at least three, and not to mention the sub-brands such as Alpha and EX. So yeah, I don’t see why they shouldn’t just release another Mega Man, especially since fans will be happy and they have a profit incentive to do so.
How about they make a sequel to a series they’ve already gotten started on Megaman, like maybe Legends! its been forever since the last game and The ending of the last game was pretty open
So the vice president thinks everyone is a brain dead zombie?
Sounds like Capcom logic.
Honestly, I just want more full length releases on consoles like PS3 and 360. No more of this handheld only bullshit and certainly no iOS only games. Just give me a 2D, side-scrolling Megaman X game with decent level design and tough boss fights. Megaman X8 came out in 2004, and while it may have been flawed in a lot of ways, it was a lot better than X7, and Capcom would put a decent budget behind another Megaman X game, we could probably get an even better one.
Or go the route of Megaman 9 and 10 and make a classic looking Megaman X game for PSN and XBLA. I don’t understand what’s stopping them from doing this.
Personally, I want more classic games. I’m a huge fan of the Classic series (heck, soon enough my entire room will be filled with Megaman classic merch) so I will never hate them for making more of those. I would not mind at all any other series getting new titles either however, because dammit it’s still Megaman. All of the other series deserve nurturing as well, Capcom. You don’t need to go make another reboot, you’ve got plenty to work with now.
Though that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind a reboot…
The problem with MegaMan isn’t with sub-branding (Mario, Final Fantasy, SMT have all flourished from spin-offs and side games). The problem is that Capcom does not support its franchise very well, and hasn’t for a very long time (especially in PAL regions).
Today I saw a copy of Megaman X7 for the PS2 in my local games store. This is the first time I have seen a Megaman X game that was not pre-owned or imported from the US.
“Work on established brands”? What about Megaman wasn’t established? Instead of dropping everything Megaman, maybe they should’ve just refocused to some of the core games. Make another classic style, maybe make an X, and make Legends 3, a game many were excited for, a game that got a 100,000 people on Facebook to want, and was gonna practically be a handheld decider for some, such as myself. It was cancelled, so I cancelled my desire to get the 3DS.
I’ll bring up Mario, certainly a prominent character, but Mario has TONS of sub-games. There are the big 3D releases, there are smaller 2D titles, there are hand held releases, there are RPG’s, there are tons more and it doesn’t hurt Mario. Sure, maybe Mario is abit unfair, since it is Mario, but I think it works.
Bring Mega Man back, but focus on what excited people. I think they really could just bring it down to the X series and the Legend series. They are very different, but both hit on the main aspects that people like about the character.
Personally, I’d never really cared for Megaman all that much… That is, until I had played Legends. To say that Megaman Legends 3 was near the top of my list of 3DS games to look out for was a bit of an understatement. That said, I am still pissed at Capcom about that, but considering I don’t normally give Capcom a lot of my attention, I suppose people like me are the least of their business worries.
No, seriously Capcom, just go back to making Super Turbo Ultra Remix Street Fighter IV with 20 DLCs on launch. We don’t want another sequel to Megaman Legends, that series is so old hat, what with those two installments and all! We’d rather devour your third version of the same fighting game with more disc-locked content we have to pay extra for. :3
Well, at least we still have the Archie Comics Megaman series.
While I favor the X series, I just want Megaman to come back (on consoles). The thing I don’t get is, why treat having so many Megaman games like a burden? Take advantage of that in a reboot with some clever nods to these previous series or get ideas from what worked in those series.
Mr. Svensson is right about one thing: Megaman has way too many splinter sub-brands. Then again, the same can be said of Super Mario Bros., Gundam, Transformers, and many other established franchises. Megaman, like many other video game icons before and after it, managed to survive this long without going on any major hiatus because it was able to adapt. However, at the same time, the entire franchise has also remained fairly consistent throughout the years.
Whether or not they decide to do a reboot, I don’t care. However, I do feel that the Megaman franchise still has enough steam to keep going for another 10 years, if necessary, so while a reboot is a possibility, it’s not needed. Yet.
All I know is that to me Megaman Zero was the best the megaman series ever got. I also believe that anything other than that Xover crap would be a welcome addition to megaman…
Who builds a Spring Man anyway….
I think the statements of the VP demonstrate the major issue with Crapcon.. it is run by idiots.
Is it really that hard to differentiate between the series? There’s 9yr olds out there who can rattle off all 500+ pokemon at the drop of a hat, I think the average player and especially the Megaman enthusiasts can keep track of all the series if they want. Those who don’t care about specific lines just follow the iterations they care about. This isn’t complicated stuff… unless you’re upper management at Crapcon and need someone to help you tie your shoes.
There should only exist 4 Mega Man series:
Classic – Basic format and gameplay.
X – Faster paced, armor/weapon upgrades, and a story that ties to the classic.
Legends – 3D Adventure Platforming/Shooter.
.EXE – RPG
Starforce, ZX and other knock-offs are really just Mega Man X games with brand new characters and stories. They should have just made more MMX games and, you know, finish what they started. Classic’s story is still unfinished, X ended on an unexplained cliffhanger, Zero was a what-if/sequel to the X series (so it gets a pass), and Legends left on a cliffhanger in Legends 2.
Capcom, the problem isn’t the oversaturation of Megaman series. The problem is the fact you keep greenlighting the oversaturation of Megaman series but never finishing the stories of previous installments.
Finish the ongoing saga of Classic/X. Finish Legends. You may then have my permission to start over.
Problem there is if it’s finish what you started in the X series. It should have stopped at X5.
But it carried on…
Inb4 Capcom announces a new Mega Man Franchise, just to prove how idiotic they are.
I honestly don’t know which Mega Man game they could make without sparking rage.
Not Classic? “Wah! Not X series!”
Not X? “Wah! Not Classic series!”
Not Legends? “Wah! Not X or Classic series!”
Reboot? “Did they learn nothing from Bionic Commando?”
I’m not even going to get into Starforce, ZX and the many others that exist.
I’d like to see some sort of Mega Man return as well. Just make sure it’s a platformer. If it’s a 2D one, better. I want to see someone challenge Mario again in the 2D Front (Else expect more stagnant New Titles like NSMB2 is, if it’s sells and there is no competition? Why try something new? Add a few changes, throw in some retro shoutouts and slap a 3 on the end. New game!) Seriously, Rayman and Little Big Planet are it’s only 2D competitors (And indie as well, but still.)
I guess even saying I want a 2D Mega Man Platformers is going to get me thumbs down though for those wanting a 3D game.
I don’t care if they give us a new series or continue an old one. Just give me a good Megaman game without Capcom’s awful DLC practices.
Capcom to reboot Megaman…I feel that they won’t.
I tried to get into the series through Star Force, and while I enjoyed Pegasus, Ninja X Zerker made me realize that Star Force just isn’t for me. A friend gave me the Zero Collection, which has been enjoyable so far.
The thing is, some of the brands have actually ended, like Battle Network, so which of them would actually be worth continuing? I know the main series is still going on, and it goes without saying that Legends 3 shouldn’t have been cancelled, so before they reboot it, they should give the series a graceful end.
not making MM legends 3 just wasn’t a good move.
BUT. what the hell else can they do for the franshise? Anything new? Do we need another variation to Sheep man? or coil man? What can they do to make something fresh and new?
I kinda agree with what he’s saying. That, plus the tendency for Capcom to sequelize the heck out of their properties, puts a lot of Mega Men and Zeroes on the shelves. But obviously the fanbase is still there, so if they were to focus on quality over quantity for a couple of development cycles, they might be able to revive interest in the series (and make money off of it) for a few more years.
Let’s see, Capcom could ask their fanbase which MM is their favorite if continuity or plot progression is the main issue.
I don’t feel like talking about all the series’ stories because I’ve already accepted Classic, X, Zero and ZX as one continuous series, plot holes and all. I’ve never played BN or SF. Legends is a different series altogether.
Anyway, fans pick their favorite MM series and Capcom sticks to releasing games based on that. Heck, it worked for Mario and Zelda.
He’s full of it, fans of Megaman easily know the difference between the series and people who aren’t fans of Megaman won’t even know about the old stuff anyways, they’ll just buy whatever is new. So what’s stopping them? Make Legends 3 and “Shut up and take my money” Capcom!