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I was hoping we could try and forget these forsaken items, but for completion's sake, we have to tiptoe through a huge pile of forgotten Tiger Electronics toys. You know exactly what I'm talking about: those cheap little games that may look like they are complicated handheld video games, but they actually only have a bunch of sprites on one screen that light up or fade out as needed to simulate levels and boss fights. Both Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 received the Tiger treatment. They each include six Robot Masters, a boss or two, and a showdown with Dr. Wily (plus energy capsules to pick up in case you run low). Mega Man 3 even includes all three forms of Rush! But, as expected, playing them is about as fun as getting a toenail removed with a pair of pliers. If you see one, pass it up unless the price is free or a negative number.
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This sure would have been interesting. Imagine a world based on that of Mega Man 2. Now insert your own character of choice -- maybe it's Mega Man, maybe it's Ryu from Street Fighter, possibly even Arthur from the Ghosts 'N Goblins series. Next, you are given a construction hat and the task of designing your own levels with rendered building blocks and, of course, your polygonal selected character. Imagine that you can share your petite Mega Manesque universe with people all around you, all over the world, and, in turn, be invited to bask in the glow of countless other devisings of Capconian genuis. This would have served as the basis of Mega Man Universe, a game very much in line with LittleBigPlanet, but with Mega Man and his fellow Capcom franchisees as the spectacles of attention. Work began on this game in 2010, and trailers were released during the summer of that same year. Afterward, the public was kept in the dark on its progress and, on March 31, 2011, it was officially announced as a cancelled project, for reasons yet to be revealed. This was the first blow to the Mega Man community; soon after, Mega Man Legends 3 was also cancelled, leading to much hatred toward the developer for its perceived ill will toward one of their most popular characters. It's a shame: we would have loved to play as Bad Box Art Mega Man.
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As one of the ways in which Capcom celebrated Mega Man's 25th anniversary, they released Mega Man Xover for iOS, a game featuring foes from all of the universes within the Mega Man franchise joining forces against Dr. Light and Dr. Cossack's newest Reploid creation, OVER-1. Hopefully, Mega Man and his multi-universe brethren can lend him a hand. This game, unfortunately, suffered from poor production values and, in a strange twist, could actually be put on an autoplay function of sorts, effectively removing the need for the player to do anything. Fans immediately cried out in dismay when this was first announced. Since its Japanese release in November 2012, the outcries have died down but only slightly. The game achieved over 100,000 likes on Facebook, so maybe it's not all bad. However, on January 29, 2013, it was revealed that Capcom USA had halted the release of Megaman Xover in North America due to the undeniably strong negative reactions from fans. Interesting.
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In celebration of Mega Man's 25th anniversary (and the closing ceremonies of the 25th anniversary of the Street Fighter franchise), Street Fighter x Mega Man was released for free, courtesy of Capcom, on the PC. The game was entirely fan-developed over the course of two years with funding and marketing duties held by Capcom. In the game, Mega Man fights his way through eight stages to meet up with the bosses found within, but instead of discovering Robot Masters, Mega Man must battle against warriors from the Street Fighter series, including Ryu, Chun-Li, Blanka, and Dhalsim, each of whom have their own unique style of fighting. The developer also implemented the same meter as from Street Fighter, where the warriors can release stored energy after they have been hit for greater damage. While this game may not completely douse the flames of hatred spewing from the raging brains of Mega Man fans, it's an interesting start to the Blue Bomber's anniversary year.
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Thus ends our extensive Mega Man retrospective. The 25th anniversary of Mega Man was the very day this retrospective was posted (December 17, 2012), and Capcom should have a few more tricks up its sleeves to celebrate one of their most beloved mascots. Maybe they'll bring that weird Mega Man cartoon from the mid-90s back to Saturday morning! But just as we look to the future of the franchise, we shan't forget the past, either. Mega Man has brought us so many different experiences in so many different forms, it's hard to ignore his influence on video gaming. Mega Man, we salute you! Here's to 25 more years and beyond! Fight, Mega Man, for everlasting peace! |
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