Michael Jackson could write a song for him
It’s no secret that Capcom’s relationship with its former mascot has been strained of late. All public conflicts aside, the company promised to dosomethingfor the character for his 25th birthday.
TheStreet Fighter X Mega Manfan game was a good start, but most were expecting something more. Something more thanXbox Live Avatars. Something more thana limited-edition statue. The fans have gone all out for Mega Man this year, while Capcom has been relatively motionless.
It’s not too late for Capcom to announce something big for the old, blue man-boy. Here are six suggestions to help get them started.
6)Mega Man 1-10+ PS1 anime game + fan games collection
Mega Mancollections have been done in the past, though there have been a lot of new games released in the series since the last one. If Capcom were to throw all ten O.G.Mega Mangames, the never-released-outside-of-JapanSuper Adventure Rockmanand all the recently released fan games and you’d have some cause for excitement.
Rumor has it that Capcom never releasedSuper Adventure Rockmanin the U.S. and Europe is because Inafune hated that Roll dies in one of its endings. While having him out of company certainly hasn’t been good forMega Manoverall, this may be the one thing about the situation that works toMega Manfans’ favor. As for the fan games, the release ofStreet Fighter X Mega Manwas such a huge hit that following that trend would to good things. Putting them all together on consoles would send a clear message that the company is still working to please fans.
5) Make Mega Man the 5thUltra Street Fighter 4character
This one would be more of an apology than anything else, which is what a lot ofMega Manfans want. While I lovedBad Box Art Mega Man’s inclusion inStreet Fighter X Tekken, many took it as a slap in the face. To put the “real” Mega Man in a big name title likeUltra Street Fighter 4would definitely make some waves, especially after the Mega-snub of every Mega Man forUltimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.
SomeStreet Fighterloyalists would be sure to complain that original Mega Man wouldn’t fit in theStreet Fighterworld. They would just have to accept that sometimes their game about a green electric man named Jimmy and the blue muscle robot with a yin yang symbol for a tummy gets a little weird sometimes.
4) Announce a 16bit styleMega Man X9by D Pad Studios
Simon Andersonis an amazing pixel artist. His work onOwlboyalways draws a crowd. He’s also a hugeMega Manfan. HisMighty No. 9fan art has made headlinesmore than once.
I bumped into him at PAX a few months ago and asked him if he’d be willing to makeMega Man X9for Capcom. I don’t remember his exact response, but it was something like, “Yeah, I would make it. I’d ensure it was amazing.” I believe him.
While it wouldn’t be an exact hit on target to make aMega Man Xgame for Mega Man’s birthday, it’s pretty close. If Capcom and D Pad studios wanted to make it a bullseye, they could makeMega Man X9the game that explains the jump from the O.G. series to the X games. People have been asking for that for ages. Better give it to them quick before fan interest dwindles to zero.
- Release theMega Man Legends 3demo
A lot of the entries on this list would involve a fair amount of money and effort to put together. By all reports, this one would not. The demo forMega Man Legends 3was nearly complete a few years ago. It wasreportedly pretty fun. Fans and non-fans alike want to see for themselves exactly how fun it was.
I don’t think Capcom understood how big of a slap in the face it was to cancelMega Man Legends 3before releasing the demo. If they had put the demo out, charged $5 for it, and then said, “Sorry guys, it doesn’t look like this game is going to happen. Not enough interest,” they would have had a pretty decent out. Ditching the project before fans even had a chance to put their money where their mouth is was an un-erasable mistake. Releasing the demo now wouldn’t change the past, but it would be better than nothing. Its not like Capcom fans haven’t proven that they’ll put their money where their mouth is.
2) MakeMighty No. 9a Mega Man game
I have the feeling Capcom had something fairly big planned forMega Manthis year, but Comcept announcingMighty No. 9ended up making whatever their plans were look bad. Just about everything I’ve come up with on this list pales in comparison toMighty No. 9. It is essentially the re-invention ofMega Manfor this generation that fans have been waiting for, directed by one of the series’ original creators. You can’t top that.
If you may’t top ’em, join ’em. Inafune has said that if Capcom were to make the best deal to Comcept, that they would work with them on publishingMighty No. 9. While the Kickstarter made millions, millions is not a ton of money for a multi-platform release. Capcom could swoop in, throw Comcept a few million, change the name of the game toMega Man: Mighty No. 9, and then take their hands completely off of the project. ForMega Manfans, it would be like Mommy and Daddy getting remarried a few years after an ugly divorce. For everyone else, it would make for a potentially bigger, better, more marketable game. It’s hard to find a loser in that scenario.
- Make an actualMega Man
It’s 20XX right? Where are the Mega Mans, guys? Where is my Mega Mans?
As nice as all of the entries on this list are, there are someMega Manfans that are are so brutally, deeply, savagely angry at Capcom for what they’ve done (and haven’t done) with the character in the past few years that next to nothing could ever turn their frowns upside down. The one thing that may change their mind? An actualMega Man, as a gift to each and every fan of the series.
My advice?Take the Nao-Uand make it aMega Man. The art direction is already there. It’ll just cost them a few million dollars. That’s probably nothing compared to all the money they’ve already lost in consumer goodwill since Inafune’s departure.
