Here's a fun side-by-side comparison showing off just how spot-on the latest Super Smash Bros. recreates Mega Man's original NES incarnation. To quote Masahiro Sakurai, "maintaining his NES look was a top priority." I think they've done a solid job so far, wouldn't you agree? The resemblance is pretty striking.
You can see more side-by-sides over on the Seagulls and Shrooms Tumblr. Many thanks to Eric and Shin for the tip!
I love how people are complaining he looks like a baby. Get a load of this guy:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/633202-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/66429323
Are they for serious?
DeleteGeeze! Megaman is supposed to look like a kid! That's half of his appeal!
I can't be the only one wincing at the curve of his wrists in these pictures, can I?
DeleteI mean, it does look a whole lot smoother when it's animated, but geeze.
While I'm absolutely thrilled about the whole thing, and I think his design and the liberties taken are welcome and well done, I just really...really wish the majority of people would take their heads out of the 8-Bit butthole, for the lack of a better word. It's like it's all he can amount to, it's all he's good for. He could have been made to look taller and more like his standard self without duplicating his sprite. But oh well, what can ya do? I'm just tickled pink that it's a reality he's in Smash Bros. It's truly a wish come true.
ReplyDeleteOh, but I will go on to add that if a classic game was made with this as his model, I'd be hard pressed not to enjoy it. I really do like the design choices taken.
ReplyDelete@ MegaMac: I don't know dude, Megaman really shouldn't be super-tall or whatever. You have to remember that in canon, he's supposed to look like he's about 11 or 12 years old, a kid. That was a big flaw with the MM8 and beyond style; his proportions started making him look less childlike and more 'generic hero'.
ReplyDeleteNot super tall, no. Maybe around the same size as Pit. The size of Mega in artwork gradually got taller anyway, until he reached his standard size which looks more like his intended age rather that his smaller sprite size here looking more like age six or something. The taller size is used in many forms of Mega Man media and not really generic (at least not to me). But really, its not much about his size as it is the insistence of keeping things 8-bit. Although I do love how his weapons are uniquely used. Maybe there's more! Top Spin was shown in gameplay after all.
DeleteThe only problem I have is that his dead eyes and emotionless mouth make him seem less like an Astro Boy inspired character and more like a killer robot. But that is exactly what his NES design has for a face, so it is hard to be upset at it.
ReplyDeleteNES sprite has dead eyes. No expression.
DeleteUmm... He wasn't only inspired by Astro Boy. How long is Mega Man gonna have to live in that guy's shadow, I mean really? A while back every time Keiji had an interview it's like the interviewer (along with the fans) tried to coerce Keiji and shoehorn Astro Boy into the creator's lists of inspirations, it started to get awkward after a while.
DeleteIf anything the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog have more Astro boy inspiration behind Sonic, as they went out of their way to point that out in official media and in the games themselves, while Mega Man creators never have unless they were interviewed by a third party. Yet I rarely ever hear/see people saying that Sonic is inspired by Astro Boy, so that's why he's the way he is. Even then like I've been saying all over the internet, inspiration doesn't equal replication.
The thing a lot of people have to remember, as far as Mega Man looking like a life-less robot:
ReplyDeleteThis is the Super Smash Bros. series. With the exception of the obvious "cute" characters, like Pikachu, Kirby, and others, nearly everyone is usually given a gritty, more realistic look. Mario is constantly looking angry here, when he's just about the exact opposite in most of his own games, excluding Strikers. Bowser looks WAY more menacing(Giga Bowser, anyone?). And when's the last time you remember Yoshi having biceps in a game within the Mario universe? Lastly, remember how intimidating Mario looked, with his final smash?
This is the same, with Mega Man. In this game, he is a very intimidating robot, whose sole mission is to take down every, single, opponent he ever faces. All Smash Bros. characters have the same goal, as well. If this was a 1:1 representation of Mega Man, why is he fighting organic creatures at all? In his story canon, he would not be able to go against the laws of robotics. Otherwise, he'd be something like a Maverick.
Sooooo cute <3
ReplyDeleteWhen Megaman runs while shooting, his free arm still moves unlike the SSB Megaman where his free arm just froze in position which is not right. :(
ReplyDeleteSo hard. A big problem indeed! We must do a revolution for that. =P
DeleteOfficially, Mega Man is a 132 cm (4'4") 10 years kid robot. I don't see anything wrong here, unless people expected his box art versions.
ReplyDeleteNow SSB only needs Simon Belmont to complete the team! (excluding the original characters) Mega-awesomicus!
I hope they don't add a soundpack to him. That would be stupid as hell. I like the design of Mega Man in SSB4. He looks like a kid and he's supposed to look like this. Even in the small cutscenes in the games (Mega Man 4 for instance) he looks like a kid. And just because he looks like a kid in SSB4 too, people complain? I don't get it.
ReplyDelete