"But there’s more to a game than raw innovation, and what Legends lacked in polish -- and here its creators clearly lacked the resources and talent of the nascent Kojima Productions and Nintendo EAD -- it more than made up for with its boundless spirit of adventure. More so than any other game before it, and frankly more than just about any game since, Legends was an interactive 3D rendition of the kind of light-hearted action anime that Japan just doesn’t produce anymore. We’re not talking high art, here. More like classic Slayers, or even mediocre fare like Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals. The sort of optimistic, carefree sense of wonder that even Hayao Miyazaki doesn’t really do anymore. "
Parish's retrospective examines every facet of Mega Man Legends -- it's characters, world, and themes. Those elements make up one of the most underrated and significantly ignored stories of the last decade, and Parish's retrospective does a fine job of putting that fact into perspective. If you've got some time on your hands, I highly recommend you give the article a read at 1UP.
I'm curious where you stand on this: do you share in Parish's sentiments? Did Legends resonate with you in some significant way? Feel free to sound off in the comments.
loved MML1
ReplyDeleteIt did oh god IT DID!
ReplyDeleteFor sure! It had the sound effects, the real-time cut scenes, the changing dialogue of the townspeople, and all kinds of cool weapon/armor improvements and dodge maneuvers.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Parish is an awesome Mega Man fan!
as far as i'm concerned, MML is how a 3D metroid that's NOT fps, should be done. it had everything metroid did, even a creepy buildup for the final boss, which was equaly creepy. nintendo should have taken notes from legends for future metroid games. a little less stiff controls, but yes, i would consider MML 1 to be the REAL first 3D metroid.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteOh man, I had those same thoughts before too. N64 never got a 'Metroid 64', so I felt like Legen-er, Mega Man 64 came the closest.
It's about time some opinions like these became public. Not that others havent voiced their opinions, but its great that a media site published an article. The game truly had heart and it really has its own unique feel to it. I've never felt it in any game since, aside from Legends 2 of course. Even though the characters are colorful with vibrant personalities and the voice acting and audio quality is outstanding, the world still felt very mysterious and somewhat lonely. Its a game that truly got the adventurous feel down. While I dont agree with a couple things in the article, I do know that the game and it's successors left their mark in my life in a special way. Which is why I cannot wait for Legends 3. I just hope it still retains the same "feel" of which I spoke. Legends forever.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad to say I still haven't played any Mega Man Legends game. That and Starforce remain to be two of the spinoffs I've yet to try out. Looking forward to the day I finally get the chance to :)
ReplyDeleteA few scenes did. Particularly the scenes where he interacted with the Bonnes. I found the villains more compelling in this series than the heroes.
ReplyDeleteI mostly remember being flabbergasted that Capcom had actually hired competent voice actors.
The controls were terrible, though.
As bright and cheery as Legends' town people are, the Bonnes are what made the game for me.
ReplyDeleteI rented Legends 1 to "get a feel" for it. I wasn't sure how "3D Mega Man" would work. By the time I fought the Feldynaught, my mind was made up, I *HAD* to own this game. Suddenly that bizarre "Misadventures" spinoff that I kept passing on the shelves made all the sense in the world. The dynamics between the Bonnes, being so destructive yet so caring of each other, so evil yet so lovable, brought them to life in a way that no game had ever done for me. And on top of that they were freaking hilarious. I couldn't get enough. Every battle with them was far more climactic and memorable than any Reaverbot. Every cutscene with them, a reminder of why I kept playing. Throughout Misadventures and Legends 2, that never changed. The presentation, the controls, the graphics, they all got smoother. And we saw new pirates thrown into the mix, as well. But it was always the Bonnes that truly sold the games to me.
and said spirit and passion shows even now with the devroom, it shows how much the team really cares and WANTS to make this game a reality, and they want to share it's creation with everyone, to get everyone's input.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very touching article, and brings a lot of the Legend's series best points into the lime light. Jeremy Parish gets a lot of props for this.
ReplyDeleteTwo Word : Keiji Inafune
ReplyDeleteMiss him.....
Legends has a heart, but current Capcom is colder than the depths of Antarctica in winter.
ReplyDeleteMegaman Legends is a fantastic game. It truly had heart and I've never felt in any other game.
ReplyDelete