You may recall that Mega Man Legends 3 was a game that wasn't entirely "greenlit," meaning the powers-that-be weren't fully convinced of the game's viability. That's where the ill-fated Prototype Version came in. If the Prototype Version actually released, its performance would have been used to gauge interest in the full game.
But that's all in the past now. Street Fighter X Mega Man, the upcoming free downloable PC game, is the latest product to be used to "gauge interest" in the direction of the franchise. In an interview with Destructoid, Christian Svensson says the game's performance will be observed closely to help factor in where Mega Man goes next:
"We'll be using this as one of many means of gauging where we're going," Christian told me. "One of the challenges that we have is figuring out what is the path forward in terms of, you know, Mega Man has five brands: Classic, X, ZX, Battle Network/Star Force, and Legends. Some of these things are in the same ballpark as one another, and some of them are completely different. That's part of where the, I'll say, the disagreement comes in -- a non-unified vision of where Mega Man should live on exists within our own company as well as it does in the market."
"I would argue that if anything, if we get a million downloads of [Street Fighter X Mega Man], and certainly I think that's the floor I hope to see -- it's free, it should hopefully do more than that! -- that just helps raise awareness for the brand across the board and creates fertile ground for things to happen regardless of which direction that it kind of comes in."
"....We would hope this is, on our end could sort of make good [to fans]," Brett explained. "Making it free, making it available to as many people as possible, helps us get back on the right track with the brand. This is just the beginning of the 25th anniversary of Mega Man, this isn't the end-all, be-all that we have to say. We're hoping the free status of the game shows that we're listening and that we care. We want to get this character, this brand, back alive."
Note that Elston emphasis SFxMM is not an end-all, be-all of any sort. But it will play some role in what's going to happen from here.
So this is your task: Monday, December 17, download the game from Capcom Unity. It's free. Unless your PC is an IBM 5150, you have no excuse to not download it.
Source: Destructoid
And see, I'm torn here.
ReplyDeleteBecause on the one hand, I don't mind this game and I want to download it since it's free. It's a free, Capcom backed, fan game with an interesting twist.
But on the other hand, if I download this, am I not showing Capcom that all I want is free downloadable games based on the old 8-bit era? Because that's not ALL want I want to see.
I love the classic series, but they've had their games in the last few years. It's time for a few other variations of the Blue Bomber to get their chance as well.
This company.
ReplyDeleteOh my god.
Hey, how about gauging the fan outcry? Or maybe the success of the Arrchie comics?
Stop doing this to us.
I can download it on my Mac, but I can't exactly play it...
ReplyDeleteWHAAAAT?? No IBM 5150 support? I knew this was a bad choice....
ReplyDeleteRaise awareness for the brand?
ReplyDeleteA fan-made 8-bit crossover for PC is going to raise awareness for a pillar brand of gaming?
WTF, Capcom? Are you smoking dope?
I don't understand why it's so hard for them to come out with something I'm interested in.
ReplyDelete@First Anon
ReplyDeleteAll Capcom will see if people don't download it is "People no longer like Mega Man", regardless of their reasons for not downloading it.
You won't be doing yourself any favors.
So, uh, how do I concisely tell Capcom that I want Mega Man to go in the Legends direction? More song and dance? Because SFxMM doesn't seem to look or play anything like Legends.
ReplyDeleteFFS are you serious.
ReplyDeleteThe console fanboys that are pissed about this isn't consoles. Street Fighter haters in the fanbase won't touch this at all.
Then you make the comment that BN is grouped in with the failure known as SF for brands and you don't tell us if Zero goes with X or ZX for brands...
Capcom. You literally just shattered my faith in Megaman's return and you being trustable again. Especially since BN was my first game too.
At the very least, Battle Network and Starforce SHOULD NOT be grouped with the others for life support. Battle Network was the most successful series merchandise-wise you have had, especially in Japan with the fact it got the first film of the entire franchise. In addition, it doesn't share the same genre. In fact, Legends shouldn't be judged under the same light either because of that! THIS ISN'T FAIR TO THEM!
Once again, you are f*cking being stupid. If there was a Legends style and BN style of this being put out at the same time, I'd understand. But there isn't. Which is unfair to BN and Legends fans who don't enjoy the platform Megaman titles!
Hell at the very least, observe Chrono X's traffic when they do Demo 4. Please. I beg you. I don't want to see Battle Network and Starforce ignored because your 'gauge' said they should be ignored.
God damn it I can't believe we may actually have to look to the fangames for BN7, SF4, and Legends3... Pathetic...
If they're comparing the downloads of this to Xover, I say we download this as much as we can. Even this is better then Xover.
ReplyDelete@Dashe
ReplyDeleteYou want Megaman to go into the Legends direction?
Look, I know you have a character worship issue and you want to see more of your precious story...
But isn't that what FanFics are for?
Most of us still have attachments to the whole platforming, jump & shoot, robot masters, weapon power-ups thing.
Not so much the dancing monkey, humanized Megaman, redundant/ugly ruins, obnoxious harem thing.
Shifting focus to please the smaller portion of a demographic is a great way to significantly reduce one's profits.
hasdf; gotta love how one of the comments on this is more concerned about Battle Network and Star Force bein grouped together than about the future of the franchise.
ReplyDelete@Zerker: I'd have to agree with him actually. BN represents the RPG portion of the Megaman franchise, and I'd rather see more of the quality they had than what Starforce was.
ReplyDeleteThis game focuses on the platforming majority. You really think he's that worried about the platforming part having a future when all the fangames getting attention ARE PLATFORMERS?
If I'm reading this correctly, Capcom has the audacity to use a fanmade game as a gauge if they're going to ever going to half-ass the effort to make another Megaman game, and hiding behind the excuse of "we don't know where to take the series!" when they were the ones that closed off many of those series to begin with.
ReplyDeleteAnd they've set the bar at a million downloads.
Now I'm not saying that this game is bad (It at least LOOKs fun), but they've pretty much done no effort all for this game and are pretty much saying "If this makes our insane quota then maybe we'll revive your dumb franchise again!"
I honestly can't think of any Capcom franchise that would get even half a million downloads through these circumstances.
Who....who is the PR manager here? Like are they insane? Are they all insane?
@December 10, 2012 5:22 PM
ReplyDeleteThat would be Sven.
It's become abundantly clear from the reception of this game on fansites and the fact the trailer has only half a million views it's not going to reach a million.
Welp. Mega Man had a good run.
I could not agree with you less RockmanCraze.
ReplyDeleteAppealing to a small niche market CAN be a good way to make a profit, HOWEVER it requires a devoted fan-base. If that weren't true, then games like Shin Megami Tensei (In America at least) and Dept. of Heaven games would NEVER be made.
Also, I would like to know just where you got the idea that most of fan-base wants and jump n' shoot side-scroller platformer. Certainly there is a good portion of the fan-base that does, but there is a good portion that does not and there is plenty that is fine either way.
Whether you like Legends, Battle Network, and/or Starforce or not is completely irrelevant. That is personal preference. Don't play them.
Hey Capcom! I hope one of your employees reads this!
ReplyDeleteJust give us Legends 3 and a retro title every other year (with a cheaper price tag) and I promise you everyone will be happy! XD
Also, if you want my advice, you guys should have stayed closer to Nintendo and the younger audiences! A majority of the Mega Man fans were children that grew up with the franchise and became life long addicts! Obviously you should focus on making must have titles for all platforms, but you shouldn't forget that it was the youth that made Mega Man a huge success to begin with!
Just look at all of the big first party titles for Nintendo, all of those icons are immensely popular to this day and generate life long fans, just follow in their foot steps and perhaps you will see the resurgence of Rock that you desire!
Peace! :D
^R
@ 5:16PM Anon - Would you kindly remind me when Star Force stopped being an RPG?
ReplyDeleteAlso SF really isn't that different to BN except the former uses 3D. I really fucking hate people bashing SF for no reason other than 'boohoo it's a shitty copy of BN'.
See, this is so moronic.
ReplyDeleteI want to get the game, because I can tell the guy who made it put a lot of love into it, and it looks like a fun 8-bit romp. But on the other hand, I am FREAKING FURIOUS at Capcom for taking a fangame, one that crosses over with Street Fighter, a series I don't enjoy playing, taking credit for it, and then telling us, "Download it, or you'll never get any more Megaman games."
But I wanted the games that were canceled! They were all promising, but they were all canceled early in development before they could reach their potential.
By downloading this, we're telling Capcom, "Yes, keep pumping out 8-bit Megaman games. Don't do anything innovative or creative. don't even bother making a game with modern graphics, because we don't just want to visit the 8-bit era every once in a while. No, we want to live there full time. Keep giving us more of the same forever!"
Capcom, you ******* SUCK!
But I don't play the classic series...nor do I like Street Fighter...nor do I play games on PC... Yoooo, Capcom, how does this gauge my interest in this franchise at all? I'm glad a classic style game is coming out (and that the franchise isn't completely dead to you), but you know you've got fans in other series too, right? And that some of those fans don't play the nonRPG games, right? I don't want to have to download a game I'd never play just to tell you I like this series...
ReplyDelete@Zerker: Did I say it wasn't an RPG? No. However, I feel that it IS NOT the face of Megaman's RPG side.
ReplyDeleteWho had more merchandise? Who had the longer running anime series? Manga series? Which series had games that broke 1 million units sold? WHO HAD THE FEATURE FILM? OH wait, Battle Network.
Do you really want me to start going into details with what went wrong with SF2? A cast of characters more annoying than likeable? A main protagonist who was very hard to relate to at times? The lack of a solid overacrhing plot that BN1-3 had? The fact that SF2 was a trainwreck compared to all the other 2s in the Megaman series, especially BN2? That 5 bosses in SF2 and 6 bosses in SF3 out of 14 and 15 bosses respectively were reused from previous SF titles, where as BN 2 and 3 had 5/16 and 3/17 bosses reused, and BN2s reuses were mainly bosses that had been super hidden in 1 that most people didn't know about for years and that 3 of them were bosses that would remain for most of the series(Gutsman, Protoman, Bass)?
Shall I continue on or will you ask for me to continue?
So having a favorite Mega Man series that isn't the one that's getting attention is grounds for a claim that those preferences are worthless and unsellable? That's just swell. Maybe they should have just, you know, not made Mega Man 2 back in the 80s. The developers were the only ones who liked Mega Man 1 after all. [/eyeroll]
ReplyDeleteMoving on.
@everyone else
Even as far as Classic goes, I'm really not satisfied with this 80s retreaux style at all. It got stale for me the second it became apparent that it wasn't going to be a one-time gimmick for MM9. It's sending the message that Capcom doesn't want to move forward into this milennium with this IP.
This particular game, while well-constructed for a fanmade endeavor, does not make any kind of attempt at innovation or progress beyond NES Classic Mega Man gameplay. It'd be tricky even for a Classic series fan who wants to see linear progress for the formula beyond the 8-bit style. Marketing Mega Man purely as a nostalgia-based brand isn't going to be very good for it in the long term. If they do decide to solely stick with the Classic route I'd like to see them put some serious effort into making it look and feel like a modern day version, with sprites that are actually detailed and a musical score that feels like it was made in 2012. Except, you know, without that crappy grimdark stuff developers tend to be so fond of.
I'm going to take Brett's word for it as far as Capcom staying away from the grimdark stuff with Mega Man, though.
Capcom needs to raise the bar to get more people genuinely interested in what they have to offer. Although unfortunately not everyone is mature about it, I really think the naysayers are justified in that the amount of effort Capcom has put into Mega Man these days isn't where it should be. Just being complacent and taking what you're given is only going to ensure that they keep up this halfhearted nostalgia trip marketing, which is frankly getting more old and less nostalgic the more I see it. If Mega Man is going to become as relevant as it was in those "glory" days Capcom is so keen on reliving, then the games themselves need to show that they're moving forward and innovating instead of giving us the same old formulaic setup year after year. If new gamers are going to get hooked on Mega Man, they're going to want to see the series advance, even if it's just a normal old graphics and sound upgrade as the years go by. At least in that case it's actually GOING somewhere.
So either way, taking other branches of the series into consideration at all or not, using THIS particular game as a litmus test of the direction Mega Man should go in doesn't seem like it'd be accurate at all. Especially considering the crossover nature of the title.
@RockmanCraze
ReplyDeleteWow dude, can be anymore of a jerk about it? (So I guess all the "cool Kids" are hating on Legends now, huh?) and where exactly do you get the idea that "most fans" want it to be only or the other?
I for one want all, a Legends game atleast for some closure, a sequel to Starforce and more of the "jump 'n' shoot" titles like an ending to ZX, and the X games etc.
@Zerker
ReplyDeleteWell, add in the fact SF removed the chip codes that made everything simpler, which really I had no problem with, and if you ask me, there wasn't a single issue I found with SF. I'd rather have it or another BN game than a sidescroller. RPG Mega Man is what brought me here, and I want that legacy to continue.
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter which one had the better sales. In my eyes, BN and SF are equals and BOTH are the face of Mega Man RPGS. Honestly, you guys are like the haters that dislike Yuma and ZeXal because they claim it isn't Yugioh, same applies to the classic/modern Sonic debates. The point is, no matter what series or form, Mega Man is Mega Man. And some of us prefer the RPGs more, no matter how bad you all may claim them to be.
Ugh, a lot of these comments show that reading needs to be focused on even more in schools.
ReplyDeleteOr at the very least, stop taking these articles at face value.
This is one, yes one, way to gauge interest in the brand, as a whole. Its an additional piece, of actual data, that people at Capcom, who have been trying to get Mega Man back out there, can use to make that happen. Just like every other outlet they've provided for people to speak their minds and share their thoughts.
It is NOT the end all be all. This being successful doesn't mean that all we'll ever get are 8-bit Mega Man titles forever, its a foot in the door is what it is.
Think of something like SF4. Its huge popularity lead to a resurgence of many other fighters like UMvC3, and allowed a crazy project like SFxT, to happen.
So if this does well? Yeah we'll probably see a somewhat safe bet game come out like an 8-bit Mega Man 11 or something. If that does well? Then some we could see something more daring/unique happen, like Legends 3, or who knows.
It's going to be a slow road to get the franchise back to where it was/where we want it, but you have to take all the steps, or we won't get there.
@extremesonic: Your comment assumes that Capcom is smart enough to take more than SFxMM into account.
ReplyDeleteAnd in this day and age, one under-performing game is a death sentence. So while I WANT to believe that this won't be the be-all, end-all as they said, I wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be a lie.
It's not very often I use vulgarity on this blog, but... Oh fuck you, Capcom.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you exactly where the brand should go. It's very straightforward, you see. Mega Man X9, Mega Man ZX3, and Mega Man Legends 3. Any questions, Capcom?
ReplyDeleteLegends 3 should be completed for either 3DS or Vita. Whatever, keep it portable. As long as it's completed, I don't care.
X9 should be a major milestone title and mark the first big foray into "modern" gaming. Being released in force on home consoles.
ZX3 should be released on either 3DS or Vita. Probably 3DS as the other two were on the DS. Story needs to be finished, and it is poised and ready to bridge into Legends.
As for story, wont get into all that. It's just that those three titles seem the most necessary and warranted.
We don't need another 8-Bit Classic Mega Man game. Make one in MM7's style, then maybe.
Don't get me wrong, I love classic. I am going to be playing the shit out of this on the 17th. But still I'm really sad about the lack of X series games. I still want to see something in a retro 16 bit style. Hell, maybe Capcom will pick up on some of these other fan projects like MMXC or MMXE.
ReplyDeleteAny support on Apple II?
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't on PC, I'd play the nuts and bolts out of it.
ReplyDeleteBut since I "only" have a Mac Pro, I guess I'm stuck with watching youtube videos of it. I'll download it for the extra download though.
Seriously, Capcom!?
ReplyDeleteStop trying to get back at Keiji Inafune for whatever he did and give your LOYAL fans what we want! We are tired of games like this! We want a REAL, NEW Megaman game, back near around the Megaman X4 or 5 time, and Legends!
"Mega Man has five brands"
ReplyDeleteClassic, X, Zero (which wasn't mentioned), ZX, Legends, Battle Network and Star Force (which should be separated much like X and Zero or Zero and ZX should be).
That's seven. Hoping that was just a mental error, but you never know with this company.
Then you make the comment that BN is grouped in with the failure known as SF for brands and you don't tell us if Zero goes with X or ZX for brands...
ReplyDeleteZero series is dead as the proverbial nit with Z4, unless the writing team pulled an even more unlikely than usual resurrection/return out of their arses. That story is done.
Why Capcom likes to stop with a cliffhanger?
ReplyDeleteX - It actually ended: Sigma died for real(?), a note about the future and Light's will. (Or X6 leads to MMZ...) But what about Axl's injury? He got Lumine's DNA and can go Maverick at will?
ZX - ZXA's secret ending: "This world must be reset"
Legends - The old system is activating and Mega is stuck in Elysium with 2 gals and hi-tech stuff. What is going to happen to Terra?
Only MMZ and MMBN had an actual ending: Zero died and Lan married. And except for MM6's small one, classic never left a cliffhanger.
Obviously, ending a series doesn't mean it can't have more games (spin-offs) in the future. MMBN for instance had 2 extra mobile games, and they appear to happen after MMBN6, but before Lan is an adult.
So if Capcom wants to do a Mega Man Zero 5, it can be a prequel with the Elf Wars, or even a movie Neo Arcadia made featuring the Viewtiful Sniper Joe.
I just feel that this would be more of a means to gauge more interest in SF than MM, really.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know I'm a bit late in responding to an old post, but anyhow...
@Dashe: No offense, but please, quit acting like only Legends matters. Because it does not. I still love Legends as much as the next guy, and still would really like a Legends 3, but Legends is not the only thing at stake. It's the whole damn MM franchise, and if the franchise goes, you can kiss any tiny of shred of hope for Legends good-bye along with it. The whole damn franchise has been getting a lot of crap from Capcom, and I'd appreciate it if you can respect and understand that.
Man, thanks to the dual 25th anniversary of SF (Street Fighter) and MM (Megaman), everytime I see 'SF' in this article, I do a double take and realize it possibly means "StarForce" instead.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, "(...)that BN is grouped in with the failure known as SF(...)"
I was just sitting there thinking, "How in the FUCK is Battle Network ever comparable to Street Fight- ohhhhhh."
A million downloads? So if I (re)download it twenty times (since it's free and all), and that number is reached, then what, CAPCOM?
(Disclaimer: Even though I am a Megaman fan, I won't try to manipulate the numbers like that, because that's fucking sad. Programming a bot to do that, well, I'm not knowledgable enough to do that. Someone else maybe?)
Go home Capcom, you're drunk. You honestly think the reception of a fan game is the best way to gauge interest in Mega Man? Does this mean we're only going to get more 8-bit style games? Is Mega Man destined to be stuck like this forever now, never to join other series that have been reinvented for modern consoles?
ReplyDeleteWhatever, I'll just play the games and argue if they're good or bad.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess these people are asking themselves what they can do with pre-existing series or if it's better to just make a new one or reinvent current ones.
Ok, first of all... the thing has to be a good, fun and interesting game.
Second of all, first of all.
Third of all, all of the above.
Got it?
I, for once, don't give a shit about what franchises are chosen for more sequels and/or prequels. As long as the games are good and fun and interesting, I'm all for them.
On topic, measuring interest with this? I guess since it's free, it's all or nothing. So I'm gonna predict that the ol' "not enough fan interest" scenario is going to happen AGAIN. Good thing fans will deliver what these blockheads won't ensure financially.
Guys, at this point, it's beyond the question of whether you want more 8-Bit Mega Man, more Legends, more RPG.
ReplyDeleteAll those hinge on the notion of there being a Mega Man in the first place. Which is what's becoming at danger.
Bite the bullet. Download this. We need baby steps, we need to start from the beginning. Let's guarantee Capcom continues the 8-bit platformers. Once that's done, let's talk RPGs and Legends.
They can say what they want about numbers of downloads or what have you. Let's judge the game on its own merits when it's out, and enjoy it for what it is. It's free!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to play. Even if it ends up the 'last' game, somehow, I think it'll be a fine note.
@MegaMac
ReplyDelete"ZX3 should be released on either 3DS or Vita. Probably 3DS as the other two were on the DS" And that's why I was such a strong advocate of having Legends 3 on PS3. It was completely stupid how they alienated the entire console market by having it be a handheld exclusive. If Legends 3 were to EVER come back, put it on a home console, heck make it multi-platform, as long as the Legends fans from the PS1 era get a chance to play it.
Anyways, in regards to the article, I'm on the fence here. On one hand, I want to support the Megaman brand as much as I can, on the other hand, if I download this, I don't want to send the message of "Give us more 8-bit Megaman!!" or even just strictly retro Megaman games as some people think a new 16-bit X game is a good idea -_-. Anyways I digress, I'll probably sit and watch from the sidelines and see how it all unfolds.
I have an excuse.
ReplyDelete1) It's a shitty fan-game with Street Fighter characters who I have barely ever given a damn about.
2) It's only on PC and I can't play Megaman games on a keyboard to save my life (and I'm not buying a special controller just for this).
3) Megaman 9 was a cheap gimmick that worked and was enjoyable ONCE. Megaman 10 was one of the most regrettable Megaman experiences I've ever had. And now I'm supposed to get excited over another one that they didn't even develop and who's only unique feature is "there's some Street Fighter characters in it."
4) And after a year of trolling Capcom's going to tell us that the level of success of this lackluster publicity stunt is potentially going to decide the future of Megaman??
FUCK THEM. Fuck ALL of them. I haven't touched a Capcom product since this whole mess began and I'm not stopping now just because they threw out some bread crumbs in a cheap bid for forgiveness. I don't care if it's free. (It's a FAN GAME, it would have been free anyways!) It's not worth wasting my time on. And I'm sure as hell not downloading it so they can interpret it as interest in another 8-bit cash in! No!
@Cyberguy
ReplyDeleteWhat you said 1000x. :\
I don't usually knock fan-made games. Hell, I have to say this particular game looks so much better than Xover ever hoped to be. What I friggin' hate is how Capcom is using a fan-made game to gauge interest! If this is a CoA stunt, what the hell kind of say do they have in making any future games? Isn't that CoJ's department?
I don't want to download this game. It's not because it is 8-bit. It's because of Capcom's little stunt and the fact that I never was a fan of Street Fighter, so why on earth would I care to download this? If they left SF out of this, maybe I would download and play this game, even with Capcom pullin this garbage. But no, that is not the case. Yeah, I know this year is also SF's 25th anniversary. They're killing two birds with one stone blah blah. I don't care. SF got so much cool shit out of Capcom that I think it is unfair to have the SF characters in this game. Gauge interest with a stand-alone game, Capcom! Better yet, one that you made yourselves and not have the gall to use a fan-made game which shows your obvious laziness and lack of support. Screw this!
Clearly this will convince capcom to have Street Fighter Sidescrollers.
ReplyDeleteIm of the camp that is concerned about this. I would like a proper game from capcom, not one locked away on a handheld I don't have. I'd like to download this but to just be given 8 bit megaman games is clearly stringing us along for the eventual drop.
@Model M: At the time they weren't willing to give funding for a full proper Megaman Console title for retail release. Inafune TOLD US THIS WAY BEFORE HE LEFT. That's why calling for Legends 3 on a home consoles, or even the Vita which is supposed to have the home consoles experience on the go, are impossible hopes then and now.
ReplyDeleteWell then what should we expect, fangame quality games without the slightest touch of modern day game devolopment and the capcom stamp of safe bets? Rehashed sprites with the insistence of "buy me or no megamans!"
ReplyDeleteLegends 3 might not be released anytime soon, but if there's going to be no effort for the brand, all the fanart in the world won't replace the effort behind an official game. Public domain not being an option of course.