Over on USGamer, Jeremy Parish managed to take some time chat with Inti Creates president Takuya Aizu about the history of the company. Among the many (and I mean many) topics discussed, Aizu reflects upon his work with the Mega Man Zero series admitting that, at one time, Mega Man Zero 4 was almost a completely different game: an interquel between the events of Mega Man Zero 1 and Zero 2.
"After we finished creating Zero 3, we actually didn’t want to create a fourth game," muses Aizu. "Scenario-wise, the story was complete in our minds, and we felt the ending to Zero 3 was a really clean way of completing the scenario. But then Capcom approached us to create another game in the series."
"Our initial plan was to create a game which was basically Mega Man Zero 1.5, a story between 1 and 2. That was our way of compromising. But, Capcom wanted us to create a true Zero 4 instead of 1.5, so we started to rethink things. We're happy with the result — the game we created is very satisfying, in our opinion."
To ensure Mega Man Zero 4 would cap off the series, though, Aizu candidly states "We killed Zero off, so we wouldn’t have to make a fifth game."
For more on Mega Man Zero's development history, the inspiration for Gunvolt and other neat tidbits, check out the complete article at USGamer.
See now, this is something that just seems so strange to me.
ReplyDeleteSome people think that Mega Man games never sell and they only kept getting made because the teams behind them wanted to keep making them.
In reality games like this and the later half of the X series kept getting pushed out by higher ups at Capcom (obviously because of sales) even when people who worked on the games weren't or didn't want to be involved.
Nah not really, Capcom could be trying to push the brand out for sheer sake of having something low budget to recoup costs from more ambitions projects. They do it all the time, and also at that time Mega Man as a brand (not necessarily the Zero series) was somewhat popular, with other game series running at the time, an ongoing T.V series, a theatrical Movie in development that eventually released a month before Zero 4's release.
DeleteAlso how do you know the representatives at Capcom he's mentioned aren't Mega Man fans themselves, and wanted to see it continue, how do you know it was not veteran developers that worked on past Mega Man games or even Keiji Inafune himself for that matter?
I honestly don't know what to believe from Inti anymore though, they always give conflicting stories.
ambitious*
DeleteAlso forgot to mention, Takuya probably meant they didn't want to continue the Zero series, not Mega Man in general. They probably wanted to move on to ZX, or something else within the franchise earlier.
Why, Inafune? He was too busy with the Battle Network series.
DeleteI think the more interesting part of the interview was the the part about how ZX was supposed to have plot connections to not only X and Zero but Classic as well. But they never made ZX3!!!
ReplyDeleteThis quote in particular:
ReplyDelete"Ironically, while Inti Creates fought to close the books on both the X and Zero series, working at cross purposes to Capcom's plans, the reverse turned out to be the case for the ZX games. ZX Advent began to draw together plot threads from throughout Mega Man's history, reflecting not only on the X and Zero games, but even laying down groundwork to connect the original NES games to the far-flung future of Mega Man Legends. But Capcom never gave the go-ahead for a third ZX, leaving all of those tantalizing hints and apparent links incomplete."
I would actually like to see Mega Man Zero remade something like Maverick Hunter X. 3D graphics, voice acting, ect.
ReplyDeleteZero is dead? Spoiler alert!
ReplyDeletenaw he's just MIA as of MM ZXA
DeleteZero being dead isn't really a spoiler, considering how many times it happens.
DeleteBut if he was alive, then it would be a huge spoiler!
Than how is Zero a biometal in the future, how is he a biometal is all I'm sayin. I think Inti likes to think they are good a connecting stories.
ReplyDeleteTo my understanding, all the Biometals (save for Model V/W) were not physically related to each of their persona. It was something like "They are given an AI reflecting the individual that their power represents' personality" or "Cyber space mumbo-jumbo". It was something vague and mysterious, and was something Ciel did, in any event. Zero is a Biometal in the same way that X is-- however it was supposed to go.
DeleteAs far as Model A is concerned, he was an example showing that the Biometal does not necessarily have the original's actual identity (for whatever that is worth, anyway). Can't say whether or not IntiCreates is good or mediocre at linking stories together, as that falls within the realm of teams and the differences in the team-staff for each iteration, but at least they aren't bad.
Model Z was specifically stated to contain the "soul" of the legendary reploid Zero, whereas Model A has nothing to do with Axl at all, well directly anyway. I even think A stands for Advent not Axl.
Deleterrrriiiiiggghhhhttttt, because axl uses 2 guns and can copy's another robot after he kills it and behave like a child and his body is colored with red and black unlike model A which he uses 2 guns and can copy another robot after he kills it behave like a child and his body is colored with red and black. yup, totally they're not related to each other. /sarcasm
DeleteYeah they are totally not related DIRECTLY, you dullard. Model A = Axl's Spirit, ties into the character directly with the story.
DeleteModel A = Inspired by Axl, in terms of external real life character designers. Make the distinction.
Because rrrriiiiiggghhhhttttt, X uses a buster gun and can run shoot and jump and behave like a hero and his body is colored with blue unlike Rockman classic which he uses a buster gun and can run shoot and jump behave like a hero and his body is colored with blue. yup, must mean they're the same. /sarcasm
Model A is Model Albert, which was stated within the game. However, the design & gameplay of Model A is an obvious homage to Axl. The truth is the Mega Man games have a history of letting the fans "connect the dots themselves," so to speak. So there is no right or wrong answer, really.
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