Yo, I totally called this. Capcom and Nintendo are teaming up once again for "Mega May", a month long block of Mega Man Virtual Console releases. Each week in May you'll be treated to a classic GBA and just like last year, you can vote which game you want to play first:
- Mega Man & Bass
- Mega Man Battle Network 3 White/Blue
- Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun/Blue Moon
- Mega Man Zero 2
Which would you like to play on May 7th? Cast your votes here. The winning game will appear on the first Thursday in May, with the rest debuting chronologically each week.
The poll's open from April 15 through midnight April 29.
Source: Capcom Unity
Aw, Mega Man & Bass is the GBA version. I'll have to scour the internet when it comes out to see if the screen crunch is in full effect. If it is, we might have to bring it to Capcom Unity's attention that we want the SNES port.
ReplyDeleteI just really want a new game. So tired of virtual console games that I already own. Good for you guys that don't. I hope you have a fun time experiencig them for the first time. :)
ReplyDeletegreat, we get the crappy version of megaman and bass. at least we'll get zero2 and both versions of battle network 3 and 4.
ReplyDeleteSure would love if Nintendo would just buy the IP outright.
ReplyDeleteBet you'll regret saying that once it happens.
DeleteI can pretty much guarantee I wouldn't.
DeleteConsidering where things stand now, the very worst I would probably feel is completely neutral on the matter.
That'd be stupid.
DeleteI disagree.
DeleteBecause it's working so well for the likes of F-Zero, Metroid, Earthbound, Mysterious Murasame Castle, Golden Sun & Captain Rainbow... Nintendo has enough problems with their own IP, the best we can hope for is a partnership like they have with Monster Hunter, Ace Attorney etc & have a new Mega Man game exclusive to Nintendo platforms or even financed by Ninty like they did with Bayonetta.. Hopefully now with XOver finished in Japan, which Capcom did update from 2012 onwards hopefully they are looking to start making a new game in the franchise!
DeleteI just take these Virtual Console releases, comics & merchandise as a sign that at least Capcom haven't forgotten about our fanbase, I mean, when was the last time you saw any Strider, Captain Commando or Onimusha figures, comics etc on a regular basis for those franchises??
People always use that excuse when talking about Nintendo. For one thing, Earthbound is a standalone game. The Mother series is over because Itoi wants it to be and Nintendo is choosing to respect his wishes. As things stand right now anyway. Metroid is hardly finished, in fact the most recent console Metroid game is more recent than the last console Mega Man game.
DeleteGolden Sun is sort of an odd one. It's a franchise that kind of reached a conclusion, then tried to come back with a DS game that didn't perform well.
F-Zero I will grant you, though they have stated why they haven't tried to make another one I think they could be handling it a bit better. Other than that, if you're going to be listing off one offs and really obscure titles, we could make a lot of game companies seem like they have "problems with their IP." I would have listed StarTropics personally. They aren't really comparable to other Nintendo franchises.
That said, I'm not saying Nintendo is perfect with their IPs, but I feel they would do well with Mega Man. That and I would like to see what sort of games they could make with the franchise.
If I were Nintendo, I'd be skeptical of any partnerships with Capcom though, given their history. Ace Attorney and Monster Hunter aren't exactly exclusive to Nintendo devices, and it would be unfortunate if they re-established the franchise for Capcom, just for Capcom to then take it exclusively to the PS4 and the Xbox One for future titles.
All that being said, I don't mean for this to sound hostile towards Capcom, which I feel like a lot of people are interpreting it as. I'd like to see what Nintendo would/could do with the franchise and I think it doesn't exactly fit well with Capcom's business strategy anymore, which isn't inherently a good or bad thing. It's just a change.
At some point in time I would have looked at the virtual console releases and everything else optimistically as well. But at this point I just see a company recognizing there's a demand for something and using it to make a quick buck. If fans stopped supporting the virtual console, comics and merchandise, you can bet they would dry up and disappear. Mega Man is marketable, and they know it, but they also don't want to spend the time and resources on anything more significant than merch.
Also while Strider may not have figures and comics, it also had a game released on consoles more recently than Mega Man. Though I always wondered about that franchise and the odd situation with the rights of it.
You're wrong with your bs on Mother, it took heels over head struggle just to get the third entry completed, and Earthbound is not a standalone game, it is the literal English localization of Mother 2 (stop being blunt minded and apologetic), which ended with that entry because Nintendo had no incentive for the series to ever be localized again. If your explanation is Nintendo's actual excuse and you believe them? Back off Capcom when they state their PR nonsense, cause it's a two way street.
DeleteGolden Sun is a series that Nintendo damn well feels no need to pander to because it doesn't offer great income, same like Fire Emblem which its very continued existence was predicated on it's latest entry doing well. This is in contrary with Dark Dawn which unlike Awakening couldn't save its own ass.
What the heck does given their history mean? Ace Attorney so far has only ever appeared on a Nintendo home gaming platform with the exception of a few games on PC and iOS, and Monster Hunter has historically been developed for and well received on Sony platforms, the support Capcom gives Nintendo with the series is a form of amicability more than anything, as there was no "re-establishment" needed, seeing as how Sony now dominates the home console market. In which case even the ill fated Xbox One has now surpassed the Wii U. Is it a wonder Monster Hunter's latest release was on a current gen platform with the greatest install base?
Dude it has nothing to do with hostility, it's about looking at the situation objectively and realizing that all these companies work like a business, because quit frankly that is what they are. Capcom and Nintendo are the same in that regard. Now you could say you personally feel Nintendo is a more competent developer than Capcom in regards to the RM/MM franchise, (I'd respectfully disagree and move on) but to say one company follows the money (essentially) and the other doesn't, is a big pile of BULL**** and you know it.
As for Strider, it got its chance, but I can almost bet money it won't get that chance again for a very long time, based on the latest entry's reception.
"Metroid is hardly finished, in fact the most recent console Metroid game is more recent than the last console Mega Man game." - Actually wrong, Rockman XOver was released Nov 29th 2012 whereas the last new Metroid entry was in 2010 same year as Mega Man 10 & Golden Sun Dark Dawn, F-Zero hasn't had a game since 2003/04.. I should also point out that Mega Man or a Mega Man character has had at least one cameo role in a game every year since 2010! My point was that Nintendo, who I have no doubt could do an amazing Mega Man game btw shouldn't take on more IPs because there is still the chance it could end up just like the other franchises I mentioned & then we'd be in a similar predicament to where we are now. I think it just looks worse for us in that we saw a lot of titles publically get cancelled in 2011/2012 whereas most developers tend to keep things behind closed doors until the last minute..
DeleteAs for seeing a new game, I'm still optimistic on something happening sooner rather than later. Rockman Xover as I said was released in 2012 & would have been released on IOS/Android in the West however after seeing how sloppy a game it was in terms of gameplay & presentation the fans said "no we don't want this game" so we didn't receive it, we got the fan game Street Fighter X Mega Man for free instead. Meanwhile in Japan XOver got many updates which shows Capcom was focusing on that game when it came to Mega Man at the time, the way I see it is that now XOver is ... um over! I'd like to think Capcom is now looking to start making a new entry hopefully for the home console market... That being said as I mentioned in my original post I think Capcom teaming up with Nintendo makes more sense in that the franchise has had a LOT of exposure on Nintendo systems over the past 1-2 years, he's shown up more than any other 3rd party character in the Smash Bros commercials & trailers, Nintendo putting out new Mega Man themed costumes & allowing an unlockable costume in Mario Kart, Mega Man has a Streetpass puzzle & so far on the WiiU & 3DS Virtual Console has a staggering amount of re-releases... Mega Man 7 was featured on Nintendo Treehouse, Nintendo's Youtube channel did a spotlight on MM2 & although it's a small thing Nintendo DID tweet & post on Facebook about Mega Man's 27th Anniversary last year which they haven't done for any other 3rd party character... Should Nintendo buy the IP? Maybe, but I still think it would be a risky move on Ninty's part & we could still end up in this situation again if they did so. Either way I could rant about this for hours, I'd love to see a new game but I'm willing to wait when one does come along i'll be there day 1, until then I'm enjoying being able to play the old handheld games on a TV even if they are re-releases & like I mentioned it shows that at the very least we as a fanbase haven't been forgotten about!
@Anonymous April 16, 2015 at 6:18 PM
DeleteWhat are you on about? I mentioned Earthbound as a standalone game because it's a single game in a series, where as the person above made it sound like the series was "Earthbound." It was just a little confusion on semantics, cool yourself. I fail to see how that has anything to do with being "blunt minded" or "apologetic." I'm aware about the situation with Mother 3 and I believe they should have localized it. As I said, I don't think Nintendo handles their IPs perfectly.
I don't judge PR on who says it. I judge PR on an individual basis. Nintendo's reason for not wanting to make more in the series because Itoi doesn't want to make anymore seems like a fair reason to me, so while I think they should consider a spiritual successor or something alone the lines for fans who do enjoy the series, I can accept it. What Capcom PR are you even trying to compare this to?
You are also mixing some of my points. My point about "re-establishing" the franchise was in regards to the potential of Mega Man and had nothing to do with Monster Hunter, so I don't know why you mentioned it there. Also Monster Hunter appears on the 3ds, which has a greater install base than any of the home consoles, though again, I'm not quite sure what point you're trying to make there.
You need to calm down. First off, I never said "one company follows the money (essentially) and the other doesn't." That's a straw man you made up by trying to put words in my mouth. Both companies follow the money, but the METHOD in which they do is different. That's what I was saying. Lately Capcom has been focusing a lot on big AAA releases. That's not something they have ever tried with Mega Man and likely not something they ever will. The other thing they have been doing is ios releases, which is where they are willing to slap the Mega Man IP on anything, regardless of quality.
Nintendo on the other hand is just now getting into ios development, we will have to see how they handle it before we can judge. But they also don't focus solely on big AAA games or ios development. We get a lot of smaller titles in between. Games like Kirby, Captain Toad, things like that. As a console developer, Nintendo has to go about developing games in a different way than Capcom. They can make games that won't necessarily sell a great deal if it helps them expand their audience. That's why they funded games like Bayonetta 2 and probably partially why we are getting a new Star Fox game. I wonder how much they really expected those titles to sell.
That difference is why I feel Mega Man would be alright with Nintendo. Again, not saying they are perfect, and it's true it could end up under-utilized even if it ended up under Nintendo's roof. But as I also mentioned, a big reason why I would like Nintendo to purchase the IP is because I would like to see what kind of games they could make with the franchise.
There's a lot of potential there, I'd like to see someone make use of it. At this point I don't even really care who, Nintendo just makes high quality games so they were the first ones that came to mind.
@Vhyper
DeleteI appreciate your optimism. Though when I said "Metroid is hardly finished, in fact the most recent console Metroid game is more recent than the last console Mega Man game." I was explicitly referring to home consoles, as in not ios devices, so I wasn't counting Xover. I'm sorry, I should have been more specific.
As for the cameo roles, I can appreciate that, but that's not where the issue lies in my opinion. Games like Project X Zone and Smash Brothers that were made by other companies do a better job of representing Mega Man (again in my opinion) than anything Capcom has directly worked on in the past five years or so. To me, that shows that Mega Man has potential that Capcom hasn't tapped on, for no real reason.
I understand your concerns, that if Nintendo had the IP they might neglect it, but this is where I like to be optimistic. If they could use the Mega Man IP on the same level as say a series like Kirby, I'd be thrilled. Assuming a Metroid game gets announced soon, I'd be alright with Mega Man being treated like that as well.
I feel this way because I think the short amount of time between releases of Mega Man games in the past has been detrimental to the franchise, at least to an extent.
As I said, I like your optimism, and I hope you're right.
But I can't say I will be happy if they wait too much longer, not because I want a game right now, but because it will be another wasted opportunity. If nothing else, if Capcom doesn't make a game (soon) to capitalize on all of the free promotion Mega Man was handed with Smash Brothers, it will fully cement in my mind that this series will never reach anywhere close to its full potential with Capcom. An ideal time to announce a new game would have been when Mega Man was announced for Smash to capitalize on the "hype", but I can understand that's not realistic. That said, waiting too long and letting it die out with no announcement of substance would be the last straw for me. Some people don't realize just how big Smash is. To let something like that go to waste would be too much.
If they partner with Nintendo to make one, I'd be happy, but if it turned out really well it could also further push me towards wanting Nintendo to purchase the IP, depending on their level of involvement.
I'm glad the fanbase continues to support the franchise enough for Capcom to continue to keep making things, I'm just concerned about how long it can last without something big from Capcom themselves.
Though I suppose you have the right attitude. Not much to do but wait and see how things play out.
@10:18 AM
DeleteWow you really are blunt.
Earthbound is Mother 2. What can't you understand? What you're inferring is that the game had a fundamental change when localized. When Vhyper wrote Earthbound he WAS referencing the series, THE LITERAL LOCALIZED TRANSLATION OF IT thereby Mother = Earthbound Zero, Mother 2 = Earthbound, Mother 3 = Earthbound 2 all together Earthbound series. Even if it's not technically correct, as Mother 2 was/is the only officially localized game, it'd be logical to assume based on other localized franchises like lets say hmm... Rockman, that Nintendo would stick to that retitling, an implication that flies right over your head.
To answer your question on what Capcom PR I'd compare that to, off the top of my head, I'd say the L3 cancelled/never released due to lack of devroom participation excuse.
As for mixing your points, with the re-established thing I assumed you were talking generally, and if you were speaking specifically in regards to Mega Man, there is no way to know that form your wording/writing. In any case I took it as generally using MH as a single example, my point still stands in regards to not trusting Capcom.
Also I specifically mentioned MH appearing on the 3DS because of its largest install base to exactly illustrate Capcom applying smart business to successful brand.
"Is it a wonder Monster Hunter's latest release was on a current gen platform with the greatest install base?" You really must not understand inference very well.
Straw Man, really? He must be the greatest Robot Master of all time since people use him in every instance, heck, they even use him to create him, which is what happened here. Anyway how they follow the money IS THE ISSUE I'M ADDRESSING, holy heck man you have no sense of inference. It's obvious they both follow money, also you're getting into a much bigger scope of issues if you are saying the difference is in the budget put into a game. Just one example of this is the scale of the two companies and their ability to allocate their resources, which is much too complicated to handle in a paragraph. Also I'd argue that at Mega Man's prime it definitely had what I'd consider not necessarily AAA but high profile releases, Legends 1&2, X7, XCM etc. If that trend continued to the last and current gen those theoretical games would be on the upper portion of development costs I'd wager.
The thing about Nintendo, and most other companies actually, is for one they will give a series that generally under preforms financially but is acclaimed, a chance. This I would assume is to test if it could be more successful in that climate at the things that brand failed at prior. Star Fox is Nintendo's Strider or Konami's Zone of the Enders, I can almost guarantee you if the new Star Fox fails Nintendo will distance itself from that series for at least five years, and just the same if it's a major success you can bet your butt you will see a plethora of Star Fox media developed or licensed by Nintendo. As for the producing games like Kirby and Captain Toad and such, I'd say Capcom does the same, but just like how Nintendo isn't making Advanced Wars games or what have you, Capcom isn't making Mega Man right now.
All in all there is no real difference, I'm gonna put my thoughts on this issue as simply as possible. Mega Man is a risky investment, and Capcom is too small to handle it whilst Nintendo is too big to handle it.
@ 4:27 PM
DeleteBlunt? I'm not sure that's the word you're looking for. Though I do try to be straightforward.
Once again, tone down the hostility.
I understand your point now about the "Earthbound series" that you've explained what you meant, though you could have done so without coming off as a tool. When people mention Earthbound, they are often talking about the game named Earthbound. Without context, it's difficult to infer whether someone is speaking about the game called Earthbound or the series. I originally assumed Vhyper was speaking about the game, but I can see how he could also be talking about the series. Though I don't know why that's a point of contention for you when I already acknowledged, even in my original post, that it was part of a series and that Nintendo hasn't handled it perfectly.
As for PR, I'm willing to believe both what Capcom and Nintendo say, which you seemed to think wasn't the case when you said "If your explanation is Nintendo's actual excuse and you believe them?"
It's not that I don't believe Capcom PR, it's that I think an explanation of "the man behind the games doesn't want to make more" is inoffensive, where as I think "we are cancelling the game because of the fans" is not. Especially after they said fans didn't have to participate if they didn't want to and the paid demo would gauge whether or not the game would be made. Nintendo hasn't done something like that with Earthbound as far as I know. Also, didn't Capcom PR try to get people to stop referencing that tweet because they said it didn't reflect the views of the company?
If you paid attention to Vhyper's post, I think it should be pretty obvious I was talking about Mega Man, especially since the Ace Attorney and Monster Hunter series don't need any re-establishment. For someone who likes to say others don't understand inference, I'm surprised you missed that.
Your straw man wasn't talking about "following the money," it was implying that I was arguing that Nintendo doesn't follow the money, which I never did. Putting words into other people's mouths is not a good way to have a discussion. As I said, both companies follow the money, they just do so in different ways.
I'm not going to say you're necessarily right or wrong in regards to whether those games had a big budget as I don't have any information on that. Though I will say if they did sink big budgets into those games, it might have been wise to advertise them a bit stronger outside of Japan.
...
...Continuing from my post...
DeleteNintendo is a bit strange though, even in regards to this. Star Fox is just a recent example. Kid Icarus Uprising is another, yet oddly, even though it was considered to be fairly successful, it seems Nintendo isn't building off of that. That may be due to the fact that Sakurai and team Sora made that game and they are now working on Smash. Fire Emblem is another strange one, they kept localizing them despite the games never really having big success in the west. Eventually they said one more and that's it. They made Awakening, they actually advertised it, and it took off pretty well. It makes sense for them to continue with Fire Emblem now, but I can't help but wonder why they kept making them before when they had multiple attempts that didn't work out.
I agree that Capcom does occasionally make smaller games, but we haven't seen much lately and it started to die down as Capcom started making ios games. It's understandable, they have to focus on making new games for the new consoles, which involves building new engines and working with new architecture. It takes time and resources and they are focusing pretty much all of that into AAA and ios.
If they want to change that, that's great. Right now it doesn't look like they have much interest in doing so.
Ultimately my thoughts are: Mega Man doesn't seem as risky as some franchises that are still going on today. I feel Nintendo could capitalize on it with their resources, where as Capcom is too busy with other investments to do so. It's possible Nintendo would fail to capitalize on the franchise as well, but I'd personally like to see it given a fair shot.
@10:24 AM
DeleteSigh... There is no hostility, I don't know where you are getting this from. Good grief
The blunt minded thing is in opposition to being sharp minded. I'm saying you're blunt cause I personally believe you'd have to be super gullible to believe EITHER EXCUSES. I used Capcom's example to exaggerate the situation, it figures you'd believe both and get "offended" by one. I hadn't known about the damage control Capcom attempted after the tweet though.
No not at that moment, it was not obvious you were referring specifically to Mega Man.
"If I were Nintendo, I'd be skeptical of any partnerships with Capcom though, given their history (Of what? The GameCube 5?). Ace Attorney and Monster Hunter aren't exactly exclusive to Nintendo devices (my contention, they don't need to completely be, and they have been, especially in the case of AA), and it would be unfortunate if they re-established the franchise for Capcom (assuming you're taking about any general franchise from Capcom, no way to tell you're taking specifically Mega Man, but even then I conceded you could have been, and that it was moot anyway as it didn't effect my argument), just for Capcom to then take it exclusively to the PS4 and the Xbox One for future titles ( It would be, but this concern is based on what precedent? When has Nintendo exclusively aided in the establishment of RM/MM prior to Smash-3DS, only for Capcom to take the franchise to another console exclusively?)."
If you read my posts you'd know I was talking about how they follow the money as well. It is ludicrous (well maybe not in this case) for me to believe that you'd believe that either never follows the money, this is obvious. What I'm arguing is generally both follow the money the same way, which is in line with what you're suggesting. Me writing follow the money is just a general phrase indicative of a central point already established.
If that is not clear enough, let me put it like this. Capcom focused on AAA, Nintendo funding projects or making smaller titles or what have you, doesn't really matter to me. In either case I believe the two are not making decisions based on love or respect for the games or their developers (like with your case on Itoi) , but rather for market appeal and financial gain. If Capcom had the means they'd probably try to capitalize on things just like Nintendo, 'Captain Ken Masters, Ghosts 'n Goblins Epic Yarn (granted GnG had mass appeal) funding Streets of Rage 4 for CPS4' or what have you. I'm not agreeing to your assessments on the way either company runs mind you, I'm simply saying regardless granting that, it wouldn't matter.
Anyway I believe both can take risks on MM, but Capcom taking it could kill them (too small) and Nintendo taking it could alienate all the other viable options on their plate (too big). In essence I'm saying they are both too busy for their own reasons.
"I'm not going to say you're necessarily right or wrong in regards to whether those games had a big budget as I don't have any information on that. Though I will say if they did sink big budgets into those games, it might have been wise to advertise them a bit stronger outside of Japan."
Delete^I'm gonna assume this is a response to my tidbit on L/L2, X7 etc. Well for one I never claimed to know that those games had big budgets relative to their time/circumstances, I was saying that they were high profile specifically because of their advertisement, legacy, and major home console appeal. Given that those were major factors, I'd assume if Capcom made Legends 3 for example on PS3 or announced X9 for the PS4 or what have you, being flagship entries to a long standing series of well established games it would probably be costly. Capcom didn't do that though, they shifted toward handhelds and small digital releases.
Your spot on with Kid Icarus in regards to its circumstances, mind you it wasn't wildly OMG revolutionary success that Nintendo just had to take advantage of either. As for FE, I have no idea about the localization thing, but yeah the underlining point I get from that is they eventually got fed up and said one more chance.
So voting for Mega Man and Bass. The final levels are so freaking hard; the ability to insta-save would be great.
ReplyDeleteYayyyyyy!!!!!!!!.......Zzzzzzzzz..........
ReplyDeleteAlready voted for Mega Man Zero 2.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a compromise.....a translated Megaman & Bass for SNES/Super Famicom?
ReplyDeleteMega Man & Bass.. Maybe a faithfully and accurate translated Megaman & Bass for SNES/Super Famicom for a first time ever ?
ReplyDeleteKyapukomu! Rockman & Forte (WS) in English & Colorized please...
ReplyDeleteBattle Network 4 please!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I said it. So what? BN4 was what even GOT me into Mega Man in general.
I wonder how tradeing between 3B and 3W is going to be done or 4RS and 4BM
ReplyDeleteAny version-exclusive chips are already added in to the other version of the game. Scans from the JPN version of BN3 show the Mistman/Bowlman chips accessible in the version they aren't from, alongside Balance, Delta Ray and the event-only Punk and BassGS chips.
DeleteI'm assuming the same will happen with BN4, having all the Free Tournament/Version Exclusive Navi Chips, as well as the GrandPrixPower and Duo chips. It's already been confirmed the game will have a button code to fight BassXX as well.
Makes me hopeful for BassCross in BN5 VC.