Mega Man Legacy Collection features all six classic NES titles in a single package. At one point, however, Capcom and Digital Eclipse considered the possibility of throwing an additional title in the mix: RockBoard, the Famicom-exclusive spin-off.
Coming from a USGamer interview with Capcom's Rey Jiminez and Digital Eclipse's Frank Cifaldi:
USG: It also makes sense from a tech perspective to just go with the NES games because they're the same hardware being reproduced. I know it's not emulation, technically, but it's working to the same spec. Did you consider throwing in [Japan-only Famicom game] RockBoard as a sort of bonus, given that it's the odd one out on the same technology or platform?
Rey: The answer isn't no. We definitely had thought about it, but there wasn't really a way for that to fit in for us, especially since it was in Japanese, right? So…
Frank: We even looked at translating it, if I could speak to that for a second.
Rey: As close to the technological images, you could theoretically do it, but you're starting to go away from everything we're trying to do, which is to keep everything authentic. We couldn't release an all-Japanese board game here in the U.S., so…
USG: Is that just a case where you, personally, wouldn't feel good about it, or the platform rights holders would be, "No go"?
Rey: There is a requirement that all essential game information has to be localized to the support language and a game like a board game has a lot of essential text in it.
Frank: You can't play that if you don't understand Japanese.
USG: So even just throwing it in as a curio was off the table because of the logistics from on high?
Frank: We're aware of all the curios, right?
Rey: Nothing is really impossible if you really want to do it, and you have enough time and resources to do it, but it would just lose the focus of what we're doing
This is the second attempt (that we know of) to get RockBoard overseas. The first was in the early nineties when an English build was reportedly sighted at CES and again at select retailer listings. The age-old myth says Nintendo's anti-gambling policy shot it down. These days, fan translations exist. If you absolutely have to play it, well, there ya go.
For more interesting MMLC factoids, read the full interview here.
Too bad for them. It would have been a day-1 purchase for me if Rockboard had been included. Maybe they'll change their minds and add it later.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThe games in the Collection have been re-released more times than a lot of people even know about. Including a game like this would have been great for long time fans who have already played them to jump in.
I call bull-honk on this. I remember asking them about it during their streams a while back (MegaMac posed the question initially though) and they never said "we considered it". So why, all of a sudden, are they saying "Yeah, we considered it" when they really hadn't previously?
ReplyDeletethat's because a hipster thinks gamers are morons and automatically blocks them but if a corrupt journalist ask him the same question, he'd considers answering him.
Delete^Basically this.
DeleteI had considered getting this game/collection up until I started seeing Frank's tweets and his attitude, as well as the fact that he went and blocked me instantly when I asked about possibility of a physical release (lo and behold, a week or so later, a physical release was announced. >_>), I don't want anything of my money to go near people like him.
I have a good PC and a Gateway 3DS that works perfectly. He wants to a big douche to the paying customers and fans? Then he can enjoy having less than stellar sales and being the primary reason why Capcom of USA/Japan will look at the sales figures and think "Well, I guess Rockman/MegaMan isn't worth it to make new games for".
I'm actually really surprised he didn't block me (and still haven't) on Twitter, considering the huge exchange we had around technical aspects and whatnot back at the beginning of this project. But yeah, I've read about some folks that have not had... quite the same pleasant experience I've had with him.
DeleteIt may well be, Joseph, that your queries may have come off as less combative and more genuinely curious, and that's why you got the informative exchanges between you and the developer(s).
DeleteWith a fandom like this, you're going to have people that nonetheless ask things in ways specifically to stir up trouble, or ask questions that are clearly ones with no "right" answer in some "gotcha" moment. I can't speak on their behalf, but given the sheer negativity, name calling, and all other sorts of nasty toxic things that get said...
I think maybe it was more a measure to tone down the noise to try and head off people they were certain were only going to be asking combative questions/attempting to pick fights with them, so that queries like yours weren't drowned out under a sea of childish insults or what have you.
That's how I'd see the whole thing, anyway.
Wow, I'm honestly a bit shocked that they even *considered* releasing that here, and localized no less. That would have been one impressive bonus for the collection, but at the same time, Rockboard (MegaBoard?) might have been an odd fit being surrounded by platforming games that all have very similar gameplay.
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't Frank or one of his team members ask your collaboration and improvised the RockBoard translation that you guys did?
DeleteMaybe they don't want to share the profits or credits?
That's why America sucks! Japan is the best for every games because they have everything.. I mean EVERYTHING! Amazing. I applaud Japan more than I applaud the BORED America!
ReplyDeleteSo like... every non-Japanese place is America now?
Deleteis that why RE6 one of worst if not the worst game capcom ever made?
DeleteThat would be cool, but I understand how the idea of localizing it at all would've meant central alterations to the game itself (inserting text, etc) which would've gone against the spirit of what they wanted to do.
ReplyDeleteI also kind of want to ask the question - was Rockboard itself really any good? It may not have aged well in the years that followed.
Yeah, I'm still picking this up eventually, but bringing Rockboard to this collection would've made me really excited for it. Just SOMETHING to make it unique. If they were smart they would make it DLC and then include it for the physical version.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you can say Japan is way cooler for having games we never got, but I can personally vouch for us having the much more passionate fanbase.
I could see that.
DeleteHeck, Capcom of America seems to be the only place within the company to have a passion for the series anymore, barring Ucchy of course.
It would have been nice to have, but oh well.
ReplyDeleteI get their reasoning behind not going for it, but that is a damn shame. I'm gonna get the game regardless, but I would have been so much more hyped up for it if there was something "new" to enjoy on it.
ReplyDeleteI remember asking this same question on Frank Cifaldi's twitter like Joseph mentioned. Never received an answer though. Glad to finally know why it wasn't included. I understand what they're trying to do, but it think they're being way too restrictive on themselves, and ultimately what they can deliver to the fans.
ReplyDeleteI think they could've very well thrown in Rockboard as a bonus, and what a glorious, accurate "port" it would have been. They would have made history by being the first to officially localize the game for English audiences; in optimum quality. What could be more authentic than that (in a sense of the word?) With their proprietary engine they've mentioned, I'm sure replacing some translated text wouldn't have been too much of a bother. Replacing "Rockman" logo sprites would have probably been the biggest hurdle.
Oh well, maybe one day we'll see it released stateside. For now we'll just have to enjoy the English patched version.
I've played it and honestly you aren't missing out on much. Putting Rockboard in with the other six games would be awkward,much like it was when Rockman Battle and Chase was on the MMX Collection.
ReplyDeleteBattle & Chase was somewhat out of place in the X Collection, but how would Classic be awkward alongside Classic?
DeleteIf we got an essential Mega Man Classic Collection, I'd want Rockboard in there, along with all the GB games, Soccer, and BnC, regardless of their quality. Also 7-10 and &Bass.
ReplyDeleteAaaaaand the WondeSwan version of Rockman & Forte... aaaaand the 2 DOS games too... aaaand also the Game Gear!
Deletemany people were asking for that collection since 2011.
Delete"(...) but you're starting to go away from everything we're trying to do, which is to keep everything authentic. We couldn't release an all-Japanese board game here in the U.S., so…"
ReplyDelete*sigh* What's with the authentic thing if it isn't even 2D 8-bit, but HD 3D with emulated 2D graphics that requires good PCs and DirectX11? I'd rather have the Complete Works versions, but unfortunately those are Japan only. If that's too much of a concern, have an "authentic" mode as default and add the bonuses that are only unlocked after completing all 6 games. A few re-releases (like Namco's) have "original" and "new" modes, where original is the authentic one and the new is either an arrange or the same (in this case) with aditional options that can be turned on/off, like using shoulder buttons to change weapons, remixed music from the PS1 Complete Works games, optional Navi Mode, the RCW power-ups, extra sprites (like unused content from MM3) and tiles, glitches on/off, typo fixes (faild) on/off, and language selection to chose between English (Mega Man) and Japanese (Rockman). (The title screen from MM1 and MM6 is better in Japanese). RockBoard can be in Japanese as default, but with a new English mode available.
Don't just re-release them exactly as they were, make them better and more appealing for a broader audience! Sure, there is challenge mode, but it would be even better if those mentioned improvements were added. Complete Works and Anniversary Collection had some of them, removing them completely with no way to even unlock those features would be a downgrade to the games.
I'm not going to harass them with this idea, but actually I got thinking. For the challenge mode, they use an overlay on top of the actual game code running to show the 'goal' space you need to get to, and the rest from there is savestates (I think?) to move you from place to place, game to game.
ReplyDeleteFor future games where localization would be needed for English players to enjoy, I wonder if one could just simply overlay translated text to get around that pesky (but ultimately respectable) stance of not wanting to alter the actual game code itself. It could get super choppy at times (the amount of length needed to communicate something in Japanese and English alike is... disparate) but that might be a good middle ground.
It worked marvelously for Metal Gear/2: Solid Snake (the MSX2 games included with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence) on the Playstation 2. They just overlayed new text boxes over the old ones with non-monospaced fonts and slightly-expanded dialogues to compensate for the translations rather than actually hacking the ROMs and using the space provided. Looks good, looks smooth.
DeleteOh hey, didn't know they did that then with those games, good to know that worked perfectly in practice. Thanks for the heads up.
Delete