Well, here's a doozy of a story for you. A former NebulaJoy associate -- the same individual who produced those unusual, misleading Rockman X DiVE ads -- posted a video earlier this month that might be our first look at Rockman XZ: Time Rift.
The 19-second unlisted clip depicts X and Zero (Zero series) trading blows in a nondescript facility. Zero relentlessly pursues X with his Z-Saber. X dodges, leaps backwards, and musters up the power to unleash a Hadouken. And that's that.
The character design are unique, if not unusual. X is very clearly based on his Ver. KE incarnation. Zero is a mish-mash between the recent Eastern Model kit and his Mythos design. Also, X's voice is unmistakably Masako Nozawa. Funnily enough, it's actually a sound clip from the "X-Buster" (ROCKMAN HOLIC) music video.
For the uninitiated, NebulaJoy quietly announced Rockman XZ: Time Rift on September 4th, 2020. It's an officially-licensed mobile game that acts as a crossover between the X and Zero series. The game's logo goes so far as to incorporate both the X series "X" and the Zero series "Z" to drive that point home.
In June 2021, a representative from the company informed us that the game would primarily be a single player experience with some multiplayer elements. The developers are aiming for a "console quality" experience, not too dissimilar from Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat. Time Rift is due sometime between 2022 and 2023.
Without much context, it's difficulty to say with absolute certainty that the footage belongs to Time Rift. I mean, it definitely fits the bill. It looks like a would-be X/Z series crossover. And if it is Time Rift, we're left to wonder if this is from the game itself or a target render.
Whatever the case, we'll keep an ear to the ground.
Ha, nice use of the X-Buster track.
ReplyDeleteGlad I wasn't the only one that picked that up!
DeleteI kinda like the middle-ground they are going with on the art style.
ReplyDeleteman this is awesome! i totally would start playing this!
ReplyDeleteNebula Joy hasn't given me much hope for any of their own products under Capcom with the DISASTEROUS X Dive Global they've headed, so I'm not keeping any of my hopes for this.
ReplyDeleteIs X voiced by Masako Nozawa here??? he sounds like Goku
ReplyDeleteIt makes me nauseous to think that an arc as important as the crossover between the X and Zero series is told through a mobile game 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile it's the CONSOLE games that show little to nothing of importance.
DeleteActually, I just realized it said crossover.....so it's not bridging the series storyline, it's just putting the characters in the same game. Never mind, that could be cool.
ReplyDeleteAm disappointed that it's a mobile game.
ReplyDeleteMobile games: the future of making the most money off of the least content
ReplyDeleteBased and gamer pilled, or more like, Anti-Whale Pilled
DeleteI REALLY like these designs. I'd buy figures of these two fighting in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteEastern Model's Zero is basically this design, and it's a fabulous model kit; higher quality and more value (i.e. lots of light-up parts) than the Kotobukiya kits.
DeleteIt wouldn't have come to this if only you people didn't support their cash grab gacha trash.
ReplyDeleteThis is all your fault.
No, actually. Capcom wanted to enter China's mobile market for close to ten years. They finally struck a deal with NebulaJoy to developer DMC: Pillar of Combat. It wasn't a gacha game in the slightest, but it's success prompted Capcom to grant the Mega Man license to NJ.
DeleteSo far, NJ have leveraged the license for two projects: the GLOBAL version of Rockman X DiVE (which they didn't develop, per se. They've reverse-engineered, distributing the original Capcom Korea-developed game aborad) and now XZ: Time Rift.
We don't know if the game will veer into gacha territory. However, a representative told us it would follow more closely in-line with their DMC title.
Oh please don't start blaming others just cause you didn't got what you wanted.
DeleteDmC Pillar of Combat not being Gacha?
DeleteWtf?
Even the wikia states that theres gacha pull for characters and you get the shitty ones by just playing the game, forcing you to spend cash to get stuff.
Its X-Dive with another name.
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Deleteoh wait I have once again fallen into the "there's more than one Unknown" claptrap.
DeleteSo we should no longer allow people to go by unknown 'like anonymous' and instead require a username.
DeleteWhen (or if) we have a game for steam or consoles that is actually a legit sequel and legit MM game MM11 style, wake me up. I'm tired of those one off non-canon mobiles lately. How the mighty have fallen. Just get to the point and make some real MM games and sequels for the big screen already. In 2021 with all our tech, quality should be up in media and it being presented and made for big screen, not stoop down to random mobile that consists of games that aren't quality or even true successors to existing MM games.
ReplyDeletethere will never be an X9, there will never be a ZX3, there will never be a Legends 3. CAPCOM will release things, oh it will, dozens of mobile games they will release! and pray that whatever is labeled as "Taisen" is going to be successful, because otherwise prepare for another 8-year long hiatus.
Deletewell, at least we should have some collections... right?
At least the series isn't turning its lore and characters inside-out to appeal to toddlers "cough"Sonic"cough" or dudebros "cough"Mortal Kombat"cough". Nor doing... whatever they did to Contra. And unlike poor Bomberman, it's at least doing new things, even on mobile, rather than slightly enhanced ports.
DeleteAnd while we're on this train...
Still asking for an Iris plushie.
"there will never be an X9, there will never be a ZX3, there will never be a Legends 3"
DeleteDemonstrate your assertion vs making assertions like that. Burden of proof is on you.
Yeah, Austin, a shame that contra, Gradius, Thunder Force, Castlevania, and even Darius, etc series seems to have discontinued, though Raiden and R-type seems to still be going. I bought R-type Final 2 on Steam this year. Contra is another one that seems to have ended or just not real contra anymore. The PSX1 Contras were not the best either and downhill from Contra III and Hard Corps, so those two were retconned out of the continuity, like Contra Force on the NES was, but things got good again with Shatter soldier for the PS2. Neo Contra and Contra 4 was ok too. I did grow up with the originals as well and Super C. Even games like Life force, which is related to Gradius, and also played all 3 Ninja Gaidens, even the remastered Ninja Gaiden trilogy collection on the SNES Mario All Stars style, but I played the NES ones and beat them long before that.
Delete@Gary Daniel
DeleteLegends 3 was entirely led by Inafune and we know he won't be coming back, ever. ZX had terrible sales, ZXA didn't even get any info on the sales and Z/ZX collection sold the worst out of the collections released. the sales for collections were there in a post on this site somewhere. plus, Inti hasn't been working with CAPCOM for a full on new game for years now. as for X9? you know how there was nobody who even wanted to make a game in the series for years? that was for the series that still gets dozens of love from people who still unironically consider 2 the pinnacle of it. X series has been pretty much destroyed - sales of X8 were terrible, everyone hates on everything past X4 and keeps praising X1 and sometimes X4. the most likely outcome is that there might be a possibility of an X9 - but unlike what fans of the story want, it will be copying X1 - in gameplay, in story complexity, in everything. it will be like an X3 story, absolute filler with "sigma was real at the end but then he was kill!". it also would never have the X3 complexity in terms of collectibles - back to X1's simple scheme. that's what i expect, anyway. or maybe XDive is, indeed, an actual "new chapter" in the story of X series, as the Steam description tells, and the wish of X9 is an even worse monkey paw than anyone could have expected.
anyway, let's move on to something arguably less sad - Contra and Castlevania may have suffered the issue of Konami degrading into a anti-everything gachacompany, but they had a good death. well, at least Contra did - as you have mentioned, Shattered Soldier on PS2 was good from what i've played and heard, even though i am not a fan of the ugly PS2 aesthetic that X8 of a certain other series also had. Neo Contra and Contra 4 i've played more and they were great - so was Contra Rebirth for WiiWare. and from what i've seen, Hard Corps Uprising was also a great game. after that, it had a few decent (barely any in-app purchases, as they were early mobile) mobile games and a few bad (gacha) ones and that mediocre switch game that came out recently. it had a good run. shame castlevania ended even earlier - on DS and WiiWare.
also, Ninja Gaiden trilogy? isn't that one... kind of bad? i know SMAS on SNES wasn't particularly good, personally i prefer the original versions of all of the games in it, but it was a pretty fun way to play them, even if it had issues, but NGT i've heard was just plain bad.
@Sprite Recreator
DeleteI feel like these crossovers might be the best we get for these other series for a long time, if not forever. Unless maybe Capcom farms them out to some developer like WayForward, but even then times would have to be pretty good. Archie could have been a good medium to bring things like Legends 3 to fruition, but then Boom came along and ended Fully Charged in an open-ended way and did nothing after it. X-Over, Fully Charged, and Pachislot Rockman Ability have yet to receive any crossover representation as well, and of those I suspect X-Over is the most likely to ever get representation as it was made by Capcom themselves.
However, I don't feel like I have quite as much of an issue with "kill all humans" type villains like the X-Hunters and Double that you do. If we're gonna keep on destroying every villain we encounter, we should have a fair number of those sorts of bad guys so it doesn't become depressing when you destroy dozens of "Mavericks" that were only trying to gain freedom or even just survive. Though filler stories are indeed a problem, but remember that X3 laid the groundwork for X4 with the introduction of more ambiguous antagonists.
About Castlevania, there was also the Lords of Shadow series, but I understand if you're willingly blotting them out of your mind. Those games were as bad as Meta Era Sonic, really. They were extremely dull and very 7th/8th gen in their execution. The Netflix show is pretty good, I've heard, though.
@Sprite, If they don't continue the main time line, then I have little to no interest in MM anymore. You do realize they said that an X9 would depend on the sales of MM11 and the X collections, which did sell well. Never say never.
DeleteAlso they can bring back a Legends 3, but made by someone else. some of the MM designers said they know there was interest for a Legend 3, and wanted to do it if possible. Look at the Facebook page here as well: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeOffTheMoon/
As for ZX3, it is possible depending on how well the ZX collection did, which I did buy on Steam, BTW. Nice thing though is if a Legend 3 is revived, it won't be stuck on a hand held. I'm actually happy it never was realized on 3DS. It might have had chance if they weren't cheap and release it for a console of the day and big screen instead. no one wants to play a Legend 3 on a tiny ass screen.
This is also of interest which could be hopeful of more sequels: https://www.resetera.com/threads/capcom-producer-reconfirms-next-major-megaman-game-in-development-wont-deny-any-series-of-its-future.141119/
"but unlike what fans of the story want, it will be copying X1 - in gameplay, in story complexity, in everything"
DeleteThat was already done with Maverick Hunter X, and that was a flop. Anyways, I will post this again like I did in the previous post, but being this comment is shorter, you are more likely to see it: https://www.resetera.com/threads/capcom-producer-reconfirms-next-major-megaman-game-in-development-wont-deny-any-series-of-its-future.141119/
@Austin Reed
Deletei mostly agree with everything you said, but i don't have a problem with X-Hunters or Double. i just don't like how plain unmemorable X3's plot was and how doppler just disappears in the ending where Zero rescues X and the antibodies are also just forgotten in later entries.
Since my messages didn't get through, I will post again. They said X9 would depend on the sales of MM11 and X collections. Also Get me off the moon shows Legend 3 is still desired, and who knows if they will resurrect it eventually. ZX3 could depend on ZX collection sales, and if they are doing Time Rift, why not ZX3 one day? I'm happy Legends 3 did not get released on a 3DS, BTW. X collections and and MM11 sold well, so no reason not to do X9.
DeleteThis is promising if it happens: https://www.resetera.com/threads/capcom-producer-reconfirms-next-major-megaman-game-in-development-wont-deny-any-series-of-its-future.141119/
@Gary Daniel
DeleteWhile it's optimistic an X9 might occur (in the very least as a final entry), I doubt the others are coming any time soon, if ever. I think if it is going to happen, it will be YEARS from now. Capcom apparently has other priorities.
We already know the next title is going to be project "Taisen" which we have discussed in length. I think we both are primed for disappointment on that one. With that word alone, it's not what anyone thinks its going to be.
Capcom should consider the crowdfunding model for ZX3 and Legends 3 in particular. It would give them an upfront customer count that will only grow with immediate feedback to justify the size and scope of the project as well as add ons, if they are successful. But only for these two games.
Given that the leaks also mentioned a "Street Fighter 6", it could be an X4 remake or something.
DeleteYes, X9 does seem more likely than those other two. And I do agree that at least for those other two, it will be years if they ever do come out. If Taisen is not X9, I think X9 is next, or MM12, of talking main timeline. Yeah, do crowdfunding for ZX3 and L3 if that is the only way. I would argue though that if I wanted to see the conclusion, L3 would be best since it chronologically takes place at the end of the main timeline series.
DeleteIt would be interesting to see what kind of final boss or true enemy they planned for L3 (Elder system is vague). The story was supposed to be centered around collecting an item called Klicke Lafonica. Speaking of, I just found this and recognized that Twitch (reploid Revo) uses it in some of his youtube videos' background music: https://getmeoffthemoon.bandcamp.com/track/klicke-lafonica
Mobile games? No thanks. I prefer consoles system
ReplyDeleteI can't even politely put into words my irritation by this. I am so sick and tired of this.
ReplyDeleteFirst off... I do not want a mobile phone game. Period. At all. Ever.
Second... I do not want Chinese bloat and spy ware on my mobile device. It's STANDARD over there.
Third... The art style is bad. Just bad. What is with this current urge to re-imagine everything?
Mega Man isn't dead. He is just in Hospice. I don't think he' gonna make it.
Capcom, you have been warned. You are losing your audience. Your chasing smaller demographic at the risk of alienating your core. Proceed at your own peril.
Both X and Zero have designs that are based of merch. This isn't new.
DeleteAlso, i'm getting real tired of the MM fandom irritiating elitist attitudes.
Everyone's doing mobile games and capcom is not the exception. If this is a way to keep the brand alive, then so be it. I don't mind these at all since it's a good way to introduce new ppl to the megaman brand.
The Ver KE model is designed poorly. It looks terrible compared to even X DiVE's rendition of said model. The Zero one isn't based on anything. It's an amalgamation and looks horrible.
DeleteAlso, I am real tired irritating nameless fools in the MM fandom who defend this stuff as though it is somehow an improvement or progress. Like every new little scrap is somehow a victory, that somehow the franchise will explode again and somehow the next scrap will be that great new thing you have been waiting for.
I don't care about the "everyone's doing it" argument. That doesn't make it good or valuable. Every school child at least used to know how the debunk that ridiculous argument. I don't care one tiny bit about bringing in new fans if everything the franchise is doing is taking a 30+ year fan out of it. I would want to introduce people to a healthy brand that makes sense. Not some cluster**** of a mess.
MM fans and Shrap too have every right to complain, and I will complain too until I see legit good stuff in the main time line get released. Many of us were alive when MM was strong and were even born before MM even existed, even though I was born only 5 years before the very first MM game, and many grew up with sequels that came out for it, so we can see how quality and frequency has gone down. anyone who wants quality or real games would prefer either PC or console on a big screen vs cheap knock offs they been doing just because they want to not spent much money. People being content with low quality non-canon crap only encourages more low quality crap to be made vs the MM stuff many of us actually want. More stuff like MM11, less stuff like this is better. Actually continue the main timeline and tell more of the story vs leaving off with cliff hangers.
Delete@Unknown 3:28 PM
DeleteI don't think everyone who is against this stuff is purely "elitest" as you would call it, I mean, there are some pretty valid points to be upset with the way this IP is going. Capcom has seriously underestimated how much the fandom takes these series seriously, not just in terms of gameplay but also in characters and lore. People want sequels to these older series to expand on what's been established...and sadly left with some pretty gaping cliffhangers.
I'm all for innovation and trying new things, it's why we got series like ZX, Legends and Battle Network. But in my opinion these were far more healthier and passionate ways to introduce the brand. Gacha mobile games are cheap and shallow ways to introduce the series to a new generation of fans, baring little in story and charm that the franchise is known for.
I also agree with Shrap above, I don't see how "everyone else is doing it!" is a good argument to keep this nonsense going. And to be honest, I'd actually rather see the franchise dead than continue in this way. Games as a service has become a real issue, and I find it even more insulting when they do it to classic games such as Megaman.
@Gary Daniel, @Gearz
DeleteThank you.
It's not elitism. It's concern. You do not achieve growth by sacrificing or ignoring fans you deem disposable to gain a mystical fan that may or may not exist. And screw the new audience anyway. If you don't want to appease your existing customer base, you are in the wrong damn business in the first place.
I'm sorta with Gearz at this point. I'd rather see alot of franchises just die than continue to be abused as they have been in the last 5 years.
Nameless. Yea whatever you say buddy. You and me are just a tiny fraction of a group of ppl.
DeleteStill doesn't take away the fact that the MM fandom is just terrible.
You can be in your own group, thank you.
DeleteI really am baffled by the apparent miscommunication Capcom has with Megaman fans, but I also shouldn't be surprised at this point. I'm sorry if I'm adding more of the "doom and gloom" here, but really, fans were VERY clear on a number of games they wanted from this IP.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest request was for X9, and I recall Tsuchiya (sorry if I butchered the name) claimed it would only be possible IF MM11 sold well. Well...it's been, what? 4 years now after the success of that games release and this is what we get?
Fans: "Hey! We really want a new Megaman X game!"
Capcom: Oh! Of course, we got'cha!...here's a mobile game...look! it has Megaman X! Happy!?"
I understand this was in development for a while (I think), but really, I think if you want to reclaim a better standing with your fans, you need to first rebuild the bridge that got wrecked in the first place. Then again, this gacha series is quite popular, so I guess at this point it really doesn't matter and you have to be left to he mercy of whatever Capcom thinks is "best".
Wow...really moody comment...sorry, but honestly I'm trying to have an open mind for things like this and "Taisen" but it's just not working. Just stop Capcom, give us what you know the fans really want.
"I really am baffled by the apparent miscommunication Capcom has with Megaman fans"
DeleteWhat is a "Mega Man Fan"?
My first game was the original Mega Man; some people's first MM game was MMX4; some people played MM8 first; some people played Legends first; some people only know Battle Network and/or Star Force; some people only know Mega Man from Smash Bros. The "series" has been really "diversified" over the last 30+ years, so "Mega Man" means a lot of different things to a lot of different demographics. CAPCOM has kind of painted themselves into a corner, as there is no conceivable way to meet the expectations of fans spanning 2-3 generations, and "honor" the variety of game-play elements, designs, and iterations of the character.
"Communication with Mega Man fans" is, in all practical reality, a cacophonous, non-sensical din of disparate expectations. Some people love Axl, but I personally wish he would go away, and thought he was an awful character debuted in a terrible game; some people want Alia figures and merch, but I don't give a single care about any of that; some people want a new Legends game, others want a remake, and some people think it barely qualifies as a Mega Man game. Do you see where this is going? There's basically no across-the-board consensus with "Mega Man Fans." There are even people who are stoked for a live action movie; a "fan" on reddit said they hoped Tom Holland would play Mega Man, which sounds absolutely horrible to me.
Merch and mobile games are the easy path where money-making are concerned; CAPCOM get to absolve themselves of direct responsibility, minimize time investment, and get to capitalize on licensing fees.
Mega Man/Rockman has been watered-down to the point where the IP has just as much identity in mobile games and merch as it does home console pedigree.
There isn't even a "Meta Era" to serve as a common threat, unlike the Sonic fandom.
DeleteMoney talks, and I feel like the ones who don't like it are a vocal minority. I've seen fan art for the X DiVE Navigator, so someone's buying that slop.
Delete@Anon 2:20PM
DeleteIt's true that Megaman is an IP that is pretty diversified, but that doesn't mean there aren't popular requests such as X9. Seriously, a lot of people really want a new X title. A lot of us thought Capcom was going "down the line" with releasing new Megaman games. They started with reviving the Classic series with 11, so naturally we thought X9 would make sense. Heck, Tsuchiya acknowledged that many fans wanted X9. It just seemed like the most logical choice, especially when you look back at the success of the X legacy collections.
I feel it's really a matter of bad timing. I wouldn't have cared as much for XDive IF they chose to release it sometime after a few new console games arrived. This situation feels very similar to how they allowed "bad box art megaman" as a playable character in Capcom vs. Tekken, shortly after the cancellation of Legends 3 and the drought of Megaman games in general. It just feels a tad insulting and cheap to go in this direction when we've dealt with such a long dry spell of Megaman games, to feeling like they finally listened to us with MM11...only to revert back to the way things were in the early 2010's?
Lastly, Megaman 11 proved that despite the different tastes fans have, I would argue most of us came pretty together when that game was announced. Take me for example, I want Legends 3 WAY more than X9 - but I'm not going to deny the hype and excitement I'd feel if they announced X9 tomorrow.
" I've seen fan art for the X DiVE Navigator, so someone's buying that slop."
DeleteProbably 'mostly' younger folks who never played actual MM games; to be fair, many older folks have not either, even people who were born in the 80s like I was. The collections were released to gauge the interest of MM and also see if it is worth the risk of releasing further sequels, no doubt, and since the classic and X collections sold well, they should be making MM12 and X9 eventually. They made it clear that an X9 would depend on sales of MM11 and the X collections. So they would be foolish to not continue those.
If they are doing mobile, at least make those other main timeline canon games too and for the big screen and try to appeal to 'all' audience. I know many seem cheap these days being content with budget games on tiny handhelds that deviate too much from the actual Megaman storyline and gameplay platformer formula, (Command Mission and Dive and even Battle Network are examples, even X7 to some degree is too deviated) but many of us don't like that and have every right to complain.
I think these mobile games are just to be cheap so they don't have to invest as much into a MM game and go big screen. If mobile, better to just do it on a hybrid system like Switch, though I play on Steam. Hybrid vs stuck on puny handhelds is actually a smart method of release, but best if it is multi-platform MM11 style, but also 'made' around the gameplay of a big screen and gamepad and scales resolution on the big screen while filling up the full screen aspect ratio neatly, like MM should be.
MML3 tried to also be cheap and go exclusively handheld. That probably contributed to it getting canned. If they do bring it back, at least it is likely it will get the MM11 multi-platform treatment vs forcing me to use a 3DS emulator with a custom gamepad that fits my hands (X box 360 controllers online are good) and being low res.
@Gary Daniel
DeleteWhen MML3 decided to make a new character Barret center stage, it seemed they were repeating the Axl debacle. I can't speak for everyone, but can't say I miss that particular choice.
@Shrap; I think Barret was supposed to be used just until Volnutt got off Elysium (which is not the moon), then I think Volnutt was supposed to take over the rest of the game if not be a switchable character. I thin I recall that back in 2011 when keeping an eye on their Dev board.
DeleteThe bigger problem with Barret is that there was no sign Tron Bonne was playable, leading to there being, again, an X7 situation if not worse, with one playable character being totally absent from playability. I feel like an X4-type dual campaign system would have worked best.
DeleteOr they could have started the game with a cutscene showing Volnutt and the others being rescued off Elysium, so we get Volnutt from the start as it should be.
Delete@Gary Daniel Okay then. That really is how it should be. Maybe scrap Barret's playability entirely in favor of a dual campaign pair of Volnutt and Tron. After all, Proto Man and Zero weren't initially playable, either.
Deletehuh, this actually doesn't look bad visually!
ReplyDeleteIt's neat to me how the Ver. Ke X design, something which started life as an April fool's joke, has taken on a life of it's own almost, and now shows up fairly frequently in X media
ReplyDeleteI'll be waiting for that April Fools Sigma Ver. Ke to come out. That might not be for a long time, though.
DeleteHm. Well aside from the music being a straight rip from Xhollic and the whole thing sorta looking like a machinima, it doesn't look to bad. Action is nice anyways.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about all the ranting above but I mean, what did you expect? lol
Most of the story for the megaman franchise has been told already, either in-game or in some other form of media. And the points that are not, Capcom doesn't WANT to cover. Why? Because they want to leave that area open for any possible reason to make a new game or series that they can branch out from.
So sadly, I don't expect that we will be getting a X9, or L3 or Zx3 or anything similar like it for a long while, or it won't be in any way that most here would want.
Simply because there isn't much of a point to do it, and if they did try to do it, it would only end up doing more harm than good.
You want X9? OK, why?
To play as X? Go play Xdive or the Xcollection or something with him in it.
No you want the story? Why? Most of us should already know what's gonna happen in the timeline anyways.
That's not true you say? They could choose a different path?
Yes they could. Maybe they make it so the X series doesn't follow the Zero series and branches off. Maybe there are 2 or 3 different timelines.
And in so doing they'd more than likely split the fanbase and cause an uproar over it. Half who love it because it affirms what they believed, the other half crushed and vehemently hate the game to the point of either choosing to ignore it or outright trying to boycott it, lol.
And you say, no this isn't true! But half of us would(because I know I would) if they made it somehow canon that Zero woke up and killed Megaman in between Classic and X.
(Seriously if you don't believe this is true, look back on x5/x6/x7. Half of us still don't want to admit the X series continues past X5, lol)
Moreover considering that most who know megaman still struggle with that piece of lore, just shows its a niche group in a niche group you are wanting them to cater to.
OK, so no story, just give me another X game like MM11.
Again, why? Just for everyone to try and make it fit in the timeline somewhere, or be upset that it explains nothing or be mad that it does and not in the way we expected or wanted it.
So what do you do? Making a new game is a beast of a challenge no one really wants to tackle. They don't want to run the risk of igniting the fanbase(we all remember L3 for that) but they gotta make a game or do something.
Well the mobile market is more or less untapped by Capcom in any big way. Most people use a phone to do stuff...
Easy to make game that way..
If it pisses someone off, they won't play it or consider it canon because it's mobile..
Hhmmmmmmmm...
In any case, Capcom needs more new people to get into megaman imo, so it can be more popular, so they can afford to make a more niche game for lore buffs like me.
If this is a upcoming trailer for XZ, cool, I like it. It needs work to be sure and I'd like to see some actual gameplay before I pass judgment on it, but hey, it's a good, quick fight. And I'm interested to see where it'll go.
i won't play xdive because xdive is a gacha and i have already mastered even my least favorite X games, even the GBC ones.
Deletethe story is wanted because X8 needs a conclusion, even if i despise X8's story - it was an obvious cliffhanger, and stories without a conclusion are unsatisfying to anyone. you don't need to warp the conclusion to do something creative with the story, it's a poor excuse - pretty sure that when X4 mentions "the future" and "the battle of two great hunters", it was already planned before X5, yes? didn't stop X5 from having lots of fun with it's story - just look at the sheer existence of dynamo.
split the fanbase? they already did that many times. most X games split the fanbase, 7 and 8 split the fanbase, ZERO games split the fanbase, ZX games split the fanbase, so what? since when did they even care about that?
any story idea can be made good with a good approach and a good writer.
i despise X8's story, so what? i still know that people like it, so why does a story suddenly deserve to be forgotten just because "well you see some people don't like it, half even, my source, uhh"
oh brilliant, a shallow game built on probably another decade old engine that is bait over substance, oh it will bring in more people that will bring in easy money without much care, oh it will definitely be great for some more money for ol' CAPCOM, lovely!
shame i don't want to sink in that mediocrity. and you know what happens when someone doesn't like something a company offers? they don't buy it, and then they express their negative view about the product. curious, really.
-shrugs- whatever works for you man, go for it, lol.
DeleteI'm not saying I agree with Capcom's current stand, don't get me wrong at all. I'd love a good numbered title anyday, everyone here would.
The sad fact is though, Capcom painted themselves in a corner and they don't really know how to get out of it. I don't know if they even want to.
Would any story that resolved the cliffhangers or answered questions or did something be better than nothing? Probably, but the bottom line is the game will more than like make half the fanbase upset or mad and they won't want to get it. They need to do something new and they either don't know how or are too scared at what the backlash will be if they try. X7 is a prime example of that, they tried something new and it bit them for it.
They want money, plain and simple. They want to make something that will justify putting it out there and get good enough ratings to make whatever they spent on making the game and then some. As much as I'd love an X9, most of us are split on the X series as a whole, the fanbase is shaky at best and if we are saying the new game sucks, no amount of pr is gonna save it to get them the green.
Look at MN9 for an example lol. And I don't even think that game is half bad either lol.
And I mean really, you're telling me right now, you'd love an X9 that was no better or heaven forbid, worse than x7?
You're gonna buy that and tell everyone else to get it too? You're not going to bash it and demand better? Lol
This really even isn't about story in the long run. This is more of a "can they make a game the fanbase will like and can appeal to new players?"
MM11 was the sort-of answer to that and sadly, the gacha games and simple stuff is what's cheap and easy to make a buck. I doubt they are really wanting to put cash into something that's more than likely to not do great. I mean, that's supposedly why they canned L3.
And who knows, maybe I am totally wrong here too. For all I know they've done their research and work and are planning to one day out out a really showstopper of a game that makes X7 and X8 and everything else all worth it. And I really hope that they do, because I love the Megaman series as a whole.
But with Capcom pushing more into stuff like Fully Charged, XDive, XOver and XZ, I sorta think they want to move on from what they have already established and do something new, while trying to save a much money as possible. I don't know if they will include the X series or the rest of them either. Here's hoping~
People who defends Xdive or any Gacha game by extension are either whales who love getting psychologically abused or Capcom employees trying to convince us to join the milking machine.
Delete@JoshLight
DeleteDude, most of those who request X9 want to see what really happened to Axl (and maybe learn about his forgotten past if it happens), or want to see this cliffhanger at the end of X8 finally lead somewhere and not timeskip, like, 100+ years into the future.
We don't need to experience Elf Wars.
All we need is a conclusion to that cliffhanger or to Axl's character arc.
The idea that mobile (gacha specifically) grow the fan base is a logical fallacy.
DeleteTheir entire purpose is to milk as much money from hardcore, obsessive compulsive fans.
@Anon: XDDDD Did you just call people who play Xdive whales who enjoy torturous games? ....like most of the Megaman series as a whole? lol. I mean...points for being correct! I mean don't get me wrong, if you don't like Xdive, don't play it, duh. I'm not advocating Xdive by any means, but that's some funny stuff right there XD
Delete@JazzCommentsStuff: IIIIii...do not. tbh I don't really care much about Axl. Apart from him probably getting axed or something later due to Lumine's power getting transferred, that's probably about all I care for.
But I mean, don't misunderstand, I am not saying I want X9 to dive into the Elf Wars or anything. While admittedly, that'd be cool, a game that did just focus on ending Axl's arc or something would be perfectly fine. But you'd then be trying to sell a game to the public that's not OG megaman, but the X series and it's not directly about X, but about Axl. Sorta see the problem there? You ask most anyone or show them a pic of X or EXE or any one of the others and the answer you'll usually get is, "Yeah that's Megaman." So, trying to put a game out there that's about X, is harder because most people want Megaman. And ok, that's fine, that's why we fans pick up the game, yeah? But tbh, I don't care all that much about Axl. I really don't. He's cool I guess and fine. He's grown on me over the years sure, but make X9 and base it around him again like X7, and I'm gonna not like the game. Will I get it? sure, probably. Will I sing it's praises? Probably less. Which means most of the good of the game boils straight down to gameplay. And if they screw it up or don't and keep it the same as say, X8, then they have all but reached normal. They've made a new game, I am happy with, but don't love. It's not a showstopper of a game that blasts X4 or X1 or X8 out of the water by a long mile, so sales for the game are average at best. Why make it then?
And what's worse is what if they do something that makes me hate the game? Say, Axl somehow kills X or something that completely screws with the story I've grown up loving. Now I wish the game never existed and I'm fighting everyone for if it's canon or not. So the game suffers more. And you go, "so? They made it. Who cares what you think?" And you'd be correct, but we're back to square 1 with Xdive and all of the new mobile games we got, but here, if I don't like Xdive or XZ, etc., it doesn't matter as much. I just don't play. Someone out there likes gacha games and the like. And they don't mind shelling out the cash for it too. The story isn't screwed around with or messed up, because anything that happens, can be considered non-canon to the main story. So alls good.
Butttttt of course, no one is still really happy. XD Anddd that's where I think we are with the Megaman series as a whole, right now. Which is why my hopes for a numbered title like X9 remain more dim than most, I guess.
Again, don't get me wrong. I'd LOVE and X9 to come out. I really want it. And at this point, I don't really care what the storyline is, so long as I get to play as X again. But, my current money is on that we'll be seeing more games like XDive and XZ before we see something like X9.
@Sharp: I mean...yeah I guess so? But I mean pachinko and gacha games are and have been very popular in the East and that popularity is slowly spreading over here. You can argue if it grows a fan base or not, but I mean Genshin Impact, has a nice fanbase and its a straight gacha with it's characters.
Also XD wow, nice replies! Didn't think I'd get that many. Hi everyone!
@Josh
Delete"But I mean pachinko and gacha games are and have been very popular in the East and that popularity is slowly spreading over here"
It's not so much popular as addictive. I know, I've been there with FFRK until I quit out of annoyance. Free to play player (herinafter referred to as f2p), of course, I am not stupid enough to fund this bullshit.
The f2p spends no money on this product by definition. So, a theoretical new f2p demographic STILL requires a console game or physical merch to make a profit. The gacha game will only make money off of a select few people who are, sadly, addicted. The only way these games are profitable is for those people to spend THOUSANDS of dollars EACH on one digital, temporary content engine.
At the end of the day, this "game" will be cancelled, all your money wasted and all that content lost with nothing more than a screenshot to remember it by, IF one is smart enough to even think that far ahead. Such is the fate of the Gacha.
Like @Gearz mentioned above, service games are an increasing problem that is out of control, and seriously needs to die. I remember a time I could play solitaire without ads or having to watch an unskipable 30 second movie in between rounds. A game I would have to pay an annual fee just to shut up.
@JoshLight
DeleteSorry, but liking Axl is my internet identity and I got into the series because I happened to see him on the cover of X8.
Really, he had just attracted me and this is how I dove into this rabbit hole XDDD
I don't mean that we need X9 to be about Axl only. We can have a game that splits the screentime between all three of the main protagonists equally. It have already been done in X8! (as much as I grown to not really like X8's story because of its atmosphere for most of the game and the rest of it being full of revelations and shock content (Lumine's death)... For some reason, X7's stills just felt much more alive than X8's dialogues at the base)... and it was done before in X5 - it was focused on the entire conflict for most of the game and eventually got pretty personal with X and Zero close to its end. I might be wrong but I haven't seen a lot of people hating on it and I think this story would've been a beautiful ending to the entire series if X6 didn't happen.
Really, Axl had his spotlight in X7 already. As much as I joke about wanting a prequel side-game about his time at Red Alert (because self-irony), all he really needs is to get his arc wrapped up and stop being stuck in a coma for 15+ years. I don't even care how it will end and if his forgotten past will get revealed - all I need is that cliffhanger to end and then I should be happy.
I can't say for everyone, but personally, yeah, I will be fine with that, whatever happens. I'm ready.
Also, I do respect other people's opinions and I'm not trying to attack anyone. Your wording in the original message just made me freak out and I understood what you meant once I saw your replies.
I know about general public, but my main complaint with DiVE isn't even the Gacha element. My main complaint was the way how it treats the characters. Sure some of them are just side characters, but I still can't forget how they turned Pallette into a psychopath in June Bride event and no one even said she was acting weird - everyone accepted it like it always was the case. Now, do you know what newcomers will think about her only (at the point of writing this) story appearance? And how many people will get to X8 with the mindset set by DiVE? They will keep in mind that first impression and won't forget it, because the first impression is everything for most of the people and I'm really afraid that DiVE can rewrite other side characters in the same way eventually. But until that happens, I'm fine with people getting interested in Rockman through DiVE since they can discover something really nice through this entry point.
It was too long so I had to split it XD
DeleteI understand your point of being afraid they can rewrite the history they're already disrespecting at times with DiVE (at TIMES, not ALWAYS), but I don't think they can literally kill of the namesake of the series before he actually passes within the story. Not only it will literally make EVERYONE angry (even the newcomers because they can try to get into the franchise and THEN discover that X technically passed away 100+ years later), it also will destroy any love people had towards the character who murdered him, even if it wasn't really him (And Capcom actually tries to make Axl seem really nice - not only he appears in the story as soon as chapter 2, but he also has White Day alt so sweet that it makes my teeth ache only by looking at his intro).
I don't think they will be that crazy. I don't think they can pull this off. It almost happened once in Zero 1, but that got changed just before the release because they were respecting a really harsh backlash about Zero murdering the real X who had gone insane. I know a lot can change in 20 years, and I know that Inti is not Capcom, but I can hardly believe into something like this UNLESS there'll be multiple endings in the game itself and they will pull out Luminous Avanger iX on us (which I didn't really like, but I don't have much against it. It's neat, I'm not just too fond of the story they made - it felt weaker than previous offerings)
OK this message is getting too lon. I should stop XD
@shrap
DeleteModel rips and gameplay footage can also show what the game was like.
@Austin Reed
DeleteWhat? I legit have no idea what you are referring to.
As in, The Models Resource and sites like that.
Delete@Austin
DeleteAre you referring to ripping assets from X DiVE as a way to preserve your record that you even spent all that money and built your roster? Yea, I guess you can do that, if you have the time/tools/talent. Hardly recompense for your expense, requiring piracy to get something out of it, no?
"We don't need to experience Elf Wars.
DeleteAll we need is a conclusion to that cliffhanger or to Axl's character arc."
There is no reason to think an X9 would be the conclusion since the Maverick wars can go on well into 22XX before an Elf Wars, nevermind the X8 dialog said after they stopped producing copy reploids right after X8, years later, production started up again. So, many years can go by after X8 and X9 and could easily fight more games in there between X8 and Elf Wars. Most likely, X9 would continue the battle against copy reploids, but consider even though Sigma's consciousness is gone, the virus and Wily's awareness is still out there. Wily can still work behind the scenes vs both Sigma and Wily. A real conclusion would be finally fighting some obvious viral form of Wily vs him in a not so obvious fashion sharing the Final Sigma W body with Sigma (duel possession since they both live on through the virus) since the skull remnant motif was called ?? and not Sigma, Sigma said 'feel our combined rage', it is called Sigma / W, indicating you are fighting both, and other clues indicating in that moment, Wily was saying 'drop dead', it was not Sigma in that scene. Wily is called ?? when he leaves the Isoc body, and also when telling Zero to wake up after the shuttle crashes.
Anyways, later right before the Elf Wars, Wily can be deleted along with the virus by Mother Elf, if not deleted before that like Sigma's mind was in X8. If the virus is deleted, assuming Wily's mind is still alive in there at the time, the Mother Elf would have erased him along with the virus, though it is possible when she turns into Dark Elf, that is the virus taking hold of her and resurfacing, hence the purple color.
This definitely speaks to me louder than X Dive, being a single player experience with focus on narrative. The graphics remind me a bit of Genshin Impact tbh.
ReplyDeleteI like that the game is trying to tie in the X series to the Zero series, something that Capcom never dared to do before (tie any series directly to another).
@JoshLight
ReplyDelete"Most of the story for the megaman franchise has been told already"
You don't know that. Most fans has self inserted in their minds that the timeline in the X series is close to breaking into the Elf Wars, but for all we know, that could still be a long time apart from the series previous entry. If classic could have a total of 11 games and still feel like there's no close approach to the X series, why can't we do the same for X?
"they want to leave that area open for any possible reason to make a new game or series that they can branch out from."
I can see where you're coming from, but Zero and Battle Network did give us a conclusion just opens the idea that not every Megaman series needs to end on cliffhanger endings. Legends 2 and X9 for example, has the biggest offense in terms of leaving its characters in a kind of limbo. We want to see what happens to Axl, as well as wanting Volnutt off the moon to fight a potentially immanent threat (the Elder system). At least with games like Classic, they end on a way where things feel tied up, any classic game could be considered "the final entry" and it works.
"You want X9? OK, why? To play as X? Go play Xdive or the Xcollection or something with him in it."
Can't speak for everyone but for me, I want to see what happens to Axl. I want to see where that potential plot element goes. Apart from story, I'd love to see new Maverick boss designs, new armors and hear new music. XDive doesn't really offer any of that...let's be honest, apart from the few costume designs and reskins, Xdive doesn't offer really anything new. I believe it even mostly just reuses a lot of similar tracks? It's just boring.
"Most of us should already know what's gonna happen in the timeline anyways."
So? We still can't throw in a few surprises? We may know how things will end for that timeline, doesn't mean we knew about Lumine's uprising and the concept of new generation reploids during the war. X9 could easily continue that idea or even throw in a new temporary threat. Not every X game's plot needs to be big in scale, some of the games dealt with smaller conflicts. I like my grand stories, but I don't mind the few "episodic" moments either.
"In any case, Capcom needs more new people to get into megaman imo, so it can be more popular"
That's what many of us thought they were doing with Megaman 11, reintroducing a brand to a new generation. And hey, I think it worked. A have a few younger siblings who fell in love with Megaman just by playing 11, and apart from the games new mechanic - they stuck to their roots and it worked! You don't need to alienate your old fanbase and cater to an over saturated and un-innovated market with, frankly, unhealthy mechanics. Sometimes you just need what works with a fresh coat of paint with enough thought and care.
@Gearz "You don't know that......why can't we do the same for X?"
DeleteYou are correct! But, like with Zelda and other similar games, most of the fanbase tries to pinpoint where the timeline is based on facts we get in game. A lot of those point to X8 being towards the end of 21XX. That doesn't give a lot of room before MMZ in 22XX. But it's not impossible, this is true.
"We want to see what happens to Axl, as ...."the final entry" and it works."
Iii do not, as far as Axl goes anyways, tbh lol. I mean, his cliffhanger at the end of X8, yeah sure. But I don't really care past that tbh lol.
L3, yes. Please! But again, sadly the problem that's a bit different with X or Legends than the Classic series, is that most people don't really know who they are apart from, "that's megaman". Anyone who's not a big fan of the Megaman series only looks at Volnutt or X and only see Megaman. So trying to make a game like L3 or X9 to get new people into the game is hard enough yeah? Well, try doing that while the game's story is at the end of the series! Because anyone new who might be interested has to play(for example) L1 and L2 for most of L3 to make any sense to them.
So what? I'm a fan, I will buy it right?
Yeah, but sadly we have another issue. There's a lot of megaman fans who like megaman or X, but don't like Legends or BN. So you're making a game to sell almost solely to the current fanbase and of that fanbase, you're selling to only those that like that sub-series.
Not a great way to make money, lol. And sadly this holds true for X9, ZX3, etc.
"Can't speak for everyone but for me, I want to see... XDive doesn't really offer any of that..."
Yep! Again, I'm not really advocating Xdive here lol. I would much rather see what happens to Axl and I'd love to see new bosses, armors and music, etc. But that costs a loott of money. And Capcom is generally not into doing that on something they know won't make a good return.
"So? We still can't throw in a few... but I don't mind the few "episodic" moments either."
I also agree. But again, you gotta keep in mind that making game after game of the same stuff in an "episodic" format will get stale quick. The history of the X series is a testament to that in of itself. Heck, BN6 ended their series and I still know of people who want a BN7, lol. I mean, this isn't even an issue with megaman alone. look at Halo. Halo4 and 5 burnt the series badly imo. Continuing a series is good, but there's also a time to end stuff too.
"That's what many of us thought they... with a fresh coat of paint with enough thought and care."
I pretty much agree 100% on this. I do think it is possible for Capcom to make a new Megaman game that can cater to the long-time fans and appeal to new people as well.
Now, do I think X9 is that game? Uhh... The problem with it is that X9 has a lot riding on it. With having to either continue the story, or not, trying to make it new and fresh for new players, but everything long-time fans want aanndd somehow make Capcom some cash so they want to make yet another megaman game is uh well...difficult.
It's why I don't outright discount XZ or even Xdive based on small info that we get. I mean, that vid up there is showing me something that could be a connection between the X and the Zero series. It could be pretty good. ...Or maybe it's just a crossover with nothing to it at all. Who knows? But I do want to try and at least wait and look at gameplay, see what it is before I outright bash it. And at the end of the day, if you don't like it. Cool. Who knows, I may be right there beside you and we can all hate on it together lol.
People mainly want to see what happens between the BN and SF series, which remains the most mysterious of all series transitions. We do see derelict PETs in one Star Force game, and the first game had barely-sentient NetNavis designed for specific functions. What reduced them to this?
DeleteThank God it never came out.
ReplyDelete