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Promotion for Amazon Prime Video’s animated anthology series Secret Level is ramping up. A new poster featuring the show's main cast from various video game franchises has been revealed online. Chief among them is Mega Man, giving us our first and possibly best look at the show's interpretation of the Blue Bomber yet. While primarily inspired by the classic series, the design incorporates elements from the X series, Legends, and possibly even Star Force (the visor?).
We'll be learning more about the Mega Man episode of Secret Level in the coming days and weeks. Expect a new trailer, some clips, and announcements about the voice cast as early as this weekend.
Secret Level premieres on December 10th, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
...sigh. Never ending brand confusion. Capcom just can't help themselves.
ReplyDeleteMega Man is only used as a cross-media image brand for petty cash these days. The whole schtick is “blue guy with gun arm.” There’s no confusion to be gleamed by the general public cause any context about the series doesn’t really exist anymore since Capcom won’t produce new content.
DeleteMega Man in 2024 is just a nostalgic idea that gets sold to us over and over.
i pray that they're using mega man for crossover content a lot recently because they want to build hype and get his name back out there for a new game
DeleteTo October 17, 2024 at 12:44 PM
DeleteOkay downer.
@12:39
DeleteI like how it’s not even a debate. It saddens me that this is the rebuttal.
@12:39 am, Okay Capcom shill.
Delete@11:19 AM Different anon here, it's not a debate because you pessimists aren't taken seriously anymore. Even when things actually do happen all you do is continue to see the worst and ignore the upsides of what is happening. Merch comes out, you complain that it's not something more. Surveys to gauge market potential and get fan feedback happen and you dismiss it as nothing or call it a cash grab... somehow. Cross promotions happen and you complain it's not a game. Collections come out and you complain it's not a new game. New games such as X DiVE come out and you complain it's not the kind of game you wanted because it's a mobile game. They re-release it as X DiVE Offline with the mobile aspects removed which is quickly becoming a fan favorite spinoff comes out and you complain it's not main series and spread outright lies and misinformation about what the game is while openly admitting you refuse to even try it. Capcom quite literally says they have plans for the main series, and you still claim that it will never happen as though you are future seers and mind readers or Capcom insiders despite it being quite clear as day you are neither of these things. Nothing is ever enough, and despite all that has happened you still bully and belittle those who can see the upsides and aren't just negative nancie's.
DeleteSo no, there is no debate, because the debate has been had already and those of us who aren't inflicted with the same relentless jaded pessimism you have no longer take all of you seriously. We have better things to do with our lives than to waste time pointlessly trying to convince those who religiously believe nothing will ever come from this series again otherwise. Nothing will ever be enough for you and we know that already, so what would be the point of retreading that same ground all over it again? There isn't one. Capcom is going to do what they are going to do regardless of any words spoken here. All that there is to be said on the matter has been spoken already. The time for debates has passed.
This looks super cool!
DeleteShrap is just a tired old curmudgeon. Don't listen to him and his weak ass bummer vibes.
It's always awesome to see more content and more styles for Megaman ✨
>you pessimists aren't taken seriously anymore
Delete>proceeds to write a wall of text crying
You sure showed him /s.
@11:19am. Nice tirade and projection. Repair that chip on your shoulder why don’t you.
DeleteHere we go… let me run the the gauntlet of your opinion: X Dive Offline isn’t available to console owners. So that point is mute. Not everyone can play it. Collections aren’t new content and for fans there are glaring flaws (input lag, etc). Merch without new core content are empty gestures. And Capcom has never gone on record saying they have actual plans. They’ve only inferred they’re thinking about the future. Vague platitudes.
But whatever. It is what it is. If they don’t make any more games then they don’t make any more games. That’s just a reality we have to live with. But don’t go sitting here in the comments trying to nuke people with text walls who are expressing dissatisfaction with the state of the series. Capcom is using Mega Man as a supplemental cash brand. They say it is a core franchise but it literally isn’t unless you have a core product. Side merch/collabs/mobile-to-PC exclusive ports are not the main attractions of the series.
Looking for forward to you yelling at me again cause I’m not optimistic about waiting another decade or something for a new game. By the time we’re all 60+ in age and retired I’m sure this conversation will be more fun when Resident Evil 33 comes out and you’re still calling me an ungrateful fan or something cause I didn’t buy the SF9 fighters pass that has the Mega Man E-Tank avatar skin.
The pro Capcom anon is the infamous elpizoanon that was so controversial he got himself permanently banned from 4chan. Same writing style, same fan bashing agenda and same excuses for Capcom. Always tries to deceive others into thinking that all the backlash the company got was from legends 3, when in reality it was a combination of various occurrences like all the news of the cancelled games that happened shortly after though the good thing is that no one ever falls for this, but he'll keep trying(and failing) because that's all he does.
DeleteMega Man fans: “Do you have a plan?”
DeleteCapcom: “We have *concepts* of a plan!”
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
@Jack Spore
Delete10/10 post lol
Mega Man is just becoming Mighty No. 9 by Capcom's fault, I really hate corporated companies like Disney. -_- Hope Studio Trigger will adquire and foster the whole IP franchise like they did with Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt to complete the 2nd season. I know Trigger is know for rescuing some IP animes from now-dead Gainax, just imagine if Capcom would be bankrupt in the future (like Gainax) and Tigger would rescue only the Mega Man IP franchise.
DeleteErr, they could -make- an anime, but MM isn't really an anime IP, even if it has some anime to its name./
Delete@RS Proto Man
DeleteI know isn't an anime IP. But I feel worried if Capcom leaves it in the trunk of forgotten memories.
@rs proto man, the series has always had a anime art style though especially in the older Japanese commercials and there were a few attempts at Mega Man anime in the past like the 90s ova episodes from Japan, Super Adventure Rockman game on PS1 and Saturn, the anime cutscenes in 8, x3,x4. Tons of manga in the 90s as well so I'd say it's long overdue at this point.
Delete@2:12 AM I might be confused, then, because if Capcom goes bankrupt, they might sell off their IPs. If we're talking about games (and maybe we aren't and that's why I'm confused) then it wouldn't be Trigger or Gainax or Madhouse etc who would be making it.
DeleteArt style is a different matter, of course.
@RS Proto Man
DeleteYeah, you're right to say.
Yeah, nah.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I don't like this design.
DeleteAiight, I can rock with it. I'm down for this interpretation. Lookin forward to see what they do!
ReplyDeleteI get making adjustments for the sake of an adaptation, but I feel like at some point you go so far off the source that it kind of defeats the purpose.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I don’t see what is so hard about staying true to the source material with character design. Not everything needs a redesign.
DeleteExecutive meddling, if I had to guess.
DeleteWhat are you guys talking about?! This design is pretty cool, and I can't wait to find out who's voicing him!
ReplyDeleteLooks a bit too gritty for me, personally.
DeleteThe design is terrible, it's basically bad boxart Mega Man all over again.
DeleteThey use an AI image as profile picture, they have no say about design. They cannot properly review it without having consumerist takes about it.
DeleteUuuuughh, AI... 😖 The worst thing ever used in industries.
DeleteThe design sucks, there is no reason they couldn’t have just stayed true to the source material. Bad box art Mega Man 2.0 basically.
DeleteDied 1989, Born 2024
ReplyDeletewelcome back Mega Man 2 US Boxart Mega Man
I think he looks pretty cool, though I understand if it’s too “MCU-ish” for some. Personally, the most questionable thing in the poster is Armored Coreanu Reeves going barefoot to the immediate right.
hell yeah
ReplyDeleteHell no.
DeleteHell meh.
DeleteThe core elements that identify this design as Mega Man are handled pretty well, the only real nitpicks I have are that the buster is too long and not rounded enough (it looks like something you'd see in Metroid, not Mega Man) and the visor takes away from the "Mega Man" feel. Other than that, it's a pretty solid design.
ReplyDeleteThis looks nothing like Mega Man, this weird trend with having to redesign characters for media needs to stop. Either do it right or don’t do it at all.
DeleteThat looks like another cancelled FPS project Capcom has cancelled.
DeleteThis looks similar to Ultimatemaverickx's Mega Man 9 custom cover art design
ReplyDeleteI know it's a bit silly to say, but it's actually the changes to the helmet aside from the visor kind of bother me more. I always liked the smooth, clean look of Mega Man's helmet, but all those added ridges and "details" to the fins end up making the helmet itself ironically look more generic to me. For whatever reason.
ReplyDeleteI’m wondering if this episode will try to cover the gap between Classic & X…
ReplyDeleteIt won't.
DeleteAbsolutely not, that would be a disaster. A crucial event on a crossover? On the other hand, Capcom could be insane enough to do it.
DeleteI think, the TV series would get a 2 to 3/5 score for medriocity and lack of audience by the Mega Man one.
DeleteThe art here doesn't match the same vibe that the footage from the trailer did, so I don't think it'll reflect the final product very well.
ReplyDeleteI think the harsh orange lighting is also throwing off the look. I’ll withhold my judgement until we see it in proper motion.
DeletePrefer the X lore storylines than the og megaman lore. It'll tank with most casuals and maybe the fans too. X and zero and that lore have more potential to make it a hit
ReplyDeletePreferences are fine, but I disagree about the supposed potential.
DeleteI would argue the Classic series characters and lore is absolutely comparable to to the X series, at least when talking strictly about potential. I feel the Classic series tends to opt for a more "Saturday morning cartoon" feeling when actually presenting its story. But that doesn't mean the potential isn't there.
I disagree to be honest. Classic is usually more light hearted but there's still fantastic storytelling potential as seen with the Archie Comics series. It even showed that the Classic series still works wonderfully with some somewhat darker elements injected in to contrast the usually more light hearted tone while still being able to have those more wholesome and light hearted moments. I'd recommend giving it a read if you haven't already, but the abrupt ending just as the Protoman arc is getting really good is a bit of a downer.
DeleteThey’re apples and oranges, both have advantages the other doesn’t. Though I’d argue the 20XX series is better for “normies”, since it directly involves and is about robots and humans interacting in the (mostly) modern, human world, which feels more like a story that uses its own premise. The X series, for all intents and purposes, is a world with only robots. Humans are mentioned, but have no agency to the plot besides Dr Cain, and he’s been MIA since ‘97. Not that Secret Level couldn’t do that premise justice, but I understand why they made the choice they did, and have faith in the episode.
DeleteThe visor looks more "Captain N" than Star Force
ReplyDeleteI can't unsee it. :(
DeleteJust needs to be colored green and have the same voice actor as Mega Man in Captain N.
DeletePack-a-day smoker's voice is how he's often described.
Delete@RS Proto Man, I can’t unsee this or stop visualizing this Mega Man with the smoker voice.
DeleteIf they keep that Astro Boy heart that MegaMan has at its core, this should be successful. The design here is decent, but the different design in the promo video is likely more accurate to what we will see in the finished product since that animation is done. I’m hopeful that this will showcase the Blue Bomber well. Still, I wish Capcom would hold this character with more reverence than they do.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know what you're talking about. Rock's personality is similar to Astro's, but different in some ways. I hope there's gonna be moments in the episode where he's showing off his kind personality.
DeleteMeh
ReplyDeleteYeah, Americans made the worst mistakes ever they made. -_-
Deletetrue ruby spears is not that bad tho
Delete@Rockman87, that's true and at least with Ruby spears Mega Man you could still tell right away he is Mega Man and still looks 1,000 times more like Mega Man than whatever this is supposed to be.
Deleteyeah
DeleteEh, I think Secret Level and Ruby Spears are pretty comparable. Secret Level has a visor, Ruby Spears has a diamond instead of a square. Secret Level has body armor, Ruby Spears has Bandai Power Ranger muscles. Both have weird busters…
DeleteOh wait, Secret Level doesn’t have *nostalgia*, THAT’S the difference!
How is that comparable? I'm confused.
Delete@ RS Proto Man, it's not comparable at all. He just has some weird bias against RS Mega Man.
DeletePeople are worried that this deviates too much from Mega Man yet I don’t see anyone talking about the dystopian Pac-Man design they’ve teased.
ReplyDeleteAlso, is that Concord episode still happening in the show?
No one's talking about Pac Man because this isn't a Pac Man fansite.
DeleteBecause no one cares about Pac-Man’s character/world (he has none). It’s like if you made a dystopian version of the Coco Puffs bird: strange, but ultimately irrelevant.
DeleteAnd I doubt they’d cut an episode just because the game is bad, they’ve probably already finished it. Though I couldn’t tell you if a Concord character is in the group shot, haha.
To be fair, there's not really a lot to say about that Pac-Man. Since they just went with the sphere design, but made of metal and with teeth. It's still recognizeable as Pac-Man in the sense that anything that looks like that shape can be Pac-Man. I think you'll hear more about it depending on what they decide to do with it.
DeleteAlso a character from Concord is above the first "L" in the word level on the poster, so presumably that is still happening.
Pac-Man does have a world and lore. It's just that majority don't bother. This version could go either way, but it does look out of place.
DeleteThat Pac-Man design they used is the stuff of nightmares. They could have just easily used his design from Smash Bros or Pac Man world.
DeleteI liked the game "Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures" but maybe I should be glad I'm out of the loop on this one.
DeleteNah I need a Megaman Legends animated series.
ReplyDeleteMonkey paw.
DeleteI think the Legends community morale is so low, even a curled finger of the Monkey’s Paw would be anticipated, haha.
DeleteThat said, I think a Red Ash video of some kind came out…
I saw it. It was terrible, convenience galore with events in the plot happening for the sake of it, you learn nothing about the characters not to mention Call is unlikeable and it was boring. Inafune should've never started that project.
DeleteBetter the Japanese over the Americans.
DeleteDidn't realize the helmet had a visor until now. Smh..
ReplyDeleteNote: NEVER let Americans produce MegaMan (unless they're fans)
ReplyDeleteAgreed, this looks terrible.
DeleteEven fans can have different ideas of what things can look like, unfortunately.
DeleteI know but I thought somebody would take my comment as racist if I didn't specify it... Specially Americans so...
DeleteHonestly, I find the whole “it has to be made by fans!” perspective to be a glaring double standard. With nearly all toys, cartoons, and 20th century video games, they weren’t made by fans for the first 10+ years of the series. Dare I say, works *not* so extensively made by “fans” usually turn out for the better.
DeleteI’m not saying you should have things made by people who expressly dislike the series, but the inverse can also be disruptive. I’d rather something weird than something normal, because something normal was already made.
I'm an American myself. If someone misinterprets it in bad faith, it says more about them than it does you.
DeleteUnfortunately we never got something "normal" either. Only some OVAs that have nothing to do with the actual plot...
DeleteI know that this should be made by people who knows how to write a story. But they should also know the original material and respect it.
Better Studio Trigger let to made a Mega Man anime, just like the Transformers One trailer one.
DeleteWhy no Studio GIGGEX? They're the responsible staff for making this Shadow Generations short animation series. You never said that "Americans ruin everything", so.
DeleteAny Japanese studio would have done a better job than this and kept the original character design.
DeleteYou do realize that there are crappy japanese studios and good American studios right? Blaming the quality of something on the country it was made in doesn't make sense to me.
Delete@ Megatron X, the last several years the output from American studios has been extremely questionable with maybe a couple exceptions. There is no contest here.
DeleteI disagree but whatever.
DeleteWell.. I think he looks okay i guess?
ReplyDeleteIt really doesn't.
DeleteI'm getting 'The Protomen' feel off the art work, maybe inspired by that and the X series?
ReplyDeleteCool design, but it shoulda been X. OG Rockman should basically be retired at this point. X does literally everything better.
ReplyDeleteThat's just silly elitism that ignores the reality of the Classic series' popularity.
DeleteIt's cool that you have your own tastes but don't impose them to the rest of us.
DeleteI promise you people generally like X more than Classic because Zero is in it and wall jumping is forgiving.
DeleteClassic is good but is mostly as big as it is cuz of Volume (there's more Classic series media than most of the rest of the franchise)
@9:26 AM
DeleteNobody is saying X isn't popular, people just take issue because your "promise" is baseless.
Your argument for Classic only being big because of it's volume leads to cyclical thinking. One could just as easily argue that Classic has the volume it has because it's popular. Not the other way around. No X game has outsold Mega Man 2 for example, and that was before the Classic series had any volume to speak of.
That said, sales aren't everything, and I think Classic and X are definitely comparable. I wouldn't definitively put one over the other, but based on things as they are now, I feel like there's a stronger argument to lean Classic. That said, I think if Capcom really pushed one or the other, that one would be able to pull ahead pretty handily.
But then I feel like you'd also have to bring Battle Network into the discussion if you're talking terms of popularity.
Highly disagree. I like the X series, but I don’t love it like I do the classic series. For multiple reasons.
DeleteThe classic series has less of a narrative, but what it has works great for what it is. Meanwhile I find myself dissatisfied by the X series’ story, as there is a lot we need to infer, especially about the human-element as another person commented.
Tone-wise I vastly prefer Classic. It has its serious moments, but is mostly lighthearted. I can only do war-torn distopia for so long.
Gameplay wise the classic games are all solid. The X series is very inconsistent with its quality. For me I feel like the X games lack the strategy of the classic games. In games like X3 and X5 You are discouraged from tackling the stages in any order, and in games like X1 and X4 the combat often boils down to “which way do you feel like blowing everything up.” That has its own level of fun, but I much prefer the screen-by-screen combat puzzling of the classic series, where ideally weapon effects compliment enemy placements and patterns.
I’m not saying Classic is better, but I’m saying that X is not an upgrade. They are too different in style, tone, and purpose. Out of preference, I semi-regularly replay lots of the classic games, while much less frequently touching the X games unless it’s maybe the 1st one.
This design depends on the story. If he a human in a suit then it's fine. if it's a robot then itll be a bit weird but, not by much as different artwork has always depicted him differently.
ReplyDeleteLooks like shit. Just give us the classic Mega Man design, no need to overthink it. It worked for Sonic
ReplyDeleteWestern studios always pull this crap, it’s like they are allergic to using the original character designs. Funny thing is, Capcom welcomes it when they butcher their characters.
DeleteThey're the worst there is, they want to make "dirty" competition to Netflix. Low scores get em' the pockets when the series will greenlight in 2 months later. When life is not all rosy, of corse.
DeleteWell, Trigger will at least doing a decent design for Mega Man if they will make an anime better.
Prefer Studio Trigger over Amazon for a decent 2D anime adaptation, never watch this upcoming TV series for good... "( – ⌓ – )
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand the negativity behind most of the comments in here. Yes, I get that it doesn't "look like" the original classic series MM and that video game adaptions, for the most part, have been mostly misses. But this is the first "New" Mega Man anything in forever. That alone should be something to get excited about. I'm willing to give the "New Look" a shot.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind, Tim did state this is "A Love letter to Gaming and Gamers" and I have yet to "dislike" anything that has come out of blur studios (Deadpool, Love Death + Robots).
I'm assuming the new look is to attract new fans. I'm here for it. We need something, anything to bring some attention to the franchise. #BePositive
Wasn't something similar said about Fully Charged - that it was something both parents who know of it and their kids could enjoy?
DeleteMaybe I'm just too old for the demographic some of this stuff's targeted towards. FC does have its fans on Tumblr, and lord knows I like Ruby-Spears Proto Man...
DeleteThe difference with Fully Charged is Man of Action were clearly trying to make Mega Man their own thing while using their hero show kind of structure. That didn't work too well but for a select few episodes.
DeleteThis is entirely different... and considering the kind of stuff that was in Love, Death + Robots, that alone has me excited for what could be shown for Mega Man.
Wow, you like Ruby Spears Proto Man? I couldn't have guessed!
Delete@RS Proto Man
DeleteRockman-san's designs are just appealing. :3
Toxic positivity won't fix anything, this is just a one episode appearance of a character that looks nothing like Mega Man. This trend of redesigning a character to appeal to a new audience is a terrible excuse, the original design didn't need to be Americanized like this is the show.
DeleteThat's actually an interesting point of concern for me.
DeleteWe've had comments by what seemed like one angry Fully Charged fan in the past here. They seemed mad at the Mega Man fanbase at large for not supporting it more than they did. I'd say that anger was misplaced for sure, but that's also where the concern comes from.
If they make something that's for "new fans" and don't care to cater to the old, that's their choice. But it's not fair to expect the old fans to blindly support something that isn't "for them" in the words of people who go to bad for these adaptations. But then later you run the risk of getting those fans who did enjoy the new adaptation being upset with the old fans for just that. Especially when there's nothing else to that "version" of Mega Man for those new fans to gravitate towards.
You can't have it all ways. Either you make something to appeal to the long time fans and try to get that to reach a wider audience, or you make something completely new in an attempt to reach a wider audience.
No path is necessarily "wrong" depending on how its done, but if things don't go the way someone wants, the blame should also not fall on the fans, but the ones who are making the decisions behind these adaptations.
I don't even know who I'm directing this comment towards, I just wanted to voice a worry or two I had.
@Megatron X I said that because I'm 99 percent sure some smart aleck was going to say I like a series that is widely panned.
Delete@Anon 5:29: I'd agree if not for Battle Network existing. That series proved how irrational many mainline fans were/are. Battle Network clearly positioned itself as a self-contain, completely ignorable, take it if you like it, leave it if you don't, 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗢𝗙𝗙. Co-existing with the mainline 2D platformer entries (never as a replacement), it simple drew from a lot of the pre-established concepts from the mainline franchise as inspiration for it's unique take. If it failed it fails, if it succeeds it succeeds, if it has new fans or old fans or a mix of the 2 so be it. But there are some that don't even want it to exist, they say some cockamamie excuse about brand dilution or something. As if a spin-off and a mainline entry both being successful at the same time is unheard of in gaming or that a successful spin-off that resonates doesn't actually 𝗔𝗗𝗗 to a brand's power.
DeleteSo that is to say, I don't think a proposition of both having your hypothetical cake and eating it too even if feasible, would appeal to many Mega man fans.
@RS Proto Man
DeleteRuby Spears is widely panned? I didn't know that. Though I also haven't watched the show, so I guess that tracks.
@2:58
DeleteOh! I didn't mean to imply that spinoffs shouldn't or can't exist or anything like that. But I still can't help but have concerns and I don't think I like the idea of handwaving mainline fans concerns as irrational, especially claiming it in past tense and present tense with the "were/are."
First off, the landscape was way different back when Battle Network came out. Right now the brand doesn't feel like it's in a particularly healthy spot be it mainline or spinoff, and that feeds in to the concern that any given project that Capcom puts Mega Man's name on could sink the series for another decade or so if it doesn't do extremely well.
I can only speak for myself, but that's where my concerns come in as far as trying too hard to appeal to a new audience while not doing enough to cater to the old. If Capcom were better at managing the series maybe that wouldn't be such an issue.
To speak beyond just myself, back then it may have been "take it if you like it, leave it if you don't" but right now too many people feel like the series is constantly on its death bed, so people are a lot more on edge about these things.
That's why something like brand dilution shouldn't be completely handwaved either. Though again, that goes back to how Capcom manages the IP.
It makes me think on after Battle Network and Zero, when Starforce and ZX became the face of the brand and neither did particularly well. There wasn't much else going on with the series at the time and those were basically the last times the franchise felt active, so when people chose not to take them, that was it. And now here we are.
As an aside, I would argue that, while Battle Network was wildly different at the time, the things it did to appeal to mainline fans helped it out. Giving the classic series robots new designs as part of the adaptation was one of many great ideas that went into Battle Network and helped it succeed as much as it did. At the very least it certainly didn't hurt. Compared to something like Starforce which is even more its own thing.
Again, not to say that adaptations, spinoffs, or even wholly unique spinoffs can't work, they have before after all. But they also haven't. Which I would personally be fine with, but because the landscape is so different now and the IP doesn't feel healthy, I can't help feeling apprehensive about things like this. Even if I'm just being overly paranoid.
@ 8:45PM: I didn't hand wave the concerns, I hand waved the idea that even if times were good and everything was flourishing, that people would accept everything being successful. That was my point with Battle Network. There's nearly nothing you said outside of that, which contradicts what I said. You're just adding context and clarifying my point further to be honest. The whole idea of my message was to show that there was a difference in context of Batter Network, where both it and the Classic timeline games were coexisting (to a degree). Battle Network did certain things to add to it's success like draw design elements from the original series, sure, I even mentioned that, for example. I'm trying to paint the picture where there was production of the mainline series as well as Battle Network at the same time and both are relatively thriving.... (In fact I think a solid argument can be made that Battle Network injected new life into the franchise, since prior to that it was getting less and less popular year-over-year when it was only the main timeline.) But yet, still people are unhappy. That was my point.
DeleteAnyway the point was the contrast with what is going on here. I am saying brand dilution is context dependent and a valid concern. I am saying that how a series is received overall is a valid concern. But I'm also saying that based on evidences of the past, if we were to get successes in terms of spin-offs and the mainline games, coexisting and also propping each other up, I don't think mainline fans (at least a large proportion of them) would be happy, even if that case were to manifest. I'm saying that they would call any deviation from the mainline games (except Legends I guess, because Capcom shoehorned it into the main timeline story) dilution of the brand, mismanagement or something.
@5:29/8:43
DeleteThis is a good anon, I like this anon.
I’m reminded of how the Sonic series was just a short few years ago. Games were coming out so slowly they lost all momentum (hah!), and were trying to please everyone, ultimately pleasing no one. Though Mania wasn’t perfect, I think it showed SEGA that more focused, eccentric, and smaller games are viable, and now their Sonic output feels more conceptually distinct and relevant, if less mechanically perfect (and mechanical perfection was always overrated for Sonic).
But Mega Man has a distinct problem: *strong* series dilution. A new Sonic game is teased: you see Sonic, you don’t know how he’ll act, how the game will be, what he’ll even sound like. But this actually drives interaction and speculation in the community: if it’s a more lighthearted story, if it’s a boost game, etc. Because it could be a game for *any* part of the fandom, *all* parts of the fandom get excited (if inevitably disappointed). And if the first Sonic movie taught us anything, it’s that no publicity is bad publicity.
With Mega Man, you get a teaser and… it’s 20XX Mega Man in NES land. At that point, a lot of X fans check out, Legends fans, BN fans, etc. Sure, there’s a lot of overlap, not everyone only likes *one* series, but you’ll get a lot less prerelease activity, from what’s already a notably smaller community. Frankly, I’m surprised actual self crossovers with Mega Man have been limited to phone games and a Japan exclusive DS game; this series could benefit from it *way* more than Sonic, where the “Classic” and “Modern” split felt pedantic (some “Modern” characters are just “Classic” versions but taller and with colored eyes. It’d be like MM8 and MM1 Mega Man teaming up!)
@8:45
DeleteRight, sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like I disagreed with the overall point or anything. I guess the context is just where my concerns are and putting them down somewhere is just a way for me to vent.
That said, I think your view of mainline fans is more pessimistic than it maybe should be. There were valid reasons for people to be unhappy back then, and certainly now.
To say the mainline series was thriving back then doesn't seem right to me. For fans of the Classic series, that series had been on hold for nearly a decade by the time Battle Network happened. At the same time the X series had hit around X5 through X8 where quality of the games had quickly become an issue. As an aside, do you consider the X series mainline, or spinoff?
It's not fair to hold those issues against the Battle Network series, but there was reason for mainline fans to be unhappy with how Capcom was doing things back then.
But that's why I think you may have a more pessimistic outlook on that part of the fanbase than perhaps you should. I don't doubt there was issues of elitism and gatekeeping of sorts, since every fanbase has to put up with that to a certain degree, but I choose to think of that as a small vocal minority. I also think there's evidence to suggest the Mega Man brand helped the Battle Network series succeed because mainline fans, or just fans in general, are pretty receptive to different adaptations of Mega Man. There have been multiple successful spinoffs after all.
I think that's where our disagreement lies if anywhere. If we were to get successes in terms of both mainline and spin-offs, I think the vast majority of fan, mainline or otherwise, would be plenty happy. Again, I don't doubt you would get some elitists (which isn't exclusive to mainline fans for the record), but at this point I think most fans would just be happy to have the series feeling active and healthy.
I think the vast majority of every section of the Mega Man fanbase would say it would be ideal if Capcom could support every mainline and spin-off series to the point of thriving. The issue is, they seem to be struggling to thrive with even one.
Which again, brings me to the main point. It's all on Capcom. People are on edge and paranoid about what Capcom is doing with the series because we've been conditioned to think that anything Mega Man related at all needs to overperform for there to even be a chance at a future for the franchise, and that makes people look at things with a lot of scrutiny, even when it isn't needed.
@Megatron X Nowadays, it is. I've heard it was different back then. Biggest issue was that they couldn't move toys, but iirc the problem was distribution wasn't great, so people had a hard time finding them.
Delete@RS Protoman, I remember when I was a kid I had a hard time finding the 5" Mega Man figures. All I managed to find was Cutman, Gutsman and the Air Raider yet the 2" figure double packs were everywhere. So definitely in my area distribution for the RS Mega Man figures wasn't great. I didn't find the rest until years later as new old stock.
DeleteF Battle Network.
DeleteFund Battle Network all day every day. It deserves it. Best series in the Mega Man franchise. It is a good suggestion.
Delete**ck the haters tho.
@10:03 Pm, sure if that’s the series you started off with it’s the best to you. But hey, you think your opinion is fact. It isn’t the best series by a long shot.
Delete@12:43
DeleteOh come on, that was obviously tongue in cheek in response to someone being needlessly rude.
@4:16
DeleteLet Battle Network rot. A bad joke of a series.
**ck the apologists
How bout y'all just let people like what they like and stop putting others down?
Delete@Megatron X, then maybe some people should stop saying their preferred series is the best and all other series suck. The Battle Network guys are notorious for that.
DeleteThey only said that after someone said "f Battle Network", and even then the guy didn't even say "all the others suck" (though he did say **** the haters which is certainly a bit rude). But in any case it's just an opinion, and people should be allowed to have them no matter who disagrees. Like I personally think the Zero series is the best but I understand that not everyone is going to agree with me, and that's ok, it's all subjective in the long run.
Delete@Megatron X
DeleteIt wasn't a simple opinion, @2:58 PM anon is a known unhinged Battle Network sycophant that has trashed other serieses before like Legends. He always goes into irrational defensive rants whenever anyone slightly criticizes Battle Network and even brings it up when nobody mentions it, also he's never respectful so he gets what he deserves. That anon isn't just a clown, he's the entire circus.
How do you know it's actually him and that you're not making an assumption? After all he's an anon just like a bunch of the other users here.
Delete@Megatron X
DeleteBecause he has downplayed the reality of brand dilution before and the weird aggressiveness with the bolded words. Not to mention ridiculous statements like "Battle Network injected new life into the franchise," not explaining how, he just hopes you fall for his narrative. You weren't here in articles from last year when he has repeatedly done the things previously mentioned.
@2:58 PM
Delete"But there are some that don't even want it to exist, they say some cockamamie excuse about brand dilution or something."
Battle Network diluted the brand, that isn't up to discussion. Just because YOU don't like it being pointed out that doesn't change that fact.
"I'm trying to paint the picture where there was production of the mainline series as well as Battle Network at the same time and both are relatively thriving.... (In fact I think a solid argument can be made that Battle Network injected new life into the franchise, since prior to that it was getting less and less popular year-over-year when it was only the main timeline.)"
Pure baloney, Battle Network injected money into itself, that is all. The first game sold the exact same number of units that X6 did, besides the huge vast majority of serieses getting less popular over time is normal. An actual solid argument can be made that its fans don't care about the other serieses anywhere near as much due to them being a completely different genre that doesn't even resemble it and I heavily doubt it increased the number of fans for other said serieses based on empirical data.
"(except Legends I guess, because Capcom shoehorned it into the main timeline story)"
Gee, I don't know anon, it couldn't possibly be that you can jump and shoot like in the other(as minimized the platforming is)? Yes EVEN if it's a different genre it still covers the basics, not to mention that some enemies must be avoided by jumping just like the rest of the franchise(no, not everything can be circle-strafed).
@Megatron X
This is the same guy that argued that it was "less Mega Man" for Volnutt not being able to dash, wall kick, charge shot, slide, Giga Attack, etc. compared to Classic and X, just because. First of all, there's nothing rational about a protagonist of a series being less deserving of being a protagonist for an overall franchise just because he doesn't share the same abilities as the rest(which not to mention since this isn't true between Classic and X either, I guess in his mind X is "less Mega Man" as well, somehow), it's completely arbitrary. Second, this is a false comparison because most of those abilities(except for the wall kick) are ones each respective protagonist DIDN'T start with(Giga Attack is not even a native ability for X, it's only available when each armor set is completed).
Sources:
https://www.vgchartz.com/game/3765/mega-man-x6/?region=All
https://www.vgchartz.com/game/3747/mega-man-battle-network/?region=All
P.S.: They aren't two different timelines, they are two completely different universes and there's no main timeline either.
Calling it now. The character(s) help(s) this Megaman beat a boss, but then Megaman refuses to use the boss upgrades because he has "a lot to prove to himself".
ReplyDeleteWait. I'm thinking of a Captain N-inspired Flash series on Newgrounds, aren't I?
I don't know ARE you???
Delete@Megatron X
DeleteYea'. I had to do some digging, but the creator was MetalMaverick on Newgrounds. I have no idea what the series he made was called because it's been scrubbed from his page.
Anyway, the OC and company go to the first Mega Man X game to defeat Chill Penguin, if I recall. X finds the Dr. Light capsule and downloads the upgrade, but he doesn't equip it. When asked if it worked or not, he just says "It did, but I have a lot to prove to myself," or something like that.
I think the series was canned because of disinterest, because his big-headed, big-eyed art style clashed, or because I was supposed to do an "action-y" cover of One-Winged Angel for him and never did. Oops…
Oh, ok. Thx for providing context!
DeleteDesign looks...interesting. Tbh, it sorta looks like a concept idea before the actual trail came out, which is kinda odd to get now, but ok. Looks like they are taking more ques from the old Megaman ruby-spears cartoon or Captian N to me, but I mean this is supposed to be retro stuff, so eh. We'll see how it stacks.
ReplyDeletelol, nice to see everyone already doom-posting the ep over 1 screenshot lol. betting I could set clockwork to this by now.
Trailer still looked good and while the pic looks...interesting, I'll reserve judgement until after I see the ep. (Tho seriously, that's X's heat trail visor from the Mega X ep. lol if it ends up being colored purple, I called it~)
All in all though, I expect that this will just be something to say, "Hey! Remember that blue robot that loved to jump and shoot way back when? Megaman? All the cool stuff they did with it? That was cool." And that's about it. I doubt this is going to spawn off anything new, past maybe another ep. if people like it. People hoping or afraid that this'll be the stepping stone to a retcon or reboot, or some new game or tv show just for MegaMan, should probably take a step back and breathe for a second lol. Capcom isn't really too into making tv shows without licensing it out to someone else and that almost always goes...sorta sideways. (in fact as I remember that was one of the gripes Inafune had for leaving so~) and there isn't a really good reason to make a new Megaman game for now unfortunately. Enjoy it for what it is, or don't lol.
I agree that Mega Man is least likely to make any impact of the featured brands here. Hell, it was probably one of the lowest bids for the series, up there with Pac-Man and Spelunky.
DeleteBut because of that, I feel like the Mega Man episode will probably be one of the best. God of War, Warhammer, a Chinese mobile game, even Armored Core now, they’ve all got big quotas and goals as series, all big and popular, all with the publisher breathing down their necks. But I get less of that impression with Capcom and Mega Man, at least right now. It feels like one of the most creative choices in the lineup, frankly.
Agreed, which is why I am wanting to reserve judgement on it until after I've seen the episode. Clunkyness, aside from that pic alone, everything else looks nice. And I'm not going in expecting anything AAA or some sort of promise for more. Heck, I'm not even really expecting them to hold up to the lore properly. (That ship sailed on other stuff a loonnnggg time ago lol)
DeleteI'm just expecting something nice and something to try and hit a nostalgic tone.
And hey, they have a metric ton to work with in regard to megaman lore and I very much agree it is one of more creative choice to do something for. If they do wanna really try to hit something cool and imaginative with accurate calls to the game, lore and characters, they made an awesome choice to make it about the Megaman series.
But if they don't, I mean it's not the end of the world. Lol and we already have stuff like captian n's megaman, bad box art mm and a slew of other stuff that's just wonky already. Adding one more oddity isn't going to be the worst lol.
The character design they chose sure isn’t the best.
Delete@Josh, This looks nothing like Ruby spears Mega Man, not sure where you are getting that comparison.
DeleteHonestly, I think he looks like the Mega Man 10 US "box art", but smaller.
Delete@anon check the Mega X ep of the ruby-spears megaman. (Pretty sure it's still on youtube). Helmet straight up looks like X's helmet when he's with megaman looking for Dr.Wily. And tbh, is probably one of the only times I remember megaman or X using a visor on their helmet.
DeleteAt least in this artwork, it's what it reminds me of. Sorta hoping they don't go that route actually though lol.
Josh you are really grasping at straws here, nothing about this design is even remotely close to RS Mega Man. This design having a visor does not even make it remotely similar to X. I grew up with the series so I’ve seen the episodes plenty of times.
Deletelol Me thinks someone needs to go back and watch the show then. Also, I was talking about RS's X's helmet in the RS show when he appears, not Megaman's lolol. Moreover, I said it reminded specifically, me of that ep. and his helmet with the visor on. If you don't see it, congratz to you then lolol
DeleteHonestly I think you need to go back and watch the show, nothing about this design resembles RS at all.
DeleteI'm not seeing it super-well, but I think the orange tint is throwing everything off.
DeleteYou might be on to something. The Captain N/MM2 US designs have more rounded visors, and Star Force is angled the other way. Even the busters are similar, ignoring the lack of nozzle.
ReplyDeleteWe might as well refer to this as gritty Captain N Mega Man, now he needs to be green and have a smoker voice.
DeleteHe also needs to use the word 'mega' in most of his sentences. F me if I'm going to try watching any episodes of Captain N again, though.
DeleteCutsman was kinda funny tbh.
"Cutsman" now I'm just thinking of a combination of Gutsman and Cutman lol
Delete"Cutsman's the name, cutting's my game. And I don't mean HAIR!"
DeleteI imagine it's just gutsman with cutmans colors and head design and with comedically huge scissors ✂️
DeleteYou got the comically large scissors part right.
DeleteNo srsly look up that exact quote. Most of the RM designs in Captain N were rather off-model.
DeleteSmall green bomb man is kinda cute but that's about it. He looks like a little turtle with a mohawk, but I always thought the Ruby-Spears one's face reminded me of a snapping turtle to begin with.
Someone here has to Photoshop this Mega Man into gritty Captain N Mega Man.
DeleteSo I googled captain n cutman, and uh... That's a cutsman alright...
DeleteAlso I didn't realize he called himself cutsman i thought you just misspelled the name lol
DeleteOh no, my friend. I've been aware of this one for quite a while. There used to be an archive of a guy called Big Al and he reviewed that episode. He described the design as "Jack Nicholson meets Brutus "the barber" Beefcake."
DeleteThe archive and Big Al are long since gone from youtube, as far as I know. God this might have been like, 9 years ago at the earliest?
DeleteAlso he pronounces it "cutsmin" which I didn't notice until just now.
DeleteLooks so bad not suprised though.
ReplyDeleteOur beloved franchise will never kept alive in 12 years.
DeleteI’m not either, the amount of people gushing over this bad design is insane to me.
DeleteI don't care , I dig the design, looks like captain n with smash bros 4
ReplyDeleteLooks ugly.
ReplyDelete