At this years Comic-Con fans of the Blue Bomber got a surprise announcement. Not one, but two new Mega Man games are in developement, of which only one was been revealed. Mega Man Universe was a big enough announcement by itself. The trailer shows no gameplay, just a kid dreaming of Mega Man kicking ass in clayamation and 2D forms. It’s obvious that all of our favourite Capcom characters will somehow enter into this – as Mega Man seems to turn into Ryu and Sir Arthur (of Ghosts ‘n Ghouls fame). All in all, Keiji Inafune, Mega Man’s creator (his Dr. Light, if you will), has been rather unhelpful to fans who want to know “just what the hell am I watching?” In a Gamespot interview he was asked “what kind of game is this?,” to which he responded “I can’t say what it is exactly at this point, but the people who I want to play are the fans who played Mega Man games growing up.” I’d say that this is an admission that it’ll be a platforming experience. A big word in Inafune’s vocabulary concerning this game is “imagination,” and this is what has started fan speculation.
Carlos 360 has the coolest hypothesis, with this next installment being inspired by the popular Mega Man 2.5D videos and LittleBigPlanet. Basically, the player can make their own levels and play co-operatively. Frankly, I’d want to see something more like the single-player component seen in the Mega Man 2.5D concept videos, but I don’t think that would mesh with Inafune’s emphasis on imagination as well. I certainly think giving the fanbase the ability to design their own levels is likely to be one aspect of the game – after all, Mega Man Powered Up on the PSP saw that feature. I envision the player being able to be make their own custom Mega Man through a character creator and level creator to create both the bosses and their levels.
As for the unannounced Mega Man game, fan speculation is focusing on a lot on sequels – a new Mega Man Legends, a new ZX, and whatever else have you. Personally, I’d like to see a thematic sequel to Mega Man Network Transmission. It’s one of my favourite recent releases in the Mega Man franchise (yes, last generation is still recent to me) as it was an interesting meld of two dissimilar gameplay styles – the RPG stylings of the Battle Network series with the platforming of the traditional Mega Man title. It had enough metroidvania to be interesting, even if the hub that connected most the levels was a bit too small for me. It doesn’t need to be in the same universe, but I liked the mechanics for choosing one’s battle chip and how some powers were more geared to exploration than combat. Sadly, I doubt it will happen, Network Transmission is not a fan favourite. I feel the best bet for a sequel would be a new Mega Man Legends since fans have been wanting more of that since the last game was released on the original Playstation. I wouldn’t be disappointed if it is, I loved the original game and it seems like the logical niche for a 3D Mega Man game to fill.
If it’s a new game, well, it could be anything. This is one franchise that hasn’t been afraid to reinvent and reassert itself. Each new series under the Mega Man banner sees some new changes and sometimes we’ll see changes within that series (such as Command Mission in the Mega Man X series). This is a franchise that, since 1987, has done platforming, role-playing, kart racing, fighting, adventure, and even a little-known strategy game. Frankly, if the new and unannounced game isn’t a sequel, I don’t want to be guessing what sort of game we’ll be seeing as this is one series that continues to surprise (even after 23 years).
Mega Man Universe is set to hit the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 201X.
