Back in Blue
If you’d have asked me yesterday what the net result of
today’s Mega Man 30th anniversary stream would be; I’d have said a
Mega Man X Collection and a hearty dose of disappointment. Predictions were
running dangerously rampant with hopes of a brand new Mega Man game, and I didn't expect to get that in a million years. But, Capcom came through.
I’ll admit: Mega Man 11 caught me completely off guard. And, well, the
important thing is that it’s real. The
fact that Capcom is actively pursuing development in terms of new Mega Man
games is exciting on its own. In the age of Mega Man Legacy Collections 1&2
(now coming to Switch), it seemed as though a new game was merely a pipe dream.
Luckily, or as many have said, finally, our dream of the next mainline game is realized.
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| It's hard to believe that this game is real |
The most important part of Mega man is the fundamentals, and
it appears that the classic gameplay is intact. The movement looks fluid, and
the slide has returned to Mega Man’s arsenal. The levels look well designed,
and the music in the trailer sounded solid. It seems that Capcom has preserved
all of what makes the Blue Bomber great. Still, I would’ve liked to see a brand-new
mechanic, whether that is a Samus-esque melee counter, or a whole new metagame.
For as aggressively mediocre as Mighty No. 9 turned out to be, the chaining
mechanic looked fun. I would’ve like to see Capcom try and adopt a new mechanic
in that vein. Still, the classic formula is so great that changing it for the
franchise’s revival would be a bit dangerous. I'd rather Capcom sticks to the basics and delivers a great game, than an experimental one that ends up being just OK. We haven’t seen too much of the
game yet, but it doesn’t look as though the mechanics well let us down.
However, what is letting me down is the art-style.
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| Mega Man 11 seems to have the same great mechanics |
Yes, I know that 2.5D graphics are cost effective. However,
that doesn’t make Mega Man 11’s presentation any less, well, average. The
screenshots looked flat and uninteresting, however the gameplay trailer was
much kinder to Mega Man 11. In fact, I’m impressed by the fluidity in the
animations. Likewise, the enemy design looks good too. For as basic as the game looks, Capcom has squeezed all they can out of this art direction, and I bet when I'm cruising through stages, the so-so visuals will give way to the great models and frenetic action. Yet, these things would
look so much better with a different art style.
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| The game's aesthetic doesn't look bad, just really bland |
Mega Man is such a boon for Capcom that I’m slightly baffled
by the fact that they opted for such a low budget presentation. My outside hope
for a new Mega Man game was that Capcom would leverage their partnership with
Wayforward and contract their talent for a Ducktales Remastered-esque art
style. That title’s hand-drawn sprites floored me, and I think Mega Man would’ve
looked absolutely stunning in that style. Even clean 12-bit Shovel Knight-esque
graphics would’ve been preferential to what we ended up getting. As it stands,
I feel that Mega Man’s presentation just looks uninspired.
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| Imagine if Mega Man 11 looked like this instead |
Don’t misconstrue that; I’ve always loved the Blue Bomber
and I have every intention on playing Mega Man 11. The gameplay and chiptune
soundtracks of the original games are impeccable, and still hold up beautifully
today. But, when the series has been away for so long, and returns with a budget
presentation, it’s a bit of a bummer. However, and I mean this in the best way
possible, it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing. While Mega Man 11 is
incredibly exciting, in my opinion, what’s more exciting are the implications
of Capcom’s presentation. As it was pointed out to me, between all the games
announced, eleven Mega Man games are coming to Switch. Eleven. This bodes so
well for the future of Capcom and Nintendo’s partnership. After a series of, in
my opinion, half-hearted attempts to support the Switch, Capcom is finally on
board. Perhaps this means we’ll see some of their other big projects head to
Switch now too. Monster Hunter World anyone?
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| Can we please get this game on Switch Capcom? |
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