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Mega-Man: Always Fighting To Save The World!
Owenashi
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
For more then twenty years, the Mega-Man franchise has grown to be one of Capcom's solid pillars, right alongside Street Fighter and Resident Evil. Created by Keiji Inafune in 1987 with the original Mega-Man game for the NES, the character has spread to multiple series, incarnations and consoles. I myself jumped onto the fan-bandwagon with Mega-Man 2, sporting the kind of improvements over the original game that launched it right into "you're not a real gamer if you haven't played this game" status and helped pave the way for the rest of the near fifty original titles bearing the Mega-Man brand. So I thought I'd make this thread here for the rest of the fellow Mega-Man fans in the forums to chat and argue about the franchise's frequent good and minor bad points. First though, let's highlight the various series for those who aren't aware of how many characters held the Mega-brand.
Mega-Man (Main/Classic)
First Game's Release: December 17, 1987 for the NES
Set in the year 200X, the ten games (1-9 as well as 'Mega-Man & Bass') followed the story of Rock, a not-so-simple robot made by Dr. Thomas Light to help out around the lab, only to be modified into a super-fighting robot when Light's partner, Dr. Albert W. Wily, decided to steal six other robots he and Light created and reprogram them for world-conquering duties. With the aid of Light, a transforming robotic dog named Rush, and his siblings Proto-Man and the housekeeping Roll, Rock would defend the world again and again from Wily's crazy ambitions as the original Mega-Man.
Gameplay in the Classic series more or less followed the platforming standards of the time they were introduced with the player having extra lives and passcode-numbers to extend his playing time in case of game-overs. What was unique was Mega-Man's ability to actually walk away from a boss-fight taking the bosses' (known as Robot Masters) weapon as his own, making most runs in the game a rock-paper-scissors deal due to the vulnerabilities programmed in. Figuring who was weak to what as well as the stages each boss had tended to bring the back the fans game after game, despite how the game's stories (and some of the bosses) tended to get weirder and weirder.
Mega-Man X
First Game's Release: January 19, 1994 on the SNES
A new, more powerful game-console would call for more powerful games and heroes and Mega-Man X didn't disappoint. The series, set in 21XX, would focus not on Rock but his 2.0 sibling, X. Created by Dr. Light sometime near the end of Rock's adventures, X would be kept offline for thirty years due to his revolutionary systems requiring testing. Found by a scientist known simply as Dr. Cain, X would become the template for a new type of robot called Reploids. However, there were good reasons why X wasn't brought online right away as some Reploids eventually go nuts. X's adventures would deal with him forced to fight these enemy Reploids (labeled as Mavericks), often lead by former good-guy Reploid, the seemingly unkillable Sigma.
Gameplay for the X-series was for the most part the same as the original; run through eight stages, beat the Maverick boss at the end and keep a copy of his weapon to use on his friends. The series would however bring in new features like the ability to dash on the ground and in the air, jump up and off of walls ninja-style, and collect pieces of armor to add additional abilities to X. As the series moved off of the SNES and to other consoles, players were also able to play as Zero, X's main Maverick-Hunter partner and Axl, a mysterious Reploid who has the ability to mimic the look and abilities of simpler Reploid enemies in the stages.
Mega-Man Zero
First Game's Release: November 9, 2002 on the Game Boy Advance.
Prior to the GBA's release, Mega-Man games on portable systems tended to be mostly rehashes of stages and fights against old Robot Masters/Mavericks. Once Capcom saw that you could make something original on Nintendo's 32-bit console-on-the-go, they got to work on extending the Mega-legacy there with this four-game series being one of the results. The series begins 100 years after X's time (said time thought to have ended in MMX-6 until they made a couple more games in the series), with a human scientist named Ciel waking up a different-looking and initially amnesiatic Zero from his century-long nap. He discovers that while he was offline, an anti-Reploid government called Neo Arcadia has risen up, led by the last being he'd expect. Zero joins Ciel and her Resistance to stop Neo Arcadia and any other threats to peace between Reploid and humankind.
Anyone who felt that the Mega-Man games of late were missing a few notches of difficulty were probably glad or horrified by MMZ's lack of mercy when it came to mistakes. Players also found that while Zero had his fair share of weapons, it wasn't due to mugging dead bosses' corpses. Rather, the special abilities factor of MMZ came from Cyber Elves, simplistic AI in fairy-like physical bodies which gave various boosts to Zero in one fashion or the other such as increasing max-health or preventing stage-hazards like spikes from hurting Zero.
Mega-Man ZX
First Game's Release: September 12, 2006 for the Nintendo DS
The newest game-series set in the main timeline of Mega-Man lore, MMZX is set two hundred years after (so far) Mega-Man Zero 4. Reploid and human relations by this time have resulted in a blurring of the physical differences separating the two groups. What brings any sort of Mega-Man into play at this point thus is the use of Biometals, objects which become special armor for specific individuals, imparting the abilities and sometimes even the memories of those the Biometal are patterned after. One particular Biometal become the center of MMZX's story due to those who would use it to bring the evil from MMZ's time into the present.
The two games in the series are unique in that each present two separate pairs of protagonists who fall under the heroic banner of Mega-Man. The first feature these two...
Vent and Aile, both sharing the same story in the first game as orphans due to a Maverick attack who work at a delivery service at an older age, this leading them into contact with the Biometal based on X. However, it's not until they actually merge both X's and Zero's Biometals that they end up assuming their proper Mega-Man identity, Mega-Man ZX.
In their game, they use this double-merging ability with the X-Biometal to good use as they score the Biometals off of the bosses they face and then double-merge for use in other stages. By the second game's time however, they lose all but the Zero and X Biometals. They also lose their star status as these two replace them.
Grey and Ashe as characters have more individualistic stories, at least at the beginning. Grey's a Reploid boy who much like Zero in MMZ wakes up in a lab-tube without any memories of his past while Ashe's a human girl who works as part of the current anti-Maverick force in ZX's time. Both eventually come into contact with Biometal A, seemingly based on MMX's Axl and changing them each into a new Mega-Man.
Gameplay with them tends to be somewhat different as they use their Biometal's inherent ability to copy abilities to become complete replicas of the fallen bosses rather then double-merging their Biometal with theirs.
The two games in the series are unique in that each present two separate pairs of protagonists who fall under the heroic banner of Mega-Man. The first feature these two...
Vent and Aile, both sharing the same story in the first game as orphans due to a Maverick attack who work at a delivery service at an older age, this leading them into contact with the Biometal based on X. However, it's not until they actually merge both X's and Zero's Biometals that they end up assuming their proper Mega-Man identity, Mega-Man ZX.
In their game, they use this double-merging ability with the X-Biometal to good use as they score the Biometals off of the bosses they face and then double-merge for use in other stages. By the second game's time however, they lose all but the Zero and X Biometals. They also lose their star status as these two replace them.
Grey and Ashe as characters have more individualistic stories, at least at the beginning. Grey's a Reploid boy who much like Zero in MMZ wakes up in a lab-tube without any memories of his past while Ashe's a human girl who works as part of the current anti-Maverick force in ZX's time. Both eventually come into contact with Biometal A, seemingly based on MMX's Axl and changing them each into a new Mega-Man.
Gameplay with them tends to be somewhat different as they use their Biometal's inherent ability to copy abilities to become complete replicas of the fallen bosses rather then double-merging their Biometal with theirs.
Mega-Man Legends
First Game's Release: August 31, 1998 for the Sony Playstation
With CD-based consoles being able to deliver more games in go-anywhere 3D, it's not surprising that Capcom would also bring Mega-Man's platforming to the same dimension. Fans would however find Legends' world to be much more lighthearted as well when compared to games in the previous series. Set in a mostly water-covered Earth, humanity strives to survive with the help of Diggers, men and women who venture into technological ruins guarded by Reaverbots to obtain special power-giving crystals called Refractors. Mega-Man Volnutt happens to be one of those very Diggers, aided by his Spotter-sibling Roll and their grandfather, Barrell Caskett. When their airship crashes on Kattlelox Island however, they start to discover how much of the world's missing history ties in with Mega's.
Not every series survives it's arrival into the 3D world but Legends has been marked by the fans as one of the successful ones. Rather then stages, Mega runs around a group of ruins that slowly begin to connect to one another with new-found abilities. Fights with Reaverbots however tend not to supply Mega with his gear. Rather it's mostly the broken items found around the ruins and the rest of the games' locations that supply Mega with his gear once Roll patches and remodels them into working order. These tend to range from boosting-items for his Mega-Buster to skates for rapid movement to weapons that usually replace his right arm.
One particular note about the Legends series is the special prequel title, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, which stars not Mega and his family but the Bonnes, the Team-Rocket-esque villains of both Legends titles. The closest title in the Mega-Man franchise to this game which involves a villain in a starring role is the Classic-series' Mega-Man & Bass.
Mega-Man Battle Network
First Game's Release: October 30 2001 for the Game Boy Advance
While MMZ showed how well a portable regular Mega-Man game could be, it wasn't the first Mega-Man game for the GBA. Rather that went to Battle Network, notable for not only bringing the action-RPG genre to Mega-Man but also starting a brand new alternate timeline separate from what was started in the Classics series. In Battle Network's world, the decision was made to focus on the Internet rather then robots. By the year of 20XX, the common item for use thanks to that focus is the (Pe)rsonal (T)erminal or PET for short. Even classes for elementary school children make use of them and the special AIs connected to each known as Net Navis. The two heroes of Battle Network are no exception.
Fifth-grader Lan Hikari and his specially-made Net-Navi Mega-Man.EXE would probably have had a normal life together if not for the net-terrorist group, World-Three, causing chaos wherever they go. Not willing to stand by and see innocent life of any sort get hurt by exploding ovens, out of control vehicles and polluted water, Lan and MM.EXE do their best in their respective sides of the world to stop W3 and any other villains natural or artificial.
With Battle Network, jumping through hoops the classic MM way is out the door. Rather, the games follow an almost episodic chain of events with the villains of the game creating a problem somewhere and Lan hooking his PET to the nearest Internet connection so MM.EXE can solve the problem. This usually means running through an dungeon of random enemies, flipping switches and solving puzzles to get to the boss Navi and beating him or her. This results in obtaining indirectly the boss' powers through the use of a chip based on the boss, allowing the player to bring him out briefly in Final-Fantasy summoned-monster fashion. Fights tend to go quicker with the use of other chips, Lan being able to go through a 'deck' of selected chips to give MM.EXE attacks via singular chips or an attack made from combining the power of several chips together. Future games in the series would reintroduce the ability to use the abilities of bosses (as well as ally Navis) directly via a fusion ability.
Fifth-grader Lan Hikari and his specially-made Net-Navi Mega-Man.EXE would probably have had a normal life together if not for the net-terrorist group, World-Three, causing chaos wherever they go. Not willing to stand by and see innocent life of any sort get hurt by exploding ovens, out of control vehicles and polluted water, Lan and MM.EXE do their best in their respective sides of the world to stop W3 and any other villains natural or artificial.
With Battle Network, jumping through hoops the classic MM way is out the door. Rather, the games follow an almost episodic chain of events with the villains of the game creating a problem somewhere and Lan hooking his PET to the nearest Internet connection so MM.EXE can solve the problem. This usually means running through an dungeon of random enemies, flipping switches and solving puzzles to get to the boss Navi and beating him or her. This results in obtaining indirectly the boss' powers through the use of a chip based on the boss, allowing the player to bring him out briefly in Final-Fantasy summoned-monster fashion. Fights tend to go quicker with the use of other chips, Lan being able to go through a 'deck' of selected chips to give MM.EXE attacks via singular chips or an attack made from combining the power of several chips together. Future games in the series would reintroduce the ability to use the abilities of bosses (as well as ally Navis) directly via a fusion ability.
Mega-Man Star Force
First Game's Release: August 7, 2007 for the Nintendo DS
Similar to how Capcom went from Zero to ZX for the move to the DS, so too did they move from Battle Network to a new series in the form of Mega-Man Star Force. Shifting 200 years past the ending of Battle Network's stories, the primary Internet tech of the world has moved up to the use of electromagnetic waves. Rather relying on Net-Navis for companionship, people are motivated to use the PET's replacement, Transers, to set up BrotherBands between other Transer users. Not everyone wants to get along though. Geo Stelar, depressed over his father's disappearance in space, holes himself in his home, away from school and the rest of the world. That changes however when he meets Omega-Xis...
A EM-wave-based alien, Omega and the special world created by EM-waves are able to be seen by Geo thanks to the use of a special pair of glasses Geo's father made. On the run from other EM-aliens, Omega makes a deal with Geo to help fight them off in exchange for helping him find his father. The two are able to merge together, allowing Geo to fight in Earth's EM-world as the newest Mega-Man, unaware that Omega's pursuers are also able to do the same with other humans, but in a much less friendlier way.
Gameplay for Star Force follows much in the same lines as Battle Network, though battles now follow an over-the-shoulder view rather then the 2D-like side view in BN. Battle Chips are now Battle Cards with summon-based versions of bosses and friendly EM-beings available. With the DS's online capability however, players are able to establish real BrotherBands with other people, giving them access to Cards not accessible due to Capcom making multiple versions of the same game like Pokemon. The BB with in-game characters and real players also allow for boosts to the stats for Geo and Omega's combined form.
A EM-wave-based alien, Omega and the special world created by EM-waves are able to be seen by Geo thanks to the use of a special pair of glasses Geo's father made. On the run from other EM-aliens, Omega makes a deal with Geo to help fight them off in exchange for helping him find his father. The two are able to merge together, allowing Geo to fight in Earth's EM-world as the newest Mega-Man, unaware that Omega's pursuers are also able to do the same with other humans, but in a much less friendlier way.
Gameplay for Star Force follows much in the same lines as Battle Network, though battles now follow an over-the-shoulder view rather then the 2D-like side view in BN. Battle Chips are now Battle Cards with summon-based versions of bosses and friendly EM-beings available. With the DS's online capability however, players are able to establish real BrotherBands with other people, giving them access to Cards not accessible due to Capcom making multiple versions of the same game like Pokemon. The BB with in-game characters and real players also allow for boosts to the stats for Geo and Omega's combined form.
If you're curious about any of the games, check these three links while enjoying these songs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_(series)
http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Mega_Man_Wiki
http://www.themmnetwork.com/
Lyrics NSFW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ufVQIUEiYc
Owenashi on
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Mega Man 2 is just that incredible a game I guess. It alone makes up for most of the bad stuff, and the other classics up to 7 and X123 make up for the rest. (Well, to be fair, the zero games were pretty good too)
So I decided to pick up ZX, to see what was up with the series. It's from the same guys that made 9, correct? Yeah, it seems like it could be a decent game, but I seriously cannot get past all the guff and bloat surrounding the series. Endless dialogue scenes that contain no merit whatsoever, ridiculous voice acting that actively makes the game worse (Does the player character really need to say "EH" every time he jumps? Really?). I don't know, I just find the whole game to be insufferable and unenjoyable, which is a shame, really, as I really like some of the spritework, and the core mechanics don't seem bad, they're just buried under piles of needless crap.
God, Mega Man, you used to be cool.
It was like, hey, what are you playing, megaman? Wait, what the hell is this?
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Mega Man Zero is probably the best overall series in terms of pure 2D platforming.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
I tried that again more recently... no such luck. Damn those dissapearing blocks.
I wish they would release all of the originals on XBL. I owned most of them on NES, then bought the anniversary collection, and I'd probably buy them again if I could play on my 360.
I mean christ on a cracker when you're dealing with the ultimate creation of the greatest mind in the field of robotics in human history you'd think you'd call in someone a bit more dedicated to the science to tackle it.
'course maybe the whole point of shit getting wrecked is that when a race of generally self-destructive assholes makes machines in their own image and gives them free will and self-determination you shouldn't be surprised that they decide to be self-destructive assholes as well.
But on a lighter note, some music that everyone should listen to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFKtYCcMWT4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltslPAxbUsU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPkCBQXCagY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GBUVpDu1nw&feature=related
In fact, Mega Man has always had awesome music throughout its run. Now where did I put that old thread...
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=230533
There we go.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
As for the whole VR Light thing, any ideas Inafune might've had probably vanished amidst the frustration of being forced to pump out more X games, I imagine. Me, I'm wondering if maybe he actually figured out a way to ascend out of mortal existance and into a digital form figuring that since he's more or less the brains that keeps the world from getting fucked over so many times that he better keep an eye on it.
EDIT: And holy hell, speaking of which did the CD data for Mega Man & Bass really call him "douchie"? God damn these are some wierd times we live in.
I owned MMX3, MMX4, Legends 1, and the MMAC. While this may not be a representative sample, it gave me the impression that nothing of value was released between MM3 and MM9.
MM9, by the way, is probably the best game in the classic series by a mile. It's amazing how almost every robot master weapon is useful, and yet none of them are as broken as the Metal Blade.
and pick up the second ZX, there was a second one, right?
all megaman music is awesome.
To think it took me about a year to actually beat it. Now I only have four "achievements" left.
Perfect the game-I've gotten close.
Speedrun Galaxy Man-Cannot do this, at all.
Beat all bosses with one hp left-not enough patience to do this. It's like a perverse half assed version of perfecting the game.
Mega Diet-Just never got around to it.
Laser Trident is damn close.
No, the real impressive thing is that it has a shield that is actually worth using.
The only thing MM2 does better than MM9 is the music, and neither game is much of a slouch on that.
I need to go and pick up the Official Complete Works book for the Classic series at some point. Some really intriguing art in that one.
You probably already know that concrete blocks get rid of the black hole...
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Anyways, on the subject of Megaman;
Megaman Legends 3 Dammit.
Megaman Legends 1 & 2 are fantastic fucking games. I never got to play the Tron game, but I wish I had cause she's one of my favorite game characters of all time.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Don't hate it, but I DO NOT like it. I LOVE 3 and 5. Yes I know 5 is in no way original, but I think it did a good job of putting together ideas that they produced in 4.
In addition I think X3 is the best X game, though I do have to replay X4 at some point.
FFXIV: Tchel Fay
Nintendo ID: Tortalius
Steam: Tortalius
Stream: twitch.tv/tortalius
I did a test run on recording eight awhile back and it turned out ok.
How
How on Earth can you possibly not like 2
The music is great, and I've beaten the game multiple times, but when I replay megaman games I go straight to 3/5/6, X/X2/X3.
FFXIV: Tchel Fay
Nintendo ID: Tortalius
Steam: Tortalius
Stream: twitch.tv/tortalius
The X series resolved this by putting the dash up on the shoulder buttons, which was a godsend for me.
Also MegaMan 8 was hilarious. Dr. Light's scenes still crack me up.
SLIDE! SLIDE!
I really enjoyed the different suits in six. The jetpack was my favorite.
Mega Man 3 has the single, most kickass videogame music track ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQgYfyUdDs
Man, if only games were this classy nowadays.