Theodore Flooseveltproud parent of eight beautiful girls and shalmelodorne (which is currently being ruled by a woman (awesome role model for my daughters)) #dornedadRegistered Userregular
But for real though
who is that fly-ass motha fucka in the fur-lined armor
I'm just now seeing that AutoPlay button. Sure, that makes perfect sense in a franchise where thumb thrashing split second gameplay is the expected tempo.
I just...I really don't know what to make of this.
There can be such a thing as a good Megaman X rpg.
Command Mission was awesome(terrible voice acting aside).
But it's the 25th anniversary, Capcom has recently axed 2 projects that had promise, got rid of the series creator, and this is what they manage to put out instead?
This is like if on the FF7 25th anniversary Square released a Cloud/Sephiroth dating sim on Facebook
Sagroth on
3DS Code: 5155-3087-0800
+1
WearingglassesOf the friendly neighborhood varietyRegistered Userregular
That's not X, that's the new player character (customizable, I believe) designed by Dr. Light and Cossack when the combined forces of Wily, Sigma, et al trap the Mega Men in some sort of limbo.
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
When I saw this thread title last night I assumed it was someone mistakingly promoting some fan made garbage or just trolling and it would be locked, and here I find that no, this is actually a real thing.
In my eyes that series ended with #3. I was also younger so the story was slightly more applicable to me then, but the ending of .EXE 3 was the perfect stopping point, the battle system had matured to the best it could be, and then they released 4 in multiple flavors and drove the series into the ground.
Oh, wow. And here I thought it couldn't get any worse. Insult to injury right here, all wrapped up in the same "quality" package that MMX iOS port has. They really don't care about the franchise any more, do they?
In my eyes that series ended with #3. I was also younger so the story was slightly more applicable to me then, but the ending of .EXE 3 was the perfect stopping point, the battle system had matured to the best it could be, and then they released 4 in multiple flavors and drove the series into the ground.
Sort of like X5 did.
X5 killed it for me with that stupid "time until you don't get the good ending" system, that ruined any sense of exploration that the previous megaman games were great at(i.e. stage secrets).
0
Zxerolfor the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't doso i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered Userregular
Oh, wow. And here I thought it couldn't get any worse. Insult to injury right here, all wrapped up in the same "quality" package that MMX iOS port has. They really don't care about the franchise any more, do they?
hey man, they still think highly enough of the brand to wring out some more dolla bills out out from it via a cheap-rung iOS joint, instead of using of some washed-up hussy like Capt Commando or something. Its as if you love your girlfriend so much that you choose to pimp her out on the streets instead of her way hotter sister sister. You can't buy that sort of commitment.
I'm guessing it's gonna stay in Japan. If I want my Megaman fix I'll pop Megaman X into my SNES. Or Megaman Legends or The Misadventures of Tron Bonne into my PSOne.
X5 killed it for me with that stupid "time until you don't get the good ending" system, that ruined any sense of exploration that the previous megaman games were great at(i.e. stage secrets).
X5 was just a super lazy rehash of X4, which to its credit was at least graphically, if not gameplay-wise, vastly superior to X3. Also because of anime cutscenes that had a really dark nature that was only hinted at during the previous games.
Also, you can "skip" to the end immediately and get a warped version of the ending, which to me is total bullshit in a game where there's an ongoing story. You can't go on and make X6 after having two wildly different stories in X5, it makes no sense.
And then they just took a giant dump on the X series by introducing Axl, whatever kind of Power Rangers nonsense Star Force was, and should have been developing ZX on the DS, not GBA->DS.
I feel like if they were to ever do another Megaman worth playing, they'd have to make a good one that stars Original Zero, fighting in a parallel timeframe as when X was fighting his first 8 Mavericks. Have it open on the same intro highway level, have him zoom through the level, save X, and then fight eight unique bosses that X never got to see, and then have him fight something very powerful that sheds light on his ties to Dr. Wily. The epilogue would have him heading off to help X at Sigma's fortress.
0
Theodore Flooseveltproud parent of eight beautiful girls and shalmelodorne (which is currently being ruled by a woman (awesome role model for my daughters)) #dornedadRegistered Userregular
I feel like if they were to ever do another Megaman worth playing, they'd have to make a good one that stars Original Zero, fighting in a parallel timeframe as when X was fighting his first 8 Mavericks. Have it open on the same intro highway level, have him zoom through the level, save X, and then fight eight unique bosses that X never got to see, and then have him fight something very powerful that sheds light on his ties to Dr. Wily. The epilogue would have him heading off to help X at Sigma's fortress.
As a young Megaman X aficionado, this was the game I always hoped would be made
And then Megaman Maverick Hunter X came out, and though it wasn't what you described above, it allowed you to play as Vile. This convinced me that very cool things were on the way.
(they weren't)
I will never forgive the world for not buying enough copies of that game to allow for Maverick Hunter X2
X5 killed it for me with that stupid "time until you don't get the good ending" system, that ruined any sense of exploration that the previous megaman games were great at(i.e. stage secrets).
X5 was just a super lazy rehash of X4, which to its credit was at least graphically, if not gameplay-wise, vastly superior to X3. Also because of anime cutscenes that had a really dark nature that was only hinted at during the previous games.
Also, you can "skip" to the end immediately and get a warped version of the ending, which to me is total bullshit in a game where there's an ongoing story. You can't go on and make X6 after having two wildly different stories in X5, it makes no sense.
And then they just took a giant dump on the X series by introducing Axl, whatever kind of Power Rangers nonsense Star Force was, and should have been developing ZX on the DS, not GBA->DS.
I feel like if they were to ever do another Megaman worth playing, they'd have to make a good one that stars Original Zero, fighting in a parallel timeframe as when X was fighting his first 8 Mavericks. Have it open on the same intro highway level, have him zoom through the level, save X, and then fight eight unique bosses that X never got to see, and then have him fight something very powerful that sheds light on his ties to Dr. Wily. The epilogue would have him heading off to help X at Sigma's fortress.
X5 was supposed to be the end of the X series. X6-X8 (and obviously Star Force) was all Capcom wanting more games to sell. While X5 had a ticking time element, its story came together a lot better than X4's did. The awful voice acting doesn't help it either. X5 was supposed to have only one definitive ending to nicely setup the plot for Mega Man Zero. Unfortunately, we now have this cluster fuck of an alternate universe thanks to the higher ups at Capcom.
As for the whole skipping to the end that's the player's prerogative to do so. The game does a decent job of guiding the player against that, but it at least offered a scenario where you can throw caution to the wind.
I'm guessing it's gonna stay in Japan. If I want my Megaman fix I'll pop Megaman X into my SNES. Or Megaman Legends or The Misadventures of Tron Bonne into my PSOne.
Nope, it's coming to America, too.
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
X5 killed it for me with that stupid "time until you don't get the good ending" system, that ruined any sense of exploration that the previous megaman games were great at(i.e. stage secrets).
X5 was just a super lazy rehash of X4, which to its credit was at least graphically, if not gameplay-wise, vastly superior to X3. Also because of anime cutscenes that had a really dark nature that was only hinted at during the previous games.
Also, you can "skip" to the end immediately and get a warped version of the ending, which to me is total bullshit in a game where there's an ongoing story. You can't go on and make X6 after having two wildly different stories in X5, it makes no sense.
And then they just took a giant dump on the X series by introducing Axl, whatever kind of Power Rangers nonsense Star Force was, and should have been developing ZX on the DS, not GBA->DS.
I feel like if they were to ever do another Megaman worth playing, they'd have to make a good one that stars Original Zero, fighting in a parallel timeframe as when X was fighting his first 8 Mavericks. Have it open on the same intro highway level, have him zoom through the level, save X, and then fight eight unique bosses that X never got to see, and then have him fight something very powerful that sheds light on his ties to Dr. Wily. The epilogue would have him heading off to help X at Sigma's fortress.
X5 was supposed to be the end of the X series. X6-X8 (and obviously Star Force) was all Capcom wanting more games to sell. While X5 had a ticking time element, its story came together a lot better than X4's did. The awful voice acting doesn't help it either. X5 was supposed to have only one definitive ending to nicely setup the plot for Mega Man Zero. Unfortunately, we now have this cluster fuck of an alternate universe thanks to the higher ups at Capcom.
As for the whole skipping to the end that's the player's prerogative to do so. The game does a decent job of guiding the player against that, but it at least offered a scenario where you can throw caution to the wind.
When it comes to Megaman stories, I basically disregard everything after X5. X5 and Megaman Zero segue into each other so well. I hate how such a transition is always implied between the original series and Megaman X, but the transitional ending to the original series never came. The closest we got are a bunch of vague references to Zero from Wily.
I do think Megaman will eventually get back on the right track, by the way. I always thought it was preposterous that people would insist that the Sonic series would end, or that it would never start pumping out worthy titles again, but these sorts of series don't disappear. At worst it'll go into hibernation like Street Fighter and ilk did.
At the same time, however, I do believe it'll be a while before we get a worthy megaman game again. I do think a big budget Megaman Legends game could do wonders for the series, but when or if that'll ever come is anybody's guess.
And then they just took a giant dump on the X series by introducing Axl...
I'll admit I'd like clarification on what happened to Axl at the end of X8, but I wouldn't mind just being told what happened as opposed to getting an X9. I don't know why they decided to focus on Axl so much (maybe because X and Zero didn't have much storywise going on after X5), and it doesn't seem to matter seeing as everything in X6, X7, X8, and Command Mission had no lasting impact on the setting for the games that take place after them. Regarding X8, I will say that I very much prefer the art style used for it and that I'm glad they finally decided to use a different final boss other than Sigma, even if the story involving the shapeshifting New Generation reploids (that almost never transform for some reason) made no sense.
I've mentioned before how I think it's funny that Mega Man ZX: Advent featured a Biometal that is obviously based on Axl yet ends up having nothing to do with him, but I've since discovered something that makes this even better.
This is symbol used for the Raiders in MMZXA:
This is Red, a character from Mega Man X7 that was Axl's mentor:
The game's creators made a direct reference to Axl's mentor, yet made Biometal Model A end up having nothing to do with Axl. I'm taking this to mean that Inticreates isn't a fan of Axl.
To get on a slight tangent, the X series is probably overall my least favorite Mega Man series now; I never really enjoyed the games after X3 that much, the Zero series did a much better job at having a serious setting and story, and the ZX series (as flawed as it can be at times) has a very interesting setting (that does a great job of setting up for the Legends series, what with the introduction of cyborgs, the use of Mega Man as a title, and the airship-using Hunter and Raider organizations that are obvious precursors to the Diggers and air pirates) that I would much rather see more of than I would the X series.
...whatever kind of Power Rangers nonsense Star Force was...
Though in ways it seems like a Mega Man series in name only, I've actually grown to like Star Force after playing through Star Force 3 (though I haven't played Star Force 2 yet). Geo is a much more interesting character than Lan and actually did the fighting himself (whereas I always felt like Lan got too much credit for his brother's work). Though I felt like the combat in the first game was a step back from MMBN, the third game had much more satisfying battles that were about as fun as the fights in MMBN.
The setting is interesting, too. Design-wise, whereas the world of Battle Network wasn't that far removed from the real world in appearance, Star Force got a design aesthetic that at first glance looked modern but revealed a kind of futuristic feel at closer examination. You can see this in both clothing and architecture (regarding the latter, the Official Complete Works book for this series states that they hired on an architectural designer for the second game so that they could create more out-there building concepts). The EM technology also gets pretty out there by the third game, in which they've figured out how to "project" EM waves that can create temporary solid matter (the hero's home town even has a bridge made of these "real waves" that can be dematerialized to allow the train to pass through, which itself also travels along temporarily materialized tracks).
Given the outer space theme for Star Force, it wouldn't be much of a stretch at all for a hypothetical fourth game to feature the beginnings of a public form of space travel that uses special suits to allow humans to be beamed as EM waves to distant space stations built by materialized EM programs (the Official Complete Works book even features illustrations of such EM suits that went unused in the games). If they were to do such a thing, they could adapt the planet-themed robot masters from Mega Man V (the Gameboy one, that is) as EM beings, which might help the series feel more like a proper Mega Man series.
In my eyes that series ended with #3. I was also younger so the story was slightly more applicable to me then, but the ending of .EXE 3 was the perfect stopping point, the battle system had matured to the best it could be, and then they released 4 in multiple flavors and drove the series into the ground.
Unless you're talking about the Japanese version of the third game, which intially released with one version and eventually got an additional "Black" version, MMBN3 would be the first game in the series to be released with multiple versions, not MMBN4. I agree that MMBN3 had a proper ending for the series and that MMBN4 was the weakest entry in the series, but the fifth game was fairly good and sixth game is my second favorite in the series.
In terms of gameplay, MMBN4 adds countering and full-synchro (which temporarily stuns an enemy if you hit it before it completes its attack animation and also causes your next battle chip attack to deal double damage), double soul unision (which gives you a form with alternate traits, similar to the style changes of MMBN 2 and 3, except that you can use any form you've earned provided you sacrifice an appropriate battle chip to activate it during a fight) and dark battle chips (which are very powerful, but disallow full-synchro when you use them).
MMBN5 features Liberation Mode, which puts you in a map covered with enemy-occupied spaces you must with clear to continue onwards (you can clear one space at a time with normal combat, that and every adjacent space if you win the battle in one round, and different configurations of spaces without combat using limited-use abilities). You can play as several other Navis in Liberation Mode, each one with their own in-combat and out of combat abilities. The layout of a battlefield during combat is determined by the enemy-occupied spaces your Navi is adjacent to at the beginning of a battle (you can even start a battle occupying the center two columns of the battle grid with enemies on either side of you, necessitating that you change facing the L-button). I personally enjoyed Liberation Mode, but from what I understand many people did not.
MMBN6 replaces double soul unison with soul cross (which is similar, but does not require you to use battle chips to activate them; they are available for use at any time during combat once you've unlocked them) and replaces the dark chips with beast-out (which grants Megaman.exe an almost overpowered form for three rounds).
I recommend MMBN6, but MMBN5 is fun, too. The story is nearly non-existent in MMBN4, and several strange design decisions drag it down (such as having to play through the game 3 times to be able to fight every boss, get every battle chip, and unlock every double soul unison).
BTW, does everyone who at least played through the first three games remember Mr. Match? He was Fireman, Heatman, and Flameman's operator in MMBN 1-3. He set peoples houses on fire in the first game, set fire to a government research facility in the third game, and almost blew up an event hall full of people in the fourth game. Guess what? He's an elementary school teacher in the sixth game. The Battle Network series has the most nonsensical criminal justice system ever.
At the same time, however, I do believe it'll be a while before we get a worthy megaman game again. I do think a big budget Megaman Legends game could do wonders for the series, but when or if that'll ever come is anybody's guess.
I honestly believe that, save for giving the format of the original or X series a major overhaul (i.e. break away from the format of eight bosses, final series of levels), Legends (or something akin to it) is the future of Mega Man at retail on consoles (downloadable games, that's another matter).
Frankly, if anything, Legends might have been ahead of its time. I don't think people were quite ready for that sort of move from Mega Man yet, especially hot on the heels of Mega Man 8 and X4. The tech (i.e. DualShock analogs) wasn't there yet, either.
The first one apparently sold well enough for Capcom; it not only became a Greatest Hit, but also led to them bringing over the two subsequent games. It's a pity they practically sabotaged the series in America, though; they never properly informed us that it took place in the main series timeline, while Legends 2 was released the same week as the PlayStation 2 in the U.S.
I don't care what game you are, unless you're Mario on a new Nintendo platform-- and even then, those are difficult odds to overcome.
Hexmage-PA: Re: Star Force - I'll just say I liked the first one as much or more than some BN games, the second had way too many random encounters (and I just gave up on it for now), and I've yet to play the third. I like it, but not as much as I want to like it.
I did like Battle Network 4, though I admittedly didn't play through every run of both iterations... I ran out of steam sometime in the second run. Still, it's the first BN game I beat legit, and in the most epic fashion possible, so I can't hate on that one. BN5, back to cheap bosses again... wouldn't even bother me so much if not for being unable to save right before the final battle in these games.
I did love Liberation Mode in 5. I was hoping that was the new battle mechanic, instead of random encounters, but no. I'd love to see that employed in a Command Mission-style X game, though.
I still need to play 6, just to finish it all off.
I need to beat ZX Advent one of these days, too. That one has just been working against me, though...
LBD_Nytetrayn on
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
I can't believe I spent over an hour typing all that...
I actually forgot that BN3 came in two versions, so you're right about that. My opinion still stands though that that's where they should have ended it.
My only qualms with Mega Man Zero is that if you were looking to score high on missions, it was sometimes incredibly fucking difficult to do that. The skill cap on Mega Man Zero is so goddamn high. For people who haven't played them, (I think I only played Z1 and Z2), remember that fight in Sigma's fortress in X where a spider comes down along some tubes on semi-preset paths, and basically no matter what you did, you'd end up using up all of your E-tanks because he'd always land on your head? Yeah, that's pretty much the norm for some bosses in MMZ.
My most vivid memory of MMZ was sitting in an airport with my GBA SP, fighting some phoenix boss, getting soooooo pissed off.
edit: While I'm here, I also want to mention that getting the S ranked Digger License in MML2 was obnoxious, and the only reason I didn't finish that game. Look up a YouTube video on this, the margin of error is a few seconds at best for a normal human being. Fun games though, the enormous hammer-head boss in 1 was so frightening when I was a kid, that thing was huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge.
I can never take any talk that X5 was intended to be the final game seriously. I mean I don't doubt it's true. But given the bombshell that X5 ends on, I would have been pissed as hell if they intentionally planned to never do a thing with it.
And of course, they never did a thing with it regardless. But at least the circumstances are different.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
I can never take any talk that X5 was intended to be the final game seriously. I mean I don't doubt it's true. But given the bombshell that X5 ends on, I would have been pissed as hell if they intentionally planned to never do a thing with it.
And of course, they never did a thing with it regardless. But at least the circumstances are different.
But
But they did plan to do a thing with it.
that thing they planned to do with it was called the Zero series.
I can never take any talk that X5 was intended to be the final game seriously. I mean I don't doubt it's true. But given the bombshell that X5 ends on, I would have been pissed as hell if they intentionally planned to never do a thing with it.
And of course, they never did a thing with it regardless. But at least the circumstances are different.
But
But they did plan to do a thing with it.
that thing they planned to do with it was called the Zero series.
Posts
who is that fly-ass motha fucka in the fur-lined armor
Did you not see the skip button?
Jesus fucking Christ, Capcom.
There can be such a thing as a good Megaman X rpg.
Command Mission was awesome(terrible voice acting aside).
But it's the 25th anniversary, Capcom has recently axed 2 projects that had promise, got rid of the series creator, and this is what they manage to put out instead?
This is like if on the FF7 25th anniversary Square released a Cloud/Sephiroth dating sim on Facebook
I never asked for this.
There's a disturbingly large sub-culture of people that would actually want that, though.
Then I remembered the word "betrayed".
PSN: theIceBurner, IceBurnerEU, IceBurner-JP | X-Link Kai: TheIceBurner
Dragon's Dogma: 192 Warrior Linty | 80 Strider Alicia | 32 Mage Terra
It is not necessarily the future of the franchise in any way shape or form
for you sonic fans, let's look back at the awesome DS game that Bioware did
granted, this game probably won't be that good
but side games are allowed to exist in any form! It doesn't mean you're going to be playing Megaman 11 on Facebook.
I'll at least say that I mostly like the design for the new Mega Man (what's with the fur trim, though?).
That's not X, that's the new player character (customizable, I believe) designed by Dr. Light and Cossack when the combined forces of Wily, Sigma, et al trap the Mega Men in some sort of limbo.
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
When I saw this thread title last night I assumed it was someone mistakingly promoting some fan made garbage or just trolling and it would be locked, and here I find that no, this is actually a real thing.
How disappointing.
In my eyes that series ended with #3. I was also younger so the story was slightly more applicable to me then, but the ending of .EXE 3 was the perfect stopping point, the battle system had matured to the best it could be, and then they released 4 in multiple flavors and drove the series into the ground.
Sort of like X5 did.
X5 killed it for me with that stupid "time until you don't get the good ending" system, that ruined any sense of exploration that the previous megaman games were great at(i.e. stage secrets).
hey man, they still think highly enough of the brand to wring out some more dolla bills out out from it via a cheap-rung iOS joint, instead of using of some washed-up hussy like Capt Commando or something. Its as if you love your girlfriend so much that you choose to pimp her out on the streets instead of her way hotter sister sister. You can't buy that sort of commitment.
X5 was just a super lazy rehash of X4, which to its credit was at least graphically, if not gameplay-wise, vastly superior to X3. Also because of anime cutscenes that had a really dark nature that was only hinted at during the previous games.
Also, you can "skip" to the end immediately and get a warped version of the ending, which to me is total bullshit in a game where there's an ongoing story. You can't go on and make X6 after having two wildly different stories in X5, it makes no sense.
And then they just took a giant dump on the X series by introducing Axl, whatever kind of Power Rangers nonsense Star Force was, and should have been developing ZX on the DS, not GBA->DS.
I feel like if they were to ever do another Megaman worth playing, they'd have to make a good one that stars Original Zero, fighting in a parallel timeframe as when X was fighting his first 8 Mavericks. Have it open on the same intro highway level, have him zoom through the level, save X, and then fight eight unique bosses that X never got to see, and then have him fight something very powerful that sheds light on his ties to Dr. Wily. The epilogue would have him heading off to help X at Sigma's fortress.
As a young Megaman X aficionado, this was the game I always hoped would be made
And then Megaman Maverick Hunter X came out, and though it wasn't what you described above, it allowed you to play as Vile. This convinced me that very cool things were on the way.
(they weren't)
I will never forgive the world for not buying enough copies of that game to allow for Maverick Hunter X2
I can't even be mad at this
It's just so perfectly awful
I mean even Sonic 2k6 looked kind of good when it was first announced
i linked him to this
he's unhappy! he's unhappy
steam | xbox live: IGNORANT HARLOT | psn: MadRoll | nintendo network: spinach
3ds: 1504-5717-8252
you know
Even I don't pimp and get excited about every Sonic game.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Megaman's been dead to Capcom for a while now, but they'll never give up fucking the corpse.
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
Capcom, are you even trying?
X5 was supposed to be the end of the X series. X6-X8 (and obviously Star Force) was all Capcom wanting more games to sell. While X5 had a ticking time element, its story came together a lot better than X4's did. The awful voice acting doesn't help it either. X5 was supposed to have only one definitive ending to nicely setup the plot for Mega Man Zero. Unfortunately, we now have this cluster fuck of an alternate universe thanks to the higher ups at Capcom.
As for the whole skipping to the end that's the player's prerogative to do so. The game does a decent job of guiding the player against that, but it at least offered a scenario where you can throw caution to the wind.
Nope, it's coming to America, too.
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
I'm sure it won't take a lot of work.
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
When it comes to Megaman stories, I basically disregard everything after X5. X5 and Megaman Zero segue into each other so well. I hate how such a transition is always implied between the original series and Megaman X, but the transitional ending to the original series never came. The closest we got are a bunch of vague references to Zero from Wily.
I do think Megaman will eventually get back on the right track, by the way. I always thought it was preposterous that people would insist that the Sonic series would end, or that it would never start pumping out worthy titles again, but these sorts of series don't disappear. At worst it'll go into hibernation like Street Fighter and ilk did.
At the same time, however, I do believe it'll be a while before we get a worthy megaman game again. I do think a big budget Megaman Legends game could do wonders for the series, but when or if that'll ever come is anybody's guess.
I'll admit I'd like clarification on what happened to Axl at the end of X8, but I wouldn't mind just being told what happened as opposed to getting an X9. I don't know why they decided to focus on Axl so much (maybe because X and Zero didn't have much storywise going on after X5), and it doesn't seem to matter seeing as everything in X6, X7, X8, and Command Mission had no lasting impact on the setting for the games that take place after them. Regarding X8, I will say that I very much prefer the art style used for it and that I'm glad they finally decided to use a different final boss other than Sigma, even if the story involving the shapeshifting New Generation reploids (that almost never transform for some reason) made no sense.
I've mentioned before how I think it's funny that Mega Man ZX: Advent featured a Biometal that is obviously based on Axl yet ends up having nothing to do with him, but I've since discovered something that makes this even better.
This is symbol used for the Raiders in MMZXA:
This is Red, a character from Mega Man X7 that was Axl's mentor:
The game's creators made a direct reference to Axl's mentor, yet made Biometal Model A end up having nothing to do with Axl. I'm taking this to mean that Inticreates isn't a fan of Axl.
To get on a slight tangent, the X series is probably overall my least favorite Mega Man series now; I never really enjoyed the games after X3 that much, the Zero series did a much better job at having a serious setting and story, and the ZX series (as flawed as it can be at times) has a very interesting setting (that does a great job of setting up for the Legends series, what with the introduction of cyborgs, the use of Mega Man as a title, and the airship-using Hunter and Raider organizations that are obvious precursors to the Diggers and air pirates) that I would much rather see more of than I would the X series.
Though in ways it seems like a Mega Man series in name only, I've actually grown to like Star Force after playing through Star Force 3 (though I haven't played Star Force 2 yet). Geo is a much more interesting character than Lan and actually did the fighting himself (whereas I always felt like Lan got too much credit for his brother's work). Though I felt like the combat in the first game was a step back from MMBN, the third game had much more satisfying battles that were about as fun as the fights in MMBN.
The setting is interesting, too. Design-wise, whereas the world of Battle Network wasn't that far removed from the real world in appearance, Star Force got a design aesthetic that at first glance looked modern but revealed a kind of futuristic feel at closer examination. You can see this in both clothing and architecture (regarding the latter, the Official Complete Works book for this series states that they hired on an architectural designer for the second game so that they could create more out-there building concepts). The EM technology also gets pretty out there by the third game, in which they've figured out how to "project" EM waves that can create temporary solid matter (the hero's home town even has a bridge made of these "real waves" that can be dematerialized to allow the train to pass through, which itself also travels along temporarily materialized tracks).
Given the outer space theme for Star Force, it wouldn't be much of a stretch at all for a hypothetical fourth game to feature the beginnings of a public form of space travel that uses special suits to allow humans to be beamed as EM waves to distant space stations built by materialized EM programs (the Official Complete Works book even features illustrations of such EM suits that went unused in the games). If they were to do such a thing, they could adapt the planet-themed robot masters from Mega Man V (the Gameboy one, that is) as EM beings, which might help the series feel more like a proper Mega Man series.
Unless you're talking about the Japanese version of the third game, which intially released with one version and eventually got an additional "Black" version, MMBN3 would be the first game in the series to be released with multiple versions, not MMBN4. I agree that MMBN3 had a proper ending for the series and that MMBN4 was the weakest entry in the series, but the fifth game was fairly good and sixth game is my second favorite in the series.
In terms of gameplay, MMBN4 adds countering and full-synchro (which temporarily stuns an enemy if you hit it before it completes its attack animation and also causes your next battle chip attack to deal double damage), double soul unision (which gives you a form with alternate traits, similar to the style changes of MMBN 2 and 3, except that you can use any form you've earned provided you sacrifice an appropriate battle chip to activate it during a fight) and dark battle chips (which are very powerful, but disallow full-synchro when you use them).
MMBN5 features Liberation Mode, which puts you in a map covered with enemy-occupied spaces you must with clear to continue onwards (you can clear one space at a time with normal combat, that and every adjacent space if you win the battle in one round, and different configurations of spaces without combat using limited-use abilities). You can play as several other Navis in Liberation Mode, each one with their own in-combat and out of combat abilities. The layout of a battlefield during combat is determined by the enemy-occupied spaces your Navi is adjacent to at the beginning of a battle (you can even start a battle occupying the center two columns of the battle grid with enemies on either side of you, necessitating that you change facing the L-button). I personally enjoyed Liberation Mode, but from what I understand many people did not.
MMBN6 replaces double soul unison with soul cross (which is similar, but does not require you to use battle chips to activate them; they are available for use at any time during combat once you've unlocked them) and replaces the dark chips with beast-out (which grants Megaman.exe an almost overpowered form for three rounds).
I recommend MMBN6, but MMBN5 is fun, too. The story is nearly non-existent in MMBN4, and several strange design decisions drag it down (such as having to play through the game 3 times to be able to fight every boss, get every battle chip, and unlock every double soul unison).
BTW, does everyone who at least played through the first three games remember Mr. Match? He was Fireman, Heatman, and Flameman's operator in MMBN 1-3. He set peoples houses on fire in the first game, set fire to a government research facility in the third game, and almost blew up an event hall full of people in the fourth game. Guess what? He's an elementary school teacher in the sixth game. The Battle Network series has the most nonsensical criminal justice system ever.
I honestly believe that, save for giving the format of the original or X series a major overhaul (i.e. break away from the format of eight bosses, final series of levels), Legends (or something akin to it) is the future of Mega Man at retail on consoles (downloadable games, that's another matter).
Frankly, if anything, Legends might have been ahead of its time. I don't think people were quite ready for that sort of move from Mega Man yet, especially hot on the heels of Mega Man 8 and X4. The tech (i.e. DualShock analogs) wasn't there yet, either.
The first one apparently sold well enough for Capcom; it not only became a Greatest Hit, but also led to them bringing over the two subsequent games. It's a pity they practically sabotaged the series in America, though; they never properly informed us that it took place in the main series timeline, while Legends 2 was released the same week as the PlayStation 2 in the U.S.
I don't care what game you are, unless you're Mario on a new Nintendo platform-- and even then, those are difficult odds to overcome.
Hexmage-PA: Re: Star Force - I'll just say I liked the first one as much or more than some BN games, the second had way too many random encounters (and I just gave up on it for now), and I've yet to play the third. I like it, but not as much as I want to like it.
I did like Battle Network 4, though I admittedly didn't play through every run of both iterations... I ran out of steam sometime in the second run. Still, it's the first BN game I beat legit, and in the most epic fashion possible, so I can't hate on that one. BN5, back to cheap bosses again... wouldn't even bother me so much if not for being unable to save right before the final battle in these games.
I did love Liberation Mode in 5. I was hoping that was the new battle mechanic, instead of random encounters, but no. I'd love to see that employed in a Command Mission-style X game, though.
I still need to play 6, just to finish it all off.
I need to beat ZX Advent one of these days, too. That one has just been working against me, though...
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
My only qualms with Mega Man Zero is that if you were looking to score high on missions, it was sometimes incredibly fucking difficult to do that. The skill cap on Mega Man Zero is so goddamn high. For people who haven't played them, (I think I only played Z1 and Z2), remember that fight in Sigma's fortress in X where a spider comes down along some tubes on semi-preset paths, and basically no matter what you did, you'd end up using up all of your E-tanks because he'd always land on your head? Yeah, that's pretty much the norm for some bosses in MMZ.
My most vivid memory of MMZ was sitting in an airport with my GBA SP, fighting some phoenix boss, getting soooooo pissed off.
edit: While I'm here, I also want to mention that getting the S ranked Digger License in MML2 was obnoxious, and the only reason I didn't finish that game. Look up a YouTube video on this, the margin of error is a few seconds at best for a normal human being. Fun games though, the enormous hammer-head boss in 1 was so frightening when I was a kid, that thing was huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge.
And of course, they never did a thing with it regardless. But at least the circumstances are different.
But
But they did plan to do a thing with it.
that thing they planned to do with it was called the Zero series.
this