Mega Man is back. After a terribly long hiatus, Capcom’s blue bomber will make his triumphant return in 2018. Naturally, the staff had some interesting reactions to the news, so let’s get at it!
Jon Stevens
I’ll confess, I’ve never actually played a Mega Man game (blasphemy I know!). Despite this, I fully appreciate what Mighty No. 9 was trying to be.
Of course, it’s almost universally agreed that the Mega Man-inspired game failed to recapture what fans loved about the series. Capcom clearly kept a close eye on the attention that Mighty No. 9 was getting though, as Mega Man 11 looks to be the game that fans were hoping for all along.
It’s important to bear in mind that this is based on the announcement trailer alone, and as No. 9 proves, things can change (and go horribly wrong) during development. Still, it’s clear that the failure of No. 9 has given Capcom a window to make the most of fans’ original excitement for a proper Mega Man game.
Marc Deschamps
It’s funny Jon should mention it, because Mighty No. 9 is the first thing I thought of when I saw the Mega Man 11 trailer debut. In sort of a weird, roundabout way, Capcom’s new title looks like a much more polished version of its wannabe successor.
It’s really surreal to finally see a new Mega Man game. Even with all the rumors floating around over the last week or so, I still felt my jaw slightly drop when Capcom debuted the video during yesterday’s stream. I’ve always been more of a casual fan of the blue bomber, but the world of gaming just felt a little bit emptier without Mega Man. While we’ve had a range of games influenced by the series to help fill the void over the years (some more successful than others), there’s just something to be said about having the original back.
Of course, Capcom is gonna have their work cut out for them. The game looks good, but fans are going to have understandably lofty expectations after a long time out of the spotlight. Still, I can’t help but hope that this turns out to be the Mega Man equivalent of Sonic Mania. This fanbase certainly deserves it!
Andy Hoover
I know everyone’s excited about Mega Man 11 but I’m more interested in the prospect of getting the Mega Man X games on Switch.
While I haven’t played any of the newer Mega Man games, I played enough of the old, original NES games to know they were never really for me. To be blunt, compared to the Mario games, they felt kind of stiff, enough so that I felt their famous difficulty came as much from the controls as the level design. Or maybe I just didn’t have the patience for them.
The X games, on the other hand, always felt much smoother and more nuanced in just about every way imaginable. That’s not to say they are among my favorite games of all time, but given the option between the two versions of Mega Man, I would always choose X.
If Mega Man 11 is a true update to the franchise instead of just being a prettier version of the original games, it could catch my interest. Regardless, I’m excited to see it announced simply because it is something the fanbase absolutely deserves. Now we just need a new Mega Man Legends game!
Robert Marrujo
I was utterly thrilled to hear all the Mega Man news during the livestream. It’s become something of a running joke in the nearly eight years since Mega Man 10 came out that Capcom will never release another new game starring the Blue Bomber. Well, with Mega Man 11 on the way that drought is finally over. Mega Man is as classic a series as there is and I really believe it’s important to keep its legacy going. Titles like Legacy Collection 1 and 2 are great ways of doing that; with both of those coming to Switch, that means basically every current-gen console will allow fans to access the series in its entirety. Of equal importance, though, is continuing to make new games in a series where possible.
Even better, though, is the knowledge that the Mega Man X series is getting some love. The last time the original X games got a chance to shine was the Mega Man X Collection on GameCube and it wasn’t even complete. While the later entries are a little suspect, the series as a whole is largely excellent. It’s also easily as worthy of recognition as the original Mega Man line. I can’t help but wonder how Capcom will distribute the games? Legacy Collection X? Individually? Who knows and who cares, I guess; X is coming and I’m stoked!
That’s it for us, but now it’s your turn! Tell us what you thought of Capcom’s presentation in the comments below!