Maverick Hunter: The Megaman FPS that could have been

[Buster Cannon]

www.polygon.com/2013/4/9/4179628/mega-man-fps-maverick-hunter

Looks like MML3 and Universe weren't the only Megaman concepts that got shot down.  Even though I'm not the biggest FPS fan out there, I would have been okay with this; it'd be like the Megaman equivalent of Metroid Prime or something like that.

[Loken]

I don't think an FPS is a good direction for Megaman but DAMN DOES IT PISS ME OFF! 4 games in the last few years canceled? 3 of them announced publicly? I don't care what Svennson and the rest said there's nothing in the works for us. We'll be blessed if we get X-over. *7-billionth sigh*

[SketchMan3]

I actually would have welcomed this, if they just lightened it up a teensy bit.

[ZEROrevive]

I personally thought it wasn't half bad. Just sortof wished that they could have had X look slightly more...well, like X. The face to say the least.

Then again, Rockman Zero...pulled the same thing in the art department. So its 50/50.

[Adrian2040]

Like many other people have said at some point, I believe MegaMan needs a reboot in order to become commercially successful again. However, this is just straying far too much from the core theme in... pretty much every possible, if I analyze it more maybe even literal way. And here I was thinking Legends, even if a great videogame, was too different from the core platforming games. MegaMan could use a reboot like Tomb Raider did, but this... I'm already getting some Bomberman: Act Zero flashbacks.

Color me relief for this game's cancellation. Am I actually appalled at the fact that a game like this got this far into development.

Edit: They could have just made this an original IP. Perverting MegaMan's name by using it for this game in order to get more sales... It would have disgusting if it had went through.

[Loken]

Megaman might need to reinvent, but not reboot. If they can make a game that keep ties to the lore while being it's own story, introduce new game concepts, and retain the charm I think it would be a big success. Legends 3 was different and fresh enough to attract new attention to the franchise. Even if they don't continue Legends they should still follow those three steps. What's really key is that they RELEASE A NEW GAME!!!

[ZEROrevive]

Just a wild thought, but what if X had more of a style something similarly to this? Somehow it seemed a little more appealing to the eyes, visually.

[Buster Cannon]

Apr 9, 2013 19:01:08 GMT -5 Adrian2040 said:

They could have just made this an original IP. Perverting MegaMan's name by using it for this game in order to get more sales... It would have disgusting if it had went through.

Thing is, you could apply that exact same logic to Legends, Battle Network, and Star Force.  It's not the "traditional" formula, but it'd still at the very least have something referencing the classic style.  Plenty of people were introduced to the Megaman series via the aforementioned spin-offs, who's to say that the same wouldn't happen with a FPS take on the games?  It wouldn't replace or even have to fit in with canon (see: BN/SF), it'd just be another way to look at the franchise.

[Adrian2040]

Apr 9, 2013 19:08:21 GMT -5 @truner said:

Battle Network was wastly different, just like Legends. Hell, even Zero was different from what people know as Mega Man.

At least Battle Network (Star Force too), Legends and Zero (And ZX for that matter) kept a similar art style. While the RPG's and Legends had a very different gameplay (especially the priors), they kept a familiar attitude and character design. Thus, playing a core game after playing one of the spin-offs wouldn't make a player feel completely out of place. Imagine if Metal Gear Solid was a Mario game. Imagine someone playing that and then going to the 3D platformers. Pretty big change of tone, isn't it?

Also, at least MegaMan keeps his "iconic" buster in every game. Never change an icon if you can. (Zero doesn't count as he is not MegaMan and those games establish it well. Alo, Bad Box-Art MegaMan doesn't count since he is an in-joke.) Remember when people complained about DmC because of Dante's hair? Enough said.

Apr 9, 2013 19:12:56 GMT -5 Loken said:

Megaman might need to reinvent, but not reboot. If they can make a game that keep ties to the lore while being it's own story, introduce new game concepts, and retain the charm I think it would be a big success. Legends 3 was different and fresh enough to attract new attention to the franchise. Even if they don't continue Legends they should still follow those three steps. What's really key is that they RELEASE A NEW GAME!!!

I have to agree. The lore doesn't truly need any changing. However, to introduce new players to the game, the old lore doesn't need to be a priority in the new games. At most, they should be references. Think of the jump between MegaMan to X. Even that would be pushing it a bit, as the jump between X and Zero would not be big enough. I'd say the most appropriate story jump would be one like the one between Zero and ZX.

Also, the key is not really releasing any new game. If money is invested to revive and/or revitalize the franchise and this new game fails, then things will go for the worse. Let Capcom think carefully before deciding what game to develop. What they SHOULDN'T do is hint at a game's development when they have absolutely nothing. It's not acceptable for a big company like them. They can correct themselves later to avoid huge damage, but some damage is still done. Also, once they have something TRULY solid and GREEN-LIGHTED for development, they should release a trailer as soon as possible. The bigger the trailer, the better. So they ought to avoid with teasers if possible. They are called "teasers" for something, and most MegaMan fans are angry at teases already.

[Sybillian]

I don't really look around at upcoming games for any companies. Big mistake; just found out about this. But looking at that gameplay, it would've been cool to have. But, like Adrian2040 said, it doesn't seem very Megaman-ish to me.

[Adrian2040]

Apr 9, 2013 20:10:02 GMT -5 Sybillian said:

I don't really look around at upcoming games for any companies. Big mistake; just found out about this.

Don't worry. You are not late to the party. This unannounced, cancelled game was discovered lots of hours ago. A day or two, tops.

[ZEROrevive]

Apr 9, 2013 20:07:36 GMT -5 Adrian2040 said:

Also, the key is not really releasing any new game. If money is invested to revive and/or revitalize the franchise and this new game fails, then things will go for the worse. Let Capcom think carefully before deciding what game to develop. What they SHOULDN'T do is hint at a game's development when they have absolutely nothing. It's not acceptable for a big company like them. They can correct themselves later to avoid huge damage, but some damage is still done. Also, once they have something TRULY solid and GREEN-LIGHTED for development, they should release a trailer as soon as possible. The bigger the trailer, the better. So they ought to avoid with teasers if possible. They are called "teasers" for something, and most MegaMan fans are angry at teases already.

I pretty much agree with this here...Capcom is playing it cautious. Very cautious. They know the situation they are in now...So lets just allow them to think carefully, and release something when they know its ready. I don't even mind if it takes another year or so. Just let them do things right.

[Loken]

I really, really doubt that the lack of a new megaman game is due to Capcom being cautious. I'd say it's apathy.

[SketchMan3]

For what it's worth, I've seen that people are starting to accept dante's new hair.

Think of it this way: Rockman BnC and Megaman Soccer are huge gameplay concept changes, but they keep the art-style. Here we have a huge artstyle change, but it retains the core gameplay concept of jumping and shooting.

[Adrian2040]

Apr 9, 2013 23:31:13 GMT -5 SketchMan3 said:

For what it's worth, I've seen that people are starting to accept dante's new hair.

Think of it this way: Rockman BnC and Megaman Soccer are huge gameplay concept changes, but they keep the art-style. Here we have a huge artstyle change, but it retains the core gameplay concept of jumping and shooting.

Simply put, MegaMan has never been about simply jumping and shooting. Apart from the spin-offs like the RPGs, the Legends series and the games you mentioned, MegaMan has always been about "precise" jumping and shooting gameplay. It combined challenging level designs that demanded players to use fast-reflexes and memorize patterns to beat obstacles. Obtaining enemy weapons and having a great accompanying soundtrack is also part of the experience, but games like the Zero franchise can show that it's not the most important core aspect of a core MegaMan game.

The game that was shown doesn't look challenging at all. Worst of all, it seemed to dumb down platforming a lot in favor of combat, making it seem like a FPS with a very, very slight emphasis on jumping. The trailers definitely don't show any aspect of platforming.

You say that this games retains the concept of jumping and shooting, but it doesn't retain the core aspect of the MegaMan games nor does it even retain its genre: Platformer. At most i would have considered it a spin-off. It could have been a good game, but I wouldn't have considered it a good MegaMan. Rather, it looked as either a desperate attempt to cash in on the franchise and fanbase or a desperate attempt at revitalising the franchise by trying to do what Sega did with "Shadow the Hedgehog". That is a game I still consider a platformer and, in a sense, a Sonic game. (Though I'm not saying it was a "good" Sonic game.)

P.S. Did people ever accept Bomberman's new art style and redesign from Bomberman: Act Zero? I'm afraid not.