MegaMan May Actually Be Dead

[Colonel ServBot]

RockMan, the super fighting robot also known as MegaMan to the western audience, was a hit sensation across the entire world. But recently he's gotten a bit more neglect than he should, up to the point we may never see him again! In fact, all of his recent games have either been just cancelled, or fans making their interpretation of the MegaMan 11 they want to see, and fan games aren't even official. This neglect is getting up to the point of where Megaman may only just be a distant memory, sitting on our VideoGame shelves collecting dust as we wait by. Just now, I was in the Chatroom of Sprites Incorporated, another Internet Forum I frequent, when we got into the discussion that sparked this very idea.

Let's take a look at the not-so-impressive game RockMan XOver (pronounced Cross-Over) released on the iOS Platform. Forum member, Chaos Fantazy, who also resides on this forum, made a statement: "Say RockMan XOver out loud. but not with the stupid 'cross' part, but with the actual X sound... Doesn't it sound like 'RockMan's Over?'". This really stuck out to me, since most of all other MegaMan games that were previously announced were cancelled and this game was really the worst MegaMan game ever to exist, and I'm sure many, if not all, fans can agree. It felt nobody even put their time into making XOver. Like they just slapped it all together using their Megaman X iOS sprites and said "It's done, we got a new game, it's done. This is what we'll be using to show fans that he's done for."
Let's also sneak a peek into Megaman 10, the second to last true licensed game by Capcom. One of the Wily themes, Wily Stage 1, is actually named 'Abandoned Memory'. That's not even subtle anymore Capcom...

Now this part may not be as true, but this is my interpretation. Look at the end scene when RockMan defeats Doctor Wily in MegaMan 10. The screen starts showing off all of the other times Rock has defeated and captured Wily. Now, for me, when I LOSE something, I usually remember all of the good or memorable times I had with that thing, whether it be a person dying, or something less undesirable. And what could usually be the most memorable part of the Classic MegaMan Series? (For Me) It was taking down wily, and watching his head bobbing down, pleading for mercy, which is actually being showed right in front of your eyes, multiple times on the screen. So this may mean that we are being reminded of all of our glorious vicories before we may never see MegaMan again.

Another thing I've seen is that, generally, MegaMan games with the exclusion of Keiji Inafune (MegaMans 'foster-father') do not quite keep the same quality as the ones Inafune has actually worked on. Let's take a look at RockMan X6. That's what many fans call the turning point of the X series, where the games got bad. Now, time for something that seems a bit off topic... What is a crucial key to the MegaMan franchise itself? I'm waiting, I'll give you a minute to think...
Okay fine, it's Inafune. Inafune originally planned to end the X series at X5, but his team wanted to develop an X6. He really had nothing to do with the game at all. And according to the MMKB, The MegaMan Knowledge Base, Inafunes only involvement with X7 was that he gave advice on the newest character Axl. And let's face it, not a lot of people really like X7-8. Both X7 and X8 didn't really have Inafune working on the game. So let's do a simple math equation.
Keiji Inafune + Capcom = Good RockMan. Keiji Inafune - Capcom = No RockMan, or Bad RockMan.
This also applies to the cancellation of my beloved MegaMan Legends 3. When was MML3 cancelled? Around the time of Inafune's departure from Capcom. Not to mention that the gritty MegaMan X reboot, titled Maverick Hunter, was also cancelled after Inafunes Departure. Coincidence? I think not.

All I can really see that's coming out of MegaMan now are those cool D-Arts figures and the Archie Comics. But I really don't see little five inch plastic toys and books keeping a franchise alive. What MegaMan really needs is a new game. A good one though. Something that the fans will play over and over again up until the release of it's sequel.

However, with MegaMans inclusion in the to-be-released hit fighting game, Super Smash Bros, we can assume Rock isn't going out without a bang.

This is Colonel Sanders ServBot, signing out. Please feel free to add to this or leave a comment below.
I'd also like to apologize for this huge wall of text I have, but this is like an editorial of a sort. Plus, I also really wanted to share my thinking about the neglect of my favorite Capcom IP.

[Knux]

Well put, Colonel Servbot. A crowd applause to you for this neat summary of what has happened to Megaman in these recent years.

[Alpha X]

well.... this is my opinion about the x series:

i think that megaman x6 wasn't that bad, x7 sucked as well and about x8....even if inafume didn't worked there, was a lot better than te previous one but...there are thing that i dislike about X series
from x6-x8:
-why they put a character like axl? only to make a "Bass X counter part"? why they didn't put someone like vile o dynamo, those characters fits better (for me)
-characters like gate and dynamo are missing, i don't know why c(r)apcom didn't put them on following games

as for the classic series...i don't know you, but i think that still have potential, there are a lot of fan games on the internet that says: "is not over yet!"...still there are megaman fans...

even if capcom isn't going to release any other megaman game, i never going to forget about the history and the legacy of the blue bomber have left to me: "never give up, keep trying"

well, this is my opinion about megaman

[Ceridran]

Not to mention that the gritty MegaMan X reboot, Maverick Hunter, was also cancelled after Inafunes Departure.

(click to show/hide)

You're thinking of something different, unless you meant that FPS thing.

my mind

[Russel]

He was talking about the FPS thing, which was titled Maverick Hunter.

[BiscuitSlash]

Without Inafune around, Megaman games don't really have that quality push. As much as I love X6, it really needed more polish and I'm sure Inafune would have made sure that would happen if he was part of it. X7 was a huge miss as there was very little effort put into it, and Axl could actually have been a good character in that game since he is one in X8. X8 is actually a really well made game and it's the direction Megaman X should have taken for that era of gaming; the fact that Inafune wasn't part of it means that the team made a rare quality push.

Without Inafune, Capcom just can't push themselves to make another Megaman game of enough quality.

[Gumballtoid]

To be honest, I'd rather see the Blue Bomber laid to rest than to see new titles of subpar quality being pushed out like pez. Mega Man 10 was a really good game, and I think it was a fine closure to the series.

[leoalex50]

i would rather see more megaman games before he dies

[Dr. Freeman]

The evidence here is rather silly. The title Abandoned Memory stems from the fact that the boss happens to be the Weapons Archive or whatever it's called using bosses from the last 9 games not because Capcom is giving little hints on Mega Man himself. Maybe if every other song did that, but considering it's only the stage where the bosses are literally a memory, that seems out of place.

That and your grand finale of Wily begging for mercy is from Mega Man 9 and not 10.
So that obviously wasn't intended as a finale.

Who knows, Mega might be dead or whatever, but if he is these reasons have little to do with it.

[PressStart]

I just finished Mega Man 9 again the other day (first I've played it through the whole way through in a long while) and while it did always seem to be more conclusive with it's way cool credits music and pictures, it DID say Wily was nowhere to be found all mysterious-like at the end (and then had that pic of him with Concrete Man but WHATEVER). With how quickly MM10 came out, it did seem like they had plans to make it right after... whereas something like MM11 would have only shown up if both releases were insanely popular.

A franchise can be revived at any time, but ya I think it's safe to say for now Mega Man is way dead. Which kind of sucks! A lot of people say Mega Man has too many sequels, but when the series has such a solid track record of good gameplay, music, designs, and graphics, I can't help but want more.

That's why I (and so many others) have high hopes for Mighty No. 9. It got launched at the perfect time, and could be the series that's similar-yet-different enough to keep Mega Man fans happy. Honestly, with all the past-Mega Man creators involved with Mighty No. 9 right now (Inafune, Tom Pon, the composers, Inticreates), I'm not sure Capcom even has the team to make a proper Mega Man game anymore.

[Emmanuelf06]

I think, they need a team for megaman, a team who is really fan of the serie, not anybody...but if they dont have it actually, we can wait a lot
Who knows.....for me, it's not dead, just in waiting....Capcom need money right?  

[NemZ]

I'd say it's probably dead as far as official games anyone should admit to buying are concerned.  But fangames are a big thing now, with more and better coming along all the time.  Heck, one of these days X:Corruption might even be released... a possibly actually good X game again.  And with mighty9 on deck megaman may be dead but the spirit lives on.

[Geno]

Just a thing, but remember how Pit's inclusion in SSBB revived the Kid Icarus series?


I wonder if SSB4 will do that to Mega Man?

[-FiniteZero-]

Just a thing, but remember how Pit's inclusion in SSBB revived the Kid Icarus series?


I wonder if SSB4 will do that to Mega Man?

I really, really hope so.

[Ivory]

Except Pit's inclusion didn't revive the Kid Icarus series. Kid Icarus revived because Nintendo was doing a game with both land and air combat, and realized that Pit would fit the mold perfectly. So they turned it into a new Kid Icarus titled that was inspired by the new designs of Kid Icarus characters that appeared in SSB.