“Sizzling circuits!”

December 10, 2017 1:22 PM

Mega Man 11 Announced [YouTube][Video Game Trailer] “Mega Man 11 is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One in 2018, Capcom announced today. The game is a side-scrolling action platformer in the vein of the previous 10 Mega Man games, but with 3D visuals. Capcom said Mega Man 11 will be released in “late 2018,” in time for the Blue Bomber’s 30th anniversary. Working on the title are producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya and director Koji Oda, both veterans of Capcom and the Mega Man series. The pair talked about their goals for the new Mega Man, referring to the game as something of a rebirth for the character. The game’s art director and character designer, Yuji Ishihara, created a new look for Mega Man, which “leaked” earlier this year on the Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 release. Here’s a peek at the character art for Mega Man 11.” [via: Polygon]

• Thirty years ago, in 1987, a super robot named Mega Man was created. [Capcom] [YouTube] [ 30th Anniversary Trailer]

“Thirty years ago, in 1987, a super robot named Mega Man was created. In 2018, the fight for everlasting peace will continue! Today during our big Mega Man 30th Anniversary Twitch live show, we revealed a brand new Mega Man game. Mega Man 11 is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in late 2018! All of us at Capcom celebrated the Blue Bomber’s grand return as part of the Mega Man 30th Anniversary Celebration with a Twitch stream dedicated to the beloved ‘bot, featuring special guests, developer interviews, and more. [...]Aside from a new look with subtle changes to his classic style, Mega Man will change more than his color when he swaps to a Robot Master’s weapon – his entire appearance will change, too! You noticed it in the trailer, right? Eagle-eyed fans like Protodude got a glimpse of the future from a hint we slipped into Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 earlier this year. Speaking of the classics, there’ll be returning characters, as well, including faithful robot canine companion Rush, who you can see in action in the trailer, and Mega Man’s sister who’s always ready to do her part, Roll, who you can see in the art below!”

• Mega Man 30 Rockman 30th Anniversary: History of Capcom Series, Origin Secrets Trivia & Did You Know [Den of Geek] [YouTube] [21:49]

“Mega Man celebrates his 30th birthday this month, with the original game being released in Japan way back in December 1987. Since then, he's become an enduring staple of the videogame landscape, even if it's felt as though the Blue Bomber himself is in danger of slipping into obscurity - it's now several years since the release of the 8-bit themed sequel, Mega Man 10, and at the time of writing, Capcom has still yet to announce a new game in the series. Still, the Mega Man library is chock full of gems and classic moments, as the video below - brought to us by the always informative Gaijillionaire - reminds us. Indeed, even Mega Man afficionados will likely find some trivia and development stories that they haven't heard before. All those sequels might lead you to assume that Mega Man - or Rockman in Japan - was an immediate smash; rather, the response to Mega Man 1 was so muted that its developers wound up making Mega Man 2 in their spare time.”

• What's wrong with the run animation in Mega Man 11? [Destructoid]

“Running walking animations are easy to take for granted. When they do their job right, they look too natural to ever grab your attention while still adding energy and personality to the character. While it may look primitive now, the original NES Mega Man had some of the best running animations of its day. Back then, Mario, Link, and Simon Belmont all sort of hobbled their way to adventure. Mega Man, on the other hand, had a stride that looked confident and effortless. That was achieved in part by the game's artists who turned turn his body slightly "towards the camera" while he ran. This does a lot to keep Mega Man from looking flat and bland, but it's also a cheat. Technically, if he ran at that angle in a real physical space, he'd end up running straight into the camera and through your TV screen, but subconsciously, we know 2D sprites don't exist in a real physical space. With simple, low detail sprites, you could get away with cheats like that and not lose suspension of disbelief, as they work within their own visual logic.”

posted by Fizz (14 comments total)

Also, here's a full recording of the entire livestream from the 30th Annivesary Event if anyone wants to watch it all the way through. [YouTube]
posted by Fizz at 1:28 PM on December 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Mega Man 2 was my first experience with this series and it's the first video game I ever beat all the way through. I can still remember the stale pepsi and cold pizza slices that me and my friend were munching on at 4 a.m. as we battled Dr. Wiley's evil robots. If I recall correctly, that game has like 4 different endings. Each time you think it's over, you find yourself having to battle once again. I loved that. The high five that me and my best friend gave each other when we learned there was even more of the game to finish is still reverberating to this day!?!
posted by Fizz at 1:42 PM on December 10, 2017 [2 favorites]

#Woodman4Life
posted by Fizz at 1:43 PM on December 10, 2017 [2 favorites]

#Woodman4Life

#MetalManAllDay

Seriously. Those metal blades only used like || much of the weapon energy but it cut down multiple opponents so nicely. Including punk wood man.

I am like you. I still remember playing it and the multiple "Thought he was!" non-endings. And the music for the ending screens. Honestly the music and sound effects was what made it so great.

Hopefully 11 is good. I might have to get a switch if it is.
posted by cashman at 3:04 PM on December 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's definitely Mega Man season! Just last week I wrote up a list of the ten greatest moments in the series.

I started out with the original series as a NES kid, played the Mega Man X series on Super NES, and then lost track of that when it moved to the PlayStation. I tried Battle Network and Mega Man Zero, but could never find the same magic in them. Beyond that is Mega Man ZX and Mega Man Star Force, neither of which inspired me to seek them out. So it's classic Blue Bomber all the way for me! And if they ever start making amiibos of the classic Robot Masters like Metal Man and Spark Man, I might as well just start sending a monthly check to Nintendo.
posted by Servo5678 at 3:30 PM on December 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

Seriously. Those metal blades only used like || much of the weapon energy but it cut down multiple opponents so nicely. Including punk wood man.

Along with Quick Man. His power also had a long life and would use minimal resources when shooting.

Honestly the music and sound effects was what made it so great.

This. 100% this! It's one of my favourite NES soundtracks.

On the subject of Mega Man 2 OST. Here's a fun article that's worth reading, specifically in regards to how Elton John and Mega Man 2 connect. [Kotaku]

“Reader Andrew G. has, since he was six, always thought that the theme for Dr. Wily's Castle from Mega Man 2 sounded like Elton John's "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That." Both were released in 1988. So, this is what it's come to this weekend. Alright. Well, enjoy watching Mega Man rock the baby grand while we chew this one over. Sir Elton's single was on "Reg Strikes Back," released in June 1988. It went to number one on Billboard's adult contemporary chart on Aug. 20, 1988. Mega Man 2 was released Dec. 24, 1988. All I know about its development cycle was that it did not begin immediately after the original Mega Man released in 1987. You have to speed up the tempo (of Elton John's song) to match the Wily's Castle theme, but they do fit.”

posted by Fizz at 3:40 PM on December 10, 2017 [3 favorites]

That article about the animation was quite interesting. The weird perspectives of NES character sprites causing people fits in 2017 is hilarious. Who ever thought animators would be struggling to reach just the right shade of robotic?

There is something weird about that new video, though. For me it wasn't so much Megaman's animation as everything else... just feels a bit like a mock up of a game, or a "fake" game you might see in a movie.
posted by selfnoise at 6:12 PM on December 10, 2017

There is something weird about that new video, though. For me it wasn't so much Megaman's animation as everything else... just feels a bit like a mock up of a game, or a "fake" game you might see in a movie.

I think it's the blend of 2d on 3d style of animation. Mega Man pops a bit brighter than the rest of the background he's layered on top of, or something to that effect. I found it a bit odd the first time I saw the trailer but I like the art-style and I'm hoping it'll be a successful game.

Which reminds me of how hopeful so many of us were when we heard about Mighty No. 9. It was not well received.

Mighty No-No [US Gamer]

“Unfortunately, separating Mighty No. 9 from its tumultuous development is impossible. The game is haphazard, unpolished, and lacks anything close to the charm of Inafune's best-known Mega Man titles. As I slogged through tepid mid-tier platforming and tried not to let myself get distracted by the characters' inane chatter I found myself wondering where the hell all that extra time went, because it sure didn't go into playtesting or presentation.

Speaking of presentation, the single best word for Mighty No. 9's graphics is "dull." Its color palette relies mostly on greys and washed-out blues (with occasional stabs of electric purple courtesy of the game's many instant-death traps). Once in a while, you're treated to flashes of inspiration like a highway bathed in a blood-red sunset or a huge holding tank full of shimmering water. Most of the time, however, hero Beck plods through factories and mines that appear to be copy-pasted. ”

posted by Fizz at 6:43 PM on December 10, 2017

It took thirty years for someone to say "hey we have a lot more space now, what if Mega Man actually changed more than just color when he swapped weapons?".
posted by egypturnash at 7:32 PM on December 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

It took thirty years for someone to say "hey we have a lot more space now, what if Mega Man actually changed more than just color when he swapped weapons?".

*puts on a brick hat*
posted by Fizz at 7:33 PM on December 10, 2017

I know the complaint is somewhat tongue in cheek, but there's a few factors to consider. The original games had to deal with a very limited NES palette, and crafting unique sprites per weapon type would have been a challenge both technically and artistically. The SNES fixed that by and large, but the resolution was still around 256x224 pixels. X's hand is more like a mitten, so transforming it to be more 'brickey' wouldn't have translated. Plus, X's design evolves over the course of the game as you upgrade equipment, so it's not just 8 skills you need to design custom sprites, but 16 to 64 more, depending on how they implemented that bit.

By the time 3d rolled around, the palette swap was sort of Megaman's deal. Very few of the NES era series successfully transitioned to 3d -- and Megaman was no exception. The first 3D Megaman was not well recieved, and the series wound up finding a new home on portable -- GBA, DS then PSP. All of these platforms come with standard 'terrible resolution / poly counts' problems that make the palette swap a near necessity. Megaman 9 and 10 were both launched as retro titles deliberately embracing the 8 bit style.

The Switch though is a mobile device that can output 1080p and has plenty of polygons. 2d platforming with 3d elements can be done, although technical challenges have been an issue plaguing it and its spiritual successors. The remaining problem would be animating transitions. In the X series you can cycle between weapon types with a tap of the button, unlike the NES series's menu, and this works if it's just a color swap. Judging by the animation at the :30 mark, they seem to have gone for the 'burst of light' method of obscuring the otherwise jarring transition.
posted by pwnguin at 9:22 PM on December 10, 2017 [2 favorites]

Anyways, I guess this means I need to hurry up and finish Megaman 10.
posted by pwnguin at 9:23 PM on December 10, 2017

This is extremely my shit.
posted by lazaruslong at 5:54 AM on December 11, 2017 [1 favorite]

Possibly source material for an FPP, but Rockman lead composer Manami Matsumae aka "Chanchacorin" has released her first solo album Three Movements. While she wasn't assigned to the sequels*, very well done chiptune compositions are among the series' signature aspects, and she set the bar quite high from the outset. The series's music is among the defining set of the chiptune genre, and if you're hankering for something new yet hauntingly familiar, I recommend a listen.
posted by pwnguin at 7:37 PM on December 17, 2017