Justin weighs in on the first trailer for Mega Man's latest return.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/73789/mega-man-dual-override-reveal-thoughts
Capcom recently revealed the Blue Bomber’s latest game, Mega Man: Dual Override. That's right, Mega Man is finally back… again. As a big fan of the series I needed to express my feelings for what's going to be a 40th anniversary title for the series.
The trailer for Dual Override was brief but let us know this game is going for a modified Mega Man 11 style. Some may be pleased by this, but I am not. The Classic Mega Man series has always been better when presented in the 8-bit format. For example, I found Mega Man 9 and 10 to be some of the best additions to the series. All the Mega Man games that have strayed from the 8-bit style have always felt worse to me.
So what's wrong with the more modern styles? Well in the beginning, with Mega Man 7 on SNES, the sprites were big and the movement slow. This gave players less actual space on screen for the action to take place. While this has become less of a problem with Mega Man 11, thanks to modern widescreen displays, the feeling has also been off. Movement in the non 8-bit games has never felt as natural.
Mega Man 11 also introduced the Double Gear system. This game mechanic allowed players to slow down time or store two Charge Shots at once. Ultimately I found the mechanic to over complicate gameplay especially when it came to boss fights where they had forms that greatly encouraged using the new system. Mega Man, at its core, is meant to be a simple concept and that got totally wrecked by the complicated Double Gear mechanic. With Mega Man: Dual Override seemingly being a continuation of Mega Man 11 I'm worried–especially because of the name–that a Double Gear-like system will return when it's completely unnecessary. My worries could be unfounded, but Capcom really needs to prove to me they learned their lessons from Mega Man 11.
Mega Man 11 also didn't stop time when touching more health which made the game feel more bootleg. Additionally, the music, a major selling point of Mega Man, was easily the worst and most forgettable of the entire series.
The name of the game is something else I find interesting because this is the first unnumbered main Classic Mega Man title since Mega Man & Bass. Even though the trailer for Dual Override prominently featured a number 12 at the start I'm really confused as to why they didn't go with the numbered title. If Capcom sticks to the Dual Override title will the follow up game be the real Mega Man 12? These are things that keep me up at night.
One cool thing Capcom is doing this time around is bringing back the Robot Design contest. Long time fans may remember that Knight Man and Wind Man were both winners from an old design contest held in Nintendo Power. It's cool to see this again and if I had artistic talent I'd definitely submit my own ideas that are better than the Rubber Band Man I sent in as a kid. Hopefully fans try to push through more women Robot Masters since Mega Man 9 is the only game to feature one, Splash Woman. I'd even be excited to see a game with only female Robot Masters.
While nothing has been announced for Dual Override, Capcom has been very supportive of Amiibo on Switch 2. Hopefully we will see some cool Mega Man Amiibo figures in the future to go along with Dual Override. My only issue with Capcom's current Amiibo slate is they seem to be making figures for characters that few people want, so let’s see that change for this upcoming Mega Man title.
For now I remain cautiously excited for Mega Man: Dual Override. I want to be super hyped but Mega Man 11 left me feeling completely disappointed. Hopefully Capcom learned from their mistakes and can deliver a great classic entry in the Mega Man series when it's slated to hit Switch and Switch 2 in 2027. They have time to make it great. And Capcom, if you have the chance, please give us a new SNES 16-Bit style Mega Man X while you’re at it.
Topic: Mega Man: Dual Override Reveal Thoughts (Read 37 times)
