People still love run-and-gun games. If Capcom hadn’t dropped the ball and allowed Keiji Inafune to keep making Mega Man games, people would have continued to buy and support the Blue Bomber. But it didn’t, there was a divide, and now Mighty No. 9 is happening on September 15, 2015. Now the success of the Kickstarter and project has enlightened Capcom, resulting in what appears to be the quickest attempt to cash-in on a property it suddenly realizes people still want. I’m talking, of course, about the newly announced Mega Man Legacy Collection . It’s lazy.
The Mega Man Legacy Collection is something Capcom is calling a “celebration,” when it’s really a cash-in on the character’s name. It’s a blanket endeavor to get Mega Man back on the 3DS, PS4, Xbox One, and PC as quickly as possible. Though, that isn’t terribly quick for handheld owners, since that version is out in Winter 2015, but the goal is obviously to have it on the systems that count before Summer 2015 ends. That way, it beats out the game everyone has been hyped up about. Really though, it seems more a call of desperation.
“Oh no! Comcept and Inti Creates are getting close! What can we do? Distract them!” Except Capcom didn’t want to invest the time and effort necessary to run interference with a good, new game. Instead of an original installment, it went with what was lying around, working with Digital Eclipse to get the original six games ported to the Eclipse Engine. Sure, it isn’t truly lazy. Some effort had to be expended to prepare the ports, but it isn’t equal to the endeavors that are going into Mighty No. 9 .
Especially since the Mega Man Legacy Collection isn’t doing anything, save allowing people access to six games already available on most major platforms. I mean, a quick check on the 3DS eShop already shows the first six Mega Man games are available via Virtual Console. Sure, the collection will be cheaper at $14.99, but it’s a means of giving people access to games they’ve already been able to buy, if they wanted, for a while.
I mean, look at the launch screenshots! Those black bars along the sides! It’s disappointing. Yes, the games will be cleaned up so they look better in HD, but it’s distracting.
Sure, the Challenge Mode could be appealing. It might be the main reason someone would consider the Mega Man Legacy Collection . But when it’s the only real, fresh gameplay draw, one can’t help but have any excitement tempered with disappointment. Let’s remix the six games, sure, but how long can that keep us busy?
And don’t try to use the Museum Mode as a reason someone should consider the Mega Man Legacy Collection fresh. How often do you look at the art galleries in your games? Do you pore over the digital fact sheets and concept art? Or do you think it’s a nice bonus, maybe peek at the mode once to see what’s up, then never touch it again? I guarantee it’s the latter.
The Mega Man Legacy Collection is one of those things that is just “there.” It serves a purpose, I suppose, but isn’t anything worth getting overly excited about. Rather, it feels more like a halfhearted endeavor by Capcom to get something out before Mighty No. 9 enters the limelight, so people will remember that, once upon a time, we used to be guaranteed great Mega Man games on a regular basis.