Tag Archives: MegaMan

Is There Any Hope for Capcom?

Before I outline where Capcom has made mistakes, let me say just how big of a fan I am of its games. Some of my favorite games of all time were made by Capcom: Resident Evil 4, Megaman X, and Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse. Seeing the Capcom label makes me happy, and it is one of of my top five game companies.

However,  Capcom needs to reconsider a few things.

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Every now and again Ryu needs a refresher I guess. Is this why there are so many games?

STREET FIGHTER

Being a huge fighting-game fan, there has always been a special place in my heart for Street Fighter. Unfortunately, recent games in the series seem to just repackage the game, while it still lacks the game modes, extras, and overall attention the franchise deserves. Fighting games have been lacking in these areas for the past seven to eight years. In fact, the last fighting game I considered worth full price was Soul Calibur 2, which had a great roster, unlockable weapons, and an abundance of game types. Hell, even Capcom knows this, which is obvious in the newest piece of downloadable content for Dead Rising 3.

To find Ryu, Chun-Li, and Blanka a new home would be strange, but there is one company that could do it best: Arc System Works, the brilliant minds behind Guilty Gear and Blazblue.

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They gave this partner a gun and it doesn’t make her less whiny?!

RESIDENT EVIL

Resident Evil has been plagued with a choppy plot, stiff gameplay, and terrible voice acting to the point that these features are almost a staple.  It’s surprising that these games were once considered revolutionary and scary. Probably the most aggravating part of these games are the fixed camera angles, often resulting with a zombie eating the player’s face unfairly. More times than not, the controls would not react as quickly and I would find myself battling the game’s mechanics rather than its monsters.

The last shining gem in the series for me is Resident Evil 4, a game that surpassed the expectations of pretty much every game magazine at the time. In typical Capcom flair, two games have been made in that style so far and they’re often put down. Proving that more of the same doesn’t necessarily work, especially when more action is added in a horror game. The last games felt more like a poorly made Gears of War.

From Software should jump on owning Resident Evil.  Opening up the world of Resident Evil and filling it with danger would return the game back to its scary roots, while adding a new level of challenge.

Fighting the Lagiacrus is like running head first into a brick wall.
Fighting the Lagiacrus is like running head first into a brick wall.

MONSTER HUNTER

Monster Hunter follows a simple, rather ingenious formula: players kill monsters, to get loot, to make better stuff, to kill bigger monsters, and so on. It’s a game that focuses on gameplay, letting everything else simply fall into place. Unfortunately, I’ve always thought Monster Hunter felt a little bare-bones. The world, while it looks vast, is actually small and contained in a few maps. The graphics are lacking compared to almost every other game on the market. Gameplay seems to be more hindering than innovative, probably because each game is released on a handheld or lacks an extra thumbstick. Monster Hunter needs to expand, without losing the gameplay that works.

Bethesda is one of the best companies when it comes to an open world. It would add so much to the Monster Hunter franchise.
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Hey, now here's an idea.
Hey, now here’s an idea.

MEGAMAN

Capcom’s flagship character Megaman was leaps and bounds ahead of other games. The NES and SNES titles were expertly designed in gameplay, visuals, and sound. The problem with this character was the over-saturation of titles. Capcom has a tendency to latch onto something that works and milk it dry. There were six Megaman games on the NES alone and way too many with Megaman’s name.

Sure, Capcom did play around with different game-styles for the Blue Bomber, and Megaman Battle Network redesigned the hero, turning him into a program and changing the game into a fairly interesting RPG; however, with so many sequels, versions, and translation errors, Megaman Battle Network didn’t have the energy to carry on.

So who would give Megaman the revival he needs? Considering Mighty No. 9 is picking up where Megaman left off, this team should want to put Megaman in the best possible light. Even though they also have a tendency to assault dead horses, Nintendo would actually be a good (but risky) fit.

Think about what system the cancelled Megaman Legends 3 was set to come out on: the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo does consider its fans, even as many still shout for Mother 3 or yet another Zelda. Nintendo could revive that project and bring a console-selling title to their library.

Capcom messed up, a lot. Mostly  due to them pumping out game after game of their major franchises without changing much. How many versions of Street Fighter 2 are there? Just counting different updates—not the spin-offs and whatnot—there are seven. Why Capcom does this is beyond my capacity to figure out. Sure, I love its characters and many of the games, but there’s a logical point to stop and try something new.

Capcom has what it takes to make great games, but instead chooses to ignore that more often than not. Hopefully whatever purchases are made will benefit each franchise.

Till then, I’ll happily fire up my SNES to blast away Chill Penguin.

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Mega-Music: A Review of History Repeating: Red

History Repeating: Red (Image courtesy of The Megas)
History Repeating: Red (Image courtesy of The Megas)

Popular performers have inspired countless cover/tribute bands, so why not classic video game music? What was once an underground movement with names like “Nintendocore” has grown into a subgenre within indie music.

One of the most popular of these bands is The Megas, a California-based quintet who make music about Capcom’s classic MegaMan games. The band has been around for nearly a decade and produced three EPs and four albums. Each is a concept album—a practice rarely done in mainstream music outside bands like Coheed & Cambria—pertaining to a particular MegaMan game. However, the band’s re-imaginings of the games’ simple stories expand on their themes and characterizations. The results range from tongue-in-cheek humor to Isaac Asimov-esque seriousness. The Megas have been slowly going through the entire MegaMan game series since their first EP. With their latest release, History Repeating: Red, they’ve completed an epic five-year project that retells MegaMan 3.

This is the conclusion of a two-part album, another rarely used convention. Part one was their previous album, 2012’s History Repeating: Blue. This makes Red somewhat difficult to review. Should it be evaluated as a stand-alone album or as part of the larger story? I’ve decided to do the former.

The subtitles are references to MegaMan and his “older brother,” ProtoMan. The previous album focused on MegaMan and what others thought of his crusade, but with Red, the focus has shifted to ProtoMan, who was mostly silent in Blue. The Megas present ProtoMan as a cynical and misguided hero, and his voice propels the second half of the story.

The album begins with a new version of “Fly on a Dog,” a song previously released on an EP. It’s both a cover and expansion of MM3’s stage select music. This version is similar to the EP version except it has more synth and re-recorded vocals. It’s a fitting start since MegaMan, who has been questioning the morality of his actions, is steeling himself for the coming battles thanks to his robot dog Rush joining him.

The subsequent four tracks are examples of one of The Megas’ trademarks: covers of each Robot Master’s stage theme that infuses each character with quirky personalities. “Harder Than Steel,” paints Hard Man as an old boxer making a comeback. It oozes ‘80s nostalgia and sounds like it belongs in a Rocky movie’s training montage. This idea came to The Megas because they thought Hard Man’s weapon looked like iron-clad boxing gloves (I just figured he fired his fists at MegaMan, personally). Interestingly, it seems to present Hard Man as the hero.

“GeminEye” begins in an almost Pink Floyd-like manner with the sounds of a coin drop and a rotary phone being dialed. It quickly shifts into a quasi-jazz piece that presents Gemini Man as a private detective hired to track down a client’s would-be killer. Or, more likely, Gemini Man is talking to one of his doubles.

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“The Red Song” is another Megas trademark. It’s a short transitional piece that leads into the next track. It’s more accurate to call it a sound mix than a song, but it does include ProtoMan’s whistle. This leads into “I’m Not the Breakman,” the album’s first single, a cover of MM3’s “Weapon Get” music. Here ProtoMan enters. The lyrics are a gut-wrenching monologue by the rogue robot as he laments MegaMan’s actions. This stems from feelings of abandonment with their creator, Dr. Light.

“Make Your Choice” is difficult to peg musically. It might be a cover of the final Dr. Wily stage music, but if it is, it’s so different the song borders on being original. The synth-heavy piece is another monologue by ProtoMan, but this time he’s addressing MegaMan, telling him to choose between reality or delusional ideals.

MegaMan answers in “I Refuse (to Believe),” a cover of MM3’s boss fight music. This is where everything comes to a head. MegaMan addresses Dr. Light and then ProtoMan and proclaims, “I refuse to believe/I’m nothing more than a machine,” and forges ahead to take down Dr. Wiley. (What’s funny is another line in the chorus, “I will not kill!” has inspired a meme-like joke among Megas fans because it was misheard as, “I will not kale!”)

Finally, after all this intensity, comes the two-part album’s denouement, “Melody from the Past,” a poetic and touching ballad based on MM3’s closing theme. In a final monologue, ProtoMan finds inner peace as he observes the aftermath of MegaMan’s victory. He admits he was wrong and forgives Dr. Light. The song is thematically and emotionally rich. It wraps everything up, but leaves room for future albums.

The Megas are notorious for taking forever to produce new music, but like Blizzard Entertainment, when they do release a new product, it’s beyond good. These young men are gifted musicians who just happen to make music about their favorite video-game hero. They’ve learned much from their first album, Get Equipped, and it shows. While History Repeating: Red starts a bit slow, it builds to an epic crescendo. Their musical styling remains diverse and their lyrics have only gotten better.

When will there be a MegaMan 4 album?

Final Grade: A