Opinion Piece: Mega Man 11
As a die hard Mega Man fan I was very excited to see that a new one was coming out that would reflect the roots of the series. Classic platforming, weird and unique robots in stages and changes to Mega Man's color when his weapon was chosen. I felt very nostalgic watching the release trailer and then later reading about the new game in Game Informer. But I can't help but wonder if we have reached a point past new releases of old game series without them being something new and different.
Take Mega Man Legends as an example. The game was a complete turn on the original model of a Mega Man game. 3-D roaming environment, linear story but with the option to explore other areas, no main robot masters to beat or platforming, and they added in Role-playing elements. You could build your weapons out and make new ones to fit your play. Now I know you could buy power ups in Mega Man 7 and 8 which were released at this time but for Legends it was the only way to get different gear. You didn't acquire new weapons from a defeated boss like the plat-former style. But Legends fell flat for success because of the timing. It was not an easy game to control and it lacked that original feel of a Mega Man game...but I still loved it.
So now that Mega Man 11 is coming out and I've been able to see the trailer a few times, game footage and sketches of the art I'm really excited for it but I can't help feel that it should be evolved more by now. There's got to be a way to take Mega Man into modern day that satisfies the hardcore fans and draws new ones in. Or maybe I have too much hope for the series and I'm reaching for unrealistic expectations. I feel like Metroid did that with the Prime Series and even though some of the later ones weren't as good, it was still a fresh and different outlook on the games.
I'm looking forward to Mega Man 11 and will play the game but as a fan of the series I need something new from it. You'll get my full review of the game once it comes out. Let me know what you think on this blog or over at the Legend of Retro Facebook page or group and we can talk about it.