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What Mega Man 9 means for game development
Necros | 12:54 AM on 07.10.2008 26 comments




In the aftermath of the Mega Man 9 announcement, the internet seems rife with discussion about what the game's upcoming release means for the growth of digital distribution networks. Gamers are debating about whether it's a full, proper sequel to a long-standing franchise or a shameless cash-in on the same level as a ROM hack. Still others question the enthusiasm of the internet's gamers for a new sequel in a series infamous for a gushing stream of samey sequels, especially when the same gaming populace frequently decries the practice as shameless grabs for money. If Capcom's goal was to draw a lot of attention, good or bad, by announcing a retro-themed sequel, it's safe to say they've brilliantly succeeded.

Where the discussion has seemed light, though, is what this means for the core of the industry, game development itself. Over at GameSpite, Jeremy Parish has presented an analysis that starts off perplexingly strong: "Mega Man 9 may save video games." But don't let his hyperbole through you off. Parish goes on to expand on the fact that while the Mega Man X series was made with the SNES hardware in mind, the classic Mega Man series has always worked best on the limited NES hardware, similar to how Castlevania is a perfect fit for PS1-style hardware and Contra is the most fun on engines similar to an SNES.

Mega Man 9 is cause to believe that everything that's gone wrong with these old franchises can be made right again. As the recent spate of retro-tinged sequels like Dawn of Sorrow and the upcoming Wario Land Shake It (a true sequel to Wario Land 4, with the added benefit of high-resolution Production IG visuals and some thoughtful motion controls) demonstrate, there's still plenty of life left in those hoary old franchises -- plenty of new ideas to be eked from genre tropes that we all assumed were tapped out when the 16-bit era slouched to a halt. But bleeding-edge visuals and game elements may not be the best way to realize those inspirations. Really, what can you do to improve Mega Man with bloom lighting and shader mapping? Is 2D Mario platforming really any better with real-time light sourcing and self-shadowing? Classic franchises earned their stripes in the days when great graphics were still pretty laughably simple; they became classics because they offered satisfying gameplay beneath whatever passed for visual polish in 1988. So why not let those games live in their proper environment? Just as Halo is demonstrably silly as a 2D platformer, Mega Man (at least, the old-school variety of Mega Man) sucks in 3D. Gamers have known it for years; the fact that developers are realizing it (and, more importantly, that publishers are letting them act on it) suggests that there's hope for this medium yet.

It goes beyond the usual mantra that gameplay is more important than graphics and illustrates the point that just because you have more advanced technology does not mean that you should use it. Some games thrive on limited technology. To make the requisite film comparison any of these highfalutin analysis pieces needs, sometimes a film is more effective in black and white or with heavy film grain instead of the modern colorful, crisp HD standard (thanks Topgeargorilla!) - just imagine how different Rodriguez and Tarantino's recent film Grindhouse would feel if it had a clean transfer, or how Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein would have looked in color. If Mega Man 9 is a success, we could potentially see a return to using more old technology for new games. And this way, a new game wouldn't have to stew for years before its release, something I'm sure we can all get behind.



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26 comments | showing # 1 to 26

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The Bez's Destructoid Blog
Hi Necros

/me waves
madninja's Destructoid Blog
Parish (and you) are right about old technology thing. This is exactly what this industry needs especially now when companies are spending millions on games.
Puppy Licks's Destructoid Blog
Capcom = Best. developer. evar.
Hoodie's Destructoid Blog
Yes. YES. YES!!! A million times yes!!!!! Mega Man 9 could very well stand as a shining example of a postmodern game. It could actually do a lot to establish games as an art medium. We don't have to be on the bleeding edge of technology at all times. Primitivist gaming FTW!!!

OK I'm drunk. But still.
Conrad Zimmerman's Destructoid Blog
You make the film analogy, but you don't include Psycho? Hell, we have evidence that film doesn't work in color.
MatCD's Destructoid Blog
what Hoodie said, but i'm not drunk.
Justice's Destructoid Blog
The guy makes a good point.
Tubatic's Destructoid Blog
Excellent writeup.

I've been thinking about this lately too. Especially the idea of "progress" in gaming design. Everyone "progressed" their franchise to new cosoles and mediums, but not all made that transition well. As amazing as 3D Mario was, one can stop and wonder what excellent advances in good 2D gameplay Mario could have made.

And I guess Mario's an interesting example since parts of Sunshine and Galaxy go directly back to the 2D plane and offer up new experiences in those dimensions using the new graphics and engines and things.

One could even look at Mega Man 9 as a big company stepping back and taking a page out of "indie" development. Or rather, going back to their roots, when everyone was indie.

Its an interesting topic that I think should be talked up more.
Tubatic's Destructoid Blog
Also Hoodie.

Right on! That reminds me of a recent statement from one of the guys at Epic. Asking him about developing for the Wii was like "asking when a sculptor will start doing paintings". His language was used more to make a point about setting company boundaries for addressing perceived console markets, but he makes a comparison that very much leans the industry toward the idea of being good at your chosen voice, rather than the concept of a forced paradigm shift as technology becomes beefier.

I should drink.
Y0j1mb0's Destructoid Blog
Smells like a shameless cash-in on the same level as a ROM hack. If they truly wanted to, they could of done a brand new 2-D game, engine and all. Imagine new animations, crazy ass parallax, and new art style in the same vein as the old classics.

Instead it's the same sprites and engine as before. Will it be fun? If it's like the old ones gameplay wise one could safely say yes, but imagine what could of been if they applied more resources as well as themselves to it. It truly could've been so much more.
Conrad Zimmerman's Destructoid Blog
@YoJimbo: Yeah, it could have been $60 for the same game with shiny graphics. Big whoop.
bloodylip's Destructoid Blog
Why does it have to be 8-bit graphics or bloom and self shadowing? There are in-betweens. 2D graphics don't need to be 256 colors and 320x240. It is possible to create cartoon-like, hand-drawn HD graphics in 2D.
Hoodie's Destructoid Blog
@ Hoodie: I think Primitivism is something else. Pull it together, you drunk! Also, flaunting your drunkenness on Destructoid is not cool.

Tubatic, it's nice to see someone with a Mega Man avatar NOT acting like someone just stepped on their baby. Also, agreement.

Finally, this post wins. It makes me so happy. Thanks Necros!
GuitarAtomik's Destructoid Blog
I understand what Jeremy Parrish is saying but I don't want it in 3D with bloom lighting and bump mapped textures, I want it to be HD quality 2D. I want it to look like I'm playing a cartoon in real time. I don't understand why people think the gameplay is automatically going to suck just because the graphics are upgraded.
Professor Pew's Destructoid Blog
I don't think a game like this neeeeeds HD graphics, but it would at least make more people play it than the tiny percentage of retro-crazy people.

also

Necros's Destructoid Blog
If you read the full article, you'll note why he doesn't think better, more detailed 2D graphics fit the classic Mega Man style of play. The pace slowed down, some animations were too complex, and he was suddenly much larger on screen, annoying to anyone familiar with old GB games with more detailed graphics (Metroid II, for example). He says that while Mega Man X was designed for these graphic enhances, trying to put these changes onto an old system didn't work out as well as the old games.

I'm all for super-high-res 2D animations a la Odin Sphere and SSF2THDR, but if this analysis is correct, the original graphics would help gameplay a lot more.
topgeargorilla's Destructoid Blog
Oh cool, you ended up writing the c-blog! It was a good one too, Necros!

And when did Jeremy Parish leave 1up?
Necros's Destructoid Blog
He's still at 1UP, this is just his private blog that he's slowly turning into a monthly Escapist-style magazine.
Hitogoroshi's Destructoid Blog
Very nice write up man.
GuitarAtomik's Destructoid Blog
I just want them to do what they're doing with the SF2T hd Remix except make a new game with it.

Actually what I really want is a new X game.
king3vbo's Destructoid Blog
Im going to be a bitch and say that MEGAMAN X WAS BETTER
ZServ's Destructoid Blog
Wall of fuckin teeexxxt.
Sharpless's Destructoid Blog
Some interesting points. I'd have to say that Metroid defies him, though. An FPS Mega Man would certainly piss off some of his fans, but I don't see why that couldn't work. I don't want it, but if Metroid could successfully make the (double) jump to a newer, more modern genre, I bet Mega Man could do it too.

Still, good points.
Dan CiTi's Destructoid Blog
An FPS Mega Man? That's like a Metroid FPS. Also, Megaman X is the Megaman.
wepmajoe's Destructoid Blog
It'll be great, but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say a new 2D Megaman X would be an even bigger leap.

Megaman X > All other 2D platformers.


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