As a visual style, 8-Bit graphics continue to mean something to gaming culture.
I think of 8-bit graphics as the video game equivilant to cubism. It's a style that may have started from artists' inability to do "better", but is now actually chosen over more technically demanding, realistic looks for it's uniquely charming properties. Over the past ten years, many big name games have featured the return of the 8-Bit look including Castlevania:Harmony of Dissonance for the GBA, Me and My Katamari for the PSP, and Super Paper Mario on the Wii. Now, Mega Man can finally be added to the list.
This rendition of the 8-Bit Mega Man is sort of a mash up of the original NES Sprite and Mega Man's latest incarnation on the DS, Mega Man Model A. For those that don't follow the Mega Man games anymore, Model A is the protagonist of the latest side scrolling platforming Mega Man game Mega Man ZX: Advent. Advent is a decent game, but I personally haven't really felt any true affection for a Mega Man since the 8-Bit days. The Mega Man X sprites on the SNES come close, but every other Mega Man sprite since the original just seems like an cheap imitation.
It's not that I prefer the original Mega Man character design. It's the actual sprite that I like. Trying to improve on it in the 16-bit and 32-Bit eras was folly. Would Bart Simpson look better with more realistic spikey hair and over bite? Would the smiley face icon sell more hippie paraphernalia if it had realistic blood shot eyes and yellow hippie teeth?
Don't answer that.
Anyway, here's an embedded vid of some guy almost beating the secret level featuring 8-bit Model A.
I don't consider any game past Mega Man X3 to be a true Mega Man game. I was however pleased with the first ZX, I haven't had a chance to play Advent yet though, but from the looks of it I'll have to pick it up sometime. For a while I was beginning to think Mega Man was no longer a series but instead just a license. It's good to see Capcom still knows their roots.
@ XeroxMe: Do yourself a favor and just pick up the anniversary collection for GC, especially since Gamestop/EB are reducing the price of the GC inventory. You'll be getting it cheaper than you would buying them individually on VC (should they ever hit).
The Anniversary collections for both Mega Man and Mega Man X are worth buying. The first contains those two weird arcade Mega Man co-op fighting games, and the second includes the kart racer Mega Man Battle and Chase.
They should have throw Mega Man Soccer on one of them, but whatever, they still are packed with collectible oddities.
I was saddened by the Xbox "Bomberman" title I saw on the wall at EB Games. Making it 3Dimensional, post-apocalyptic and "hardcore" screams desperation, lack of understanding of what made the game fun/good/charming in the first place, and is an obvious attempt at pandering to the FPS and GTA crowds.
On the other hand, I liked what I saw of the 3D Bionic Commando that will be coming out soon. Mainly, I appreciate that his abilities bring a new dynamic to adventure gaming, but yeah, the 8-bit look is something that I think is forever going to be influential and stylistically important.
I like the 8-bit remix of the song from the original ZX, the Megaman series has always had amazing music. I haven't played Advent yet, but I may pick it up soon.
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@ XeroxMe: Do yourself a favor and just pick up the anniversary collection for GC, especially since Gamestop/EB are reducing the price of the GC inventory. You'll be getting it cheaper than you would buying them individually on VC (should they ever hit).
The Anniversary collections for both Mega Man and Mega Man X are worth buying. The first contains those two weird arcade Mega Man co-op fighting games, and the second includes the kart racer Mega Man Battle and Chase.
They should have throw Mega Man Soccer on one of them, but whatever, they still are packed with collectible oddities.
On the other hand, I liked what I saw of the 3D Bionic Commando that will be coming out soon. Mainly, I appreciate that his abilities bring a new dynamic to adventure gaming, but yeah, the 8-bit look is something that I think is forever going to be influential and stylistically important.
I feel like I should get Mega Man Zero 3 and 4 first, though.