Saturday, December 26, 2009

Mega Man 9 Almost Had Two Graphic Styles

Here's an interesting tidbit from Keiji Inafune's recent interview with Nintendo Power magazine:

NP: Was there any feedback you received from fans on Mega Man 9 that was especially surprising?

Inafune: It was a great, happy surprise for us that the NES style was so widely accepted.  In the early stage of development, we internally discussed the option of having both old-school NES style graphics and next-gen style, [and we'd allow] the player to choose between the two.  However, we believed that a revival of the NES style would surprise people and be appreciated.  And the result exceeded our expectations -- so many people enthusiastically welcomed the NES style.

The option of choosing between old-school and "modern" style graphics would have been a surefire way of appealing to all types of Mega Man fans. Too bad this concept didn't get off the ground.

The full interview available in Nintendo Power issue #250, on sale wherever magazines are sold.

Credits: GoNintendo and Jimmy for providing a transcript

20 comments:

  1. ok, the first comment of this thread:
    Inafune, don´t be hypocrite! you knew everybody was expecting from this game to have next-gen graphics, that was a slap in the megaman fans faces, not for the 8 bit format but for the lack of a brand new format option. And yeah, i´m gonna play this game...but via emulator, hasta la vista!

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  2. Finding out what they were going to do makes me so mad sometimes...like with X7...

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  3. @kotipeltox oh, are wii/360/ps3 being emulated already? i didn't think we had the capability yet.

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  4. Wii has long been emulatable. And both systems can be modded to play games illegally.

    Where have you been? Haven't you seen all of the "HD" Wii screenshots?

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  5. Sorry kotipeltox, but you are the hypocrite here. Calling youself a Megaman fan, enjoying the game even if it was a slap to your face but only if you don't have to pay for it.

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  6. I still would have chosen the 8-bit format, just because it appeals to me more.

    @kotipeltox: 1) I don't see at all how he's being a hypocrite. 2) Seeing as how many people not only liked the 8-bit, but now applaud the 8-bit being used again, I don't see how it was a slap to the face. 3) K, you do that.

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  7. Sorry, but where can i find the full interview?

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  8. From what I heard, the PS3 can't be modded, but the 360 and wii? sure. As for kotipeltox, the game has been out for about a year, He doesn't give a fuck if your pirate it or not.

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  9. - Well, I agree about creating a classic MegaMan using the Bionic Commando: Rearmed graphics style. Everyone complains about a "n3xt g3n gr4phics l0st aLL h0p3 c4pC0m" but never give an example.

    - The retro graphics was a gift to the old MM players.

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  10. It's better to do one thing well than to do two and be mediocre in both. I'm glad they chose their focus and stuck to it.

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  11. @kotipeltox

    BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

    Not 'everybody' was expecting next-gen graphics. Some people weren't expecting a Megaman 9 at all, considering it had been almost 10 years since Megaman 8.

    I'd like to know how better graphics would improve gameplay and somehow make it more fun, while keeping the price low and not exponentially raising the cost of production.

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  12. i know they can be modded. kotipeltox said "emulated" though.

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  13. The explanation is very simple. They took the cheapest and easiest way out. Makes us desiring fans that expect amazing advancements from him and Capcom feel like fools. Our thirsts have not been quenched, at least I speak for the majority of MM fans, and yet you just refill our glass with ANOTHER faux 8-Bit titled? I appreciate the nostalgic thought. But creating "classics" in the present is no longer fresh. Let classics be classic and give us something that future generations can call classics, if you know what I mean. I just gotta laugh at most of every article or interview because they act so chipper like they created a cure for cancer or something, and we just eat it up regardless as the MegaMan Fans we are. Funny how things work. :P

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  14. @MegaMac you do not speak for the majority of fans.

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  15. "The explanation is very simple. They took the cheapest and easiest way out."

    Just because the graphical style used is based on old system limitations doesn't mean it's easy.

    I*t's difficult to get something to look just right when you're only allowed a small color palette and have a few objects on screen at the time because of VRAM.

    I swear the people say that 8-bit look is easy haven't drawn in their lives.

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  16. MegaMac, you don't speak for the majority of Mega Man fans, you speak for yourself.

    You are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree with it entirely. Mega Man 9 was a classic in my eyes. The 8-bit style was great, especially the music. The level design was clever and miles above what I see in most games nowadays. I can't wait for MM10.

    That being said - I would sacrifice my left elbow for MML3.

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  17. HAHAHAHAHA, did you think i have a wii? do you think i´m gonna buy a wii? HAHAHAHA, NO WAY!

    With my pc, i can EMULATE ´em!

    It wasn´t tha same as in castlevania symphony of the night (PS1), that was the game that made me buy a playstation.

    Wow, megaman 10...in my pc...once again!

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  18. @AsianSteev
    You may not be a part of the majority I speak of, thats all. As for the many that I know would concur, I feel that MegaMan 9 was enough. MegaMan 10 is pushing the classic style into a novelty that will become cheap.

    @Last Anonymous
    Believe me, with the people incorporated to make these games, 8-Bit art for them is a breeze. I admit it was probably tricky to recreate the classic style with MegaMan 9, and no one can deny that now that they have it down pat, MegaMan 10 was created as an easy way out when they could have been even more creative and made something new and fresh.

    @Rocci
    You speak as if I didn't like MegaMan 9 at all. I absolutely loved it in it's entirety. I thought what they did was very clever and skillful, albeit it not being a new advancement, I loved how they accurately recreated a major part of my childhood gaming. I just simply feel IntiCreates and Capcom should push themselves farther. One 8-Bit is enough. Pushing a novelty removes the novelty of it. Now it just feels like they are trying too hard. With the success of MM9, I guess they thought the beloved fans would eat it up, which I am sure most of us will be guilty of, including myself. My opinions only reflect my desire for something new, and not more of the same.

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  19. @MegaMac: That's fair, and I completely respect the "Let's do something new and innovative with Mega Man" view...but at this point the OCD in me says MM Classic=2D side-scroller, and besides, Inti's never done anything other than 2D games, right?

    I would however, welcome MML3 or even a completely new MM franchise, possibly a franchise reboot of some sort with things we've never seen before; but at this point, what HAVEN'T we seen?

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  20. "Believe me, with the people incorporated to make these games, 8-Bit art for them is a breeze."

    This is an absolutely absurd assumption further proving that you know nothing about the entire drawing process. You can be extremly talented but you will never get anything to look exactly like you want it on the first pass alone.

    There are many professional artist that do rough versions of their works and go through many revisions until they finally nail the look they wanted to and the retro style incorporated in Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 isn't any different.

    I would agree with you if both of these games simply reused tilesets from the previous games but the fact of the matter is they don't. It's all original art and they all require time and effort. Just because you find the end result simple doesn't make the process easy enough to spit out in a day.

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