Saturday, September 14, 2019

Next Major Mega Man Game Still in Development, Says Tsuchiya


Echoing a statement made earlier this year, Mega Man series producer Kazuhiro Tsuchyia assured Japanese gaming outlet Gamer that the next major Mega Man title is indeed in development. Here's the relevant portion from Gamer's interview:

4Gamer: "What can you tell us about the next game to be developed? The most recent game - Mega Man 11 - was amazing, and we [4Gamer] are expecting the revival of the Star Force series. Personally I would like to see the Command Mission saga to be brought back. (laughs)"

Tsuchiya: "I see (laughs). There are a lot of titles I personally want to work on, but to tell the truth the next game to be developed has already been decided on, I'd just like to keep the specific details hidden for the moment. Please wait until we make an announcement. Still, I think that the there's no such thing as a spin-off in the Mega Man series, every saga is a main series on its own. When speaking of "Mega Man", there will always be people who think of "X", as well as people who think of "EXE", and I think that's why each one's concept of what Mega Man is changes depending on the generation. For that reason, we don't want to deny any series of its future."

Although Tsuchiya did not specify what game is in development, it's interesting to note that he recognizes fans have a very broad definition of who or what "Mega Man" is. He's coy about it, but this is Tsuchiya's way of saying that, really, nothing is off limits. I don't think it's a stretch to say that there may yet be new entries from not just Classic and X, but Battle Network, Zero, ZX, Legends and Star Force as well.

Might I also add, earlier in 4Gamer's interview, Tsuchiya also said Capcom are "planning on extending the Mega Man brand at least over 10 or 20 more years by giving it constant stimulation, that way we'll be able to experience new titles alongside new player." Needless to say, Mega Man's future is very bright. We're exciting to see what lies ahead!

Source: 4Gamer (thanks for the translation, Seita!)

73 comments:

  1. C'mooooon X9...maybe some sort of announcement in December.

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  2. I'm really starting to like this guy.

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  3. Not to be ungrateful but...MM11 only slightly eased my depression over the comic's cancellation. It's been years but I'm still not over it....

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    1. it'll pass with X9.

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    2. well hopefully more Mega Man games will renew interest in picking up the comics!

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  4. I’m in the minority but I didn’t care for MM11 at all, hoping the next one is a departure.

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    1. Personally, I hope you're in the majority. 11 was not up to par.

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    2. If you think 11 was not up to par then the series just probably isn't for you. Just play something else if you don't like it. 11 was amazing.

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    3. Oh, you think so, huh? Guess the series that I played enough over decades to rank like this:
      9=V>4>10>3>6=MM&B>5>2>7=1>11=8
      Really just wasn't for me.
      Or, more likely, you're passive-aggressively pushing/forcing off your opinions and preferences onto others instead of offering actual points as to why/how MM11 did anything well. The story was on the same level as 9 and 10, the music completely missed the point, the 2.5D visuals did not line up with the hit/hurtboxes in a number of instances, the gameplay was held back by the stage design, and the gears absolutely did not alleviate some of the tedious trial-and-error of the Mega Man series' classical design philosophy but instead served to be required when 11 magnified those moments to the point that it trivialized the game.

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    4. Not the same guy but my regular aggressive pushing/forcing actual points are the exact opposite of everything you just wrote just then, except for story. The music was alright not great, the hit hurt boxes perfectly aligned for the very vast majority of the game with tight responsive controls, well made levels and a gear system I loved to use within them. I like how the first parts of the stages were usually easier versions of patterns and platforming designs seen in the later half of a stage to prep well tuned players in efforts to minimize excessive trial and error. I also like the way the game is design in such a way to never require the gears but makes great use of them if players are wanting to use them. Also although music wise it was alright, in terms of general sound design it is the best the series has to offer. I also like the aesthetic of the game, it just needs more of it.

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    5. MM11 was great despite its flaws. i really enjoyed it

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    6. I liked MM11. But, objectively speaking... It could have been a little longer. Wily's fortress at least. That's my only real gripe. But I'm still content and glad it spring boarded to where we are going next.

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    7. I liked Mega Man 11 but I agree it wasn't exactly up to par. It was definitely safe and for the most part it plays pretty well, but I really wish they fixed those small things like jumping through boss doors and his walking animation. Very small nit picky things but there's always room for improvement! Hopefully if they do make a Mega Man 12, it will be more inline with the old games.

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    8. I agree it could've been longer, but I felt 11 was a very solid title that showed Capcom still has a team that knows what makes a Mega Man game, especially because 9, 10, and the entire Zero/ZX series were Inti Creates. It boded well for the future in my opinion.

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    9. Mega Man 11 was as bare bones and paint-by-numbers as you can get when we're talking the Mega Man formula. The speed and power gears were unnecessary aside from a couple sections where the game clearly begs you to use them to proceed. I hardly ever used them. They especially cheapened boss fights.

      Mega Man 11 wasn't a bad game, and I enjoyed my time with it. But its lack of depth, the lack of overarching storyline progression, the lack of a few key characters, and the lack of anything beyond WYSIWYG, I feel, sorely hurt the game.

      I want a true blue Mega Man game that I can really sink my teeth into and not just play it once and pretty much see everything there is to see and do and be fulfilled.

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  5. If i had to guess on what serie that next game is, i'd bet on MMX. Then a couple of years after that will probably be ZX3.
    Both would make me really happy, but i personally also hope for a Legend 3 revival.

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    1. People deserve Legends 3 at this point and I mean that in a good way.

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  6. The response "There are a lot of titles I personally want to work on, but to tell the truth the next game to be developed has already been decided on" after being asked about Star Force and Command Mission to me sounds like the next game is going to be another Classic entry. Fine with me, to be honest

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    1. for me it seems more like him saying "the next one is not starforce or command mission", which mean it could be classic, X or even legend. i'm fine with either of thoses.

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  7. Thank you very much Tsuchiya-san. Whatever the next game I will be continue supporting the franchise.

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    1. That's the real spirit!
      I didnt like the lore of MMZ/ZX but the games are good, having it on a version made for PC (not via emulator like i did) could be a great thing.
      People should be patient and support Megaman stuff like they can, pretty sure the team of MM11 and Tsuchiya want try their best to give new games from all the series :)

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  8. Capcom changed a lot, Megaman 11 helped with MMLC stuff, that's so cool, they don't seem to want just make 1 game every 3 years but a lot like in the past and Tsuchiya and his team are awesomes, real heroes for the series ^^
    Sometimes, you need a good team and a motivated one to revive a series and it seems they are good for that :)
    "planning on extending the Mega Man brand at least over 10 or 20 more years by giving it constant stimulation" : Crazy! Nice!

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  9. Where does he say is a major title?. What's up with "still in development?. Nothing has been confirmed to be in development, you are putting words in his mouth that he never said and treating your own speculation as fact. The TMZ of Rockman news.

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    1. "The next game to be developed has already been decided on, I'd just like to keep the specific details hidden for the moment. Please wait until we make an announcement"

      This is a MAJOR title in that it is not a collection/compilation but an actual NEW game. That in itself is a major title.

      Did you bother to read this post or just the headline? "Still in development" refers to the fact that this particular game began production earlier this year: http://www.rockman-corner.com/2018/12/next-mega-man-game-enters-pre.html

      It's confirmed.

      And TMZ of Rockman news is a huuuuge stretch, my friend.

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    2. "In 2019, I would like to make steady preparations for what’s next, so there may not be any MAJOR ACTION, but I hope you can all watch over me with warm eyes…!”

      Tsuchiya said that about this new game earlier in 2019. It's not Zero/ZX Legacy Collection. What is IS, though, is considered "major".

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    3. Im sorry but what? I think this poor sap is confused. TMZ bullies innocent musicians about 99.9% of the time and Protodude.. well.. he posts factual news... politely.. about Megaman.. Yeah no connection.

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  10. No more phone crap please
    Make real games

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  11. Hope for Mega Man Legends 3 rising

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  12. The only thing TMZ-like about this site is the comment section, which is generally a sewer of edgy "fans" who probably should've moved on from MM years ago but decided to stick around and honor us with their constant cynicism and air of superiority. Protodude, you do the fanbase a great service (even if a small minority doesn't appreciate it). If you turn commenting off trust me, I won't lose any sleep over it.

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    1. Yeah, that whole 'TMZ of Rockman News' spiel kinda came out of nowhere.

      Like there's really... Nothing sensational about the site, other than the idea that it's really one of only two or three major Mega Man fansites left in existence. ._.

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  13. Hopefully Battle Network or Star Force.

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  14. Crossing fingers for Battle Network or Star Force!

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  15. i dont understand how people dont like MM11. instead of putting errors on it you can simply enjoy the game and love the thing that people still develop MegaMan series. i will play anything capcom makes.

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  16. As much as I'd like to know what it is they may be working on, I'm still waiting for Mega Man 11 to get some DLC, already. There's absolutely no reason why that shouldn't have happened as of yet.

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  17. I'm rooting for some crazy time traveling/inter-dimensional crossover that just merges all the series together. Then we don't all separately have to root for X9/Legends 3/ZX3/BN7/SF3/MM12/MM Soccer 2. The fanbase is too fractured. :)

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    1. You may joke, but I've been advocating this for a while. Make the production value AAA, use Sonic Generations as an inspiration, bring out all the Mega Men, experiment with better modern 3D in Volnutt's gameplay, and we have a new jump-on point.

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  18. My main issue with the past three classic Mega Man games is that, in a general contest, they just seem to be fillers. You do not feel Story has progressed any further on Classic series like no new characters introduced besides Robot Masters. It seems to me they are afraid to touch Mega Man inner inner grounds because they are afraid to mess Up with what Inafune stablished so far... I mean, I do understand them. In fact, maybe no One dared to try a new X9 so far because at this point, Plot is a mess. I mean, what should they Focus Next? Solving Wily's involvement in the X series? Conclude Axl's plot? Start Elf Wars? It is a slippery surface to to walk over.

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    1. Honestly, I don't believe it will be an X9 at this point. If so, they will have to rely in a possible flashback story device to "connect" the dots from the classic series to the X series if perhaps they want to keep the story fresh....just a thought, as you said after X5 the story is a mess. Sigma's dead for sure, and the Wily past/revival through the virus plot is just....dead? That thing was shaping cool until they decided to bury it with X6.

      Anyhow, let's pretend they're just developing MM12 which has to start doing changes to that innocent style Inafune promoted. It's time I guess to start shifting towards X series with a good storyline, not "Oh, Dr. Wily is loose again, causing havoc, and getting away as usual". There must be something good for the story this time...I guess!

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    2. They could use MHX as a fresh start for the series, maybe. Remake X2 and the others in a way that makes the plot less of a mess.

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    3. That is exactly what I mean. X5 might have had its issues, but according to its own purposes, it summed everything up very well. X6 still tried to keep part of this Wily's enigma and I remember I waited euphorically for answers when X7 was announced... but that was it. They just ignored everything they had built to that point in favor of a new character. Nothing neither against nor in favor Axl himself, but this subplots just made series so messy that I am afraid if X9 ever come true, they might get even more distant from original game story.

      But yeah, I don't think we are talking about X9 at this time. I am counting on either a Megaman 12 or maybe Legends 3. I mean, they still have a solid base for that. I would not be surprised if next installment would be that.

      Ooooor Zero/ZX might be a prelude to a ZX3? Who knows?

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    4. I'm still wondering what was the point of Duo. His entire existence could be considered a bit of a plot hole if he is still alive by the time of the X series. Like why didn't he comeback to earth to help X? Honestly he could sacrifice towards a big threat like when Zero activates for the first time or something.

      As for the Zero series I hope Capcom keeps that as an alternate future like they originally wanted so X and the rest of the gang get their well deserved good ending. Make it so if the player doesn't get an optional but extremely important item(like a proper cure to the Irregular menace) it changes the ending.

      I wouldn't mind a game set during the time Trigger was still an Irregular Hunter however that could spoil the plot of Dash 3 or any future entries.

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    5. "As for the Zero series I hope Capcom keeps that as an alternate future like they originally wanted so X and the rest of the gang get their well deserved good ending."

      Zero series was never intended to be an alternate. MMZ was released long before Capcom even messed with the duo theme with the trio. So X and gang is literally X and Zero, as it was originally intended and if you're generous Signas, Alia and Douglas who were literally created in the intended last game of the X series and only had slightly above minor roles in two games with barely any lore/character-story to bring to completion before MMZ hit the shelves.

      Axls story and on is the unintended split, not MMZ. That character was literally invented just to add a new main character and plotline. Never before that did MMX have this thing about new generation reploids or various precious metals.

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    6. "Zero series was never intended to be an alternate."

      During X5's bad ending X forgets Zero and mentions Heaven(the base that orbits earth in Dash 2) which it was obviously meant to be Neo Arcadia and implies he'll definitely create it at some point. The original plan for Zero was to have a corrupted X be the main bad guy and even in the final version it shows. It's pretty obvious Zero takes place off the bad ending of X5.

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    7. I don't know how obvious anything is meant to be in any certain ending of X5 but I will say MMZ is suppose to be the continuation of the X series' main continuity. So if the "bad" ending is the ending that leads to that series than that is the canon ending.

      That said, the ending you've described would utterly obliterate the entire premise of the Zero series. Before I get to explaining why with what was released, I'll just point out some inconsistencies with having X5 directly lead into what we have now. The Zero series (COMPLETELY) as we know it wasn't even conceived at the time of the X5 endings, the Zero thing that was to come from that was scrapped ENTIRELY because X6 ruined it. The Zero series we have was the outcome of Inti asking Inafune to make a Mega Man game, they already had an idea for one in mind but Inafune suggested they make Zero the main, to which they took the original idea and adjusted it. All of this is to say they had X6 as the last game in mind when working on the NOW actual Zero series as we know it. X7 is what interfered with the plans of that series. The thing that brought forth dictator X was not a foreshadowing from a X5 ending, it was a joke Tsuda made asking what if they made X the main bad guy. The reason why X was or wasn't the main bady had nothing to do with the X series continuity, those are separate things.

      However since that decision has been made, X not only remembering Zero but SPECIFICALLY NOT being copy X is crucial to the entire plot of the Zero series since he is the one that sealed the Mother Elf thus ostensibly ending the Elf Wars (this is major because Weil among others would have continued pursuing it otherwise). If the Dark Elf remained active, as in X ruling over Neo Arcadia with it like an iron fist the Elf War would have continued because of complications involving baby elf tech. X is also the one that initiates and inculcates Zero's memories and values, since Zero himself is a copy or has a copy body rather. There is no other that could have been better suited for that. I say this because these things are established once the game became a series and this is all BEFORE MMX7 but during its production or pre-production.

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  19. why nobody is saying anything about how this game looks like that cancelled korean MMO, Rockman World, i think? with the confirmation classic Rockman might appear.... it seems even more like it.

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    1. That's Rockman Online you're thinking of. "Rockman World" is what Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge for the Game Boy is called in Japan.

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    2. Exactly! Rockman Online. It looks like Capcom found this concept thrown somewhere there and decided to bring it to light again, haha

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  20. Most Woke moment ever in the history of the series.
    and we must follow suit to whatever comes out the assembly line of Capcom in this following decade, to make up for lost time.

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  21. I feel truly happy that a team "kickstarted" the renovation of the MM series with the excellent title MM11 was. For a period of time, everyone thought that MM series was destined to a torment compared to "Half Life" where no one knew what was going to happen in the future.

    Now I feel confident that despite Inafune being out, the MM series can be "safe" from bad decisions, although there are many things to show/prove after the disaster that MML3 caused to many fans.

    I hope this new entry game can be the desired X9 or at least has to be related to "Legends" that is also a very requested title by the fans. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the Starforce/Battle Network/ZX series as PERSONALLY I don't consider them "canon" to the original story and also don't like the mechanics of tbe game (not hating them but don't care either actually for these games) but I hope this new "MAJOR" title can be a Classic or X game. I smell a MM12 rather than an X9 since the story from X6 is very FUBAR in my perception, but if it happens to be an X9, I truly hope this somehow can "repair" the mess that happens after X5 (X6 to be honest) with the storyline and flow of the series.

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    1. Actually the X6 Story was messy thanks to Inafune's mindset of "Oh I'm so jealous my characters don't have enough recognition, I know, I will make him resurrect without any explanation just to ruin the series for good". If Zero stayed dead, Mega Man X6 might have been the best game for the X series.

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    2. Inafune was working on the Zero series with Inti Creates at the time, and had no involvement in X6's development.

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    3. To make X6 the best they would have to debug the hell out of that broken game.
      I wish they'd revisit that at some point...
      And scrap the OBNOXIOUS Ground Scaravich stage music. My poor ears can't handle it.

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    4. Actually I like the Ground Scaravich stage music, it is the opposite of obnoxious to me it is a good blend of weird techno and a harmonic lullaby played by a harp. It's soothing and really gives me the vibe of a weird sci-fi museum with holographic displays and such.

      Anyway X6 is not remarkably bugged, not anymore so than other X games anyway. People just really hate the stage design and it is also badly translated.

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    5. @Anonymous 4:16 PM: Oh well, for me the Zero series went on to be the best Mega Man series.

      Actually for me playable Zero with a new sprite and animations as well as the music, is the SAVING GRACE of X6. I would never play that game if I only had X as an option, I replay it all the time so for me I'm happy Capcom didn't share your sentiments.

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    6. It's fine if you like Ground Scaravich... I guess. I hate that song. It might be better remixed with different instruments or tone. To me it sounds like a knife on a plate. The rest of the soundtrack is decent to fantastic, especially the epic Infinity Mijinion stage.

      The game itself, debug is a catch all for revisiting alot of things. Debug, test play, translation, etc. Rebalancing in some areas is needed. Zero's combos need proper mapping. There is a lot of re-working that needs to be considered to make it truly great. It's doable. If they wanted to.

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    7. Different guy but TBH I find Mijinion's music obnoxious, not in the sense that it is grating to hear, in the sense that it is too conspicuous and lacking nuance. It is very obviously trying so hard to sound "epic" it's fine but I just found all the triumphant trumpets and classical 80s style motivational rock riffs and beat sounds too on the noise and transparent making it feel unoriginal. Wolfang's track is much better at that sort of sound than Majinion's IMO. Gold Sigma is the epitome of epic tho.

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    8. Wolfgang's theme is awesome. I actually like Metal Shark Player's stage theme alot too.

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  22. Come on Legends 3, rise from your grave and clean our sorrow away!

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  23. "For that reason, we don't want to deny any series of its future." - **COF COF* Megaman Legends 3 **COF COF**

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  24. Honestly, I'm just glad someone semi-important remembered Command Mission and mentioned it to Tsuchiya-san. It gives me hope that we may indeed one day see the series continued in style.

    CM did amazing things for X series worldbuilding in general. But honestly, that and the turn-based combat system + the eyegasmic artstyle are only half of what make me want another game for the series. The other half is the timeline itself: as stated by the game's team, it's direct continuation for the X series, ignoring MMZ completely. Sign me the frigg up.

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    1. Turn based RPG... Eh just make a remake of or another Legend of Dragoon or I can play Ni no Kuni, FF7 Remake (now with a turn base option) or some kind of Persona or SMT game or something.

      Mega Man X can world build with its 2D action platshooters thank you very much. Tsuchiya said every Mega Man series is a main series on its own that needs to be remembered not every random game that took a series just to dabble in experimental genres with. Next people are gonna be asking for Mega Man soccer and Battle and chase expanded series.

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    2. Errr... what?

      I literally just said the turn-based action system constitutes only a small fraction of what made Command Mission a really good game. The worldbuilding statement had absolutely nothing to do with it. It would not be necessary to revive the RPG aspect of CM, were an actual revival to ever occur.

      I'm not sure if I'm reading into your response correctly (frankly, your sentence structure could use some work) but I do agree that CM should simply be seen as continuation of the X series instead of its own independent thing. When calling CM a series, I was merely rolling with Tsuchiya's punches, since that seemed to be the term he decided to use when responding to the interviewer's question.

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    3. I was literally responding to your gamplay comment. I didn't know it was a "small fraction" all I knew is that it was being lauded. I never said a continuation needed the RPG gameplay, I've assumed you'd want it that way tho, since I was only going off what you wrote and addressed that specifically. Was I suppose to naturally infer that you praised the gameplay and visuals just to say they are barely important and don't need to return? Was that the logical assumption to be made?

      Anyway, if you wanted to say you want Mega Man X to continue with the timeline and lore established by XCM as part of the main continuity of the X series and that's purely what you wanted to convey, there are better ways to do that other than explicitly referencing XCM's gameplay in your paragraph structure.

      I do NOT agree that XCM should simply be seen as a continuation of the X series instead of its own independent thing. So I don't know who you are agreeing with. Like I said before, I think it just took an established series and dabbled in an established genre with it. If that doesn't make sense, an example would be Castlevania being steered toward Metroidvania by SotN, but if SotN was just a passing novelty and the series stayed a linear side-scroller then onward, SotN would have then just have taken the main Castlevania series and had it dabble in Metroid(ness?) (not exactly story-line continuity related but the same principle applies). Does that make sense? If that still doesn't make sense, well, I think XCM was made as a superficial MMX series RPG (not saying the RPG itself was superficial I mean the concept). I don't think it was meant to establish anything other than a neat one off RPG that uses the X series' lore and aesthetics as a draw. I don't think it was meant to lead the X series in any kind of direction, I think it's suppose to be viewed as a standalone side story continuity-wise within the X series. In essence, its own independent thing.

      I do however think it would be good and cool if the XCM assets were reintroduced and appropriated into the main continuity. I think geeks these days like to call it canonizing (like with Broly and such from DBZ/DBS) but I don't think think that makes sense ... well I guess it does if the meaning is canonizing to a continuity.

      Also I know you hate Zero and ZX passively or whatever and everything but just sayin, the fanbase does not want MORE split confusing timelines, and most people appreciating the franchise I'm sure don't want to ignore a whopping 5 main entries in it just cause of some dude's preferences. Even then people don't even need to ignore or split anything, since XCM could potentially be a continuation of the X series and still be congruent with the Zero timeline, unless you can tell me where 22XXAD places and what it contradicts. Just sayin...

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  25. I am really enjoying reading your well written articles. It looks like you spend a lot of effort and time on your blog. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work. 토토사이트

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  26. Its been 2 years but no new major Mega Man game still has not been announced yet.

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  27. Nice post thank you April

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