Theory Time: Megaman on Unusual Consoles

The Great Gonzo · 6025

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Offline The Great Gonzo

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on: February 15, 2009, 05:24:29 PM
Simply put, how would Megaman (pick a series) look, feel, and play on a console outside his norm? What mechanics would have to be implemented or removed? Would it be any good? Would it contain original bosses or reuse the familiars?

By "unusual consoles", I mean systems like Jaguar, 3DO, CD-i (in before mah boi), Sega CD/32X, Game.com (I own that...somewhere), Atari 7800, Laserdisc...Basically, any console that never saw an original Megaman game or port. (Even if said console died before MM1 was released)



Offline Acid

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Reply #1 on: February 15, 2009, 05:26:15 PM
I think it would be a rather unique experience. Some of these systems have a certain charm about them and their graphic styles. It would be a very interesting approach at least.



Offline Police Girl

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Reply #2 on: February 15, 2009, 05:35:47 PM
I could see Megaman on CD-I as a mix between Zelda and Hotel Mario, With the "Better" animation and cartoony graphics of Hotel with the long, boring stages of Zelda. It would be crap, mostly because you would need to crouch to switch weapons and jumping would be a [sonic slicer]. :\

3DO/Sega CD would be a mostly FMV game with little to no actual gameplay.

Jaguar would try too hard to take advantage of the "64-Bit" engine and end up returning a mediocre remake of MM2.

32X could be like Wily Wars, with all 6 games and a longer Wily Tower. (I liked the 32X...)

Game.com?  8D Think Sonic Jam and the other games that were made for that.



Offline The Great Gonzo

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Reply #3 on: February 15, 2009, 06:10:04 PM
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I could see Megaman on CD-I as a mix between Zelda and Hotel Mario, With the "Better" animation and cartoony graphics of Hotel with the long, boring stages of Zelda. It would be crap, mostly because you would need to crouch to switch weapons and jumping would be a [sonic slicer]. Undecided

Unless Capcom developed it; I'm sure they'd find a way around the "no start button" problem in a manner that isn't obnoxious.

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3DO/Sega CD would be a mostly FMV game with little to no actual gameplay.

Hello, Super Adventure Rockman...

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Jaguar would try too hard to take advantage of the "64-Bit" engine and end up returning a mediocre remake of MM2.

Hey, as long as they didn't seriously dick around with anything, I'd be fine with that.


As for the Game.com--I'm afraid they'd alter the gameplay too radically (see their version of Doom sometime) and/or try to implement some arbitrary touch-screen mechanic.



Offline Police Girl

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Reply #4 on: February 15, 2009, 06:15:44 PM
Unless Capcom developed it; I'm sure they'd find a way around the "no start button" problem in a manner that isn't obnoxious.

I guess, its not like Phillips HAD to develop it.

Hello, Super Adventure Rockman...


But the 3DO wasn't released in Japan, was it? It would probably be something similar to the US TV show.

Hey, as long as they didn't seriously dick around with anything, I'd be fine with that.


Yeah, I guess so, but do you think the controls would be messed up due to the Jaguars controller?

As for the Game.com--I'm afraid they'd alter the gameplay too radically (see their version of Doom sometime) and/or try to implement some arbitrary touch-screen mechanic.

Agreed, I don't even want to think what they could do... Portable MS-DOS Games anybody?
« Last Edit: February 20, 2009, 02:46:51 AM by RMZX.EXE »



Offline The Great Gonzo

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Reply #5 on: February 15, 2009, 06:28:44 PM
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But the 3DO wasn't released in Japan, was it?

"...and was later released in Japan in March 20, 1994." - Wikipedia

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It would probably be something similar to the US TV show.

Somehow, I doubt Ruby-Spears would want a game based off of/similar to their adaptation on the same console with "Plumbers Don't Wear Ties".

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Yeah, I guess so, but do you think the controls would be messed up do to the Jaguars controller?

Hard to say, as I haven't used the Jaguar controller.

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Agreed, I don't even want to think what they could do... Portable MS-DOS Games anybody?

Capcom beat them to it with their first two Gameboy titles. XD Seriously, though...Their port of Symphony of the Night would've looked like this, so imagine if they tried to port Megaman 8...



Offline Fragman

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Reply #6 on: February 16, 2009, 12:13:19 PM
I'd really like to play a Megaman game on the old Atari 2600.  Actually someone did make a homebrew port, but won't release the ROM.  As much as making NES era games was an art, form like writing minimalist poetry, making something look good on Atari is like writing a 3,5,3 Haiku.  Both can be beautiful in their own way.

I'd also like to see one done for the NeoGeo.  Given how amazing the NeoGeo was for a 16 bit system, I can only think that it would have been a 2D masterpiece.


AntiBunny


Offline Police Girl

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Reply #7 on: February 20, 2009, 02:53:08 AM
"...and was later released in Japan in March 20, 1994." - Wikipedia

You learn something new everyday... XD

Somehow, I doubt Ruby-Spears would want a game based off of/similar to their adaptation on the same console with "Plumbers Don't Wear Ties".

It could possibly happen, R-S was getting pretty Dormant in the mid-90's for all I know.

Hard to say, as I haven't used the Jaguar controller.




Yeah, its a disaster. Not really sure what the controller developers were smoking with the numberpad. Looks uncomfortable to hold too.

Capcom beat them to it with their first two Gameboy titles. XD Seriously, though...Their port of Symphony of the Night would've looked like this, so imagine if they tried to port Megaman 8...

Now couple that with a dark screen and you've got a pretty unplayable game.



Offline The Great Gonzo

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Reply #8 on: February 22, 2009, 10:23:03 PM
*sees Jaguar controller* Blargh.

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Now couple that with a dark screen and you've got a pretty unplayable game.

Guess it's a mercy that it got canned, huh?

I realized that the Dreamcast never saw a proper Megaman release. Yeah, he's cameoed in MvC/2 and Cannon Spike and a few others, but a real game? It'd probably only see Classic, X, and maybe a Legends/2 port, seeing as how everything else came out after it was dead. Question is, would the first two get original games or rehashes a la Wily Wars? Would they even be 2D?


Speaking of Ruby-Spears, there are a couple of projects on their homepage that, based on the total lack of info about them on Wikipedia, YouTube AND Google, never left the drawing board. I think it's safe to say that Ruby-Spears is now inert.



Offline Bag of Magic Food

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Reply #9 on: February 22, 2009, 11:53:21 PM
Not really sure what the controller developers were smoking with the numberpad.
I guess that was some kind of fad in game controllers for a while.  I wonder what sort of games they imagined where you'd have to enter numbers all the time.



Offline Gauntlet101010

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Reply #10 on: February 24, 2009, 04:25:00 PM
I think a CD-i game would have been fun.  And, by fun, I mean "fun to make fun of".  Just think of the crappy robot masters they would have come up with. 

I think they would try to keep the platforming style, but fail with play control.  I can also imagine they would have a badly animated cutscene when selecting a new boss, for the intro to the Wily levels, after you beat a boss (showing them blowing up and you "absorbing" their weapon), and probably for the "get weapon" screen too.  It'd be a spectacular disaster.


Offline The Great Gonzo

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Reply #11 on: February 25, 2009, 02:34:41 AM
Well, if they went with the Zelda/Mario option, yes. The developers, having to take advantage of the CD-i's video capabilities, so they hired animators from Russia's newly opened market. Given the process of making the damned things (if I remember correctly, drawn on paper, scanned in, then traced with pixels), I can't make TOO much fun of them.

Back on subject, how it would've turned out all depends of licensing. If Capcom was still in the habit of giving away licenses then, it could have very well turned out the way you described. (We might even get a shitty RS-MM-based timed shooter a la Time Gal) If not, Capcom could either put some effort into the game and work around the awful controller, or not. I think it'd depend on how much they cared about the project. Doubt the CD-i was ever released in Japan, so they most likely wouldn't.



Offline Gauntlet101010

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Reply #12 on: February 25, 2009, 03:36:33 AM
The CD-i was around the time of the MM T V show, wasn't it?  Maybe slightly before?  They were pretty fast and loose with their licences then.  I think it was the TV show that woke them up.  Or, quite possibly, the MM8 voices. 


Offline Slash Man

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Reply #13 on: February 25, 2009, 03:44:57 AM
If you apply that idea to the Sega CD, you might have a winner. The animation was decent, and it could contain an awesome "secret" episode, like The Adventures of Batman & Robin.



Offline The Great Gonzo

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Reply #14 on: February 25, 2009, 03:54:48 AM
The CD-i was around the time of the MM T V show, wasn't it?  Maybe slightly before?  They were pretty fast and loose with their licences then.  I think it was the TV show that woke them up.  Or, quite possibly, the MM8 voices. 

CD-i was released in 1991. (I'd like to think it was the MM8 voices...)


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and it could contain an awesome "secret" episode, like The Adventures of Batman & Robin.

Who knows--we might've found out what the hell happened to episode 27 (both Wikipedia and RPM's Wikispace tell me it was never aired; it just skipped to 28. One'd think ADV would've included it in their collections, but I digress).



Offline Bag of Magic Food

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Reply #15 on: February 25, 2009, 08:01:36 AM
We might even get a shitty RS-MM-based timed shooter a la Time Gal
Yeah, I'm thinking they might have done something along the lines of Super Adventure Rockman, where it was mostly about showing off what a CD game could do.



Offline The Great Gonzo

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Reply #16 on: March 29, 2009, 03:13:36 AM
I hope this doesn't count as necroposting.

I've compiled a list, with the help of the Video Game Museum, of all the consoles Megaman did not get a proper game on, complete with brief commentary. Behold:

[spoiler]MEGAMAN ON OTHER CONSOLES

Thanks to the Video Game Museum for its extensive list of consoles


3DO: Most likely a port of one or all of the first three Megaman X games, with enhanced graphics if time allows. Cutscenes could replace the usual boss intros (a la X3 PlayStation). (Something worth noting: I remember that at one time, Wikipedia stated that there was a 3DO port of Megaman X3. That may not be right, but I do remember one of the first three X games being ported somewhere where I didn’t expect them to be ported. Hmm.)

Adventurevision: You control a dot (Megaman), firing red lines at more dots (enemies) in order to challenge and defeat a brick (insert Robot Master here). The Adventurevision’s graphics were…simplistic.

Amiga: An enhanced port of one of the Megaman games, or an original offering—it would all depend on whether or not Capcom made it themselves or farmed the job out.

Amiga AGA: Whatever game the Amiga received, the Amiga AGA would have the other. (I believe the AGA was simply another variant of the Amiga, like the 500.)

Amiga CD: New content would be added to an NES port (apart from the compulsory enhanced graphics) to take advantage of the Amiga CD’s capabilities.

Amiga CD32: The same as the Amiga CD entry, but further enhanced.

Amiga CDTV: The same as the Amiga CD32 entry; probably a carry-over.

Aquarius: An incredibly simple Megaman game, with a goal no more complicated than “shoot everything and destroy the Robot Master”. Enemies would litter the screen; the Robot Master (with the same sprite as Megaman but a different colour) would appear after Megaman blows them all up.

Atari 400: A low-key port of Megaman 1, assuming that the 400 could run games at all (given the lack of info about 400 games on Wikipedia, evidently “no”)

Atari 800: A low-key port of Megaman 2. (Again, assuming that the 800, or any of the other Atari 8-bit computers, could run games)

Atari 2600: Something like the homebrew Megaman 2600 (made for I Am 8-bit, but wasn’t completed in time for the showing), minus the scrolling. Whether or not all the bosses from MM1 would be present depends on the cart memory.

Atari 5200: Another port of Megaman 1, this one with better graphics (anyone sensing a trend here?), some actual background detail, and (assuming the 2600 didn’t have it) all the bosses present.

Atari 7800: Capcom would handle the MM1 port themselves, after it proved successful (or not; the NES beat the 7800 into the dirt). Apart from a graphics boost, nothing would have changed. They might throw in a new feature to generate interest.

Atari Lynx: A small number of bosses randomly selected from the NES games, with the stages tailored to suit the Lynx (like Best of Megaman).

Atari Jaguar: If Capcom had any faith in the console, a new entry. If not, a beefed-up port marred by the numeric controller.

Atari ST: Much like the Amiga games. It might only see a PAL-only release, given that the Atari ST wasn’t popular in America (or so Dr. Ashens tells me). If we got lucky, a large chunk of screen real estate wouldn’t be taken up by the game title in-game. (A few ports of Strider did this)
 
Bally Astrocade: An incredibly simple Megaman game, based off of Megaman 1.

Colecovision: A port of the Atari 2600/5200 version of MM1.

Commodore 16: Another simple Megaman game, perhaps educational.

Commodore 64: Another NES port, this one based off of MM3. The graphics would have to be redrawn if Capcom didn’t want it ending up like ten miles of bad road.

Commodore 128: Most likely a text-based game; I know [tornado fang]-all about the C-128, honestly, and found absolutely no game screenshots.

Creativision: A port of Megaman 1 that replaces all the backgrounds with black.

Dragon 32: Another simple game, perhaps with a text parser.

Emerson Arcadia 2001: Much like the Dragon 32 game.

Fairchild Channel F: Megaman is a blue dot. He fights red dots.

Famicom Disk System: I heard that MM1 was meant to be an FDS game; whatever couldn’t translate to the NES would be restored here. If MM2 was released on the FDS as well, all the boss rooms would have enemies to give the game time to load the boss. 

FM7: A port of one or all of the first three Megaman games. (Its page at the VGM is confusing—Luxsor’s graphics are on par with an Amiga game’s, whilst Space Harrier’s on par with the 7800)

FM Towns: A port of MM1.

FM Towns Marty: An enhanced Megaman 4/5/6.

FM Towns Marty 1: Same as above (it’s going to be hard to come up with good descriptions…).

Game Boy Color: A re-release of Megaman V and/or Megaman Xtreme 1, now in full colour.

Game.com: A new entry based off of Megaman 8, with the stages all having a different goal (much like the Sonic Jam “port”). Minimal touch screen features. (I hope)

Gizmondo: X7. That is all.

Intellivision: Another MM1 port, much like the Colecovision version.

Laserdisc: A game based off the Ruby-Spears cartoon built with boxes of Press X to Not Die.

MSX: A port of MM1 or MM2 (that looks slightly better than my old MS-Paint drawings).

MSX2: A port of MM3 or MM4.

MSX2+: A port of Power Battles.

Neo-Geo: A port of Power Battles or Power Fighters (perhaps on the same cart).

Neo-Geo CD: Like above, only enhanced due to the CD format.

Neo-Geo Pocket: Megaman Power Battle and Fighters in black and white.

N-Gage: A port of MM8 without music (eat it, Nokia).

N-Gage QD: A port of MM8 WITH music, hopefully.

PC-8801: A three-colour port of MM1 (no, seriously. Check out Super Mario Bros. Special)

PC-9801: A strategy/relationship (a la Fire Emblem, God permitting) hybrid. The PC-9801 had a lot of those…lots of pornos, too. Surely, Capcom would oversee development of this game so that it wouldn’t contain adult content! Right?..

PC-Engine/Turbografx-16: A new entry with original bosses (yeah, I wish).

Playdia: A choose-your-own adventure “game” in the vein of Super Adventure Rockman.

Philips CD-i: Inevitable control problems aside, this entry would have to take advantage of the CD-i’s capabilities (those cutscenes were in the Zelda and Mario games for a reason). Whether or not it would become prime YouTube Poop material depends on whether or not Capcom handled it themselves.

Sega 32X: A sequel to Wily Wars covering MM4, MM5, and/or the Gameboy titles released during its time. Chances are, Capcom would have to re-release the first Wily Wars in cart form to America and Japan before they could start on this.

Sega CD: Based off the Ruby-Spears cartoon, with animation done by Asashi Studios and hopefully competent gameplay.

Sega Dreamcast: A new entry/spinoff in the Megaman/Megaman X series, or a port of Legends 1 and/or 2.

Sega Master System: A port of MM1/MM2 (lots of those floating around, you know).

Sega SG-1000/SC-3000: A port of MM1/MM2 that looks slightly worse than the originals (no backgrounds!).

Turbografx-CD: A port of MM5/MM6 with additional cutscenes and voice-acting and (take a drink every time I say) enhanced graphics. (Note that the Turbo Duo was a combination of this and the TGX-16; the Turbo Express was simply a way to play TGX-16 games without the console)

Vectrex: A truncated port of MM1, rendered in vector lines, with an overlay that can’t be aesthetically presentable given the nature of MM1.

Virtual Boy: A new entry meant to take advantage of the VB’s capabilities—that is, the capability to take away your ability to see the colour red.

Watara SuperVision: Ports of most of or all the Game Boy titles (with the first three improved upon, one would hope).

X68000: A Megaman or Megaman X game with arcade-caliber graphics; it could be a port or a new entry entirely.

ZX Spectrum: A port of MM1 guaranteed to burn out your retinas or your money back. 
[/spoiler]