PC Feature: Why We Need Mighty No. 9

Three years. It has been three long years since we have seen a brand new Mega Man title from Capcom. Three. Years. That's a lot, considering that this series juggernaut used to produce close to half a dozen Mega Man titles each year. Now, all is quiet on the Capcom front. Since then, no announcements have been made on any new Mega Man titles. 

Official Logo

Any games that were in the works were cancelled, including the long-awaited third entry in the Mega Man Legends series. It was a small gleam of hope to fans, which was publicly canned when it was so close to completion. Why? It didn't meet the criteria set by publishing company. Really? Did they even see the final product that was Resident Evil 6? I don't think it would've been any worse than that. And even that turd was released to the consumers.

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Yet, MML3 was dropped and games like Resident Evil 6 survived.  Several other projects would suffer the same fate, including a Mega Man first-person shooter (that's right).

Since that time, no new Mega Man games have been released. The last game to be released was Mega Man 10 on March 31, 2010, not counting the Mega Man Zero Collection which was just a bundle of all the previously released MMZ titles packed together for the Nintendo DS. The last official RETAIL release was Mega Man Star Force 3 in 2009 (MM10 was only distributed digitally).

To make matters worse, Keiji Inafune, one of the godfathers and lead producer of the Mega Man series and its spin-offs, left Capcom in 2010, during the production of Mega Man Legends 3. Despite promises that development would continue, the game was cancelled a year later. With Capcom's key player out of the game and several failing to launch, it seemed as though that the Mega Man franchise was slowly dying. Capcom has only been keeping the character alive through appearances in other games like Namco x Capcom and Super Smash Brothers for the 3DS and Wii U.

After Inafune's departure from Capcom in 2010, he proceeded to start his own company, Comcept, only a few months after. The key figure in Mega Man's long history was gone. Inafune lost custody of his child, since Capcom retained all the rights to the series. And since that time, it seems as though Capcom doesn't know what to do without Inafune at the helm of the franchise.

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Meanwhile, Inafune began working on new properties at his studio, such as Soul Sacrifice. It seemed as though Inafune moved on. However, something must have led him to miss the good ol' days. He soon created a concept that is similar in design and gameplay. Introducing, Mighty No. 9:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9

Looks familiar, right? Well, the idea is to provide longtime Mega Man and sidescrolling fans with a familiar (and enjoyable) experience. Mighty No. 9 was first introduced at the 2013 Penny Arcade Expo. Inafune launched a Kickstarter funding campaign on August 31st, which ran until October 1st. The campaign went beyond its goal and collected over 3.8 million dollars.

Following the very successful funding campaign, the game went from being an exclusive title for Microsoft Windows to becoming a multiplatform release with loads of additional content, thanks to the donations that went far beyond their original goal.

The desktop and console versions will be developed in conjunction with Inti Creates, who has previously worked with Inafune to develop several Mega Man titles, such as the Mega Man Zero series, the Mega Man ZX series, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man 10. Needless to say, the spiritual successor to Mega Man is in good hands.

And it is undoubtedly a spiritual sequel. The game stars and android named Beck, a member of a group of combat numbers called the Mighty Number. The plot begins with a computer virus that attacks Beck's colleagues in Mighty Number and turns them into rogue robots. Beck must then travel through eight stages (Sound familiar?), track down his former colleagues, and put an end to their threat.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9

Gameplay will combine 2D platforming with 3D animation, merging modern graphics with classic game mechanics. Much like Beck's spiritual predecessor, Beck will have the ability to tackle the eight stages in any order. Beck is also able to take skills and abilities from his fallen enemies, creating more variety in how the game can be played.

From all the details that have been released, it seems as though Mighty No. 9 is being created as the ultimate fan service for those who are starved for more Mega Man action. Who can blame them? It doesn't seem like the Capcom execs are jumping through any hoops to green-light another Mega Man title anytime soon. Not when they're busy cranking out lackluster Resident Evil titles and a dozen slightly altered versions of Street Fighter IV.

With that in mind: Mr. Inafune, I solute you for keeping my childhood memories alive!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Keiji_Inafune_-_Japan_Expo_13-_2012-0706-_P1410048.JPG