The last decent Mega Man in recent memory was Street Fighter x Mega Man, and Capcom only published that – it started as a fan project. While we got some surprisingly fun retro throwbacks on the downloadable Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, the 2010’s have been a barren wasteland for the Mega Man series. The Mega Man franchise became Capcom’s crown jewel, selling more than 29 million games worldwide since its debut in the 80’s.Īnd while the flame of those retro classics still burns, Mega Man’s most recent endeavors are nowhere near as prolific. The first outing was followed up by numerous sequels on the NES, in addition to spin-offs on future consoles like Mega Man X and Battle Network. Though the series’ debut didn’t provide immediate sales success, it quickly earned both critical and popular acclaim (terrible Western box art aside). Series creator Keiji Inafune unknowingly designed an icon for Capcom, a hero who would be remembered for generations to come. The levels were expressive and imaginative, roping players in with captivating whimsy, then shoving their faces in the dirt with tough-as-nails challenge. The series burst onto the scene with a mix of Mario’s precision platforming and Contra’s precison shooting.

Mega Man’s NES origins are still held in high regard by gaming veterans. With barely any new games in the last five years, and with its creator having moved on from Capcom, the Mega Man series is widely considered to be “on life support.” But that’s far too generous: the Mega Man series is hanging onto its life by a thin, fraying thread, all because Capcom can’t even be bothered to plug in its dialysis machine. That pristine legacy only heightens the problems that the series has suffered from lately. It’s tough to find a gamer who hasn’t at least heard of Mega Man. It’s a series that’s become synonymous with tight, creative game design a hallmark for platformers and one of the early giants of the games industry. While the ’80s and ’90s were prime time for Keiji Inafune’s Blue Bomber, discussing Mega Man today is more depressing than anything. It’s hard talking about Mega Man in 2014.

Mega man x corrupted force