Mega Man 9: Fanboy vs. Fresh-Face

Cam: I hear ya, but my point is - why make a deliberately exclusionary game that anyone but those core Mega Man fans won't particularly enjoy? Why not try and reinvigorate the series? Wouldn't all those fans want Mega Man to be relevant again? Wouldn't they want other gamers to discover the joys of the series? Capcom can still make a challenging game that appeals to all those old school fans, at the same time as bringing in the rest of us. It can still make reference to classic characters, enemies, scenarios and themes. It can still keep the gameplay simple. But for god's sake, make it interesting. Make it fun!

'Oh, look out, those birds are going to drop rocks on me!' 'Oh no, some robot elephant is flinging a ball at me!' Lame.

In terms of your point about Capcom saying thank you to players that felt that 2D has fallen by the wayside, I'd again dispute that this is the best way to do that. I love 2D gaming. I love how precise the control can be, how clean cut your interaction with the world can be. Mega Man 9 has this, and yet it doesn't draw me in. It needs more. I also love really good 2D art design, and again, as a Fresh-Face, Mega Man 9's look simply isn't appealing. I found the 2D platforming in Super Paper Mario hugely visually appealing. I thought Odin Sphere looked amazing. Sure, Mega Man 9 may look the same as it used to, but why not make the most of the power of modern consoles and the screen real estate on offer to do something that will truly woo all gamers back to the glories of 2D? I know I'm going to get crucified for saying this, and I know it's because I don't have any real vested interest in the series, but I think Mega Man 9's visuals lack style. It may be authentic, but - outside the admittedly awesome cutscenes - it's a personality-free zone.

Patch: Heathen! So let me get this straight - the look isn't appealing, so that makes Mega Man 9 a game that's not worth your time? Oh god. I will hurt you.

Should we go down the list of games that are ugly as sin but are awesome to play? Good lord - you can take your pick of Wii titles there; then there's Animal Crossing, N+, Tetris, even fricking Pong. It's gameplay - basic visual representations that stand in front of streamlined concepts. Mega Man 9 doesn't lack style - it segues with the first five or so games in the series and is immediately identifiable as a Mega Man game. Actually, there's a term for this kind of brand identity recognition: iconic. There you go. Mega Man 9 is all about returning to that golden era of game design with an instantly recognisable icon and pure gameplay. I'm sold. But I'm a fanboy. And maybe you've just moved on from 8-bit and can't go back.

Also, it was probably also really cheap to develop, so that's a big plus in my books. Huzzah!

Cam: And now you've run straight into my fist. Something like N+ is super stylish. That's an excellent example of a game with simple mechanics and simple visuals that looks fresh and plays just as well. But again, the lack of visual panache is only a side-issue here; I just haven't seen anything in the gameplay that would make me want to play this ahead of all the other great games available on the console download services. Have I moved on from 8-bit? Maybe, but it's far more likely that I'm just not the target audience... that's fine, but as an old school gamer I'd like to be. Tell you what - as we see more of the game and get our hands on more complete builds, we'll have another chat and see if - with more of the gameplay revealed - I change my tune. I'll be man enough to admit I'm wrong.

For now, you can all have your say on the issue in the comments thread. And by 'have your say', I of course mean 'tear me apart limb from limb'.

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