Megaman - Network Transmission Analyzed

psyco484 writes "A new Megaman title, Megaman Network Transmission, is being released in the US this month for Gamecube. Gamespy has further details on this cel-shaded side-scroller. Is there still room for side-scrollers, in this age of incredible 3D worlds with incredibly realistic world physics?" Actually, this 3D graphics/2D gameplay Arika-developed title is already out in Japan, and the ever-resourceful Toastyfrog has a helpful review of it - but is this where you want to see the Megaman series going?

Comments

Sure

[sebi]

Is there still room for side-scrollers, in this age of incredible 3D worlds with incredibly realistic world physics?

Not if they seem to be as badly done as this one. But looking at the praise that 'Viewtiful Joe' seems to get from those that have seen it, I think that the genre is not dead yet. As everywhere else developers still need to innovate, but provided they do I don't need incredible realistic world physics. Let me run faster and jump higher than I can do in the even more realistic world I live in. Otherwise I wouldn't need to play games.

Re:Sure

[Pxtl]

Personally, I'm dissapointed that all 2d sidescrollers have to be just dull rehashes of the previous games. What, after some 20-odd Megaman games, only 2 of them have been multiplayer.

When I saw the name "mega man network transmission" I was like "allright! finally megaman action online". Nope - just some lame-ass plot where they've turned megaman into a Digimon. Give me fscking Liero anyday.

Tongue twisters

[Glytch]

cel-shaded side-scroller

Try saying that ten times fast.

I hope this doesn't turn out to be as frustrating as other recent Mega Man side-scrollers. (IE: X4, X5 and X6. Bleh.) It seems that Capcom has not really learned that "needs inhuman timing" does not automatically equal "fun and challenging". Still, there's hope. This virtual Mega Man universe is one of their most interesting ideas in recently years. The GBA Battle Network games are some of the best I've played on that platform.

What?

[FoxIVX]

"but is this where you want to see the Megaman series going?"

It appears to me that there have been 2D megaman games all along. They've never stopped making 2D megaman games, they have always made 2D megaman games. The franchise is not *headed* in this direction, it has been there since the 80s. Not to mention, of course, that 3D megaman games have existed simultaneously with 2D games, on many systems.

The real question is whether or not Capcom will take the game in the direction I call "not sucking so much anymore."

Disturbingly naive question in writeup

[Dr. Photo]

Is there still room for side-scrollers, in this age of incredible 3D worlds with incredibly realistic world physics?

Last I checked, the top criterion for a game was whether it's fun.

You want realism? Go outside.

Re:Disturbingly naive question in writeup

[Snowspinner]

Last I checked, the top criterion for a game was whether it's fun.

You want realism? Go outside.

Funny you should mention that. Megaman X6 was so bad that I actually wanted to go outside.

Re:Disturbingly naive question in writeup

[scot4875]

Last I checked, the top criterion for a game was whether it's fun.

You must have checked a while ago. The latest top criteria are dollars spent on advertising the game and brand familiarity.

Just take a look at sales numbers for 'Enter the Matrix' -- despite getting lukewarm critics reviews and panned in most player reviews (the ones I've read, anyway), it sold over 1 million copies in a week.

--Jeremy

I'm going to cut Capcom a lot of slack...

[ronfar]

I've already pre-ordered this game, and it will have to actually be bad, as opposed to derivative or unoriginal, for me not to like it.

After all, the only thing I really wanted for my Playstation 1 was Rockman III (Japanese for Megaman III), and Sony deprived me of it. I bought the import version and tried to play it in my mod chipped Playstation and it didn't work because Sony had screwed it up to defeat the mod chip, so I couldn't play it (even though I could've had it if I were Japanese). Thus Sony gained my eternal, undying hatred and drove me stark, staring insane.

Although I own Megaman 8 for Playstation, I didn't like it as much as the classic Megaman games. Unfortunately, all the classic Megaman games I ever played belonged to my evil brother, and as I no longer live with him, I can't play them any more.

So here's hoping that this game really is not that much different than previous editions of Megaman.