Mega Man (franchise)

"Mega Man", known as nihongo|"Rockman"|ロックマン|Rokkuman in Japan, is a series of video games from Capcom, usually starring the character Mega Man. There are well over 50 Capcom releases bearing the "Mega Man" name, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise and one of the best-known franchises of all time. [ [http://www.mmhp.net/GameHints/GameList.html MMHP.net Game List] ] The "Mega Man" games began in 1987 with the first "Mega Man" game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was the original "Mega Man" series, which has since been followed by several sub-series. These are the major "Mega Man" series, including year they began:
* "Mega Man" (Rockman) (1987)
* "Mega Man X" (Rockman X) (1993)
* "Mega Man Legends" (Rockman DASH) (1997)
* "Mega Man Battle Network" (Rockman.EXE) (2001)
* "Mega Man Zero" (Rockman Zero) (2002)
* "Mega Man ZX" (Rockman ZX) (2006)
* "Mega Man Star Force" (Ryūsei no Rockman, lit. "Shooting Star Rockman") (2006)

Series overview

In the fictional universe of Mega Man, the classic "Mega Man" series consists of 10 main titles including the original game, as well as all Game Boy and PC titles featuring the original design of Mega Man/Rockman. The classic series is considered to be the origin of the story, with "Mega Man" being the first installment, and continuing with the direct sequels "Mega Man" 2-8 games. Chronologically after 8 comes Mega Man and Bass, and sometime either between 8 and Mega Man and Bass or after Mega Man and Bass, 9 fits in.

There are also spinoff titles that do not relate to the series' storyline. The continuity of the Game Boy games' plots, as they relate to the main storyline, has never been confirmed officially, but theories on the matter have been well documented [ [http://www.wikiknowledge.net/wiki/Mega_Man_Timeline Wiki Mega Man Timeline] ] Although the classic series has yet to reach an ending, the storyline shifts to the "Mega Man X series", followed by "Mega Man Zero" and finally "Mega Man ZX". Although it is said that the "Mega Man Legends" series takes place sometime after the "ZX" series, there is an uncertain amount of time as to when it actually takes place. "Mega Man Battle Network" exists as an alternate universe or timeline. [cite book|title=Rockman Perfect Memories (ロックマンパーフェクトメモリーズ)|date=2002-12-20|id=ISBN 4575163546 The Japanese language source book outlines the "Classic", "X", and "Legends" series and makes mention of the "Battle Network" and "Zero" series (which were fairly new at the time of the book's publication.) While the "ZX" and "Star Force" series were not yet conceived when the source book was published, Capcom explicitly states their placement in the timelines within the games themselves.] "Mega Man Star Force" follows the "Battle Network" series. [cite book|title=Rockman Perfect Memories (ロックマンパーフェクトメモリーズ)|date=2002-12-20|id=ISBN 4575163546]

Games and animation

The character Mega Man was created in 1987 by Keiji Inafune [ [http://www.capcom.com/megaman Capcom Official Site] ] at Capcom of Japan as the protagonist in a new style of platform game.

In the story behind the original series, Mega (Rock) is a robot created as a lab assistant by the scientist Dr. Thomas Light; following treachery by Dr. Wily, Mega was converted into a fighting robot to defend the world from Wily's violent robotic threats. Thus he becomes Mega Man (Rockman in the Japanese original).

Though all "Mega Man" games feature unique stories, settings, and characters, they nevertheless share several common features that have made the series one of the most consistent in video game history. Until 1997, all "Mega Man" games were side scrolling, with 2D maze-like levels. The character controlled by the player was Mega Man himself, who had to fight through these levels using the "Mega Buster" (so named in "Mega Man 4"), a cannon attached to his arm, to shoot the robotic monsters that inhabited his environment. After defeating a Robot Master, the boss of a level, Mega Man would gain the ability to use that Robot Master's special weapon. Each robot master was themed after a specific element or object, for example "Fire Man," "Ice Man," "Stone Man," or "Napalm Man." The weapons Mega Man gained, in turn would share the theme of whomever it was he had just defeated. Levels can generally be completed in any order, and as a result determining the best strategic use of different weapons in different levels is one of the hallmarks of the series. Each new "Mega Man" game would contain new enemies, as well as familiar ones, new bosses (and thus weapons), and new gadgets. Enemies would have at least one weakness from certain weapons: for example, Ice Man's weapon is powerful against Fire Man. This creates a preferred order of stage completion. After all eight bosses are defeated, Mega Man travels to Wily's castle, and after fighting past clones of the eight bosses, confronts Wily, usually in his flying saucer.

The classic series was the source material for two animated television series both apatly named "Mega Man" and featuring the heroes, villains, and themes of the games. The first show was a three- part OVA called "" developed in Japan, the other simply called "Mega Man", was developed specifically for North American audiences by animation studio Ruby-Spears.

The original Mega Man has spawned a number of spin-off titles that have appeared since the launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

* Keiji Inafune, wanting to give a new face to the popular character, created the "Mega Man X" series in 1993. Set in the future, this series follows the story of Mega Man's successor, Mega Man X, an upgraded model with increased offensive and movement capabilities. This character, often referred to as simply "X," is a further creation of Dr. Light put into suspended animation and uncovered 100 years in the future by a researcher named Dr. Cain. The "Mega Man X" series was marketed at a new generation of video game players with an action twist to the original series' usually playful antics. In the "Mega Man X" series, the characters grow in abilities and power as the game progresses.
* Beginning on the Sony PlayStation in 1997, a 3D action game series called "Mega Man Legends" was created to take advantage of the then-new console's advanced graphics hardware. This series, which is in the same world as the other games (though thousands of years in the future), takes place in a time when the world is covered by immense bodies of water, marked by a re-occurrence of several major characters from the original series in different situations. The hero, Mega Man (Rock Volnutt), is a relic hunter called a "Digger" who scavenges various ruins laden throughout the world in search of refractor shards that can be mined as power sources and traded as currency. "Mega Man Legends" brings the gameplay into 3D and is an action adventure with role-playing game elements.
* "Mega Man Battle Network", a series on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo Gamecube, began in 2001 as a way for the "Mega Man" games to branch out into the console role-playing game market, as well as to celebrate Mega Man's 15th anniversary. Modeled after the popular monster battling franchises prevalent in Japanese media, this series features a character called "MegaMan.EXE", a "NetNavi" who acts as a virtual pet to Lan Hikari, a school child and would-be hero who uses his friend to help battle computer virus and other Internet-based threats. This game does not belong to the original series timeline. A resulting anime series "Mega Man NT Warrior", was also produced.
* In 2002, a follow-up series to the "Mega Man X" franchise was developed for the Game Boy Advance which starred Zero, a character from the previous games. Though called "Mega Man Zero", a character named "Mega Man" is not actually playable, though it does take place within the same world as the previous "Mega Man" games. The series revolved around the battles Zero must have against a powerful human-supremacy force as he protects the oppressed remains of reploids. In the "Mega Man Zero" series weapons are no longer copied, but abilities and enhancements can be collected throughout the levels.
* "Mega Man ZX", which began in 2006 is placed in the future, 200 years after the "Zero" series. This is the first "Mega Man" game series where the main protagonists are of different sexes. The first game resolves around the fight of Vent and Aile to help the Guardians, a group that fight against the Mavericks, to stop the plans of Serpent, using the power of the Biometals, that have the info of the legendary heroes X and Zero. The second game takes place four years later. It deals with a predicament similar to the first, this time with both new and old characters entering the fray. "ZX" is also the first game of the original timeline where the main character is a human.
* A new series, nihongo|"Mega Man Star Force"|流星のロックマン|Ryusei no Rockman|Rockman of the Shooting Star was released on the Nintendo DS on December 14th, 2006, and released in North America on August 8, 2007. The first game's launch commemorated the 20th anniversary of the "Mega Man" franchise. The Star Force games are very similar to the Battle Network games, and also takes place roughly 200 years later in the timeline. A second game has been released, and a third is already in the making, slated for release in Japan Winter, 2008. An anime based on this series began airing on TV Tokyo in October 2006, and aired in North America in August on Toonami Jetstream.

Timeline

The timeline for the series and its spinoffs is somewhat complicated. According to "Rock Man Perfect Memories", an official Capcom sourcebook only available in Japan:
*"Mega Man Classic" takes place from 200X to 20XX,:It has been argued that Mega Man (the first game) takes place in 2008, Mega Man 2 takes place in 2009, and all games from Mega Man 3 and after take place from 2010 and beyond. This argument has been based on the Rock Man Perfect Memories source book's reference to Dr. Light's reception of the Nobel Prize in 2007. However, the rest of this is based on logical reasoning and is as-of-yet unconfirmed by Capcom. [ [http://www.wikiknowledge.net/wiki/Mega_Man_Timeline Wiki Mega Man Timeline] ] [ [http://www.sprites-inc.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-582.html Forum Archived Information] ]
*"Mega Man X" begins at the 22nd century of 21XX.
*"Mega Man Zero" is the continuation of the "X" series, set approximately one hundred years after the "X" series ends.
*"Mega Man ZX" is set approximately 200 years after the "Zero" series.
*"Mega Man Legends" takes place several thousand years after "ZX " but the exact time is also unknown.:It has been said that the Mega Man Legends series takes place in the year 8XXX (the ninth millennium A.D.), since the "DASH" in Rockman DASH stands for "Digouter Adventure Story in the Halcyon Days." [ [http://www.sprites-inc.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-582.html Forum Archived Information] ] [ [http://www.wikiknowledge.net/wiki/Mega_Man_Timeline Wiki Mega Man Timeline] ]

"Mega Man Battle Network" and "Mega Man Star Force" are not included in this timeline, set in an alternate universe where computer technology flourished instead of robotics. [cite book|title=Rockman Perfect Memories (ロックマンパーフェクトメモリーズ)|date=2002-12-20|id=ISBN 4575163546 The Japanese language source book outlines the "Classic", "X", and "Legends" series and makes mention of the "Battle Network" and "Zero" series (which were fairly new at the time of the book's publication.) While the "ZX" and "Star Force" series were not yet conceived when the source book was published, Capcom explicitly states their placement in the timelines within the games themselves.] "Star Force" is stated to take place in 220X, around 200 years after "Battle Network".

In other media

Television appearances

Comics and manga

Mega Man has also been featured in many comics and manga in Japan. The "Rockman Megamix" series was produced by Hitoshi Ariga who later went on to provide character designs and artwork for official Capcom releases including the Super Famicom game "Rockman & Forte" (Mega Man and Bass in the US), as well as illustrating the manga version of The Big O. In addition, Dreamwave Productions and Magnum Press made its own comic books based on the "Mega Man Classic" game series (although the books from Magnum Press are only found in Brazil and ended quite abruptly). The Dreamwave "Mega Man" series lasted only four issues, the final one ending very abruptly with plot-threads from the first three dropped completely, though it included a short story promising a "Mega Man X" follow-up that never materialized. This was one of several Dreamwave Capcom comics that were cut short or simply never made it to issue #1, including "Maximo", "DarkStalkers" and "Rival Schools". With the bankruptcy of Dreamwave, the comic rights to Mega Man appear to be, as of early 2006, in a legal limbo.

Each series (and usually, each individual game) has a licensed manga that follows its storyline. The manga of "Rockman EXE", which was written by Ryo Takamisaki, is one of the few "Mega Man" manga available in English; it is known as "Mega Man NT Warrior" [ [http://www.megaman-ntwarrior.com Mega Man NT Warrior Official Site] ] in North America. Official manga series also exist for X, Zero, ZX, and Ryusei.

Music

Ascertaining the identity of videogame composers, especially prior to the fifth generation of consoles, can be difficult, as the composers were often uncredited or credited under a pseudonym. NesDev gives the following musical credits (extracted from ROM images for the Classic series) [ [http://nesdev.parodius.com/authors.htm Nintendo Music Credits] ] :

*Mega Man: C. Manami & Yuukichan's Papa
*Mega Man 2: Manami, Ogeretsu, Ietel, and Yuukichan's Papa
*Mega Man 3: "BUNBUN"
*Mega Man 4: "OJALIN" & Bun Bun
*Mega Man 5: Mari
*Mega Man 6: Yuko Kadota

The following credits were taken directly from the game credits:

*Mega Man 7: T."ANIE".N, YUK, KRSK, V-TOMOZOH, KAN, APPLE Z, MORE RICH, NARINARI, IPPO

Criticism

Capcom's handling of the "Mega Man" franchise has been criticized at various times, with many citing the continuous creation of new spin-offs and side-series. [ [http://www.gamespot.com/features/6076983/index.html Gamespot History Article] ] Another common complaint is that the overall quality of the games has suffered due to Capcom's insistence on extending a series after the original development team has moved on. A common example is "Mega Man 7", which was developed after Keiji Inafune's team had already shifted its focus to the "X" series. Similarly, "Mega Man X6" was created against Inafune's intentions to end the series with the previous game and move onto the "Zero" series. As a result, many fans consider "X6" to be the worst entry in the series.

The apparent discontinuation of the "Legends" series is also frequently cited. Only three titles were developed, with the last one released in 2000, after which the series was largely forgotten. Fans were irritated particularly because "Legends" was the first and only 3D series in the "Mega Man" franchise. [ [http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2011713 Mega Man Legends on 1up.com] ] Capcom has never provided an official explanation for the series' discontinuation, though Inafune recently expressed interest in making a sequel. However, he said it would require approximately $15 million to produce the game on next-generation consoles. [ [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3159987 Inafune 2007 Interview] ]

Another major gripe is the handling of the franchise outside of Japan. North American localizations are generally considered to be poor, with unnecessary name changes, shoddy and inconsistent translations, censorship of content for greater accessibility to children (as with the removal of blood splashes in the "Mega Man Zero" series) and, in recent times, even the removal of certain gameplay elements (most evident in "Mega Man Battle Network 6").Fact|date=September 2007 European releases are often cited for their low-quality box artwork and inexplicably redone logos (despite the titles sharing the North American versions' names).

European fans are also generally irritated by the lack of availability concerning Mega Man titles (in particular, the lack of Mega Man and Mega Man X "Anniversary Collection" releases that are available in North America).

ee also

*List of Mega Man games
*
*Mega Man NT Warrior
*Mega Man (original series)
*Mega Man X series
*Mega Man Legends series
*Mega Man Battle Network series
*Mega Man Zero series
*Mega Man ZX series
*Mega Man Star Force

References

External links

English sites
* [http://www.capcom.com/megaman/ Mega Man] Japanese sites
* [http://www.capcom.co.jp/rockman20th/ Rockman 20th Anniversary]
* [http://www.capcom.co.jp/rockmanexe/ Rockman EXE] Miscellaneous sites
* [http://themmnetwork.com The Mega Man Network] — A site containing comprehensive information on the Mega Man franchise and a large fan community.
* [http://www.rockmanpm.com Rockman Perfect Memories] — Another large Mega Man fan community.
* [http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page The Mega Man Knowledge-base: The Mega Man Wiki] — A wiki devoted to Mega Man