I know, these aren’t “retro.” But, I’m constantly seeing ads on the sidebar while playing these games telling me how to play older games like Mega Man X. I first ignored them because I am very familiar with emulators. One day, I got bored and clicked one. Sure enough, it led me to an emulation site. Woo.
Regardless, it just ended up fueling my current Mega Man kick. A couple months ago, a co-worker and I started talking about Mega Man in some depth. It all began when he shared a band called The Megas with me. The Megas have created an album entirely of Mega Man 2 BGM they covered in a rock-style. The catch or hook is that they included lyrics that turn the album into a sort of rock opera telling the story of Mega Man 2. It is fantastic and if you love video game music, Mega Man, or both you are doing yourself a great disservice if you do not listen to it. (Support The Megas and, who knows, they may make another album!)
Since my coworker shared this with me, I realized that I missed out of the whole Mega Man thing. So, I decided to go back and play some of them. I started at Mega Man 1 and had a blast. It was hard as hell, but I loved it. Then I moved to Mega Man 2, and same thing. It felt more polished and I can see why it has such a big fan following. I’m currently on Mega Man 3 and have been having one hell of a time with the Wily stages. Currently, my main trapping is Mega Man X. I have fond memories playing that with a buddy of mine when growing up, though I distinctly remember not knowing what the f*** was going on.
All of this makes me yearn for some of those older sidescrolling platformers. I’m thinking of checking out some I never even played before like Yoshi’s Island or Symphony of the Night. More than anything, though, it’s reinforcing the idea I’ve had in my mind for quite some time. The sidescrolling platformer is nearly dead, and there is no reason for that, and I think we’re on the cusp of a reemergence. When Nintendo brought back old franchises with new coats of paint (New Super Mario Bros., Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns), they were reviewed very well. At the same time, Metroid: Other M tried to marry 2D and 3D and received some very mixed results. Then, enter such games as Cave Story, Shadow Complex, Outland, Limbo, Braid, etc. These are all fantastic sidescrolling platformers. Plainly, the genre is still alive and kicking. But, I think we need a full-fledged retail release on the Xbox and PS3 to really bring it back.
And, guess what. We have one coming that may kick off the revolution: Sonic Generations. I recently had the opportunity to try the demo, which consisted entirely of a single stage of the first act of the game. It was more or less a retread of the very first stage Sonic ever sped through, but it was still enjoyable. The controls felt very comfortable and the speed factor was fantastic. I love the colorful and saturated environments as well. My only complaint was that the background was so detailed, I wanted to stop and enjoy it but I was going so fast I couldn’t. Also, the highly detailed environments with all of their depth tended to hurt my eyes a bit when I really started moving as fast as Sonic should. But, the gameplay and ambiance was all there. It was an excellent, albeit short, experience on the whole.
Hopefully Sonic Generations strikes a chord with audiences. I’m still yearning for a new sidescrolling Metroid. I think the 3DS would be a great home, because it would afford a rich pallet upon which the famous Metroid environments could be painted. I always envisioned Brinstar to be a sort of massive underground cavern, and the 3DS could really show that off. I also see foreground environment obstacles that could be used to hide pitfalls or items. The opportunity to showcase perspective is too great to forget. However, I would be ecstatic to see a new Metroid on a regular home console, because all of these ideas would still work on a 2d viewing plane but with 3D models.
Just because we can create 3D worlds in which to navigate does not mean we must. Come on Capcom, do a new Mega Man series with 3D character models on a 2D plane (although perhaps create a hotswap with 8-bit graphics for the purists). Hell, I love Zelda in 3D, but I’d love another top-down Zelda with high-def character models. Perhaps a new Contra? Yes, please. I’m hoping this genre comes back into its own and some more of these iconic characters and franchises come back.
