Hello, one and all, Louie-Spunkmeyer here. Making my debut with this little piece. I'm a big video gamer and a devotee to the Megaman and Megaman X series, so I decided I'd give back to what I love so much. I suppose a little history behind my inspiration would suffice about now.
Well, I was on the train going about my day, when I happened to overhear a conversation about the popular Capcom series, Megaman. The conversation, between three gentlemen, two in their early twenties and the third around his mid-teens, was a very nostalgic one.
One went on about how challenging the series was and about how many hours he had spent getting to Wily's Castle only to end in defeat. He continued, going on about how difficult it was to beat all four stages AND Wily afterwards.
I knew exactly how he felt. First defeating the eight robot masters then the grueling task of having to beat all four Wily stages AND Wily in any given Megaman game. Such a daunting feat that presented a challenge unlike any of its time was all too exciting, and even now, still is!
His peer agreed wholeheartedly. However, It wasn't until the younger of the three spoke his piece that spurned my inspiration.
He complained it was, "Too hard to beat!" and followed by saying a successor of the series, the Megaman Starforce series, was much more fun because, "It isn't as hard, you're not stuck just jumping over holes, and the graphics are alot better."
The youngster addressed something that has been becoming more and more a recent trend in video games nowadays. Difficulty being watered down, a more subversive environment, and an emphasis on graphics.
Eventually he reached his conclusion, "Megaman plays too slow and the bosses kill you in like two hits. That's why they don't make those crappy games anymore. Who wants to play a game that you keep losing?" One of the three pointed out that a recent addition to the series, Megaman 9 was done in the same fashion. He responded by saying, "I bet it didn't do too good because there're alot more of those games with better graphics."
So henceforth, I took it into my own hands to create something in mourning of our faithful little blue bomber. The Megaman platformer, as much as I hate to admit, is slowly being pushed aside. I have no doubt in saying young gamers will know nothing of the original Megaman games in a few years.
Although it may not sound like a big deal, those of us who enjoyed the series in its prime will feel the repercussion full force when we begin to see Megaman platformers begin to disappear. In due time, it'll be such a niche crowd that wants a new Megaman platformer that Capcom won't even consider releasing a new one.
Newer additions to the series such as NT Warrior and Starforce are a good example of the direction they're taking. Those games will begin to see an increase in production because its whats selling. They still need to make money, right? But, where will that leave little Megaman, Wily, and the rest of us?
Perhaps it may be too soon to be mourning the loss of our little buddy, after all, the Megaman Zero series still holds true to its roots, difficulty wise, at least, and even still, Capcom may decide to throw us another bone like they did with Megaman 9. I still believe, however, that the signs are there. I guess all we can really do is enjoy the remainder of the ride and its been pretty awesome thus far.
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http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo111/SpunkmeyerLouie/XsLament.jpg
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