Why Mega Man Legends 3 Needs To Be Made (and why it should be for Wii)

Posted by Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory
on February 9th, 2009
Filed Under: Articles

"Watch me outrun this van!"

Every gamer seems to be familiar with Mega Man, especially since the original series was finally rekindled with the release of Mega Man 9. Fewer, however, are familiar with his transition into the third dimension, and even out of those who did play one, or both, of the games contained in the Legends series (known as Rock Man Dash in Japan), only a portion of them responded to the game positively, while the rest weren’t able to accept such a complete and total change to the established Mega Man formula.

Needless to say, the fan-base for these 2 gems is unfortunately small in comparison to all the other games featuring the beloved “Blue Bomber”. But most of those who do appreciate it do so to a very high degree; begging for a third entry. So what is the deal with Mega Man Legends, and why should you care?

Mega Man Legends plays almost nothing like any Mega Man game before or after it (aside from the sequel, of course). If you took Mega Man and combined it with The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and a Saturday morning cartoon, this is probably what you would get. Rather than being divided in to short stages with a boss waiting for you at the end, the game has an action/adventure structure with a few RPG elements to keep things interesting.

The first game takes place entirely on Kattlox Island. Above the surface there are towns with lots of people to interact with, stores, wilderness to fight enemies in and plenty of extra areas and buildings to explore, some of which are entirely optional. While on the surface, you’ll find many entrances to underground ruins. Underground, there are numerous paths to explore. At first they feel like Zelda dungeons, even containing treasure chests in secret rooms. However, as you gain new abilities, like drilling through walls or higher jumping, the underground sections give off more of a Metroid vibe, due to the fact that each and every dungeon is actually interconnected into one massive map. Also, not all treasure is in easy to spot chests. Some treasure is hidden in cracks in walls and other hard to spot places. These treasures can be money, items, or seemingly random objects that when combined can make new weapons or equipment.

You control Mega Man from a third person perspective. You’ll start off with his trusty Mega Buster. Throughout the game, you’ll be able to buy, find and even create enhancements for it. Only a limited number of enhancements can be equipped at one time so there is a lot of customization that can be achieved to suit both your play style and the needs of the situation. Also, there are sub-weapons. You can only equip one of these at a time, but there is a nice variety to choose from, including a machine gun, bazooka, sword, laser and shield to name just a few. Rather than changing colors, Mega Man’s right arm changes to the appropriate weapon’s shape (the Mega Buster is on his left arm). Each sub-weapon can be upgraded allowing for even more customization.

Though the hardware of the original Playstation is now quite dated, there are a lot of aesthetic values that really shined. The game has an anime art style and the characters show a variety of facial expressions, especially during the many in-game cut-screens that help move the story along. There is a surprising amount of voice work in the game as well. The voices aren’t the best, but this is where the “Saturday morning cartoon” aspect comes into play. In other words, rather than making me cringe, it just comes off as endearing in its own silly way.

One of the things that make Mega Man Legends 1 & 2 such great experiences is that there is never a shortage of things to do. Both games have a plethora of side-quests and optional hidden areas to get to. There are basic dialogue trees for interacting with some of the townsfolk, allowing you to be Mr. Nice Guy or a total jackass. There is a very simple “good or evil” stat just for fun that makes your body get progressively darker colored as you engage in such activities as kicking stray dogs in the old part of town (I’m dead serious). In the first game there is even a battle early on where a boss will destroy buildings if you don’t stop it and you will have to donate your money throughout the game to be able to do any of the quests in the buildings you let be destroyed.

The people that want Mega Man Legends 3 to be made, myself included, want it BAD! Part of this is due to the fact that the second game ended on a cliffhanger. Mostly though, it’s just sad to see such a fun series only have 2 entries. It’s been brought up many times to Keiji Inafune (creator of Mega Man), but it’s just not looked at as something that would be profitable enough to justify.

Enter the Wii. Wii games (depending on circumstance, of course) can be about a third of the development cost of a ps3 or x360 game. The graphical style wouldn’t require advanced hardware to pull off successfully. It would be much easier to turn a profit, not to mention the advantage of the large install base. In order for the game to do well, however, they would have to actually put money into marketing, considering most people are unfamiliar with the previous games. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a Mega Man fan to enjoy this series. If the intro had a bit of a recap of the last 2 games, a large audience would be able to enjoy the new entry unhindered.

The controls could also benefit greatly from the Wii’s unique input devices. Aiming could be handled via pointing with the wiimote with movement being mapped to the nunchuck. Dodge rolls could be handled via a flick of the nunchuck (à la Battalion Wars 2) with a basic Z trigger lock on mechanic for circling your enemy. And with MotionPlus on the way, there are even more possibilities.

It’s hard to say whether or not Capcom will ever finally decide to continue the series. Either way, if you haven’t already played the first entry or its much improved sequel, do yourself a favor and find out for yourself why it needs to be continued.

Tags: Editorials, Keiji Inafune, Mega Man, Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Legends 2, Mega Man Legends 3, megaman, Rock Man Dash, rockman, Wii

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

20 Responses to “Why Mega Man Legends 3 Needs To Be Made (and why it should be for Wii)”

February 9th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
MechaJesus says:

I couldn’t agree more about getting a third legends. The first one still remains one of my favorite games. I haven’t played the second one yet even though I own it. I think I shall have to go back and play through both of them. Not really sure if I agree about the Wii part though. You bring up good points for the Wii’s case but I have to say that I think the 360 would fair better. Sure it’s a little more expensive to develop for but you also have to remember that that’s where most of the ‘hardcore’ gamers are right now. They’re going to be the ones that know the series the best. The Wii, unfortunately, is populated mostly by parents and their kids who I highly doubt would know or have any interest in the series. Plus a large part of me wants a pretty high-def mega man. =P Anywho, you never know what Capcom will do these days. They seem to be going back to their old series quite a bit. Hopefully that leads to this one in the near future.
February 9th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:

Yeah, I know it’s a long shot, but Legends 3 could be a great game for parents to pick up for kids since it’s not super violent or anything. But they would need to see past all the shovelware to get to it unfortunately.

As far as Legends 2 goes: you have GOT to play Legends 2. It is an improvement over the first one in every way. Better lock on controls, better story, it’s longer, more varied graphics (dungeons look a lot different this time). I love the first game, but the second one is way better in my opinion.
February 9th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Shaolinjesus says:

A 3-D mega man game in the style of Ratchet and Clank would be awesome.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Ben says:

YES!!! Create a 3rd legends please Capcom! These were my favorite games! The second one was an improvement over the first, except in voice acting I believe. They switched Mega Man’s voice for the worse. Also, I’m in agreement for a Hi-Def Mega Man. I’d love to see this made for the 360 and would by one if it was.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:

This reminds me that I need to go back and play the 2nd one. I really enjoyed the first game, especially once it starts to open up and connect the underground tunnels.
Both games are usually pretty cheap if you can find them. People should pick them up and see for themselves why the third game needs to be made.

Also, I still hold that this could work as an episodic game on XBLA and PSN. Sections of a bigger overall game could be downloaded and connected as different episodes, making it possible to get an quicker return on their investment in the game. I know it wouldn’t be the perfect solution, but if it gets the game made, I would be all for it.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Dave "shaolinjesus" Corvin says:

Well, Mega Man fans complained so long and so loud that we finally got a Mega Man 9. I am sure Capcom will make Legends 3 if only to quiet the fans.
With all the love and support love that a new Legends game would receive, I think Capcom is crazy for not putting it out. Maybe they don’t like money.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:

the problem is the fanbase is so much smaller. Like i said, the people who like it absolutely love it, but few people in comparison have even played it.
February 11th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Shaolinjesus says:

Yeah but any time there is that much passion for something it is hard to ignore it.
February 11th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:

I sure hope you’re right
February 11th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
David B. says:

The legends series is so great, the voice acting in both games one and two. The storyline is unique and original.. the characters unforgetable. The gameplay is also addictive and interesting, keeping you collecting crystals as currency.. shops keep you haggling for items and selling things just like in real life.

The enemies are unique and interesting to look at and fight. The boss battles are epic..

I do not see a reason why Capcom shouldn’t produce another Legends game. If the fan base is small.. then they should start promoting the series, dig it up out of it’s grave sort a speak.

As for a Wii title.. I for one do not own a wii.. and the only access I have to a current gen console is through one of my friends. Which they’re both MM Legends fans.. and MM fans in general. They do have a 360, so if anything I hope that if it is produced that they put it on 360.. or even a very late PS2 release. Because I like many cannot afford a new console at this time. Especially the way the economy is at this time. So it would be profitable in that since as well.. to have it on PS2.. 360.. Wii, and of course perhaps even have it as a downloadable title as well. Hell make it accessible to everyone.. then maybe more people will be able to play it and trully appreciate just how wonder and unique the legends series is.
February 16th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Keyser Vance says:

I signed the online petition for Legends 3 some six or seven years ago, and as a kid i drew up countless weapons and Reaverbots for the concept of MML3. This series is my favorite game series of all time, the story is massive and engrossing, the gameplay is fun and exhilarating, the music is emotional and highly appropriate for the various moods of the game. The only current-gen console I own is a Wii, so I would be all for its release there. The bottom line is, Legends is here to stay, and I know that Capcom, as a fan-conscious company, will eventually answer all our prayers with a beautiful, groundbreaking release of MEgaman Legends 3.
March 17th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Hollow-Kaust says:

YES!!!I’ am so tired of capcom rehashing the same damn game Over and Over and Over again.After all Legneds, is hands down the best installment of the Megaman franchise. Who cares if a bunch of whiny 2-D simple minded purist’s are going to complain, they HAVE A BILLION OTHER MEGAMAN 2-D TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM.

Everything about this game PWNED, the soundtrack, gameplay, even the stroy was undeniably strong.

So please, Capcom pick up your Abandoned Brillant child and Put him on a damn good game on the Wii. STOP SHUFFLING YOUR FEET AND JUST DO IT.
May 6th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:

Famitsu did a poll. The results came out just recently and Mega Man Legends was the 7th series out of 50 that people wanted a sequel to most
July 15th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:

It was cool to hear that they are aware that this is in such high demand from the fans. Sounds like they have a shrine built out of all the stuff from fans asking for this game to get made.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:

Yeah, it is now apparently just under Marvel vs Capcom 3 as the most requested sequel for a game according to Capcom.

In other news, it might be awhile before the games can make it on to PSN:
http://www.themmnetwork.com/2009/07/15/no-plans-for-legends-on-psn-yet/

I would actually consider rebuying them if they finally did, though. Not just to support them, but to be able to play them portably as well.
July 26th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
mms says:

we need a third one. the 2nd one ended abruptly. anyone else havin’ this problem?

lets hope tron bonne is mega mans love interest. roll is mega mans sister, no need for them to be a couple.
October 25th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Dylan says:

This game is awesome. I played it when i was 5, soon after it came out. And to this day, i can honestly say MML 1 and 2 tops ALL the other games. ALL the new gen games. ALL the other mega man games. There’s just something about the sound effects, music,graphics, just the lighthearted feel of playing
MML 1 and 2.For all of you that read this, I urge you to take initiative to get MML3 out.

Anyway, for Capcom’s sake.I think the simplest, financially optimal, least thought of and possibly the best idea would be to put it on a PS2. Personally, I think if MML3 had the same graphics, possible more polished it would be perfectly fine and accepted.
November 29th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Ya-hah, uhuh alright says:

There’s like 200 shovelware games for wii starting with the first 13 letters of the alphabet! Kids’ parents, sadly, will get them Action Girlz Racing. (e_e) check out wikipedia’s list. It’s sad.
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:01 am
Harthos says:

I would like to say something about the recap at the beggining/getting new people into the series/putting it on wii

Someone said recently, that by vamping up the graphics on a new MML game, you would lose the style and nostalgia of it, and I agree, that is why the wii would be PERFECT for this. Everyone KNOWS the Wiis graphics are kinda lame (no offense) AND Wii, is very big on being about old school/nostalgic games, which brings me to my next point.

For marketing/vamping up the series, how awesome would it be if Wii released the two other games on wii ware (one of them has already been on N64)
June 15th, 2010 at 7:15 am
Shadow says:

1000000000000000% AGREE WE NEED MML3!!!!!!!!!! CAPCOM DO THE SMART THING LISTIN TO YOUR FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!