Mega Man Legends had a very nice run on the original PlayStation. It’s no surprise either. It was a very different entry in a well known franchise. Instead of being a 2D platformer, Inafune decided to spice things up and turn Volnutt’s adventure into a 3D role playing game. Think of it as Mega Man meets Final Fantasy VII; it’s very different but also very compelling. If you go back and play the series now, it is difficult to get used to. The trigger buttons on the PlayStation controller control Volnutt’s movement and it takes quite a bit of time to get comfortable with. Once you do get acclimated though you are in control of a Mega Man world that’s both glorious and unique. If you can snag this on the PSN you should. You can help the rest of us show Capcom we want to find out how Volnutt’s story finally ends.
The sad tale of Mega Man Volnutt’s third entry in the franchise began ten years ago in 2007. Keiji Inafune said in an interview with 1up.com that he wanted to use the Lost Planet and Dead Rising engine at Capcom to create his third Mega Man Legends game. Up until 2010 rumors were abound that Inafune was on track to get the game out to the public. At New York Comic Con details emerged about the game and its new characters. The game was to introduce the world to two new heroes, Aero and Barret, who would help the remaining cast save Mega Man Volnutt from his current fate. Capcom was even enlisting fans to help choose what Aero would look like and Mega Man’s new costume. It sounded like Capcom was all in for a new Mega Man Legends game.
Things began to look dire after New York Comic Con; Inafune parted ways with Capcom and fans feared the worst for Volnutt and the future of Mega Man. Capcom reassured everyone that the game was still in development and that a prototype release was incoming for the 3DS eShop. This prototype was going to lead everyone into the full game, most likely telling some backstory and getting everyone caught up since the last release was so far in the past. This Mega Man Legends: Prototype Version would feature ten playable missions and a playable version of the new character Barret. However no one ever got to download this prologue. Capcom officially announced Mega Man Legends cancellation on July 18, 2011. This date was pretty much the death knoll for any new Mega Man game in the future. With no Inafune at the company and what only seemed like interest in remasters from Capcom, a new Mega Man seems unlikely. We will likely never see closure to Volnutt’s tale.
Six long years have passed since the cancellation and fans are still clamoring for a release even if Capcom Europe says otherwise. Capcom Europe’s tweets alluded to the fact that fans were not interested in the sequel so Capcom canned the plans to finish the game. Facebook has gotten into the act. Inafune has stated that he would still love to complete this title. Even Deadpool is getting in on the act. Everyone seems to want this title out except for Capcom, it really doesn’t make any sense to me. We all know that Inafune went on to have a very successful Kickstarter, but the same cannot be said for the game itself. Mighty Number 9 had so many issues that it’d take a separate article to go over them all. While the game didn’t reach critical or financial success, it is nice to see Inafune out there trying to keep the spirit of Mega Man alive. Hopefully Capcom will start feeling the same way. I will happily buy a new Mega Man Legends game. No questions asked. Who’s with me?
