Monday, July 19, 2010

Time to Jump Ship?

I just finished playing The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and after my experience trying to complete Final Fantasy II's Bestiary, I didn't waste any time scurrying to the final dungeon after it became available, though there were still at least two hours worth of sidequests to complete (if not more). The prospect of spending most of my sidequest time in dull transit to/from the interesting place I wanted to be wasn't so thrilling. I may have finally learned my lesson. I actually jumped ship, and I don't feel bad about it.

This, however, concerns me:

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/megamanuniverse/news.html?sid=6269366&mode=previews


It's the future of Mega Man, and it's starting to look like I might need to jump ship on my favorite video game franchise. That's one of the worst fanboy feelings there is--needing to abandon your favorite fandom because it's going places you don't want to go.

Hi, Star Trek.

Perhaps "abandon" is too strong a word. I'll still go see the next Star Trek movie. I'll continue to watch this whole Mega Man Universe thing develop; after all, its way too soon to be jumping to any conclusions, let alone jumping ship. But I like satisfying conclusions, and if this is going even remotely the way I'm expecting it to, my two all-time favorite fandoms will have ended on a disappointing note before transitioning into something too different for me to want to follow.

In the meantime, I'm cautiously awaiting Metroid: Other M, which I've deliberately read next to nothing about. All I know is that it's looking a little too cinematic for a Metroid game, and I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with the gameplay.

Then, in the back of my mind, I'm anticipating the next Tales of Monkey Island game, mostly because the ending of Telltale Games' episodic series left the fandom in a weird place that may or may not be resolved to anyone's satisfaction.

There's that new Predators movie out in theaters. I like the Alien films way better than the Predator ones, but because they're in the same continuity, it's kind of my responsibility as a fan to see this latest installment, though the gore-fest that was Alien vs. Predator: Requiem and the new trailer don't give my faint heart much enthusiasm to go.

Dungeons & Dragons left the rules for version 3.5 in the dust and has been pressing on with 4th edition for some time now. I have no plans of ever owning a 4e rulebook, and I've even stopped looking at the new D&D Miniatures that are being released.

I haven't watched much of the last two seasons yet, but Stargate: SG-1 underwent some significant cast changes over the years, and the little bit I saw of the later episodes just didn't hold my interest the way the rest of the series had. I can't speak for Stargate: Atlantis beyond the first season, but from what I've heard and seen of Stargate Universe, this latest spinoff isn't shaping up to be anything I'm interested in, should I ever manage to catch up with everything else. Fingers crossed that the Universe suffix doesn't so drastically affect Mega Man.

I don't even know where Star Wars is anymore. I saw that CG Clone Wars movie and caught the last half of a TV episode in the same style, but I got irrevocably lost after it went beyond the movies.

I'd rather not dwell on the past, but I'm a creature of habit, and I know myself well. It's going to be tough keeping up with any geeky thing I really like if these trends continue, and if my predictions have any merit whatsoever. I'm running out of favorite fandoms that are still going, and still going in directions I can and want to follow.

Man, it's a good thing I don't keep up with new comics, or else I might be complaining about Batman or Siege or whichever one it is that people have objected to. Though, at least with comics, there's a greater chance that someone else will pick up your favorite character/series long after it's gone somewhere unpleasant.

On the bright side, if everything I love goes sour, it'll save me lots of money throughout the rest of my life.

4 comments:

zharth said...

I have to admit, after clicking that link and reading the interview, and watching the trailer, I have absolutely no idea what "Mega Man Universe" is supposed to be...

Flashman85 said...

I'm equally clueless, but my suspicion is that it's something like an overgrown Super Mario Bros. Crossover, or else the biggest Mega Man level editor in history.

See, the video makes it look like the game will be something like "Mega Man Is Trapped In Your TV," fighting through the entire Capcom library of games in some form or another, and picking up the extendo-arm from Bionic Commando and whatnot. Something highly non-canonical.

The interview, on the other hand, sounds more like it'll be every Mega Man game ever made, smashed together to create a huge world or the longest continuous Mega Man experience ever.

Either way, it's really looking like this will be a unique presentation of stuff we've already seen, rather than a new game that draws from old material.

That's part of what concerns me: Mega Man: Powered Up, for example, was a unique presentation of stuff we'd seen, and while there were a few ideas I liked, it's one of the only Mega Man games I actually dislike.

zharth said...

Well, as long as it's not some weird 3D Claymation Adventure...

A Philosophical Nerd said...

Well, I do have to admit that after watching the video, my interest is definitely piqued. Personally, I hope they continue to give us the occasional Mega Man game in the familiar style, even if they take the franchise in this new direction. I'm as clueless as you all, and I hope this doesn't turn out to be a big disappointment. But at the very least, I'll check it out and give it a fair shake before deciding whether or not I like it. Since Mr. Inafune was less than forthcoming about it, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.