Mega Man Powered Up

Mega Man Powered Up

European box art
Developer(s) Capcom
Publisher(s) Capcom
Director(s) Kazuki Matsue
Producer(s) Keiji Inafune
Tatsuya Kitabashi
Designer(s) Hiroyuki Yamato
Yuujirou Hayakawa
Yusuke Tokita
Gentaro Tanzawa
Artist(s) Keiji Inafune
Tatsuya Yoshikawa
Composer(s) Toshihiko Horiyama
Series Mega Man
Platform(s) PlayStation Portable
Release date(s)

PlayStation Portable

PlayStation Network

Genre(s) Platformer
Mode(s) Single-player

Mega Man Powered Up (known in Japan as Rockman Rockman (ロックマンロックマン) is a side-scrolling platform video game developed and published by Capcom. It was released for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game console in March 2006. It is a remake of the original Mega Man game released in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Players control the eponymous star Mega Man who must stop Doctor Wily from conquering the world using eight robots called Robot Masters. Unlike the original game, players can control these eight Robot Masters under the right circumstances. Other new features include a level creator mode and a challenge mode.

First revealed in 2005, Powered Up was produced by series mainstay Keiji Inafune. It was released in a bundle alongside Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X (also for PSP) and was slated for release on the PSP's PlayStation Network (PSN). It was released for the PSN service in Japan, but a US release did not occur due to technical difficulties. The game uses a chibi-style that was intended for the original game but was not possible at the time. The designers intended to keep this design faithful to the way the characters worked and looked in the original. While it received generally positive reviews, the game sold poorly, and plans for a remake of Mega Man 2 titled Mega Man Powered Up 2 fell through.

Plot

The robot creator Doctor Light created two human-like robots with advanced artificial intelligence named Mega and Roll. Following this, he created eight more robots intended for industrial use: Cut Man, Guts Man, Ice Man, Bomb Man, Fire Man, Elec Man, Time Man, and Oil Man. He received a Nobel Prize for Physics, and his old colleague and rival Doctor Wily has grown bitter for not being acknowledged for his work on the project. Wily discovered a prototype robot made by Doctor Light before Mega and Roll called Proto Man, who is in danger of having his energy generator go critical. Wily gave him a nuclear energy supply to extend his life. He later steals and reprograms the eight industrial robots to attempt world domination. Mega volunteered to stop Wily and the robots and was converted into a fighting robot called Mega Man. After defeating all eight robots, Mega Man goes through Dr. Wily's fortress and challenges him. After beating Wily, he surrenders and asks Mega Man to spare him.[5]

Gameplay

A rectangular video game screenshot that depicts a blue character sprite facing a purple character sprite in front of a large clock.
Mega Man Powered Up features updated visuals, a widescreen mode, and new Robot Masters.

The game is a remake of the original NES Mega Man title and has similar gameplay and level designs. The game moves on a 2D plane and players are given control of the game's eponymous hero Mega Man. Unlike the original's 8-bit graphics, the game uses 3D character models with super deformed designs.[6] Mega Man's primary abilities include jumping and shooting and he is given both a health meter and a life meter. Mega Man can lose health by touching enemies or their projectiles, while lives will be lost when Lives will be consumed if Mega Man touches certain spikes, or falls into a pit.[7] Lives and health can be found either dropped by enemies or in fixed locations.

At the beginning of the game, players are given an introductory level and boss to overcome. Afterward, they are given access to eight different stages, each representing one of the above-mentioned Robot Masters. At the end of each stage, players must battle a Robot Master. When a Robot Master is destroyed, it will give Mega Man its respective weapon, which can be used against other Robot Masters or enemies but has limited ammunition.[8] If Mega Man defeats the Robot Master using his primary weapon, the Robot Master will be captured and reprogrammed. This allows players to play through stages as one of the Robot Masters.[9]

It features two styles of gameplay: "Old Style" is comparable to the NES version aside from the updated presentation, and "New Style" uses the PSP's entire widescreen and contains storyline cutscenes with voice acting, altered stage layouts, remixed music, and three difficulty modes for each stage. Additionally, the remake lets players unlock and play through the game as the eight Robot Masters, Roll, and Protoman. The New Style stages differ in structure from that of Old Style, with some pathways only accessible to specific Robot Masters. Mega Man Powered Up also features a Challenge Mode with 100 challenges to complete, a level editor for creating custom stages, and an option to distribute fan-made levels to the PlayStation Network online service.[8][10]

Development

Keiji Inafune was a designer for both Powered Up and the original Mega Man.

Mega Man Powered Up was developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation Portable handheld game console. It was produced by Keiji Inafune.[11] Mega Man Powered Up was first seen on a list of games that would have demos at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show titled Rockman Rockman.[12] It was later revealed to be a remake of the NES Mega Man.[13] It was announced for a US release on November 8, 2005 under the title Mega Man Powered Up.[14] A European release was also announced.[3] It was bundled with Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X on UMD.[15] It was slated to be released on the PSP's PlayStation Network service along with other Capcom PSP titles.[16] While it was released for the Japanese PSN, a US release of Powered Up never occurred due to technical difficulties that neither Sony nor Capcom could resolve.[17]

Inafune had originally planned to use this chibi-style in the original Mega Man, but could not due to the hardware constraints of the NES.[11] Producer Tetsuya Kitabayashi stated that redesigning the character models was a result of the PSP's 16:9 widescreen ratio. The larger heads on the characters allowed the development team to create visible facial expressions.[18] Character designer Tatsuya Yoshikawa explained the concept of the design was "toys" and be "Geared towards little kids ... the kinds of characters that you'd see hanging off of keychains and such". He added that the design team made sure proportions and movements were accurately reflected on the models.[1] As the size of the remake's stages are not proportional to those of the original, the widescreen ratio also presented the developers with more space to fill.[18] The Robot Master Oil Man originally had black skin and pink lips, which GamesRadar identified as a "1920's caricature." The design was changed for the US release to blue skin and yellow lips to avoid controversy.[19]

Reception

Pre-release

Mega Man Powered Up received generally positive reception after it was revealed. It was perceived initially as a "straight port" of the NES game with graphical enhancements.[11] IGN writer Nix felt that the graphical update as seen at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show was well-designed. He noted that its biggest hang-up was the fact that the original Mega Man was improved upon by its sequels and that the original lacked functions such as the charge shot, the slide, and Rush.[20] Jeff Gerstmann felt the game was promising and praised its take on the original levels as well as its level editor.[21] Juan Castro felt that it would appeal to Mega Man fans and those looking for an "oldschool platformer."[22]

Post-release

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings83%[23]
Metacritic82[24]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comA-[25]
GameSpot8.5/10[10]
GameSpy[6]
GamesRadar[26]
IGN8.2/10[7]
PALGN8/10[27]

Sales of Mega Man Powered Up in Japan were considered very poor, though it sold better in the US.[28] Speculation existed for the low sales which included the possibility that it came out too early in the PSP's life and a "lack of overlap between Mega Man gamers and PSP owners." Fan lamentation also existed for the fact that it was not available for the Nintendo DS (which featured several other Mega Man titles).[29] Inafune expressed an interest in making a Mega Man Powered Up 2, though he noted that it would take time to get to.[30] Due to the poor sales of the game, further remakes have been put on hold.[31]

Despite poor sales, it received generally positive reviews, currently holding aggregate scores of 83% on GameRankings and 82 out of 100 on Metacritic respectively.[23][24] It received positive attention from the Mega Man fanbase.[31] Game Revolution's Mike Reily praised the game' variety of challenges, playable bosses, level editor, and the gameplay variety but criticized its "trial and error" gameplay and graphical slowdown.[32] Gamasutra writer Connor Cleary praised its improvements of the original Mega Man and noted that those who do not love the art style would be able to get over it after playing.[33] David Oxford, from 1UP.com felt that it was the most notable remake of the original Mega Man.[29] In his review, Jeremy Parish, also from 1UP.com, called it "one of the most addictive PSP games to date" and felt that it reminded players of Mega Man's greatness.[25] He also praised its level editor, which he noted came before future Sony titles that featured a level editor such as LittleBigPlanet and Sound Shapes.[34] He later included it in his list of games to play on a short flight due to its quick levels and auto-save feature.[35] GameSpot's Alex Navarro called it the best remake of the original Mega Man due to a combination of the original game's quality and the quality of the additional features,[10] while IGN's Juan Castro felt that the quality and polish of the game would appeal to veteran Mega Man fans and newcomers to the franchise.[7] Detroit Free Press called it "a must-buy for fans of the long-running series, despite its super cute-ified new look."[36] Matt Keller from PALGN called the original an "all-time classic" and felt that Powered Up was "the remake it deserves."[27]

GameSpy placed Powered Up as the seventh best handheld game of 2006, as well as the fifth best PSP game.[37][38] IGN ranked it the ninth best PSP game ever made.[39] It was also nominated for "Best Action Game" for the "2006 1UP Awards", losing to another Capcom game Dead Rising.[40]

References

  1. 1 2 Mega Man: Official Complete Works. Udon Entertainment. January 6, 2010. pp. 108–13. ISBN 978-1-897376-79-9.
  2. ↑ Thorsen, Tor (March 14, 2006). "Shippin' Out 3/13-3/17: Outfit, Parallel Lines, MGS3: Subsistence". GameSpot. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Gibson, Ellie (December 6, 2005). "Mega Man PSP titles dated". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ Famitsu staff (December 15, 2009). "『ロックマン』シリーズ4作品がPlayStation Storeで配信決定". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  5. ↑ Capcom (March 2006). Mega Man Powered Up. PlayStation Portable. Capcom. Dr. Wily: W-Wait a minute! I promise to be good! I'm a changed man! I said I promise. Please don't hurt me!!
  6. 1 2 Theobald, Phil (March 14, 2006). "GameSpy: Mega Man Powered Up Review". GameSpy. IGN. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007.
  7. 1 2 3 Castro, Juan (March 14, 2006). "Mega Man Powered Up - IGN". IGN. IGN. p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Castro, Juan (March 14, 2006). "Mega Man Powered Up - PlayStation Portable Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 1. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  9. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (March 14, 2006). "No Playing in Japan". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 2. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Navarro, Alex (March 13, 2006). "Mega Man Powered Up Review for PSP". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 Theobald, Phil (September 17, 2005). "Mega Man on PSP -- Keiji Inafune and Tatsuya Kitabayashi Interview". GameSpy. IGN. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  12. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (September 2, 2005). "New PSP Mega Man?". IGN. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  13. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop; Nix (September 7, 2005). "Mega Man to be Remade on PSP". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  14. ↑ Castro, Juan (November 8, 2005). "Mega Man Powered Up Announced". IGN. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  15. ↑ Goulter, Tony (June 23, 2012). "Capcom announces Mega Man/Monster Hunter Dual Packs for PSP". GamesRadar. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  16. ↑ Watts, Steve (July 2, 2009). "Capcom Classics Coming to PSN Throughout Summer". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  17. ↑ Ishaan (February 28, 2012). "Why Is Mega Man Powered Up Not On The PlayStation Network?". Siliconera. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  18. 1 2 McGarvey, Sterling (February 24, 2006). "Tetsuya Kitabayashi Discusses the Mega-Makeover (PSP)". GameSpy. IGN. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  19. ↑ Sullivan, Lucas (July 23, 2012). "The Top 7... Most ridiculous Mega Man bosses". GamesRadar. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  20. ↑ Nix (September 17, 2005). "TGS 2005: Mega Man Revival". IGN. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  21. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (September 16, 2005). "TGS 2005: Rockman Rockman Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  22. ↑ Castro, Juan (February 27, 2006). "Mega Man Powered Up Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Mega Man Powered Up for PSP". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  24. 1 2 "Mega Man Powered Up (psp) reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  25. 1 2 Parish, Jeremy (March 13, 2013). "Mega Man Powered Up Review for PSP from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  26. ↑ Turner, Benjamin (June 24, 2012). "Mega Man Powered Up I GamesRadar". GamesRadar. Future US. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  27. 1 2 Keller, Matt (April 9, 2006). "Mega Man Powered Up Review - Sony PSP Video Game Review - PAL Gaming Network". PALGN. PAL Gaming Network. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  28. ↑ Nadia, Oxford (June 24, 2007). "Isle of Miscast Robots". 1UP.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  29. 1 2 Oxford, David. "The Many Versions, Ports, and Re-Releases of Mega Man". 1UP.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  30. ↑ Spencer (February 26, 2010). "Inafune "Passionate" About Making Mega Man Powered Up 2 Happen". Siliconera. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  31. 1 2 Klepek, Patrick (May 16, 2006). "Mega Man Creator Talks Future". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  32. ↑ Reilly, Mike (March 24, 2006). "Mega Man Powered Up Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  33. ↑ Cleary, Connor (December 6, 2010). "Analysis: Upgrading Legends - How Classic Games Flower In The Remaking". Gamasutra. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  34. ↑ Parish, Jeremy. "Why Mega Man Matters". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  35. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (August 18, 2006). "Games on A Plane!". 1UP.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  36. ↑ Huschka, Ryan (April 16, 2006). "Recent releases". Detroit Free Press. Gannett Company. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  37. ↑ "GameSpy's Game of the Year 2006 - Handheld Top 10". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  38. ↑ "GameSpy's Game of the Year 2006 - PSP Top 5 & Genre Awards". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  39. ↑ "The Top 25 PSP Games". IGN. December 28, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  40. ↑ 1UP Staff (January 31, 2007). "The 2006 1UP Awards Winners". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
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