The Shrine

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Okay, there's Megaman Battle Network (much better name than Megaman EXE, if you ask me) for the Gameboy Advance, but I'm talking about Megaman X6. Though part of me says that it'll just like another Megaman game with some unconclusive ending, or worse, some generic ending, one can hope, right?

Here's some random things I've to say about what I'd like to see in the next game.

Elysium - In one of the ending in X5, X talks about how he wants to create a world call Elysium, where everyone can coexist and be happy and whatnot (incidentally, Repliforce kind of tried that already in X4, though minus the humans). Now, if you played the Legends series, you'll know that Elysium is supposed to be a paradise in the world of Legends where The Master reigns eternally. This brings up an interesting question. Is The Master Mega Man X? Well, The Master certainly doesn't look robotic to me, but Megaman Trigger sure does look like the original Megaman (not exactly like X, though). Maybe Dr. Light is The Master? I know, he's supposed to be dead for over a hundred years, but maybe the fact that there are a bizillion powerup capsules is more than just for the convienence of gameplay? In X5, the capsule messages actually reflect a dynamic setting. For example if you're Zero when you first meet Dr. Light (in a capsule, of course) he says he doesn't have any data and won't be able to make powerups, but if you find the hidden capsule, Dr. Light says he's able to make some powerups for Zero after all. At least one of the endings in MMX5 shows that Dr. Light might still be around.

Of course, the only time they said Dr. Light is dead is in MMX1, when he talks how the testing for X won't be complete until long after his death, and let's remember that X1 was basically unrelated to the rest of the series so far as continuity is concerned. Remember up until MMX2 Zero was supposed to be made by Dr. Cain (or is he? I know Sigma says Zero is the Doctor's strongest robot, but I'm not sure if he just said Doctor or Doctor Cain). The story didn't really began until MMX3, and until MMX4 we didn't really have anything that can really be called a plot.

Evil X, Good Zero - Yeah, I know you're saying, how can Megaman X be evil? Isn't he the defender of truth and whatnot? Well, if you look at the texts for the Ultimate Armor in X4/X5, you see that Dr. Light does not want X to have the Ultimate Armor. He talks about how this armor is too powerful and he may not be able to handle this power. I doubt this means his physical capability (since X has infinite potential), so I think it's a moral responsibility. Remember that X, though he is the first reploid to possess free will, does not really make his own decisions. He defends the human against Sigma and the Mavericks because it's wrong for reploids to hurt humans, not because he believed in peace (I've never seen anywhere in the series where he fights for peace for the sake of peace). In a sharp contrast to the original Megaman, which presumably didn't have free will (since X is the first reploid to have a free will), he must have believed in peace and all your generic lofty ideals since he was certainly not programmed to be a peacekeeping robot (of course, this kind of implies he had some kind of free will...). On the other hand, Zero is rapidly emerging as the new main character. Both X4 and X5's stories are more about Zero than X (unless you count the generic X saves the world part as story). I don't think I've ever seen a poll with any reasonable scale where Zero loses to X in the popularity contest. And if X turns out to be evil (not like Sigma evil, more like just maverick or something), someone has to be the good guy, and that'd probably be Zero.

Female characters - I really, really hate Alia. I'm guessing her role is supposed to be like a spotter ala Legends style, giving out useful (?) advice and saying hi when you return to headquarters, though it's really annoying whenever you're trying to jump across a chasm she'd stop you right as you're dashing with a message like "X, there's a chasm ahead, jumping would be a good idea!" Of course, I'm rooting for Iris to return, but even if she did (unlikely) it wouldn't make sense for her to be a Spotter. So how about bringing Una of the Legends series, if they want to tie the two series together? After all, Una is the Guardian of Terra, and I don't think they'd leave the world in the hands of a robot that just rolled off the assembly line. Would make sense she's in the maverick hunter HQ. And yes, I'm one of those weirdoes who really believe the Legends voice acting is great and better than whatever the Japanese counterpart could've been (hard to believe it'd be anything but the stock voices, though). Oh yeah, did I mention I want voice acting back? And of course, Anime cutscenes too.

Whatever happened to Megaman - I think everyone wants to know what happened to him. I mean yeah everyone assumes Zero just stomped on him a few times and send him to the recycle bin before going back to hibernation, but we'd like to see that confirmed... or proven wrong! Seeing Dr. Light might be back, will the original Megaman be back? If not, I always believe Iris should be his successor. She is the closest character to him, so far as personality is concerned (loves peace above all else). If, as almost everyone assumed, Zero really fought the original Megaman at some point, it better be in an Anime movie. I thought Capcom did a pretty good job with the Sigma versus Zero fight in X4, so it's certainly not beyond them to make a fight look cool in Anime.

Dynamo - I think it's safe to say that he'll be back in X6. Dynamo just screams out Bass to me. Yes their personality is pretty different, but there's something about Dynamo that just feels like good old Bass. And if Bass and Dr. Light are around, what about Dr. Wily? Sigma seems to suggest that Dr. Wily too is alive. I'd like to see return of those old character, but I don't want another 'Defeat Dr. Wily and his evil plans'. Dr. Light and Wily are relics of the past now. The story should not be about them. I'd like to see a Megaman game where at the end it is truly Zero versus X, and no cheesy multiple lifebar or whatever. Just one awesome fight to settle everything.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt arial; text-align: left; '>Nothing against the Megaman series or anything...but an in-depth discussion of plot structure seems kinda silly to me : )</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Copperplate Gothic"; text-align: left; '>I as well. I wonder why that is...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt arial; text-align: left; '><b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.bobandgeorge.com">Bob And George</a>

I'll leave my Mega Man plot to Bob & George, thanks.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>Nobody at the shrine liked the plot except you and me. :P</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Some of the Megaman manga I've read has a better story than half of the RPGs I've played and they've nothing more than what the series work with. Hell, Ariga (I think that was the guy) managed to make something like Megaman Battle & Chase (the racing game) actually turn out to have a good story, and the Rock & Forte manga is just plain awesome. Yes Megaman is about the engine, but if it's only the engine that matters then why didn't the old Megaman rehashes for PSX sold well? The only difference between those and the X series is that you can't dash in the old Megaman.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "arial narrow"; text-align: left; padding: 0% 5% 0% 5%; '>I just don't think it's worth discussing in length.</div>

<div style='font: 14pt "Sans Serif"; text-align: justify; padding: 0% 15% 0% 15%; '>Oh come on now! Surely you have nothing to do that compares with discussing the plot of Megaman.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>Are you forgetting that Megaman Managa isn't widely popular?</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>You're talking about a market where not even the biggest names like Pokemon or Dragon Quest can sell very well. However, there are quite a few big manga-based games, like Hunter X Hunter (they're on their 5th game or so by volume #11) and Yugioh (it's almost as big as Pokemon now in Japan, scary).

In general, people who buy manga just aren't the same as people who buy games.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>It was in the top 10 charts each time the books were released, though I do admit that the TV series fell flat.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>I'm not sure exactly where they'll go with this (plotwise). I was told, back when RockmanX5 came out, that the next game would come "much sooner, before end of next year." But I had no idea it meant THIS soon. If the American one is coming in the summertime, then the import must be coming even earlier. And I've not spoken to Koji-san about RockmanX6 at all, actually. As for other matters, plot and all...

They hafta deal with Zero's creation and the death of the original Rockman, as you said. As for how soon they do, it all depends on how many of the "X" series games they plan to make. The original Rockman series is basically over, and they only plan to make ONE more title in that particular continuum (the "final game" which will end that series' plot, and tie it up with the entire mythos of the "X" series. It takes place, as for timeline, right between the original series and the "X" series).

So in thus, since the original series only contains ten games... they will doubtfully make anything past RockmanX8. So they really need to deal with the heavy material while they can. But then again, they have also delayed that "final" game from the first series for one primary reason. If they choose to make some kind of epic masterpiece of a "finale" game, then they limit themselves as to how they can produce future 2D Rockman games...

IF they want to, they can continue to simply make the short-ass ones they're already making.... the ones that you can beat in one sitting. People eat those up either way, and they always guarantee sales. And of course, series like "Rockman Dash" (Megaman Legends) were created in an attempt to "move into the next millenium" and start a new trend in Rockman games. This is part of the reason that the RockmanX series was put on hiatus between parts four and five. IF the 3D games took off, then they could put their original series to an end. But as the three-dimensional versions didn't do what they'd hoped, in sales or popularity at least, they decided to crank out some more RockmanX.

And as for the future, well, I dunno. The original Rockman series spanned three different consoles. Similarly, the "X" series will now have three titles from SNES and three from PSX. If they plan to move the final "X" trilogy onto a new platform (god knows which one)... they will have to find a way to push the 2D even farther (which would seem tough, with how insanely overpowered the new consoles are).

However, for a "concluding" game, a system like Playstation2 is perfect. In that, their intention all along was something similar to all their other concluding or fan-service games (like MvC2). Bring back all the old characters, despite the insane amount that it proves to be, then add enough to the engine and structure to make it something very new. Something long as hell, with so much to do and earn, and every possible tidbit and easter egg out there. But then again, I'm only ranting cause it's what I pitched them myself in 1996, and what they actually still plan to do (on their own at least, I mean, as for the lengthy concluding game).</div>

<div style='font: 9pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Whatever happened to Dr. Wily?</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Though it seems like he might still be around, according to X5. I'm guessing he might just be like a sentient hologram like Dr. Light.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>The Emblem of Roto or whatever and that DQ7 manga did not do so well. They don't even put it on the new section.

Dai No Daibouken sold well, and it should be, because it's a pretty darn good manga. Yes it borrowed from Dragon Quest, but I think its sales is on the merit that it's just a darn well drawn manga as opposed to the name recognition.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>It just comes down to have a good storyline and interesting characters. People don't want to pay to get a boring story or a complete rehash of a game.</div>