The Mega Man franchise has been around for over 30 years and it’s incredible to see how this series of games has not only evolved and expanded, but also seriously influenced the gaming industry. There are a lot of popular Capcom franchises, but Mega Man has been a defining property for the company for years.
The games are full of challenging sequels, but there have also been spin-offs that reframe Mega Man’s narrative. The Mega Man Legends games take the character from his platformer roots and put him in a 3D adventure game. Mega Man Legends 3 was announced back in 2010, only to be cancelled, but it’s still an unrealized sequel that’s often brought up in conversation.
10 Should Happen: Mega Man Legends 2 Ends On A Cliffhanger
There are plenty of sequels that forge new paths and operate as both continuations of a larger story as well as narratives that independently stand. Mega Man Legends 3 was supposed to introduce some new characters to the franchise named Barrett and Aero. Despite these new elements, Mega Man Legends 3 was going to take place directly after the events of Mega Man Legends 2’s big cliffhanger ending, which features the reactivation of the Elder System a valuable force that’s supposed to keep humans safe and free of conflict. There’s more need for another sequel to further explore these topics.
9 Should Move On: It Was Cancelled Nearly A Decade Ago
The video game industry can move very fast and there are plenty of fantastic intellectual properties that have been abandoned because more current series have replaced them. It’s a lot easier to champion a sequel for a current game or something that’s at least been released in the present decade. Mega Man Legends 3 has an audience, but the game was cancelled back in 2011. That’s a long time and if Capcom was going to do something with the property then it likely would have already happened.
8 Should Happen: There’s Better Hardware Available Now
Another reason that a Mega Man Legends 3 makes even more sense now is that technology has advanced to the point that it could make the new game much better than what was previously possible.
The previous Mega Man Legends entries were back on the original PlayStation and Mega Man Legends 3 was supposed to first come out on the Nintendo 3DS. The current generation of gaming has evolved so much since then that there’s a lot more potential in a modern Mega Man Legends 3.
7 Should Move On: There Are Other Mega Man Franchises To Focus On
It’d be an amazing surprise to get a Mega Man Legends 3, but Capcom has much less urgency to move on the project because they have several other franchises where audiences can get their dose of Mega Man. It’s actually understandable in some respects for Capcom to focus on other Mega Man efforts, like the core series, Mega Man X games, or the Battle Network series if the Legends games underperform. They just want to get Mega Man out to the masses in the most efficient way possible, which may not include a new Legends game.
6 Should Happen: Keiji Inafune Still Wants To Make It
There are many important developers who have produced important franchises for Capcom, but Keiji Inafune is an important name that’s the mastermind behind Mega Man. Inafune was involved with the Mega Man Legends titles, but he eventually parted ways with Capcom. The company seems to have moved on from a new Mega Man Legends game, but Inafune expressed interest in using his team to finish the title and as recently as 2014 mentioned still being interested in making the game. Mega Man Legends 3 has more weight to it when the creative team is still interested.
5 Should Move On: It Could Tarnish The Original Title
Sequels are a great way to revive interest in a property or help a new generation of gamers experience something from the past, but there’s also the risk that something new could dilute the magic of the original games.
Mega Man Legends, its sequel, and even The Adventures of Trone Bonne have earned the respect of past gamers. A subpar return to Mega Man Legends could kill any residual interest in the series and have less people interested in giving the older titles a chance.
4 Should Happen: There’s Still A Vocal Community Around The Game
Sometimes sequels can surprisingly resurrect old franchises and take a risk regarding whether there’s still an audience for them. It’s a much more sure thing in the case of Mega Man Legends 3, which has a very vocal and passionate audience who hasn’t given up on the game since its cancellation in 2011. Not only have fans formed a Facebook group with over 100,00 members, but they even put together a documentary about the sequel’s troubled development. As recently as this year, Mega Man composter Makoto Tomozawa brought up the idea of using Kickstarter to fund the project.
3 Should Move On: Capcom Has Shifted Towards Remakes
Capcom hasn’t gotten out of the sequel business, but they’re also a company that happily leans into trends and embrace what’s working for them. Remakes have become very popular in this generation and Capcom in particular has found real success in this with their Resident Evil remakes. They’ve even remade Mega Man games in the past, which shows that they’re not against it. Mega Man Legends 3 would be nice, but what seems more believable is a remake of the first two games, which can then test the waters for the possibility of a new sequel.
2 Should Happen: The Prototype Version Was Nearly Finished
It’s often that sequels for games are announced very early in development, only get cancellations to quickly happen and not much of the finished product coming to light. It’s easier to face a cancellation when it’s more of an idea than a reality, but Mega Man Legends got as far as nearly finishing its Prototype Version, which was set to be released on the Nintendo 3DS handheld. The Prototype Version doubles as both a demo and prologue to Mega Man Legends 3 and it was almost finished and release before the plug was pulled on it.
1 Should Move On: Mega Man’s Popularity Has Faded
To be clear, Mega Man is still one of Capcom’s most beloved and successful characters, but the gaming industry has become increasingly proliferated and the Blue Bomber doesn’t have the same appeal that he once did. There are still new Mega Man games, but they’ve slowed down and they’re usually anniversary collections that look to the past rather than new games that set up the future. Capcom is trying to figure out what to do with Mega Man and until the core series is resolved there’s likely to be little movement on Mega Man Legends 3.
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