The Mega Man Legends series (known as Rock Man DASH (ロックマンDASH Rokku Man DASH?) in Japan; DASH being an acronym for "Digouter's Adventure Story in Halcyon Days"}}, was the third Mega Man franchise which debuted on December 18, 1997 in Japan in and September of 1998 in North America on the PlayStation. It is the first 3-D platformer in the Megaman franchise and 2nd overall 3-D Megaman game (The first being Battle and Chase).
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Overview
| “ | It's Mega Man Legends, a title that really didn't sell well in the Mega Man franchise. | ” |
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—Keiji Inafune's answer to what his favorite game is at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show |
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Formerly to be released in the US under the domesticated title 'Mega Man Neo'[1], the Mega Man Legends series was, at first, regarded to be strange by fans of other Mega Man games; but some skeptics who played the games soon grew to love the characters and plot. The Legends series, while considered underrated, is said to have developed beyond anything seen in other Mega Man games as it had changed into the 3D adventure-shooter as opposed to the traditional 2D side-scroller. The player controls Mega Man Volnutt, a teenage digger and archaeologist of sorts who searches underground ruins mainly for Quantum Refractors, which are the civilization's primary source of energy. He was found as a baby on Nino Island at the bottom of the closed-off Nino Ruins and was raised by Professor Barrel Caskett along with his granddaughter, Roll Caskett. Giving them trouble are the Bonnes, a group of pirates consisting of leader Teasel Bonne, his sister, Tron Bonne (who is also allegedly infatuated with Mega Man), Bon Bonne, their baby brother who somehow can drive a large mechasuit. (known primarily for his repeated line, "Babu!", which has become a catch phrase among the series' fans) and the 40 Servbots (41 by Megaman Legends 2). More trouble is given to Mega Man by the Reaverbots, the techno-organic semi-intelligent residents of the underground ruins who serve to protect its contents. There are only three main Mega Man Legends games at present (all on the original Playstation); the prequel The Misadventures of Tron Bonne and the sequel, Mega Man Legends 2
Future
This series has not been given a sequel since 2000 and many fans have been demanding one since the cliffhanger at the end of Mega Man Legends 2. Series creator Keiji Inafune once stated he would be interested in making a sequel once "the proper elements fall into place." He later recomfirmed this when asked on what sequel he wish to develop the most on in an 1UP interview on June 1, 2007 [2].
| “ | More than an Onimusha sequel, personally I'd rather make the sequel to Mega Man Legends [3]. | ” |
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—Keiji Inafune expresses desire in a 1UP interview |
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On the summer of 2006, according to a member of IntiCreates (developer of the Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX series) in a fan forum, when the company submitted a "project book" to Inafune for possible development of a sequel, it was rejected . The reason for this is unknown. However, many speculate that such a project could be reserved for the game's original team. During the interview mentioned earlier, Inafune gave an interesting quotation:
"The Framework engine that we used for our next-gen titles, creating it was not easy -- it took talented individuals. One was the main programmer on Mega Man Legends. He said, while creating it, he was envisioning how Lost Planet would fit in it, and how Dead Rising would fit, and on top of that, now 'any time you want to make a Mega Man Legends game with Framework, it's ready. All I need is the go and we can slap Mega Man in there.'"
He claims that creating a Rockman game for the next generation consoles would cost around $15 million to fund and develop [3]. He also expressively wished for that next-gen title to be a Rockman DASH 3. Unfortunately, however, he believes that it is not currently possible to produce such a title under Capcom's bankroll; He joked that he would produce it with Electronic Arts. In another very recent interview from 1UP on July 30, 2007, Inafune said he wants to make a sequel [4].
"One of the topics we discussed in our last interview was what it would take for you to create the final piece of the Mega Man Legends saga, and it pretty much came down to a lot of money. Well, I ran a poll last night to gauge people's interest in the long-lost threequel and the results were pretty significant, especially since the poll has only been up less than a day. I just wanted to let you know there was some bona fide interest in the game and that you shouldn't give up on it.
Keiji Inafune: [Laughs] I'm pretty high up in Capcom, but perhaps once I'm a little higher up and they'll let me make any game I want then I can do it. But not quite yet, I still have to answer to management."
"1UP: So does this mean you have a next-gen Onimusha cookin'?
KI: In the position I have at Capcom, none of our franchises really die. So there's always something floating around in my head and when next-generation hardware comes out, the topic comes up. So of course I think of every Capcom franchise, and while I might not think concretely about "this is what I want to do," but any game that we ever make I'm always thinking what I could do with a sequel. More than an Onimusha sequel, personally I'd rather make the sequel to Mega Man Legends 2. [Laughs] So it's just about convincing the right people to let me make it. "
On that same week, an editor of 1up.com had posted a poll about said game, asking what console would gamers liked to play the title on [5]. Ultimately, however, there are no current plans for a Mega Man Legends 3/Rockman DASH 3. On September 23, 2007, at the Tokyo Game Show, Capcom unveiled another Rockman DASH/Mega Man Legends for mobile phones [6]. On the same show, Inafune once again reconfirmed his interest [7]:
"I've been trying to create Mega Man Legends 3 for a long time now, but I haven't been able to make it a reality yet. I'm making it my dream to create Mega Man Legends 3 before either I die or leave my company..."
Legends and the Mega Man Timeline
According to the sourcebook, Rockman Perfect Memories, the Legends series takes place after the X series (Or more accurately, the ZX series). Some have even speculated on such a connection based on comments in the X series; most notably, the use of the word Elysium (with a capital E, indicating it is a proper noun) in one of the endings of Mega Man X5. Other examples include the frequently-seen Reaverbot eye symbols that appear in Hyleg Ourobockle and Burble Hekelot's levels in Mega Man Zero 2 and Hanumachine's level in Mega Man Zero 3. There also appears to be a Quantum Refractor in the background of Cubit Foxtar's arena/boss room in Mega Man Zero 3. Another fact worth mentioning is that many enemies (almost exclusively the small flying enemies) bear a red eye that is extremely similar to the Reaverbots. If one takes a look at the Model W Core in ZX, it is interesting to note that it is covered, in various places, by the eyes similar to the Reaverbots in the Legends series. The Model W Core also has what looks like a stitch-like mouth, also related to that of the Reaverbots. Interestingly enough, Purifer Units in the Japanese versions are called Irregular Hunters (Maverick Hunter). However, the fact that the Irregular Hunters in the DASH, formally (but not necessarily) the Zero series and the X games are the same thing is speculation for now. Also, the world of Terra is called Earth in original Japanese version. (This was carried from Mega Man V for the Game Boy.) Even more interesting, Elysium in the Japanese version of Mega Man Legends 2 (Rockman DASH 2) is actually called "Heaven"; A blueprint with the name "Project Heaven" supposedly exists in Mega Man ZX. However, all of these connections may or may not be considered mere coincidence, as the games are often developed by the same team or individuals responsible for previous installments, and therefor use similar concepts and terminology to tell a possibly indirectly related story.
Cameos
- Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Sega Dreamcast, arcade 2000, PlayStation 2 2001, Xbox 2001): Tron Bonne is a playable character from the start, while a Servbot is an unlockable character.
- Auto Modellista (PlayStation 2): Servbots appear in the workshop.
- Mega Man Battle Network series (Game Boy Advance):
- A Servbot can be seen as a doll in Mayl's house.
- There is also a reference made to a television series called "The Bonne Bunch" (probably a parody of The Brady Bunch).
- You can see data on the TV in Lan's room in the second, and you can spot a Roll action figure staring in the Saturday morning show "Caskett kids" in Mayl's room in MegaMan Battle Network 3: Blue. In the White version, the Roll action figure is replaced by a figure of Tron Bonne standing alongside two Servbots.
- Also, in Battle Network 2, the poster in Lan's room is of Mega Man Volnutt on Forbiden Island from Mega Man Legends 2.
- Namco X Capcom (PlayStation 2): Mega Man Volnutt, Roll Caskett, Kobun (Servbot), Tron Bonne, and even Mega Man Juno appear in the company crossover game released only in Japan. Mega Man/Roll and Tron/Servbots appear as playable duos in the game. Keiji Inafune was directly involved in the development of the game. Namco and Capcom did not announce plans to release this title outside of Japan.
- Dead Rising (Xbox 360): Servbot Masks can be used as a wearable article of clothing, or placed on zombies to blind them. Two versions of the Mega Buster appear; a toy that fires foam balls, and a real one that fires energy spheres. Mega Man X's helmet, boots, and armor are also available during the course of the game. In addition, Frank West wears a "Megaman" brand watch throughout the game. Majority of the staff that worked on Dead Rising worked on the Legends series, including director Yoshinori Kawano.
- Onimusha 3: On Jacques’ alternate outfit a Servbot clutching on his arm is in place of the gauntlet.
- Mega Man X8: Servbot-like robots are encountered in almost every stage. These enemies float (since they have no legs) and can possess other enemies in order to boost their power.
- Mega Man Zero 2: In the forest stages, there are ruins with red eyes on their walls. These eyes look very much like the eyes of the reaverbots.
The Bonne Family
- Throughout the whole series, the Bonne Family not only uses various different German terms as names for their machines, in fact, many (or maybe even all) of them are based after German military vehicles, such as the Gesellschaft (society), Gustaff (common name), Blitzkrieg (lightning war), Maulwurf (mole), or Jagd Krabbe (hunter crab), to name only a few.
Name
In the original Japanese version, the main character is called "Rock Volnutt" (in the Japanese version of the Classic series, Dr. Thomas Light originally named his creation "Rock", instead of "Mega"). Each time the character is mentioned by name, he is always referred to as "Rock". In the North American versions, all mentions and/or references to his original name are replaced by "Mega Man". While this has been the case in the previous series, in the case of the DASH/Legends series, this may actually be a localization error; his weapon is referred to (in the dialogue) as the "Mega Man Buster" (in the menu screens, it is referred to as the more "correct" sounding "Mega Buster"), while his "full" name is constantly displayed (and heard) as "Mega Man Volnutt". Also, in the ending credits of Mega Man Legends 2, "Mega Man" is simply referred to as "Rock".
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| Games | Mega Man Legends • 2 • The Misadventures of Tron Bonne |
| Related articles | Characters |
