TGS 2007: Happy 20th birthday, Mega Man!

During the recently-concluded Tokyo Game Show 2007, Capcom bigwig Keiji Inafune talked about Mega Man‘s 20th anniversary, detailing the highs and lows of his career all throughout and some future plans for the series.

Inafune took the opportunity to dispel the myth that he’s the creator of Mega Man, saying that his mentor had a design prior to his entry to Capcom and he only created about half of what the blue blaster looks like. “I didn’t get to completely design a Mega Man from scratch until Zero,” he narrates. “But I realized that this design wouldn’t be accepted as Mega Man, so I had another designer create the new Mega Man, and I worked on Zero to release him as the ‘other main character’ that would steal all the good scenes!”

One particularly noteworthy anecdote came in when he recounted the story of how he designed early boss Elecman. “”When I created this character, I tried to make a character that looked [like] it was from an American comic,” says Inafune. “You’d see characters like him in Spider-Man or X-Men. It was pretty hard to design him, and I had to make sure that he didn’t end up looking like an S&M queen.”

Asked what his favorite game from the Mega Man series is, some of you may be amazed to know that it’s Mega Man Legends, released in 1998 for the PSX. The game received lukewarm reception from aghast fans who were shocked with a 3D action-RPG spin-off of the series. Inafune says that the game might have been to advanced for its time, leaving what could have been a good game under-appreciated.

“I’d love to make a revival,” says a determined Inafune. “But it’s really difficult to have your company give you a budget for a game that flopped. I’m saving up so that I can make it on my own.” He says that given today’s technology, the idea might just work and sell better than it did almost a decade ago. “I’m making it my dream to create Mega Man Legends 3 before either I die or leave my company. With the continued support of fans, I hope that the Mega Man series continues to live on, and that we’ll get to see its 30th and 40th anniversaries.”

Keiji Inafune is the same creative mind behind other big Capcom titles such as Dead Rising, Onimusha, and the very first Street Fighter game. He continues to be a major influence in Capcom’s projects and is considered as one of the gaming industry’s true-blue trendsetters.

During the recently-concluded Tokyo Game Show 2007, Capcom bigwig Keiji Inafune talked about Mega Man‘s 20th anniversary, detailing the highs and lows of his career all throughout and some future plans for the series.

Inafune took the opportunity to dispel the myth that he’s the creator of Mega Man, saying that his mentor had a design prior to his entry to Capcom and he only created about half of what the blue blaster looks like. “I didn’t get to completely design a Mega Man from scratch until Zero,” he narrates. “But I realized that this design wouldn’t be accepted as Mega Man, so I had another designer create the new Mega Man, and I worked on Zero to release him as the ‘other main character’ that would steal all the good scenes!”

One particularly noteworthy anecdote came in when he recounted the story of how he designed early boss Elecman. “”When I created this character, I tried to make a character that looked [like] it was from an American comic,” says Inafune. “You’d see characters like him in Spider-Man or X-Men. It was pretty hard to design him, and I had to make sure that he didn’t end up looking like an S&M queen.”

Asked what his favorite game from the Mega Man series is, some of you may be amazed to know that it’s Mega Man Legends, released in 1998 for the PSX. The game received lukewarm reception from aghast fans who were shocked with a 3D action-RPG spin-off of the series. Inafune says that the game might have been to advanced for its time, leaving what could have been a good game under-appreciated.

“I’d love to make a revival,” says a determined Inafune. “But it’s really difficult to have your company give you a budget for a game that flopped. I’m saving up so that I can make it on my own.” He says that given today’s technology, the idea might just work and sell better than it did almost a decade ago. “I’m making it my dream to create Mega Man Legends 3 before either I die or leave my company. With the continued support of fans, I hope that the Mega Man series continues to live on, and that we’ll get to see its 30th and 40th anniversaries.”

Keiji Inafune is the same creative mind behind other big Capcom titles such as Dead Rising, Onimusha, and the very first Street Fighter game. He continues to be a major influence in Capcom’s projects and is considered as one of the gaming industry’s true-blue trendsetters.