
	Platform PSP Genre Action Publisher Capcom Developer Capcom ESRB Q1 2006
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Mega Man Powered Up

If there’s any one thing that Capcom is particularly good at, it’s milking the hell out of their popular franchises. If they introduce a new game and it sells a million copies, you can count on the publisher releasing sequel after sequel. We’ve seen it with Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Onimusha appears to be heading that way, and leading the pack is Mega Man, with well over 100 different games bearing the name of the Blue Bomber. Now Capcom is bringing Mega Man to the PSP with a remake of the very first game in the series. Sporting a new, updated aesthetic, it appears that the publisher is trying to make the game feel fresh, and not like an uninspired rehash.

What’s interesting about the look that this remake is going for is that it’s an unusual cross between bigheaded, super deformed character design, and an approach to polygons that almost looks two-dimensional. There’s a continual emphasis on cuteness in the presentation of the game thus far that makes Mega Man look like a boy, and is a change of pace from the more anime oriented look that the series has become known for. No matter how you cut it, Mega Man Powered Up is trying something quite different in terms of art style that fans will either love or hate.

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But it isn’t just the visuals that are getting an overhaul in this game, as Capcom is completely retooling level layouts, remixing the music, and adding pre-boss cut scenes, among other enhancements. From top to bottom, the original Mega Man is getting a serious makeover for this PSP release.

Thankfully, Mega Man Powered Up will also see some 100% new features as well, in the form of a level editor where players can drop

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in the various tiles, and mechanisms however they please in order to create their own maps. As an added bonus, players will even be able to share these levels online for others to download and enjoy.

Looking at what Capcom is trying to do with this game, it’s nice to see a company completely overhaul a popular game for re-release. All too often, publishers just round up a bunch of classics, make sure they can run on the new platform they’re headed to, and call the thing a compilation. As much as it may ignite a strong sense of nostalgia, the whole thing often comes across as a half-assed cash cow. With Mega Man Powered Up, it looks like Capcom is giving the game the red carpet treatment.

Mr. Nash

(November 26, 2005)