game
photo
retro
rant
Not logged in. · Lost password · Register

All content © NFGworld, unless otherwise noted, except for stuff we stole. Contact the editor-in-chief : baldbutsuave@thissitesdomain, especially if you are an attractive young female willing to do nude photography modelling. All rights reversed. 981

    Forum     Search     Members     The Bedroom     About
Forum: NFG Game Sites › NFGgames.com › Games (General) RSS
Megaman Sprite History
submit to reddit
Author name (Administrator) 2010-12-04, 19:43 #1
Avatar
Member since May 2011 · 2203 posts · Location: Brisbane
Group memberships: Administrators, Members
Show profile · Link to this post
Subject: Megaman Sprite History
Capcom's Megaman series is widely loved and deservedly so.  Capcom pulled out all the stops in every single game.  No expense spared!  Their graphic artists were unstoppable.

As proof, I offer this Megaman Sprite History.

Megaman 1-6 (NES):

[Image: http://nfgworld.com/grafx/games/Megaman16.png]

You can see the difference from one game to the next as they constantly iterated and revised.  No resting on their laurels for these busy bees!

Megaman X 1-3 (SNES):

[Image: http://nfgworld.com/grafx/games/Megamanx13.png]

It's just amazing how they could keep on finding better ways to present their hero.  There's no wonder why Megaman is such an enduring property for Capcom.

Seriously.  Nine games, two sprites.  That's probably a record.
BLEARGH
Author name 2010-12-04, 23:57 #2
Member since Oct 2007 · 271 posts
Group memberships: Citizens, Members
Show profile · Link to this post
You joke, but I think there might be value in comparisons to the Game Gear and Game Boy titles, which didn't necessarily get the same attention (from players or developers).
Author name 2010-12-05, 00:05 #3
Member since Mar 2010 · 51 posts
Group memberships: Members
Show profile · Link to this post
Yeah, I started the history when I was writing the book.  When I realized there was basically no progress for so much of the game's history I shelved it.  Looking at it now there certainly are plenty more games to cover, but there's just not much to say about them.  Unlike Sonic and Mario and Castlevania (which each had several variations for one platform, showing progress in the developer's skills etc) pretty much every different Megaman sprite is from a different system.

How can I reasonably discuss the progress between systems when they're arcade, portable and console?  Apples and oranges make for short comparisons.  =/
Just like NFG, but x 9!
Author name 2010-12-05, 00:21 #4
Member since Oct 2007 · 271 posts
Group memberships: Citizens, Members
Show profile · Link to this post
I think the triumph of Capcom's design is in the fluidity of the animation. His motion always reminded me of the animation from the Flashback/Heart of the Alien series, in that the sprite technology of whatever system was pushed to its natural limit in being able to convey Megaman's slow and quick motions. So even if you only had three frames to work with, they were the three essential frames that were full of physics.

So your comparison, in a theoretical sense, would be to show what Megaman looked like on the NES versus the Saturn on up through the PSP. It becomes a system technology discussion through the perspective of the Megaman improvements.
Close Smaller – Larger + Reply to this post:
Smileys: :-) ;-) :-D :-p :blush: :cool: :rolleyes: :huh: :-/ <_< :-( :'( :#: :scared: 8-( :nuts: :-O
Special characters:
RSS RSS Feed for this thread
We love UNB by Yves Goergen!