#10 Rockman Strategy
If Rockman looks a tad familiar, that’s because his name in the West is Mega Man, one of console gaming’s most beloved characters ever. There have been ten Mega Man titles released in western markets, beginning with Mega Man for the NES in 1987. The latest, Mega Man 10, came out in 2010.
In those ten games, however, western audiences have only gotten to see the robot hero from the side – Mega Man has always been a 2D action platformer, and almost exclusively in the 8-bit style established in the first game.
But in 2001, developer Dream Come True released Rockman Strategy for PC under license from Capcom exclusively for the Taiwanese market. In it, Mega Man and his pals do battle with Dr. Wiley’s minions in a turn-based battles in an isometric perspective. It uses a tactical positioning system akin to Fire Emblem’s, and a combat system more reminiscent of traditional JRPGs.
The chances of it ever seeing a western rerelease and localization are basically nil. Mega Man as a brand in the U.S. is inextricably bound to the 8-bit, two-dimensional look of the original games, and while a fan translation project exists, Capcom is unlikely to bother resurrecting this title, despite the enduring fandom Mega Man has outside of Asia.
