Nintendo Power’s Legendary Preview

The new issue of Nintendo Power arrived in the mail yesterday, and as those of you who have seen the Sonic Generations-adorned cover know, it also contains something about Mega Man Legends 3 within, as well.
We didn’t expect there to be much new information within, given the general transparency of the development process via the Mega Man Legends 3 Project Devroom, but as usual, Chris Hoffman and the NP crew seem to have managed to dig up quite a bit of extra dirt on the upcoming Nintendo 3DS release. Following are some of the new details we’ve managed to glean from the six-page feature.

But first, as a quick aside, I’m not 100 percent certain of everything which has been said (versus shown) so far, which means there may be some overlap of information we know with additional details. For example, we know of Barrett and his flaming kick and rapid-fire attacks, but here we learn that the item which allows for the flaming kick is called “Volcanic Leggings,” while the weapon is known as the “Burst Spreader.”

But what many people have been wondering is how the new game will control. The 3DS lacks dual-analog sticks, not to mention having half as many shoulder buttons as the PlayStation console which birthed the series. It sounds like movement will be handled in a more normal fashion, via the Circle Pad (of course), and shooting will– surprisingly– be handled by the R button. And in Barrett’s case, melee attacks will be handled with the A button, while Y enables his dash move, which can also go up walls.

Speaking of Barrett, his role at this point “helps introduce newcomers to the series through a pair of fresh eyes.” In other words, we can probably expect people who have not played the first two games to learn their stories past from Roll, Tron, and the others.

Those who have thrown a fit over the possibility of MegaMan being usurped in his own title need not worry, though. Producer Tatsuya Kitabayashi explains that while the Blue Bomber of the far future is still the Mega Man in the moon, “we do, of course, intend to make him playable along with Barrett for the main game.”

For missions, it appears that the developers have so far included rescuing citizens from Reaverbots, racing other members of the Bright Bats through the streets of Klicklan Island’s Teomo City, escorting Aero to various locations, and fighting a rival gang leader named Bullbreath.

Oh, and the scenes we’ve witnessed with Barrett and his bike covered in Servbots? It turns out that is part of a timed fetch quest, in which you are sent to retrieve the little rascals.

An interesting twist comes from the Bright Bats not getting along with the local police. The twist itself is that the chief is the father of Bright Bat member Aero! Furthermore, he enlists Roll to construct the “Anti-Rider Crusader,” or “ARC1,” to take down the entire lot.

This leads to an on-rails shooting segment, in which your goal is to fend off the machine while blowing it apart, piece by piece. Roll also demonstrates a more aggressive side here, as she uses the ARC1 to throw nearby cars at you. Hope their insurance is paid up…

As one would expect from a Legends game, going into underground ruins also makes a return. In this case, Roll needs the refractors found within for the rocket they are trying to complete to rescue MegaMan. That is where Barrett encounters Tron in her new Devroom-designed mech, which boasts a whip, “powerful projectiles,” and electrical attacks, the latter making it especially dangerous to stand ankle-deep in water.

Going underground also reveals the existence of an artifact called the “Klicke Lafonica,” also known as the “fire of all creation,” which is integral to the game’s plot.

The article also points out what many others already have: that Barrett bears a resemblance to Roll’s grandfather Barrell in both looks (the face-covering metal plates) and name. But now, we now learn that Barrell has apparently been missing for a while. Could there possibly be a connection after all?

Finally, there have been concerns about Mega Man Legends 3: Prototype Version being nothing more than a paid demo, which many have found unacceptable. However, besides featuring most of the content discussed above, Kitabayashi notes that it “is not a demo.”

“It features quite a few original missions as well as a lot of content that won’t be in the main game,” he continues, “and I can guarantee its value well exceeds its price. You can download the game for approximately the price of one smartphone app, so I hope that even those with concerns download it and give it a try.”

In addition to the above information (along with screens, art, and a nice shot of Elysium), there is a full-page interview with Producer Tatsuya Kitabayashi, Devroom Community Liaison Greg Moore, and the recently-departed Capcom Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez.

Plus, the rest of the magazine has plenty of cool stuff on the Shinobi revival for Nintendo 3DS, Sonic Generations and the Blue Blur’s 20th anniversary, Cave Story 3D, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the third part of their ongoing The Legend of Zelda retrospective, La-Mulana for WiiWare, and much more. So keep an eye out, as this issue should be hitting newsstands any day now!

LanceHeart