Capcom talks Street Fighter X Mega Man, planning Version 2 and debating future of Mega Man

If there's one thing Capcom followers have wanted for a long time, it's positive news concerning Mega Man. Granted, this isn't is, but Capcom's renewed interest in Street Fighter X Mega Man, once a fan project by one Zong Hui and originally known as Mega Man X Street Fighter, could be a good sign that the company hasn't forgotten the blue reploid.

Recently, the folks over at Mega Man Network put together a list of questions from their community, and managed to get some answers to them from Capcom senior community manager Brett "Brelston" Elston.

As you might expect, not all the answers are 100% straight, thanks to a nice dose of PR speak. Still, we at least know now that Capcom does have a "Version 2" of Street Fighter X Mega Man planned. It doesn't actually add anything to the PC retro crossover, but fixes are always nice -- especially if they get rid of the "ESC button closes the program" issue. Better controller support is also being looked at.

That these questions are from a community of gamers does make the entire interview an amusing read, because a few make no effort to sound respectful. Elston does his best to dance around those, like this question and answer combo.

3) Another NES-style game? Will Capcom ever move away from this and show some effort?

BE: I’d object to the word “effort,” but the point is taken – we’ve done the 8-bit approach three times now, and even as someone with NES Mega Man coursing though his veins I’m eager to see something fresh. That gets into the whole “What’s Next?” discussion that Christian has mentioned before… we’re constantly talking about this brand and its future. Can’t say what the future is, but know there IS a future.

Right after that, you've got another question that carries the same air of disbelief (and dissatisfaction), pointing out that a revival of a Capcom super-fan's love project just isn't enough to celebrate Mega Man's 25th anniversary. Of course, Elston simply notes that all this is just "the start" of something greater.

4) Is this really how you plan to end Mega Man‘s 25th anniversary?

BE: Like we’ve said, this is the start. Japan led up to December, while in the US we had so much Street Fighter 25^th Anniversary activity we had to focus on that. With that concluded (spectacularly, if I may toot our Grand Finals horn for a moment), we can kick off MM25 with SFxMM, the Avatar outfits, the 3DS ports and so on, and then come back in 2013 with more fun stuff. We’re not done.

Scroll down to the tenth question, and you have another irate fan questioning whether this is enough (clearly, it isn't), to which Elston says that he himself is a pretty big Mega Man fan and understands the community's frustrations.

10) Is this all we’re getting for Mega Man‘s 25th anniversary? Do you expect this to “make things right?”

BE: There’s no denying the hard year Mega Man fans have had. As a lifelong fan myself, I feel it too, but do hope SFxMM scratches the itch. It’s not meant to be the best Mega Man game of all time, to make everything completely cool with the community, but rather a chance to elevate a fan effort in celebration of both franchises turning 25. I believe it succeeds on that front, and that Zong Hui made a super fun (to play and to see) product.

Right now, Capcom doesn't appear to have any plans to bring this 2D action game to other platforms. That said, he does note that the company is paying attention to this little homage's apparent popularity, and fan reception may determine how Capcom ultimately proceeds with the Mega Man franchise.