Mega Man 2 Intro Skyscraper

[Troubadour]

If you grew up in the late '80s to early '90s, this may mean something to you. If not, then probably not. But it's the origin of my avatar, so obviously it means something to me. This is not (entirely) me being a nerd - someone actually requested this. Here is the intro to the 8-bit NES game Mega Man 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Ao63nmzuE

To verbally describe the intro, the frame begins an unknown distance up the side of a highrise building with other highrises visible in the distance, and a text begins to play describing the background of the game. At some point the frame begins to move up the building faster and faster, and ultimately comes to the roof where the titular character is standing with his hair blowing in the wind (why a fighter-robot has hair is anyone's guess).

Now, it's not exactly clear how high up the building the intro begins - all those other buildings in the distance could just mean that this one is on a hill, or that the others are on a hill. But it does display 16 stories, so that's what I'll show. And there are no indications of the width of the building, so I'll have to speculate on the basis of the displayed height and typical Japanese building standards (which prefer fatness over slimness due to earthquakes). We can also suppose that its dimensions in the direction we are looking are equal to its apparent width, since that also is typical of Japanese highrises.


Mega Man 2 Tall by troubadour1, on Flickr

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Troubadour

and ultimately comes to the roof where the titular character is standing with his hair blowing in the wind (why a fighter-robot has hair is anyone's guess).

If you watch the intro to Mega Man 4, it explains why (essentially). Rock was originally a simple helper robot to Dr. Light, and turned into a fighting machine when Wily started causing trouble with the robot masters. I imagine helper robots would have hair to look more "normal". (see: Roll)

Nifty idea though! It's certainly not how I envisioned the tower he was on, but I guess we have nothing else to go by.

[Troubadour]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

If you watch the intro to Mega Man 4, it explains why (essentially). Rock was originally a simple helper robot to Dr. Light, and turned into a fighting machine when Wily started causing trouble with the robot masters. I imagine helper robots would have hair to look more "normal". (see: Roll)

I forgot about that!

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Nifty idea though! It's certainly not how I envisioned the tower he was on, but I guess we have nothing else to go by.

You have a point - half as wide would probably look more "futuristic" and in keeping with the theme of the game.


Mega Man 2 Tall Alternate by troubadour1, on Flickr

Yes, I think I like this one better than my original idea.

[HurricaneHugo]

I have decided that this is the next thing I will construct in minecraft, complete with a megaman sprite!

[Troubadour]

Originally Posted by HurricaneHugo

I have decided that this is the next thing I will construct in minecraft, complete with a megaman sprite!

Just as long as it's a 2D sprite from the 8-bit game. I'd hate to see another fiasco like the 3D Dreamcast version of Mega Man.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Troubadour

Just as long as it's a 2D sprite from the 8-bit game. I'd hate to see another fiasco like the 3D Dreamcast version of Mega Man.

Hey now, don't be hating on Mega Man Legends! (If that's what you're referring to that is)

[Islander]

Cool post! That was one of my favorite childhood video games.

[Troubadour]

I think I've found a Tokyo highrise that demonstrates where the game's aesthetic values came from:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...2&postcount=59

[llamaorama]

Yes! I loved that game and the intro, so badass when the music picks up

That sort of "architecture" used to be a staple of anime too. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gundam shows, Patlabor, Dragonball series, Pokemon tv show, Akira, etc. Its like whenever a scene needed a cityscape, there would be many thin white buildings with blue glass, and the street level would be parks with round streetlights.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph.../SpaceBrasilia

Fundamentally the opposite of American tv shows and cartoons, where cities were always grimy brick buildings and dark alleys. Really shows a difference in attitude? In Asia people were optimistic and excited about the future and high tech cities, but in the US we were sulking about in the suburbs and romanticizing the country. Blah. There's a part of me that thinks its a shame that modernism was spoiled by some rather foul planning and social theories. Aesthetically, those 1960s buildings were kind of cool. In places like Japan where it was implemented without any tower in the park bullshit, you can appreciate it.

[J.M.]

Uh, NES rules, cool stuff! Do you collect?

[Troubadour]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

That sort of "architecture" used to be a staple of anime too.

Akira blew my mind as a 10-year-old (I saw it on cable - it was already a classic by the time I could understand it). I think the Japanese approach to cities is more holistic: We pay more attention to individual buildings than to cities as a whole, so the result is that we ignore opportunities to arrange otherwise mediocre buildings into configurations that would be pleasing and helpful. So anywhere that's not luxurious tends to degrade rapidly.

Originally Posted by J.M.

Uh, NES rules, cool stuff! Do you collect?

I have some cartridges, but I don't bother with an actual console since I can just play ROMs on my computer. Unfortunately, I have to use the keypad - I bought a knockoff controller with a USB plug but the D pad doesn't work and the company doesn't respond to emails: Cheap Chinese piece of fraudulent shit.