Capcom has been making video games for ages and, thanks to the company’s longevity, it holds a lot of IPs in its grip. If a game is a hit, you can bet Capcom will be making sequels for it. That’s why, even up to today, we’ve been getting new entries for Devil May Cry, Resident Evil and Street Fighter, to name a few. However, sometimes Capcom doesn’t feel the need to create brand new games for their successful game series and just rely on good old nostalgia to hold over fans. This is precisely why they’ve been putting out compilations of their older games sporadically over the years.

The latest series to get the compilation treatment is the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection. Yeah, there was a time when Capcom was really big on Mega Man. They were huge successes and became so big that Capcom game Mega Man several spin-offs. There was the original series, Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero and the aforementioned Mega Man Battle Network to name a few. I’ve mentioned these specifically because Capcom did give them the compilation treatment. But there is one Mega Man spin-off franchise that still hasn’t received the same treatment.

That would be the cult classic series Mega Man Legends. And I think it’s about time Capcom did so.

If this is your first time even hearing about Mega Man Legends series, frankly, I wouldn’t blame you. So let’s talk about the game’s general story first. Mega Man Legends takes place sometime in the future, where humanity has started using crystals known as Quantum Refractors as their primary source to power technology. Most Quantum Refractors can be found in ancient ruins. The job of collecting these crystals goes to the Diggers, which can be a perilous job as the ruins have violent robots protecting them. However, there is a legend known as the Mother Lode, a Quantum Refractor that’s so big that it can supply an unlimited amount of power. As such, it’s the dream of every Digger in the world to find this so-called Mother Lode.

One of these Diggers is Mega Man Volnutt, an orphan who was taken in by the kindly Barrel Casket when the elder gentleman found him as well as his pet monkey Data when Mega Man was only a baby. Mega Man, along with Barrel and Barrel’s granddaughter, Roll Casket fly along their airship the Flutter searching the various ruins and hopefully looking for clues to the location of the mysterious Mother Lode. Impeding their search are the Bonne family, a trio of air pirates, who are looking for ways to steal whatever the Diggers have found and take the Mother Lode for themselves. Yes, if the family name Bonne sounds familiar, that’s because the Mega Man Legends series was the first time Tron Bonne from the Marvel vs. Capcom games first appeared.

Even from just the story overview, Mega Man Legends comes off radically different from the original Mega Man games. But the gameplay is also more far removed from the original side scrolling adventures as it plays more like a 3D Legend of Zelda games than anything else. You control Mega Man as he basically talks to people in town, take on quests and then explore dungeons. You then either find or develop better weapons and equipment to better deal with the dangers and traps found in the ruins.

While that may sound repetitive, there is a certain charm to the Mega Man Legends games. Most of the time, it comes off as a very light-heated adventure with whimsical character designs and cute graphics. Even though all of the games came on on the original PlayStation, the graphics are still clean looking and very distinctive, even able to show of expressive anime facial expressions. Yes, they’re basically plastered on top of the face but, considering how underpowered the original PlayStation is compared to today’s tech, it works. It even adds to the game’s charm.

But what really makes the Mega Man Legends games work are the characters. Everyone is so darn likable in every game! Mega Man, Roll and the Casket family are generally do-gooders but likable do-gooders. Of course, the ones who steal the show are the eccentric Bonne family, most especially Tron Bonne. She’s simply the breakout star from the games. It certainly helps that the writing is also full of charm and whimsy, adding to the cartoon fun of what’s already cute characters.

Like I said, the Mega Man Legends franchise wasn’t a massive financial success for Capcom. As such, they only made three games based on the franchise. One of them, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, wasn’t even technically a mainline entry as it was more like a side story, which had Tron Bonne trying to raise money to get out of debt by, what else, robbing and stealing from people.

This means that, officially, there are only two actual entries in the Mega Man series. Okay, there were three if you count the Japanese only mobile game but, as it wasn’t released on the original PlayStation and not everyone got to play it, I’m not. What really hurts is how Mega Man Legends 2 ends in some kind of a cliffhanger, with Mega Man stuck on the moon and Roll, Tron Bonne and the others pooling their resources to find a way to rescue the stranded Digger.

So, with the second game ending in a cliffhanger, why wouldn’t I want Capcom to make another entry that continues the story and have them just release a compilation of the first two (and Misadventures of Tron Bonne) instead? Well, for one thing, I do believe that more people would fall in love with the Mega Man Legends games if they had a chance to play it.

The easiest way to get a legitimate copy of the games was through the PlayStation Store… through the PlayStation 3. It’s not available on modern consoles nor are they available on PC through Steam or GOG. It’s simply impossible to play them now unless you go to eBay and buy the games individually. You can get Mega Man Legends 1 and 2 at reasonable prices. But good luck with snagging an English copy of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne without having to spend more than a hundred dollars! Those are rare! It feels such a shame that gamers who are a even a little bit curious about these cult classics won’t get to enjoy them without spending through the nose.

Second, the series has become kind of a cult classic. The series has a very loyal fanbase and they have been clamoring for Capcom to continue the story of Mega Man Volnutt and Tron Bonne. In fact, Capcom was supposedly working on Mega Man Legends 3 but production was halted for various reasons, leaving fans heartbroken when it was announced they cancelled it. However, as there is a hardcore fan following for the Mega Man Legends games, I’m betting Capcom would make bank if they release a compilation of what they already have.

This leads me to my last point. If Capcom does make a Mega Man Legends compilation and it sells well, that would be proof enough that there is demand for a new entry. Sure, it’s been more than two decades since the release of Mega Man Legends 2 but I’m pretty sure fans will be eager to get it since it will show what happened to Mega Man. Besides, we all want to see more of these characters in one form or another, right?

So, Capcom, I know you’re already done with the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection as it was just released a few days ago. Maybe you can now work on a Mega Man Legends Legacy Collection. I’ll reserve three copies once you announce it. Promise.

Have you ever played Mega Man Legends on the PlayStation? What other game series should Capcom put into a collection? Let me know in the comments section below!