Retro, familiar, 8-bit... arena FPS? Weird, but it works.

Having gotten Mario out of the way in the previous fangame roundup, let’s have a look at some other famous franchises, adopted and adapted by their loyal and industrious fanbases. Todays theme: Robot heroes and armored warriors.

First up, one of the most enduring icons in videogames – Mega Man, the Blue Bomber, AKA Rockman in his home territories. His quest to beat up evil robots, steal their powers and shut down their mustache-twirling creator Dr Wily has been going on since the early days of the NES, and with new Mega Man titles due on the 360 and 3DS in the future, he doesn’t show any signs of slowing. While there are a broad range of fangames starring the robot hero, two in particular seem worthy of mention.

First is the recently-released Mega Man: 8-Bit Deathmatch. You’d think that any attempt to transplant classic 2D platform gameplay into a high-speed arena FPS would result in a cataclysmic failure, but this one somehow works against all odds. The 8-bit style is charming and distinctive, and almost every Robot Master and their respective weapons are included, along with a broad range of classic powerups to play with. There’s a full singleplayer campaign (complete with some surprises) against bots, but the real fun comes from LAN or online play. Give it a Top Spin if you fancy your chances.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Rockman 7 FC. A Japanese (but it seems to run in english here – perhaps it detects system language?) release from a while back. Rather than take classic Mega Man gameplay and apply it to a more modern framework, it goes the other way, taking the late-SNES-era Mega Man 7 and demaking it into a NES/Famicom game. It works surprisingly well, adapting elements of the later gameplay styles into a more traditional screen-by-screen progression. Tough, rewarding and strange, and totally worth a play. To download the game from the site, click the link that reads ‘ver.final2 アーカイブ‘.

And just released recently is a slightly more creative take on the concept. Mega Man: A Day In The Limelight. A lengthy fan-game where, rather than play as Mega Man himself, you step into the shoes of the classic Robot Masters and lead them on a mission to save the day for once, utilizing each of their unique abilities in order to get through the levels. Check out the trailer below. It’s classic NES-style gameplay again, but each character puts their own unique spin on the gameplay.

Moving away from Capcom’s properties and back to Nintendo – Metroid. The adventures of Samus Aran continue to this day, although her most recent Wii outing is considered by many to be a bit of a misstep. Metroid fans seem to cast their attention further back, though, and the fangame that deserves top billing here is the legendary Project AM2R. ‘Another Metroid 2 Remake’. One man’s enormous effort to take the lesser-known Metroid 2 (released only for the original Gameboy) and update it, Zero Mission style, to modern standards. It’s not complete yet, but a ‘demo’ (essentially a small standalone adventure) called Metroid: Confrontation has been released, and it is an amazing piece of work. The full game should be a must-play for anyone who loves exploration-focused platformers once it’s complete. More Metroid fan-works can be found at the Metroid: Fan Mission site.

Samus Aran isn’t the only adventurer stomping around space in a set of high-powered pajamas, though. The nameless (?) hero of the classic Turrican series has been battling evil robots and saving worlds from evil for a long, long time. Without a doubt, the fangame most worthy of your attention is Hurrican. Effectively a fan-made sequel, and it completely captures the style of the series while updating it to a fancier pseudo-modern prerendered artstyle. The music is of particular note, as you can hear in the trailer below. It’s toe-tapping stuff, and the gameplay is no slouch either.

Another release of note is T2002, an attempt to directly update/port the classic Amiga series to PC, while also providing level construction tools and allowing players to construct their own level packs. If you want to tap directly into your nostalgia-gland without trying to polish things up to a more modern status quo, it’s the way to go. Also, this site hosts a large archive of both T2002 and Hurrican user-made levels, should you feel yourself hankering for more mechanized action.

This is just a scattered handfull, and it’s still only just a fraction of the total goodness available out there. Share any other fangame gems in the comments below, or just share your thoughts. The Fangame Jamboree will return soon with a basket full of hedgehogs.