Capcom’s 8-bit platformer compilation Mega Man Legacy Collection is due to launch digitally for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms later this month, with a 3DS release set for early 2016.
A retail release for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo 3DS is also in the works. Capcom notes that physical copies of Mega Man Legacy Collection are due to hit store shelves in 2016.
Mega Man Legacy Collection bundles the first six games in Capcom’s classic Mega Man series, originally released for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s. The package will also include a Challenge Mode that remixes level segments, giving veteran players a unique way to experience their old favorites.
Developer Digital Eclipse approached the upcoming release with an eye for presentation and authenticity, maintaining a Criterion Collection-like reverence for its source material.
“Movies have the Criterion Collection, but there hasn’t been anything like that for games,” said Digital Eclipse’s Frank Cifaldi. “We’re living in the golden age of a brand new form of artistic expression, and we’re not doing a very good job of making sure our games will be available five years from now, let alone fifty. The more we can do right now to take video game preservation seriously, the safer our history will be.”
Mega Man Legacy Collection offers a variety of presentation options, letting players experience the games as originally intended via simulated tube TV displays. The package also boasts a collection of archival material including concept sketches, original art, and a character database.
Digital copies of Mega Man Legacy Collection are priced at $15, while next year’s retail edition will cost $30. Capcom has issued no word regarding what bonus content retail buyers will receive in order to justify the increase in pric, but notes that more details will be revealed “at a later date.”
The digital version of Mega Man Legacy Collection will hit the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PCs on August 25 in North America and Europe.