Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2 Is Coming to the Nintendo Switch in May, but Not Everyone Is Happy About It

The term "physical release" is more complicated than it used to be.

News by Nadia Oxford, Staff Writer

19 February 2018

Even in the universe's darkest moments, when it seems no light will ever glimmer at the end of the tunnel, we can catch glimpses of our reality attempting to heal itself. Case in point: Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2 is headed for the Nintendo Switch on May 22. It's not the social, economical, and cultural overhaul our species is desperate for, but it's a start.

The launch of Legacy Collection 1 + 2 for the Switch marks the start of a fruitful year for Mega Man, but not everyone is 100% happy with how Capcom is handling the Switch release for its game collections. There's some backlash on Twitter and the Capcom Unity fan community over the fact the "physical" copy of the Switch collection offers a cartridge for Mega Man Legacy Collection, and a download code for Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. The bundle costs $39.99 USD, and Legacy Collection and Legacy Collection 2 each cost $14.99 USD and $19.99 USD, respectively.

This makes me so angry. @capcom_unity is apparently determined to burn through the goodwill I have remaining as quickly as possible. Including the second game only as a digital download is so thoroughly unacceptable it's not even funny. Why go physical at all? It's a lie! http://go.redirectingat.com?id=87431X1573192&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FpSFsCVZmSF
— Jason Venter (@jasonventer) February 19, 2018

It's unclear why the two collections are being treated separately. It may have something to do with Mega Man Legacy Collection being developed by Digital Eclipse, whereas Legacy Collection 2 was assembled in-house by Capcom. It's not unprecedented for a physical game release to be distributed in part by download code: As Venter points out himself, Bayonetta 1 and 2 for the Switch is likewise half-code. Bayonetta, however, is a much bigger game than either Legacy Collection.

Bayonetta wasn't so bad, because the original is 8GB+ all by itself. Putting both on the card would have cost more. Nintendo still should have done it, but I tolerate it. MML and MML2 combined wouldn't quite fill a measley 8GB card. The game they're including is only .5GB!
— Jason Venter (@jasonventer) February 19, 2018

Regardless of how you feel about Legacy Collection 1 + 2's half-and-half physical release on the Switch, you should be glad to learn it includes a Rewind function a la Disney Afternoon Collection. All the features and DLC from Legacy Collection and Legacy Collection 2's initial release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC are intact, too: Challenges, bonus states, time attacks, art galleries, music libraries, and more.

The Switch version of Legacy Collection 1 + 2 also lets you unlock additional challenges with the Mega Man or Gold Mega Man Amiibo. Just scan your plastic pal to access fan-made challenges that were previously exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version of Legacy Collection.

Are you going to pack up Mega Man and take him on your next trip? Or does the exclusion of a physical copy of Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 turn you off as quickly as shooting a 100 Watton turns off the lights in Bright Man's stage? You have until May 22 to think it over.

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Nadia Oxford

Staff Writer

Nadia has been writing about games for so long, only the wind and the rain (or the digital facsimiles thereof) remember her true name. She's written for Nerve, About.com, Gamepro, IGN, 1UP, PlayStation Official Magazine, and other sites and magazines that sling words about video games. She co-hosts the Axe of the Blood God podcast, where she mostly screams about Dragon Quest.