Question: Why would a robot bother with a driver's license?
Answer: Why the hell not?
Mega Man Battle and Chase for the Playstation was Capcom's answer to the gaming phenomenon that's officially known as Cute Mascots Driving Pimped-Out Karts. The Blue Bomber saddled up his
"Rush Roadster" and took to the kart tracks with his friends and enemies. Good times and low polygon counts ensued.
Game ads are supposed to sell games, hence the name of this column. But Mega Man Battle and Chase presented a very interesting scenario:
North Americans took notice of the game's ad in their favorite magazines, but their local game merchants would ultimately send them home with empty hands. Mega Man Battle and Chase hit Japan in 1997, and it zoomed into Europe in 1998, but the North American release sputtered and died before it even hit the starting line.
There's no clear reason why America was left out of Mega Man Battle and Chase, but it's theorized that Sony killed the mascot racer at the last minute because it didn't want racing fans dying of mascot kart glut. The game finally made its stateside debut in 2006 as part of the
Mega Man X Collection for the GameCube and Playstation 2. By then, it was a little too late for the Battle and Chase ad to hold sway over potential buyers, but the ad is well worth a brief tribute.
The advertisement features original hand-drawn art of Mega Man, a bonus that's appreciated by all fans of the Blue Bomber and every other human being with a soul. Mega Man is totally chillin' in his souped-up Rush rig--his hands aren't even on the wheel--and he's showing off his new license along with his two-question driver's test. The questions include:
To pass a slower-moving vehicle:
A) Change lanes quickly
B)Honk twice
C) Blast him off the road.
Before starting your vehicle:
A) Tune radio station
B) Place car in park
C) Check weapons and load ammo.
Mega Man marked the right answers, both of which are obviously "C". If you disagree, get off the road, you bum.
Seriously, it feels a little foreign to see Mega Man smiling with pride over a test that advocates hurting other robots on the road, especially since two of his rival racers are his sister, Roll, and his brother, Proto Man. I suppose robots just revel in rabid road rage instead of bottling it up and giving themselves uranium ulcers and battery-acid heartburn.
(Advertisement courtesy of
Tiny Cartridge)
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