Nearly every major children's franchise has made an attempt to appeal to a "mature" audience. Without making broad generalizations, these attempts are usually greeted by a firm face into the palm. A recent example that comes to mind is the X-treme take on Looney Tunes known as Loonatics Unleashed. Opposition to such changes usually comes from those who are familiar with the original and dislike the permutation, seeing it as distasteful. But as is the case with many predispositions, the norm is not absolute. A re-envisioning can be successful, and Mega Man X is a shining example of this.
Taking full advantage of the SNES's power, Mega Man X played out like the action movie equivalent of an NES Mega Man. Gone were the "(noun) Man" bosses. The new generation of robot masters were incredibly unique, each having great diversity in their attacks. Also new to the series was an intro stage in which a compelling story was presented. X ran from enormous bulldozing monsters, blazed through tunnels at ferocious speeds in mining carts, and smashed robot enemies to bits with the aid of giant robot suits. A note to all developers who want to "mature" a franchise: this is how it's done.
