Am I one of the few people who doesnt want a 1999 game?
And not just because of the expectations thing, The way I see it, Julius was designed as a middle aged man, and that's his purpose. The demon castle war of 199 is just background. It's supposed to be this big event in the past that influences the events of the game. And that it was never conceived with the intention of making a game about it.
I'd much rather see older beard of power Julius do his job in the present day rather than see his younger self. I'd be curious to see how they'd design him, sure, but no more than as a novelty.
It's like the Elf Wars in the Mega Man Zero series. A giant series bridging event that influences the games, but was never written with a game in mind. Just that, as backstory.
I'd rather for example, see the 1999 war if anything- explored in other media. Anime, manga, etc. but not necessarily as a game. I think people just expected too much out of a simple backstory element.