Mega Man 9 DLC adds special stage, harder difficulty levels
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Oct 20th 2008 at 11:25AM }
click to enlarge
Three downloadable $1 packs arrive on the WiiWare Channel today (XBLA and PSN versions following on October 21st and October 23rd, respectively), adding a Special Time Attack Stage, Hard Mode and Expert Mode, which "triples the level of difficulty from the default Mega Man 9 game." Need more? Rumor has it that next week will see the release of Ultra Expert Mode, which issues crippling electric shocks via the controller every time you plummet down a bottomless pit.
Full descriptions of the DLC can be found after the break.
Gallery: Mega Man 9 (Special Stage)
Hard Mode – Dubbed Hero Mode in Japan, this mode enables you to play the entire game on an increased difficulty level with alternate enemy distribution and spawning points. Hard Mode is not compatible with Rankings or Challenges Modes.
Expert Mode – Dubbed Super Hero Mode Japan, this mode represents the apex of Mega Man 9 difficulty settings and is not for the novice Mega Man 9 player. This mode triples the level of difficulty from the default Mega Man 9 game. Expert Mode is not compatible with Rankings or Challenges Modes.
Special Time Attack Stage – This DLC gives you an additional stage for Time Attack Mode, complete with an all new level and Robot Master Boss, "Fake Man." Similar in difficulty to the Willy Stages, players will have a fun time tackling this time sensitive competitive stage. Special Time Attack Stage is not compatible with Challenge Mode.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Fung @ Oct 20th 2008 11:36AM
First thing i though of when seeing that screen shot was, "Is that policeman?!" XD
deaftly @ Oct 20th 2008 12:31PM
or Big Boss Man?
Morisato @ Oct 20th 2008 12:48PM
Wait... how can you make Mega Man 9 HARDER??
Levi @ Oct 20th 2008 2:08PM
the game really isn't that hard after a few days with Endless mode. I beat the normal game once, played endless for like a week on and off, then I finished the normal game a 2nd time which took 67 minutes. Missed the 60 minute challenge by so little :)
#28 @ Nov 13th 2008 5:53PM
Holy shit dude, I am in awe.
That game is fucking impossible.
Guess I didn't get the right amount of retro game parenting when I was young.
Comet @ Oct 20th 2008 11:38AM
Tags: Capcom, DLC, Masochism, Mega-Man, Mega-Man-9, PSN, WiiWare, XBLA, Xbox-Live
lol Masochism. Ludwig rocks the tags yet agian.
Cellien @ Oct 20th 2008 11:40AM
This game is too hard as it is. It's been almost 20 years since I played Mega man on NES and these days I've been pampered by too many hand holding games. :)
Vidikron @ Oct 20th 2008 11:44AM
No doubt. I used to play and geat game like this as kid all the time. Now I play them and wonder how I ever did it. But then again, I had a large chunks of time to just sit around and memorize these games as a kid. I just don't have time with that tedious shit anymore.
Cellien @ Oct 20th 2008 12:40PM
Yeah, I can't devote more than maybe 1-2 hours a day on games, unfortunately. And that's only a few days a week. :(
VicViper09 @ Oct 20th 2008 11:41AM
My god, what have they done!!
BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Oct 20th 2008 1:58PM
Charge people for difficulty settings.
Just Mr ESC. @ Oct 20th 2008 11:43AM
An even harder difficulty? Why would anyone do that?
John Z @ Oct 20th 2008 11:53AM
For the same reason people dress their dogs in costumes, or wear only a Speedo in Buffalo in January, or use HeadOn.
Because these people are batshit insane.
(Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I have an appointment with that new Robot Master...)
Jakka @ Oct 20th 2008 11:44AM
Now it's time somebody found a decent rather fool-proof way to pirate on consoles.At least us PC Gamers have the choice to fight the system should someone fuck us in the ass too much(SPORE!).
Monkeys Suck @ Oct 20th 2008 11:49AM
Umm, don't resort to piracy, just don't buy it.
Jakka @ Oct 20th 2008 11:54AM
Nope.You can't prove that "X" amount of people didn't buy it because they thought it was a rip-off.Thus as long as it sells anything they'll count it as a success and never learn.
Despite what they want you to think the 150,000 Spore torrenters and the internet backlash did hurt EA, no matter how small it was, or they wouldn't easy up on DRM.Do you honestly think they would've done the same if that 1% of people simply refused to buy it?
Monkeys Suck @ Oct 20th 2008 12:10PM
Pirating didn't show EA any better too, it just showed that DRM is still necessary (albeit not very useful). You just contribute to the problem.
Back on subject, I do agree that these modes should have been included and unlocked, but at least it isn't extreme price gouging, and we can pick and choose what we want, instead of having to pay for it all at once. What's a buck for at least an hour of extra playtime/frustration?
tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 20th 2008 4:29PM
What I want to know is why do they put drm in at all anymore when they know it doesn't stop pirates? Isn't that what's it supposed to be for..to stop pirates? When they realize it doesn't work why do they keep putting it in then?
Someone needs to tell these people that yes, ramming your head into a wall over and over does in fact hurt...there's no need to keep doing it.
Jimiisama @ Oct 20th 2008 4:34PM
The game is only $10; with all the DLC the game is still less than $20. Had this game come out for Gamecube a few years ago, it would probably have cost at least $30. It's really not a ripoff.
Brent @ Oct 20th 2008 11:44AM
I couldn't get past the elephants in the demo...and they went and made it harder? Yikes.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Oct 20th 2008 12:00PM
Elephants aren't so bad. Jump the first one (don't use the platform) get right in front of the second one so it hops over you, and then don't fall off the middle platform on the third one.
Monkeys Suck @ Oct 20th 2008 12:02PM
Sadly, the elephants are easier than some other parts.
Obie @ Oct 20th 2008 11:58AM
Harder? HARDER? I cry for my lost reflexes and youth. :(
Cobra951 @ Oct 20th 2008 1:03PM
"Harder? HARDER? I cry for my lost reflexes and youth. :("
Hahaha! I'm there with you.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who feels that Capcom just went the wrong way on that. The game is plenty hard enough already. We less-godlike players need an easier mode.
Mike @ Oct 20th 2008 3:01PM
How about an easier mode? I had a blast playing the demo but I won't buy it because it's way too hard. I understand that these games WERE that hard, but I don't have the patience or time to make it through this anymore.
Give me an easy mode that:
1) Has more checkpoints
2) If you jump in a pit or hit a spike, you just lose health and pop back on the ledge before it
3) Health doesn't go down as fast
4) Unlimited continues (not sure about this, but I do think it's limited now)
edhc44 @ Oct 20th 2008 3:37PM
Mike, you might even think you understand that games were that hard, but your list sure proves you weren't around back then.
"If you jump in a pit or hit a spike, you just lose health and pop back on the ledge before it"
Not very Mega Man-ish...
BTW, continues are unlimited, however they do not account for checkpoints. They never did, or never will.
If you think the game is too hard (and I'm not one to brag, I had my ass delivered on a tray to me on the last Wily stage over and over again), you surely shouldn't be trying to play it.
serotoninzero @ Oct 20th 2008 3:40PM
I thought the difficulty on Mega Man 9 was perfect. It was hard, but just hard enough until you got the concept of the level or the enemy down. Then you could run through quite quickly. I beat MM9 and was satisfied when it was over. I don't think I could take these modes though.
mkrajew @ Oct 20th 2008 5:35PM
I appreciate the response. I owned and could beat Mega Man 2 back in the day. Back when Nintendo Power published maps to all the levels and tips to beat all the guys. It really was a fun game, but I was ok with playing a game for 8 hours a day when school wasn't in session.
Now that I'm older, I don't have that time or patience to put into the game. I love the retro styling and the way the game plays based on the demo, but it's just too hard for me now. I couldn't get to the checkpoint even in the demo, so why should I buy the full game? Don't they see that some people are not buying the game because it's too hard? What would it hurt to offer an *optional* easier level for those of us who enjoy the game but just don't want that "throw the controller" feeling that many retro games like MM2 had?
I'm ok with a continue starting you at the beginning of the level because otherwise extra lives wouldn't mean anything.
Jimiisama @ Oct 20th 2008 4:39PM
I got my ass handed to me with my first playthrough, which was approximately 8h30m. My second playthrough was 4h30m, but that's because i spent a couple hours on Plugman farming screws. Starting my first game with 999 screws, I was able to clear the game in 45 minutes. Granted I had 8h30 of practice my first run, which almost made me a semi-expert at the levels (you have to be to get through them), so I could get through the game with minimal dying (which is the only real requirement to beat the game in under 60 minutes). I can get a sub-30minute time every time I beat this game now; it's really not that bad once you have a strategy. The hard part about this game is going through it the first time and not knowing what to expect.
Jimiisama @ Oct 20th 2008 4:40PM
Harder difficulty seems like that all over again, but I'll probably be willing to try it. For now I'm just trying to get my clear time lower and lower. Sadly I have limited funds at the moment =(.
Captain_Hairy @ Oct 20th 2008 5:02PM
As long as it doesn't hit 'I Wanna Be The Guy' levels of stupid, it should still be playable.
Alex @ Oct 20th 2008 6:06PM
Changes in super hard mode:
(1) Normal enemies cause physical harm to the player.
(2) All items now cost Wii points instead of Bolts.
(3) You can now purchase the new "Life-exhcanger", which will execute members of your family and award you extra lives.
(4) Wily can now kill Megaman in a single hit. This hit will also render the player sterile.
Dietrich @ Oct 21st 2008 5:28PM
I played the game on superhero mode yesterday after work. Beat the game in about 2:25:00.
While many stages before were hard, many of them are downright EVIL now. I think Wily 3 has given me a few gray hairs now.
All of the bosses remained unchanged in the the harder modes so Wily himself on superhero mode is actually cake compared to the rest of the game.