The Virtual Console just got its weekly nostalgia injection, offering fans of all colors -- but mostly blue and green -- something else to download and play as we wonder where the weekend went and why exactly there is a receipt for a Magnet Beam on the kitchen table.
Mega Man (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): With the Blue Bomber set to don pixelated pajamas next month, his freshman adventure marks this week's most noteworthy addition to the Wii's window into the past. Assuming you haven't bought the original Mega Man in one of Capcom's many other compilations, Guts Man and company are waiting ever so patiently for you to drop by.
Neo Turf Masters (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): This is 133 megs of hot golf action right here, straight from 1996 to your living room. You don't have even to admit to your friends that you like video game golf. We'll keep your dirty little secret.
We're hoping you'll just watch the video and not really bother with any of the padding we've surrounded it with. But in case you're wondering, we think Mega Man 9's intro sets the tone for the blue bomber's retro-vitalized return just perfectly. Requiring very little in the way of reflexes, it's also the only section we think we'll have mastered by the time the game hits PSN, XBLA and WiiWare.
Oh, and did you catch the cute news reader cameo? How about that wascally Dr. Wily's "Swiss Bank" number?
If there's one thing you'll see a lot during your stroll through Mega Man 9's trap-laden, pit-filled and exceedingly deadly memory lane, it's the poor little robot boy exploding into a booming bloom of pulsating energy. Unfortunately, there appears to be no achievement for dying one billion times -- at least not in the list of in-game gongs posted by Inside MGC.
So, how about beating the game without dying? Or without using energy tanks? How confident are you about defeating every boss using only the standard buster ... or without taking damage? Well, it looks like we'll be going for the WiiWare version of the game after all. We just can't deal with Capcom giving us a retro-wrapped gift with one hand and plucking Xbox 360 Achievements (or PSN Trophies?) out of our grasp with the other. Those meanies!
IGN has an info twofer, with a new trailer for Mega Man 9 and confirmation that the WiiWare game will make its way to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network (wow, the difference a week makes). There's no word yet on price for any of the consoles, but -- if Japan is any indication -- the Wii version should be $10.
Check out the trailer after the break already, which is much better than the first footage we saw earlier this week.
Japanese gaming information purveyor Famitsu writes that Mega Man 9 is priced at 1000 Wii Points. We're currently unaware of any WiiWare title changing prices across the Pacific, so the newest adventure of the Blue Bomber could hit our shores for $10. But ... there's a possible catch.
Wii Fanboy tells us that both Nintendo Power and Famitsu now allude to some kind of DLC for the game. If it's anything like the Final Fantasy: My Life as a King DLC we're not going to fret; however, if it's $10 for the first three bosses and five bucks for every boss after that -- expect a full blown nutter.
We know that Mega Man 9 is all-new and stuff, but after seeing a quick video of its gameplay (found after the break), we're compelled to dig up our copy of Mega Man Anniversary Collection for a nostalgia fix this evening.
GoNintendo discovered the first footage, which definitely has the look and sound of a classic Mega Man game from the '80s (minus slowdown and flicker). Details on the Blue Bomber's return are slowly starting to emerge, but we're hoping to learn a lot more about this WiiWare title soon.
Beyond some crappy scans and lots of speculation, real info on the WiiWare return of Mega Man has been scant. Well, GamesRadar just opened the flood gates with its exclusive, proper reveal of Mega Man 9, featuring a hands-on by Nintendo editor Brett Elston and an interview with series creator (and MM9 producer) Keiji Inafune.
Elston reports that Mega Man 9 is ... well, it's essentially an NES game – just as difficult as the original 8-bit installments of the famed series. "Mega Man 9 is easily on par or above the hardest games in the series," Elston says, adding: "Hell, we played for two hours and only made it to three bosses, and even then only beat two." Read on after the break for more new info.
You can't put a price on nostalgia. But you can put a date on it -- at least if you happen to live in Japan. Our friends at Nintendo Wii Fanboy send word that according to Famitsu, Mega Man 9 will bound onto the Japanese WiiWare service sometime in September.
This gives us hope that the company's irresistibly retro take on the Blue Bomber will soon be released in other regions as well. However, Capcom remains mum regarding its agenda, leaving us to wait until E3 to find out more about its plans for the pixilated hero's WiiWare-only digital launch outside of Japan. Now where did we put those rose-colored glasses?
According to Ars Technica, Capcom's two-dimensional return to tradition in Mega Man 9 may not be confined to WiiWare, as was originally revealed in the latest issue of Nintendo Power. The report notes that the game is currently listed as an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network title on Capcom's E3 roster -- if true, Mega Man 9 would be the first downloadable game to jump through the doors of all three services.
Capcom remains quiet on the matter, however, telling us that we'll have to wait until E3 for further news. Given the publisher's continued support of both XBLA and PSN for its downloadable games, the blue bomber will likely stick with a multi-platform approach. We can't imagine how many gamers would be left seeking retrobution otherwise.
Update: Capcom has reaffirmed to Ars that Mega Man 9 is "WiiWare only."
Forget about those fancy 3D graphics and newfangled, over-the-shoulder shooting mechanics you saw in your worst nightmares. According to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Mega Man 9 is set to hop onto Nintendo's WiiWare service, complete with traditional, two-dimensional platforming and adorable retro graphics.
Scans of the magazine allegedly reveal that everybody's favorite robot boy will once again succumb to his rampant kleptomania, this time pilfering the powers of bossmen like: Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Plug Man ("Please purchase Mega Men one through eight!"), Concrete Man and the one that's sure to elicit a "woah, man," Splash Woman.
We've asked Capcom for comment, as well as permission to play the game immediately. Update: Permission denied, but game confirmed. If you want all the details, pick up this month's issue of Nintendo Power.
There are so many little factoids to take from this massive amount of data, we just don't know where to begin. Capcom has released what seems to be the life-to-date title and series sales figures on all its properties (via Next-Gen). The best-selling series is Resident Evil, with a reported 50 titles and 34.5 million unit sales. Second and third place go to Mega-Man (120 freakin' titles, 28m sales) and Street Fighter (59 titles, 23m sales), respectively.
The best-selling single game for Capcom has been Street Fighter II, released June 1992 for Super Nintendo / Super Famicom, with 6.3 million units sold. Overall, the company has had 46 titles attain platinum status. The biggest blast-from-the-past reminder for us was the Super Nintendo's Aladdin at the No. 14 best-selling title with 1.75 million unit sales.
How many times have we been sitting on the city bus, bored and without handheld, only to turn to our cellphone for some bastardized version of Snake or Bejewelled? It's not something we like to think about, being forced to drive down the nail of boredom with the Great Hammer of Meh. However, a new mobile partnership now looks to have us struggling to pull off dragon punches on our keypads as well.
According to mobile content provider Handango, the company has partnered with Capcom to bring the Street Fighter and Mega Man franchises to its online store and mobile client on BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones. Other franchises are promised as well, including miniaturized versions of Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and the deal's underwhelming debut release, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? It will be interesting to see what other Capcom franchises make the jump to mobile phones as part of this agreement, though honestly we're more interested in how in the world we're going to pull off that dragon punch.
We have to chuckle when the Capcom blog upon recognizing Mega Man holds the Guiness record for "Most Number of Games In a Single Series," admits that the franchise has been "milked like no other milking in the history of video game milkings!"
The Guinness World Record Gamer's Edition recognizes 46 Mega Man games, but the Capcom blog adds several more that were Japan-only or very much off the beaten path (Mega Man Soccer?). Capcom is actually asking for help in figuring out all the Mega Man games (not counting appearances in other titles). Whoever lists them all on the Capcom site first gets a "semi-official Capcom gold star of complementarianism" and "some kinda random prize." Good luck!
Capcom has announced that Mega Man Star Force 2 will be out for the DS in June for $30. This action-RPG follow-up to last year's game follows in its Pokemon-like style, releasing in two different editions: Zerker X Saurian and Zerker X Ninja. (Huh. Where's the love for Ninja X Saurian?)
The local- and WiFi-network-able game relies on collecting new characters and collaborating with friends. With the right connections, players assemble a "portfolio of Battle Cards with distinct attributes," according to a Capcom fact sheet. We've been trying to get the kids -- and our closeted adult gamer friends -- off Pokemon for years. Maybe this is a step in the right direction?
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