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Mega Man X, Game Boy Mega Man $2 each on eShop through Wednesday
Starting today and ending December 18, players can pick up downloadable copies of Capcom's landmark SNES platformer Mega Man X and bite-sized Game Boy series entry Mega Man for $2 each from Nintendo's eShop. The sale discounts the Wii U Virtual Console version of Mega Man X (regularly $7.99) and the 3DS VC port of the Game Boy Mega Man (regularly $3.99). Note that these limited-time sale prices are only available via their respective platforms, as Nintendo does not offer the ability to purchase eShop content via PCs. This week's sale is apparently the first of several "2 Games, 2 Dollars each, 2 Days" deals planned for the eShop, though details regarding future sales have not been revealed. The sale price for both games will remain in effect through 8:59 a.m. PST on December 18.
Officially licensed Mega Man board game blasts Kickstarter for mega bucks
Jasco Games took to Kickstarter to fund an officially-licensed Mega Man board game -called Mega Man The Board Game, appropriately enough - seeking $70,000 on the crowdfunding platform by January 19. After about 24 hours of life, it has already earned over $160,000. Our expert analysis leads us to deduce that people must really like Mega Man. The core version of the board game celebrates the Blue Bomber's 25th anniversary with nine colorless figurines, four of which are Mega Man, four robot masters and one Dr. Wily for $70. The $140 deluxe version adds Jasco Games' Time Man and Oil Man expansion to complement the game's multiple 40-card player decks, individual robot master game boards and dozens of token pieces. The board game creators set up 11 stretch goals to continue the crowdfunding campaign, starting at $80,000 and working up to $500,000, the latter adding a fresh coat of paint to every figure. It will add more goals as they unlock, and five have already been met, bringing about alternate Mega Man figures, Guts Man and Fire Man expansions.
Mega Man designer's Kaio: King of Pirates docks in 2014
Bad news, landlubbers: It looks like Keiji Inafune's Kaio: King of Pirates won't hit the 3DS until next year. The game's official website includes both English- and Japanese-language versions of its text, and as you can see at the bottom-right of the page, the game's release window has changed to a firm 2014. Unfortunately, waiting for Inafune's cutesy pirate adventure is nothing new for fans. We first reported on Kaio: King of Pirates in 2011, at which time it was supposed to hit the 3DS in 2012. Obviously, that never happened, and almost nothing has been said of why the game has been in development for all these years.
Dead Rising 3 includes Mega Man gear, if you can earn it
By now it has become series tradition, so it's little surprise to learn that Dead Rising 3 allows players to equip items straight out of Mega Man X. Slightly more surprising are the lengths you'll need to go to in order to earn your Mega Man X costume and Mega Buster weapon. In previous Dead Rising entries, most of the Mega Man-themed equipment could be found by raiding the right stores, but Dead Rising 3 demands players complete the game twice to earn the full ensemble. Once to earn the costume, then again on Nightmare Mode (which reinstates the classic Dead Rising time limit) to earn the Mega Buster. That may seem like a lot of effort for fan service, but if past Dead Rising games are any indication, the Mega Buster should be an obscenely over-powered weapon that destroys zombies (and most boss characters) in a single shot.
Mega Man anniversary, Symphony of the Night remix albums released [update]
Update: This post's lede is meant to reference the absence of a new Mega Man game, but is written in a way that suggests Capcom was not involved in the production of these albums. Capcom Community Manager Brett Elston pitched and oversaw the production of both albums, meaning both are a collaboration between the publisher and fans of the series. Capcom didn't do much for the 25th anniversary of Mega Man, but its fans sure did! Two new albums celebrating the series' sonic history, MM25: Mega Man Rocks and For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man, are ready to bring back fond memories of the blue bomber's legacy via waveforms. MM25: Mega Man Rocks is an 18-track effort from six bands; Armcannon, The Megas, Mega Ran, X-Hunters, The Protomen and Bit Brigade. MM25 also features new songs - The Protomen's "Built to Last" and Mega Ran's "20XX" - so there should be something here for you even if you've recently been to a show. For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man boasts 21 remixes from the fine musicians at OC Remix, all of which originate from the first game in a Mega Man series. To be specific, the album features re-imagined tracks from Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Battle Network, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX and Mega Man Star Force. Both of these albums are available on iTunes for $9.99. If you've spent more of your time whipping Medusa heads out of the air and eating questionably-stored chickens, Dj Cutman has released Nerdcore Instrumentals, a free remix album dedicated to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's soundtrack. Cutman writes on the album's site that the involved beats were produced by Sammus and mastered by himself, describing the venture as an "experiment" to use techniques he would typically "reserve for dance music on hiphop instrumentals." [Thanks, Dj Cutman!]
Capcom 30th Anniversary Encyclopedia now on Amazon
Those who didn't grab Capcom 30th Anniversary Character Encyclopedia at its New York Comic Con debut can breathe a sigh of relief: If you've got $11, you can now grab a copy at Amazon. For that money (less than half of what the book was going for at Comic Con), you'll receive a 208-page, full-color, hardcover tome filled with artwork and character profiles drawn from the last 30 years of Capcom games. Obviously you'll see Ryu, Mega Man and Capcom's other poster children among the 200 characters detailed in the book, but there are also more esoteric entries which exist purely to fill in minor bits of backstory and to give devoted Capcom geeks a wry smile of vague recognition. You can find more information on the Encyclopedia at Capcom Unity, but please ignore the part about an Amazon Prime discount. Whether you're a member of that service or not, the Encyclopedia will set you back $10.39.
Mega Man 25th anniversary compilation album announced
Video game soundtrack distributor Sumthing Else Music Works has teamed up with Capcom to deliver MM25: Mega Man Rocks, an upcoming compilation album featuring 18 fan-made tracks and remixes inspired by the Mega Man series and its many spinoffs. Featured artists include The Megas, Mega Ran, Arm Cannon, X-Hunters and Bit Brigade. Rock opera outfit The Protomen will also contribute three tracks to the album, including the never-before-released "Built To Last." MM25: Mega Man Rocks will be available for purchase from iTunes, Amazon.com, and Sumthing Else Music Works' website on October 29. Samples are available at Sumthing.com.
Mighty No. 9 adds Vita and 3DS to stretch goals
Mighty No. 9 will head to 3DS and PlayStation Vita if its Kickstarter project reaches $3.5 million, a project update revealed today. Comcept has raised over $2.6 million in its crowdfunding campaign so far, which is scheduled to end on Tuesday, October 1. Meanwhile, the campaign's previously announced $3.3 million goal would bring the game to PS4 and Xbox One, and the game will already come to PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U thanks to reaching its $2.2 million goal. Mighty No. 9 is a 2D side-scrolling platformer from Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune. The retro-inspired Mega Man spiritual successor includes a Boss Rush mode and will seek a balance between old-school difficulty and fair, modern gameplay. Comcept noted that, providing the $3.5 million stretch goal is met, Abstraction Games will be in charge of the Mighty No. 9 port to handheld systems, the same developer that brought Hotline Miami to PS3 and Vita.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate features Mega Man-style boss progression
Batman won't be squaring off against eight Robot Masters created by Dr. Wily, but his upcoming game Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will still take some lessons from old-school platformer Mega Man. Players will choose the order of boss fights, a la Mega Man, which will lead to more gameplay variety on repeat playthroughs, director Mark Pacini said during an interview with Polygon. The Mega Man comparisons don't stop there, either. Defeating a boss will earn you a specific item tied to that character, which Batman can subsequently use to make future engagements easier. Unfortunately, it's unlikely Bats will get to summon a flying robo-dog during his adventures in Blackgate.
The spiritual successor to Mega Man is Mighty No. 9, and it's coming to Mac
Over the long holiday weekend, former Capcom game developer and father of the Mega Man franchise, Keiji Inafune, launched a Kickstarter campaign for his next game. It's called Mighty No. 9, and in the roughly 48 hours that has passed since the crowdfunding began, it has raised over US$1.35 million. The game's original goal amount was $900,000, with a series of stretch goals that reach all the way to $2.5 million. Having just passed the $1.35 million goal, Mighty No. 9 is now officially coming to Mac. You can score your own digital copy of the game -- which is scheduled to launch in April 2015 (yikes) -- for a $20 contribution, though if you've got some extra cash to drop, you can offer as much as $10,000. A donation of that size scores you a metric ton of bonus goodies as well as dinner and drinks with lead developer Inafune himself.
Game Boy Mega Man games headed to 3DS Virtual Console
After recently completing the NES Mega Man hexalogy on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, Capcom has announced plans to bring six additional Game Boy Mega Man games to the Nintendo eShop in the coming months. The monochrome Game Boy versions of Mega Man II, III, IV, and V are next up in Capcom's 3DS Virtual Console schedule. The first entry in the series, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, hit the service back in 2011. Capcom additionally announced plans to release 3DS Virtual Console versions of Mega Man Xtreme and Mega Man Xtreme 2, both of which are built on remixed elements from the Mega Man X series. A recent ESRB ratings submission suggests that Mega Man's Game Gear spinoff may also be on tap for a Virtual Console release.
Game Gear Mega Man listed by ESRB, hinting at eShop release
Mega Man fans may soon get a chance to play one of the series' lesser-known entries via Nintendo's Virtual Console service. A recent ESRB ratings submission suggests that the Sega Game Gear version of Mega Man is on its way to the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Developed by Freestyle and originally published by U.S. Gold in 1995, Mega Man's sole Game Gear outing mashes together elements from Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 5, with uneven results. If nothing else, the eShop release will be significantly cheaper and easier to find than a cartridge copy, as original Game Gear Mega Man carts are currently selling for around $40 on eBay. As of last week, all six NES Mega Man games are now available in the 3DS eShop. After the Game Gear version of Mega Man launches, Capcom may turn its attention to the remaining Game Boy entries in the series, following up on the 2011 Virtual Console release of Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge. Here's hoping that we'll see a port of Mega Man: The Wily Wars at some point.
Super Smash Bros: What happens when Kirby eats Mega Man is 'classified'
Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai may have been forthcoming about the new Super Smash Bros' lack of cross-platform play, but when it came to the really important information, he was still pretty cagey. For example, what could be more important than finding out what happens when Kirby eats Smash newcomer Mega Man? These are two gaming icons whose main ability is to steal the abilities of others. For all we know, Kirby swallowing Mega Man could create a rift in the fabric of reality, destroying all life as we know it. Alas, Sakurai wouldn't give us much information. "A lot of what you're asking is still classified," he told us through an interpreter at E3. "As far as the physical appearance of Kirby," he said, "I think what you imagine is probably pretty close to what will actually happen." Sakurai put his hands next to his head, in what we're pretty sure was the international sign for "Mega Man's helmet." We followed up by asking if Kirby would be gifted with a Mega Buster. "He's got little tiny arms, so who knows."
Mega Man 5 OST busts into the Capcom Store
The original soundtrack for Mega Man 5 is now available for $8.95 on Capcom's official shop; it's almost as if they planned its release to coincide with the debut of Mega Man 5 on the 3DS Virtual Console. What a weird coincidence! At 57 hot jams long, Mega Man 5's soundtrack was composed by Mari Yamaguchi, who was often credited mononymously (as "Mari") for her work at Capcom. She also composed the music for Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts and several of the songs on the Breath of Fire soundtrack, in addition to handling arrangement duties for the TurboGrafx-16 version of Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition. Yamaguchi returned to the Mega Man franchise in 2010, penning the stage theme for Mega Man 10's Sheep Man.
This backlit Mega Man 25th anniversary NES has style
Who could possibly want a statue to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Mega Man when you know that somewhere out there a Blue Bomber-adorned NES exists? Ryan Fitzpatrick (aka Platinumfungi) created this one-of-a-kind blue NES, which features a backlit Mega Man on top of the case with a rather slick paint job. Fitzpatrick has a bunch of photos of the system on his Facebook page. One issue we have is that it just wouldn't feel right to play any NES game on it that isn't the best Mega Man game ever, Mega Man 2.
Capcom encases 3DS, 3DS XL in vintage Mega Man look
Capcom has taken part in an ongoing observation of Mega Man's 25th anniversary with statues, soundtrack releases, USB drives, and even an officially promoted fan game. As we stretch into year two of the 25th anniversary celebration, Capcom is producing a Mega Man-themed case for 3DS and 3DS XL. At first blush, outfitting a 3DS in Mega Man garb seems like a cruel tease, after the death of Mega Man Legends 3. But Capcom is releasing all of the NES Mega Mans on the handheld's Virtual Console (it's up to 4 now), making an NES-style Mega Man motif appropriate. The case will be on sale at Comic-Con, as well as at Capcom's online store.
Mega Man 3 soundtrack now available
A digital version of Mega Man 3's official soundtrack is now available through Capcom's equally intangible web store, for the default price of $8.95.The 39 track album includes such classics as "Shall we go on a Magnetic Continuous tour?" and the game's title screen theme, which has been scientifically proven to be one of the most effective pump-up jams of all time.The soundtrack was composed by Capcom composer/sound designer Yasuaki Fujita, under the alias "Bun Bun." Fujita was also responsible for the soundtracks to NES versions of The Little Mermaid and Darkwing Duck, as well as Panic in Nakayoshi World, which as far as we can tell is some kind of Sailor Moon/Bomberman thing.
Mega Man 2 OST now available through Capcom
Capcom's ongoing quest to make all of the original NES Mega Man soundtracks legally available in the US continues this week, with the release of Mega Man 2's official soundtrack over at the Capcom store. The 42 track album (!) is available digitally for $8.95.Mega Man 2's soundtrack was composed by Takashi Tateishi, who also composed the music for the arcade version of Willow and U.N. Squadron, among other things. His work on Mega Man 2 was credited under the alias "Ogeretsu Kun," a practice which was not entirely uncommon for Capcom at the time. Additional contributions to the soundtrack were also made by Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae.In related news, the music from Dr. Wily's castle is still the hottest jam.
Play a game of Mega Man ZZZZZZ with this pillow set
We understand that you're on the fringe of sleeping – a renegade REMer who doesn't conform to society's rules of rest – but you've seriously got to stop using that Dead or Alive 5 body pillow; it's gross. Enter this more wholesome and elaborate Mega Man sleeping ensemble from Capcom, including a Mega Buster pillow you can slide your arm into and a Mega Man helmet pillow you can slide your head into.The kit isn't for sale yet – it's coming in July – but Capcom has already opened up pre-orders through its Japanese site. The helmet and cannon will set you back ¥6,090 (around $60). Not listed: the price of waking from a dream world where Mega Man Universe exists only to find out it doesn't exist at all.
Mega Man's Bass and Treble in figure form this summer
Capcom is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Mega Man in every way it can think of outside of video games. Next up is a US release of Bandai's D-Arts Bass and Treble figures, based on the sorta evil robot and his dog from Mega Man & Bass and Mega Man 8, coming this summer as a two-pack for $42.99.They look pretty cool, for the Mega Man universe "giant-footed anime robots" definition of cool. They join a D-Arts Mega Man/Rush set released in January.
