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Virtually Free: Mega Man 9
What is this? Could we be doing what you think we're doing? Oh yeah, baby, we totally are. We're giving one lucky Wii Fanboy reader a free copy of Capcom's retro-revival, Mega Man 9 ($10). It's too good of a game to keep to ourselves, so we reached deep down into the Wii Fanboy coffers (it's just a coffee can under our bed, but you get the idea) and sprung for enough points to gift the game out. How do you enter for your chance at the game?To enter, just leave a comment here (with a valid e-mail address!) and tell us what your favorite Mega Man boxart is (hit up the gallery below if you missed this). There's a catch, though. You must be a current and legal resident of the United States with an American Wii (sorry, Canadians, we have to leave you out of this one; blame the gifting system and not us!) and 18 years of age or older. You may enter once per day between now and Sunday, September 28th at 11:59pm ET. The contest comes to a close that night and we'll select a winner via random drawing the next day. Questions? Check out the official rules.%Gallery-32143%
Mega Man 9 DLC: You got extra modes!
Despite its rigorous, retro stylings and old-fashioned platforming, not everything in Mega Man 9 is rooted in the past -- in fact, not every thing is in Mega Man 9. Nintendo Wii Fanboy peered into the downloadable game's online instruction manual (they're really terrible at it, you see) and discovered what appears to be a list of all the game's planned downloadable content, including dates and prices.There are five pieces in total, with the first two modes, namely "Proto Man Mode" and "Endless Attack," scheduled to arrive on October 6th or 200 Wii Points and 300 Wii Points, respectively. The plans also reveal "Hero Mode," "Special Stage" and "Superhero Mode" due on October 20th. While you examine the full details after the break, we'll check in with Capcom whether all (or any) of these apply to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Mega Man 9. Gallery: Mega Man 9 DLC
Full Mega Man 9 DLC revealed
Click image for full DLC details var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Mega_Man_9_Wii_Operation_s_Guide_shows_DLC_release_schedule'; Here in the Wii Fanboy dungeons, we've been squeezing bouts of Mega Man 9 in between blogging today, and have already made an exciting discovery in the game's manual (note: you can browse this without even purchasing the title): an apparently complete list of downloadable content.According to this, five pieces of DLC will become available in the near future, including a Hero (ultra hard) and Superhero (so hard you'll cry) mode, a new Time Attack stage, the chance to play as Proto Man, and the utterly hardcore-sounding "Endless Attack," which is essentially a stage without end. These range from 100 to 300 Wii Points apiece, and you can check up on prices and release dates after the jump.%Gallery-30253%
Top 5: Mega Man Games
You know, I told myself (and others) that I wasn't going to do this. But I can't ignore it. Today is the day that Mega Man makes his glorious return. Like a modern V-day, the blue bomber is coming home and completing his duty of pleasing the hardcore enthusiasts. With a rarely-seen level of excitement and anticipation being dispersed by the gaming community, we might as well have Mega Man slowly ride the streets through a ticker-tape parade seated on top of a convertible. I didn't want to stir the pot by declaring what the best Mega Man games are due to some sacred cows surrounding the topic. But ignoring honesty for the sake of peace and comfort would be committing a great disservice to us all. We decided to take a look at the highlights of the Mega Man series. Any title in the expansive universe was acceptable. But let's be honest: there's only going to be games from the original and X series (as if Mega Man Star Force stood a chance). And with any luck, today's release will find its way onto this list. Here's a heads-up: you might not agree with these choices. I did my best to provide arguments of why every game belongs on this list and in the order that it does. In the interests of intelligent debate, please do the same in your rebuttals. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Proto Man playable in Mega Man 9 ... for a price
Want to perform a slide tackle or charge shot in Mega Man 9 this Thursday? Sorry, you're out of luck. Mega Man seems to have lost those abilities in his transition back to the NES era (even though he had those abilities from Mega Man 3 onwards, which was a NES title). There may still be a chance, though. GamesRadar is reporting that Proto Man will be a downloadable character and will have both of these abilities. You'd better get your nickels and dimes ready, though, because he's not going to be free. He should be arriving on the US PSN store during the week of October 6th and will cost you $1.99. Think of him as an "easy mode." From what we've played of Mega Man 9, by October 6th, you'll be screaming for an easy mode.
Mega Man 9 dated for North America
Everybody's favorite Mega Man -- who's not actually a man, but, in fact, a robotic boy with an insatiable lust for power and a proficiency for murderous kleptomania -- will kick off his throwback, comeback tour in North America later this month. Capcom has confirmed that Mega Man 9 will leap through Wiiware's shutter next week, on September 22nd, with the PlayStation Network version following on September 25th (for $9.99). Xbox Live Arcade will have to make do with October 1st.Whichever version you end up buying, there's no question that you'll end up dying. But hey, since it's for everlasting peace, it's for a worthy cause.%Gallery-28279%
Next Monday is Mega Man 9 Monday
Wherever you're reading this, wave your hands in the air like you just don't care, because Mega Man 9 has been dated for North America.After months of build-up and hype and oh-mai-gawd-is-this-really-happening levels of disbelief, September 22 is the date we all need to circle with copious amounts of red. That's 57 and a half hours away at the time of writing. Capcom, we think we might just love you. Best of all, North American Wii owners will be amongst the first to play the game -- Japan has to wait a further two days, and owners of other consoles will have to exercise some patience (the PS3 will get it September 25, while the Xbox 360 version is due -- snigger -- October 1).While you wait for your chance to take down the Robot Masters, pass the time by getting misty-eyed in our Mega Man boxart gallery.%Gallery-30253%
Blue Period: A collection of Mega Man boxart
When both Capcom USA and Capcom Japan released their (very different) "box designs" for the downloadable Mega Man 9, they each drew on their own histories of packaging for the series -- Capcom USA commissioning a ridiculously over-the-top image with Mega Man rendered as a low-rent space ranger, and Capcom Japan creating a dynamic, cartoony splash portrait of Mega Man surrounded by Robot Masters. Capcom Europe doesn't seem to have done anything in particular.With Mega Man boxart nostalgia more relevant than ever, we thought we would collect Mega Man boxarts in a handy annotated gallery. But this gallery doesn't feature every Mega Man boxart. Since Mega Man happens to be the most prolific game series ever, we had to put some stringent restrictions on what we would include. These restrictions are reasonably effective hints about just how many games there are: No spinoffs. Including games not starring the original Blue Bomber would have meant hundreds more images. This is about Mega Man anyway, not those other jokers. No handheld games. Sorry, Game Boy Mega Man fans! This also means no Game Gear Mega Man, no GBA Mega Man & Bass, and no Rockman Battle & Fighters. The only exception, as pointed out by reader Antonio: the PSP Mega Man: Powered Up, which has really great boxes anyway, and which we forgot we weren't supposed to put in. No awful PC remakes. Enough time has been spent on those games. Which is to say, any amount of time. No guest appearances. Sure, SNK Vs. Capcom Card Fighters Clash has Mega Man in it, but it's not a Mega Man game. Same with Cannon Spike and a hundred other games. Don't worry, there's still plenty left to look at! This way to the gallery!
Virtually Overlooked: Mega Man Soccer
I'm in official PANIC MODE EXTREME over Mega Man 9. I basically freak out every time I see it or am otherwise reminded of its existence. A brand new 8-bit-style Mega Man game, that isn't a spinoff of any kind, is both far too good to be true and the weirdest thing Capcom's done in years. And it reminded me of other weird Mega Man games Capcom's put out over the years. I can't decide what's weirder: an 8-bit game made in 2008 for all three of today's home game consoles, or a game in which robots built to shoot at each other face off in soccer matches.
Splash Woman is doing it for the girls
Following Plug Man's unveiling yesterday, GamesRadar has media and details on one of Mega Man 9's more historic Robot Masters. Splash Woman is the first ever female boss in the series, and grants Mega Man the fantastic-looking Laser Trident when defeated, a weapon that can pass through walls and damage otherwise invincible objects and areas.The actual fight looks excellent, as well: after completing Splash Woman's mostly underwater level, Mega Man has to dodge her trident shots, as she warbles her siren song, calling on her ferocious fishy friends to attack you. It's sort of cute. Head to our gallery for new screens and sprites of both her and Plug Man.%Gallery-30253%
Capcom creates retro-mazing Mega Man 9 'packaging'
Your eyes are only slightly deceiving you. What you're looking at sadly isn't some sort of amazing, limited edition retail release of the upcoming Mega Man 9 for WiiWare, PSN, and XBLA; it's actually amazing NES-era replica packaging for the game's press kit, right down to an NES cartridge turned CD case.Both the box and cartridge sport the wonderful, intentionally awful MM9 art first seen on Capcom staff T-Shirts at this year's E3. These asset discs are intended for members of the press, but, obviously realizing that it had created something destined to be the object of unbridled fanboy lust, Capcom is considering releasing 200 or so to the public via its online store, along with a voucher for the game download. [Update: Thanks to Capcom's Seth Killian for sending along much nicer shots of the packaging – check out the shrink wrap and oodles of goofy text! – which you can view by clicking on the gallery links below.]%Gallery-32129%
Mega Man 9's newest boss: Plug Man
With just a week left until the Japanese release, Capcom has released character art and new screens of another of Mega Man 9's bosses, Plug Man. Before he was turned to eeevil, Plug Man supervised a factory's production of televisions. Now he jumps and shoots. His weapon, which imbues Mega Man with a white and light pink color scheme, is the Plug Ball, an electrical projectile that follows the contours of the terrain, even going up walls. Basically, it's the Search Snake.Apparently, the famitsu.com writer testing the game was so enthused that the site ran pictures of him playing it, complete with the standard arms-raised victory pose. That's a pretty good sign.%Gallery-30253%
Wii Warm Up: The best of the Mega Man games
We already asked you about going through the original Mega Man games before Mega Man 9 releases, but we thought we'd also ask you all which of the Mega Man games is your favorite. So, which game is it? Also, do you enjoy the original Mega Man games, or are you more for the newer spin-offs, such as the X series or the Battle Network games?
Show and Tell: For the love of a character
A big part of Nintendo (and gaming) fandom seems to be linked to the appreciation -- nay, love -- of certain characters, and that's what we're exploring in this week's edition of Show and Tell. It's all about characters and the things we do in honor of them. Take the guided tour, or jump all willy-nilly into the gallery below.%Gallery-31978% Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest. Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
VC Monday Madness: Mega Man 2 [update 2]
Update 2: Video is back!Mega Man 2 is something folks can talk at length about. Whether it's strategy involving the 8 initial bosses and their stages, or the bickering between which weapon is the best, it's a game that many hold near and dear to their hearts. If you're a gamer in their 20-somethings, you likely remember this being one of the greatest games of your life. And, to celebrate the upcoming Mega Man 9, it's released to the Virtual Console. If you can't download this amazing game for $5, or don't already own it, you're doing yourself a great disservice. Everyone should spend some time with this game at least one time in their life. Each week, we here at Wii Fanboy like to check out the latest Virtual Console releases in our VC Monday Madness feature, in the hopes that you can make the most sound decision possible regarding purchasing retro titles from the Wii Shop Channel. If you're looking for more retro goodness, check out Virtually Overlooked, which talks about games that should be on the Virtual Console.
Mega Man 2 jumps onto Virtual Console platform
It's Monday morning, which, of course, means it's time to fill the Virtual Console E-Tank with surly robots, a mad scientist and mechanical vehicles galore – just what every gamer needs to start their week off right. Mega Man 2 (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Capcom's diminutive Blue Bomber returns alongside an assortment of vehicles and weapons in order to battle the likes of an anthropomorphic Zippo lighter, no doubt in an effort to get back into shape for his upcoming ninth attempt at putting Dr. Wily in his place.
Retail and download releases for the week of September 15th
As suspected, today sees the release of SBCG4AP's second episode, Strong Badia the Free. What's surprising, however, is the two other games available for download through your Wii. One of them is a WiiWare game we know little about, and the other is an old NES game about a robotic boy that likes the color blue. OMG what is it?!Head past the break and find out!%Gallery-31738%
Your Saturday just got better: Mega Man 9 songs
While Siliconera has put up an some excellent impressions of Mega Man 9's official soundtrack in Japan, Rockman 9: The Ambition's Revival!!, Youtube user Blulohhoi has taken it a step further, posting 21 songs from the 31-track production for fans to stream and enjoy.So far, Blulohhoi has put up the tracks in five videos, one we've embedded above and the other four we've tucked past the post break. Make sure to listen to Part 5 at the 00:12 mark for the shop theme -- it's aces.%Gallery-30253%
Mega Man 9 out in Japan Sept. 24
Capcom has announced that the Blue Bomber will return in Japan for Mega Man 9 on September 24. Wii Fanboy has noted the irony in the traditional game's nontraditional Wednesday release -- typically, Japanese WiiWare games come out on Tuesdays.Now, we patiently await the official announcement of Mega Man 9's alleged September release date in North America and its possible release in Europe this year.[Via Wii Fanboy]%Gallery-28279%
