Mega Man 9 for WiiWare

[ThirdMarioBro]

Originally Posted by Kombo

Dreams do come true. The new issue of Nintendo Power is hitting mailboxes, and inside is the scoop on what we've been waiting for: Solid, concrete proof of Mega Man 9.

While there is no confirmation yet of its existence as a game for Xbox Live Arcade or the PlayStation Network, at least we do now know that it will be a downloadable game in a place where it most makes sense: WiiWare.

Further, the rumors of an 8-bit artstyle were not only true, but quite literal: So far, this looks just like one of the NES games, rather than the later fare of Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 8, each of which has its fans and detractors.

So what's the story? Apparently the rumor of a more "standard" story holds true as well, as robots are on the rampage, and Dr. Wily is back; only this time, he says that the robot attacks are the fault of Mega Man's creator, Dr. Light. And so it falls to Mega Man to prove his creator's innocence.

So who are the bad boys of metal musculature causing this high-tech havoc? The roster reads thusly: Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, Tornado Man, and Splash... Woman?

They each inhabit a trap-filled lair that reflects their respective themes, leading to Mega Man traversing molten material in Magma Man's domain, while Tornado Man's stage features spinning magnetic platforms which allow the Blue Bomber to defy gravity. And Plug Man's stage features certain walls that will force the Titanium Titan to square off against shadowy dopplegangers when he walks past.

And of course, when a Robot Master gets pwned, Mega Man will acquire their special weapons for his own personal arsenal, such as Galaxy Man's Black Hole Bombs, for which he'll have to find the next boss in line to whom it works against. Hmm, Black Hole Bomb? I bet Hornet Man might have a hard time escaping that...

The article also provides some insights from franchise mastermind Keiji Inafune of Capcom, who these days is perhaps better known for such fare as Onimusha, Dead Rising, and Lost Planet. According to Inafune, the simple fun of a classic Mega Man game "doesn't fit into the grandiose and expansive world that the consumer gaming industry has become, and so you have to make games that match the current expectations."

He goes on to say that if he did push to have a new game like the classic Mega Man made, it would be criticized for things like being simplistic, outdated, or too expensive, thus making it too difficult to bring it out in the current climate. And that's where programs like WiiWare come in, from which the popularity of retrogaming services such as the Virtual Console lead to the group to decide to make a new "NES" game.

The new game is being developed by Inti Creates, who have a wealth of experience in the Mega Man franchise with their creation of the Mega Man Zero and ZX titles, plus MegaMan Battle Chip Challenge. In addition, to celebrate Mega Man's 20th anniversary, Mega Man ZX Advent featured a mini game of three levels made in the NES Mega Man style.

For controlling the Blue Bomber, players will be able to hold the Wii Remote sideways in NES-style, with the control pad moving Mega Man and the two buttons set to Jump and Fire. Doesn't look like there will be any flashy shaking going on here.

But while he says there are no new mechanical devices for Mega Man to obtain, Inafune states that the robodog Rush makes a triumphant return, as they wanted to make sure some of the other classic characters are in.

The reason for the return to NES-style graphics is due to the desire to please longtime fans who wanted to play a new game that was like the originals. In addition, the popularity of retro graphics on things like t-shirts and other paraphernalia "made it seem like the right time" to bring out an oldschool game. Plus, they wanted to show what the upper-limits of 8-bit graphics could do.

But will we get to see an 8-bit Bass and Treble?

And in addition to the graphics, the music will be styled in an 8-bit fashion, as well as 8-bit styled cinema cutscenes. "I am sure when people see the opening scenes- new content with 8-bit graphics- they're going to be very excited."

In terms of difficulty, Inafune says they aren't holding back for players whose reflexes might have deteriorated over the years, but they will try to keep it as close to that of the NES games as possible. Sounds good to me.

While the "cycloptic monsters" (aka Devils) won't be in, Inafune promises lots of exciting new bosses, plus the return of mainstay series cannon-fodder such as Sniper Joes and Mets.

Rumors suggested that Mega Man's mysterious older brother, Proto Man, would be playable, but when asked of other playable characters, Inafune said that it's classified; "you'll have to wait and see."

With Mega Man 2 as the most highly regarded of the series, Inafune states that he'd like to surpass that with this game, and hopefully be able to make "a whole lot more."

And finally, to the Mega Man fans, he says: "The moment you've been waiting for is here! We're not just giving you Mega Man 9, we're giving you a new NES game. This is a game that brings back the fun of the old games, and I hope you all enjoy it!"

Be sure to check out The Mega Man Network for the other scans from the article and a peek at the included screens, and check out the new issue of Nintendo Power for the full interview.

Plug Man and Splash Woman...lol

Dear God, what a year for the old-schoolers. First you've got Mario & Sonic tearing each other up in March, then a revival of Wario platformers is revealed. Now we've got a sequel to the most beloved NES series behind Super Mario himself, and all in a true-blue 8-bit style. It would have been a sin against any childhood NES owner to release this on anything but a Nintendo console, and knowing Capcom's recent history, such a situation was entirely plausible. Thanks for not screwing that up Capcom.

Here's hoping this is the start of a trend on WiiWare.

Originally Posted by Nintendo Power

8-bit music

.........YES!

[Cure]

It better be 500 points then.

[ThirdMarioBro]

Haha, don't bet on it.

[poiuytre]

Capgod!

I believe a PSN version of the game was also announced a few weeks ago. And let us not forget the revival of Bionic Commando.

I've only played 3, 4 and 6 of the old Mega Man games, as well as the ZXA 8-bit minigame, but they're pretty fun. The 8-bit look and sound are going to make this game really stand out between the other games. Whether or not this will turn out to be a positive thing remains to be seen, but I'm loving the look of it so far. Day one.

::edit::
http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/ind...itle=Main_Page
Screenshots!

[Peanut]

Didn't read that ridiculously gigantic self-pimping post, but I'd rather it was on XBLA, if that wasn't stated in the news story. Anyways, a totally new 8-bit Mega Man completely f*cking blows my mind. Mega Man 2 is one of the greatest games ever made, and one of my favourites of all-time, so this is hugely satisfying news.

Also, 500 points? I'd pay 2,000+ for it.

[愛]

They're making a game with sprites. When was the last time they did that ever on a console? I'm blown away.

[Mecha Cow]

Why is 8-bit a good thing now? I'm sure the game will play fine but I'm sorry, that's more 'lazy' than 'retro' to me.

[Peanut]

In terms of Mega Man, I think it's the perfect thing to do. When you look at the fact that the only time Mega Man was good was at this point, (minus the first X game) I think it almost seems like a no-brainer. If the new Bionic Commando was 8-bit...like...no, doesn't work. There are very few series that could pull this off, and I think Mega Man is one of them.

[Ninjinister]

I saw this when I was browsing Kotaku earlier today and almost had a heart attack! Although I own no WiiWare games at this point, I am DEFINITELY getting this!

[Demented Utrom]

Usually the 8 Robot Masters, takes me about a hour to get through them.
Then Skull Castle who knows if it's 6 or 4 stages this time.

I would have prefered 16 bit graphics or higher. But 8 bit graphics is okay.
Mega Man Collection never had any flickering in the nes games I wonder if this one will. 11 years it's about time I say.

[Peanut]

I can't believe you're still alive.

[Deathknight]

*sigh* imports or Mega Man 9... decisions decisions.

[ThirdMarioBro]

8-Bit works for this because Mega Man was at his best during those years. Also, the 16-Bit and later titles suffered from one thing in particular...Mega Man was too big. On 8-bit, his smaller size made it easier to dodge projectiles.

That, and I can't wait for one more 8-bit soundtrack.

[Ninjinister]

http://kotaku.com/397414/mega-man-9-...la-psn-as-well

Confirmation on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. It's the first downloadable game that will be available on all three platforms! Win!

[poiuytre]

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thum...e-xbla-and-psn

Update: Capcom pinged us to let us know that the game is currently slated "for WiiWare only" and that the information indicating otherwise in the E3 roster was a mistake on its part.

Well, darn. Looks like I won't be getting this on day one after all.

[Ninjinister]

Yeah, I saw that this morning on Kotaku; Capcom printed a retraction. Kind of sucks, but then again, the Wii is in need for some killer apps for their download service.

[Mecha Cow]

I wouldn't worry, I really don't see this one being an exclusive.

[Dr. Doom]

I didn't grow up playing Mega Man games like most folks did. While I have vague memories of Snake Man's stage from my early childhood, the first one I actually played was X back in 4th grade (I'm a huge fan of the X Series). So while I guess I understand why everyone would be excited about the whole 8-Bit thing, my initial reaction was kinda... "I dunno how I feel about that". I know if they made Mega Man X9 and it was 16-bit, I'd think that was kind of absurd. I'm all for sprites once more in the X series, but doing the same thing there that they're doing for MM9 wouldn't really work, I don't think. That's the only comparison I can make.

[Brodie]

Is there a release date?

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by Dr. Doom

I didn't grow up playing Mega Man games like most folks did. While I have vague memories of Snake Man's stage from my early childhood, the first one I actually played was X back in 4th grade (I'm a huge fan of the X Series). So while I guess I understand why everyone would be excited about the whole 8-Bit thing, my initial reaction was kinda... "I dunno how I feel about that". I know if they made Mega Man X9 and it was 16-bit, I'd think that was kind of absurd. I'm all for sprites once more in the X series, but doing the same thing there that they're doing for MM9 wouldn't really work, I don't think. That's the only comparison I can make.

You know, a lot of people I've talked to about this have stated that they never really played the original series, but were huge fans of the X series. I love both series, although the originals have the biggest place in my heart due to playing them billions of times on the NES. Hell, I don't even own any of them, other than the PS2 collection - I played them at stores and friends' houses - and I own X for the SNES.

The thing is, the people who indicate this are like 3-5 years younger than I, normally - in other words, they were probably too young to really appreciate the NES. I'm not sure how old you are, Doom, but you've been ruling Latveria since the '70's, so I'm pretty sure you are my senior.