We love Mega Man. In fact, when Mega Man 9 was announced, we ran around picking up random telephones looking for a way out of what we thought was surely The Matrix. Seriously, how could something so good happen to us? It seemed like a dream. And now, this trailer for a fan-made Mega Man movie by Eddie Lebron is along those lines. It's like the guy broke into our office windowless prison cell and picked the small lock we have on our diary. Then, he read that diary.
But, in all seriousness, what is the deal with Dr. Wily's 'stache? That thing looks rabid and might need to be put down.
"There's only one undiscovered Mega Man 9 secret that I know about ... I don't predict anyone will discover this one for quite a while yet," Killian said over at the Capcom boards. Of course, with this, many have launched themselves into the thread, anxious to be the one who finds this last hidden gem in what is, indeed, itself a gem.
Capcom has sent out screens of this week's available Mega Man 9 DLC, including the new Special Stage and the two Hard Modes. We don't know if these screens originate from Hard or Expert Mode, but whatever version of the game this is, it is ridiculous. It's making us nervous just to look at it.
There are also new screens from the super-cool Endless Mode included with the last round of DLC, as well as a character portrait for Fake Man, which seems to confirm that it is the police robot and not ... who we thought it might be. Who knows? Capcom could still be misleading us.
We'd mostly like to check in: How is your progress in Mega Man 9? If you never bought it, are you thinking about it? If you have purchased it, how far have you gotten? To be a bit more timely with our discussion topic, have you picked up any of the downloadable content? The Special Stage available today sounds especially interesting -- and it happens to cost a mere 100 points, or 1/5 of the cost of Urban Champion.
Basically, we just want to know: are you still enjoying the return of Mega Man?
Mega Man 9 producer Hironobu Takeshita may have revealed the new Robot Master at the end of next week's downloadable Special Stage, or ... he may not have. "His name is Fake Man. He appears on the special stage available in downloadable content." Takeshita offers a vague hint about his identity, but the need for hinting is seemingly obviated by the picture of what might be Fake Man, posted right under this statement in his GameSpot interview. It's the robot cop (not RoboCop) who Wily used to capture Dr. Light.
However, something about the name "Fake Man" -- not to mention one or two hints given in-game -- makes us think that picture is leading us away from the true identity of the boss. We're willing to drop 100 points next week to find out.
The first two downloadable content updates for Mega Man 9 are officially available today. The first, Endless Attack Mode, offers a new, never-ending endurance-style level, for 300 Wii Points. The second, more widely discussed update, adds a playable Proto Man to the game, for 200 points. Proto Man can slide and charge his weapon (though the blast isn't as large as a fully-charged Mega Buster), and he has a shield that blocks shots while jumping, but he also has double the recoil and takes double the damage of Mega Man. Furthermore, he can't use the Shop and he has no story of his own.
Most importantly -- and about which we are the most pleased -- the Proto Man whistle plays at the beginning of every life or every level. You can read more about the details of the Proto Man DLC here, or, of course, you could go download it! Just look in the "Downloadable Content" area of the game instead of somewhere in the Wii Shop. You wouldn't want to feel as stupid as we did.
Remember the Mega Man 9 press kit? Of course you do -- a better question may be "Have you been able to drive the Mega Man 9 press kit out of your thoughts for even a single, restful second?" Well, if you're freaking out about this item, you should take your nervous energy and put it to good use on Capcom's Mega Man forum.
The Capcom Unity staffers are picking worthy fans and handing them redemption codes for free press kits. The item is apparently hidden in the store somewhere, priced exorbitantly, but we haven't been able to find it. If you are in the mood to spend money on one of these, there's always eBay.
Looking for a little help tackling those tough bosses in Mega Man 9? Not as skilled a gamer as you thought you were when you were a young'n? Well, you're in luck.
Gamesradar has put together a nice guide on how to take out the evil robot trash, providing basic help for each boss encounter, as well as a good strategy on the order you should be battling each one. So, if you're sick of dying over and over again without getting anywhere, then check it out.
We've come to the conclusion of our latest giveaway, perhaps our greatest giveaway. Why our greatest? Well, even though we've hooked up people with plenty of copies of No More Heroes, Mega Man 9 is a shining beacon of hope that the future could be filled with more of these kinds of games. More retro revivals plz, amirite?
Well, enough of that. On to choosing our winner! It is:
Congratulations, oddfellow. We'd like to thank you all for stopping by our little corner of the internet and we wish the rest of you better luck in the future!
Ugh, I'm so sick with the obsession over Mega Man 9. WE GET IT, IT'S A RETRO GAME. WHOOPEE. No, seriously, I'm sick of my own obsession with it. I still haven't picked up Wario Land: Shake It!, de Blob, or NHL 2K9. That's mainly because I've spent every waking moment enjoying the blue bomber's latest outing. My Wii Fit board is scolding me for its lack of use, my girlfriend is feeling neglected, and apparently my judgment is slipping. But there's something about the game that just won't let go of me. The thing should be illegal for its extremely addictive nature, right next to heroin and Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips.
I usually fall behind on discussing recent games, as I like to take awhile to fully absorb and process the arts and entertainment before I comment on it. But I think my Wii's play log will testify that I've made myself quite familiar with the title. The main quest is conquered, the event challenges are being slowly but steadily checked off the list, and I'm trying my best to climb the leaderboards of the time attack levels. Without any further ego-stroking, here's the top five things we love about Mega Man 9. Then we won't talk about it for a few weeks. Promise! ... maybe.
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.
Mega Man 9 is back-to-basics in more than just the graphics. Rush can no longer turn into shoulder pads, for example. There's no charge ability for the Mega Buster, nor are there the shot upgrades available in Mega Man 8's store. You can't even slide any longer. If we were going to get into Mega Man X, we could add the wall-clinging business as well.
Is there one addition to the post-Mega Man 2 world that you miss the most? The Mega Buster? Sliding? Clown Man's voice acting?
Arguably the two most eagerly awaited Wii games of September have something slightly unusual and wholly awesome in common: they're both 2D. Mega Man 9 and Wario Land: Shake It! have each been widely lauded for daring to ignore the third dimension, but they're still quite different in terms of how they use 2D.
Mega Man 9 rejects all modern graphical conventions, taking the player through a timewarp to 1988 with its intentionally blocky, charming sprites. Conversely, Wario Land: Shake It! is straight from the Metal Slug school of design, in that it uses painstakingly detailed, beautiful hand-drawn art. Which do the Wii Fanboy staff prefer? Read on to hear both sides of the argument!
We barely need to write anything here this week, do we?
Mega Man 9 -- WiiWare -- 1000 Wii Points
Helix -- WiiWare -- 1000 Wii Points
Strong Bad Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free -- WiiWare -- 1000 Wii Points
Helix is a dance-cum-exercise game from Ghostfire which was deemed above-average by critics, if not exactly essential. Strong Bad Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free falls into the same trap as Super Dodge Ball did in North America, in that it's a great, worthwhile title that was regrettably released the same week as Mega Man 9. And Mega Man 9, well, you know all about that. It's totally awesome and rad. Buy it.
Mega Man 9 hit WiiWare (and the PS3's service) this week, and is just around the corner for Xbox owners. We won't hold it against you (much) if you're not getting it on the Wii (for shame). We just want to know if you got it (or are going to), and if so, is it all you dreamed of and more? We heard from several people when JC's review debuted, but that was days ago. The way some of you were playing, you're probably now stuck in all-new areas.
What's the best way to show off the fact that you've been spending the last few days of your life being punished severely by a video game? Other than the murderous look that comes from spending too much time in Dr. Wily's Castle, we think that the official Mega Man 9t-shirt is the most effective method of sharing your pain.
Capcom's online store is now taking preorders for the black shirt featuring the American Mega Man 9"boxart" for shipping on September 30. It costs $24.95 plus shipping, which is actually quite a bit more than the game costs -- but it's entirely worth it when you consider that the "proprietary MegaWeave™ technology provides improved gaming performance in Mega Man® 9 and all other Capcom titles." Sorry, Roll's Item Shop shoppers -- Capcom doesn't accept screws!
[Minor update: it appears that leaving an item in your cart and then backing out with your browser's 'back' button triggers a survey pop-up that, when completed, nets you 10% off your purchase!]
Guess what? We're all about Mega Man 9. Check out our review of the game right here, as well as our top 5 favorite things about the game. Heck, while you're at it, check out our column on Mega Man Legends, as well as our top 5 favorite Mega Man games. Oh, and be sure to read our latest Point/Counterpoint feature, where Mega Man is in the spotlight.
