Meteor Crimson Battle hits Nintendo Channel

For you Mega Man Star Force 3 owners, you can grab the special card Meteor Crimson Battle from the Wii’s Nintendo Channel this week. This powerful giga class card summons the game’s last boss to dish out some severe damage to your enemies. Yeah, it is kind of a game spoiler, but the game has also been out for a month now. I think that’s the fair time limit.

News Credit: Protodude’s Rockman Corner

Capcom on Star Force 3: Noise Kaizou Gear is Out, DLC is in

So Star Force 3 has been out for a bit, and I’m certain many are enjoying this vastly superior entry in the series (I know I am). However as some who have played the Japanese version may know, certain things are not available in this game, notably the Noise Kaizou Gear, Rezon Cards andSecret Satellite Server Brothers. These features were much like Wave Command Codes in that you could input a series of taps on the Touch Screen to power yourself up in various ways. For reasons “unknown” these were omitted from the North American release of the game and not surprisingly, there was great rage among the fandom (somewhat justified since this’ll have been what, the 3rd time that a game in the BN/SF series had some major things removed from the North American release).

Long story short, this was brought up on the Capcom Unity forums in a thread that Seth has graciously taken the time to not only answer, but look into things regarding the manner. After a few days he was able to give us some answers;

Here is the info I received from Japan. It’s a bit of a game of “telephone” where my original questions have mutated a bit in translation, but hopefully you can get the gist of it.

- Noise Kaizou Gear
This is a set of licensing item (cards), so it’s not available in US territory.

* But, we’re distributing “White Cards” (one specific kind of cards available in this Noise Kaizou Gear) on our official website.

– Rezon cards
This is a part of “Noise Kaizou Gear”, so it’s not available in US territory.

* We’re not planning to distribute them on our official website.

- Secret Satellite Server

This is a booklet published by Capcom Japan, and it’s not available in US territory.

* But, we’re distributing some of the “Cipher Codes” (which are included in this booklet) on our official website.
- Meteor Server

If this means the “Meteor Server” which the powered up boss appears after collecting certain number of stars on title menu, it’s available in US version, too.

For the record, nobody on the US side made a decision to remove any content–it seems to be a licensing issue. There will be some additional free content coming to Wii-ware soon, as well as more website content, but that’s the best info I could get at the moment.

best,

Seth

He also mentions that there will be extra cards coming to the Nintendo Channel that you can download using your Wii.

There you have it. Capcom of America didn’t remove these features out of pure spite, but didn’t have any choice in the matter due to Licencing issues. They are however going the extra mile and giving downloadable content, though I imagine this won’t be quite satisfying to some people. Reminds me of the missing Boktai features of BN6 (Konami of America wanted them out, so Capcom removed them and as compensation inserted side quests that required the use of an E Reader in Japan), but nowhere near as drastic.

Keep in mind however that NONE of these features are required to finish the game or access hidden areas. You can visit each map in Star Force 3 provided you meet the conditions for them (Standard Complete, etc). That said, get off their backs already.

Mega Man Star Force 3 demo renewed

A demo of Mega Man Star Force 3 consisting of five battles was made available a couple weeks ago on the Wii’s Nintendo Channel. But if you happened to miss it, fear not, the demo is up again, and will be available until the 12th of July. If you’ve been on the fence about picking up the greatest entry in the Star Force series, then don’t miss out on this opportunity!

For instructions on how to download from the Nintendo Channel onto your DS, check out the second half of our last post.

Interview with SF3 producer Horinouchi, quick mention of Operate Shooting Star

For those of you currently enjoying Mega Man Star Force 3, you may want to head over to a GameTrailers interview with the series producer Takeshi Horinouchi, where he curtly discusses his likes in the gaming industry, his hobbies and other tidbits. He also makes a quick mention of what’s likely Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star in this question:

WHAT GAMES ARE YOU PLAYING FOR FUN RIGHT NOW?
A remake of Megaman Battle Network which I’ve been working on.

Personally, he still sounds a bit vague to me about whether he means a remake of the series, or a remake of the actual first game in the series. At the World Hobby Fair earlier in Japan, Horinouchi allegedly said the title is a “plus alpha port of EXE.” “Plus alpha” is Japanese term meaning “a little something extra,” essentially. More finesse. It appears this is why there’s some confusion over whether or not Operate Shooting Star will be a direct remake.

Additionally, Horinouchi let go this vague but inspiring tidbit:

ANY SECRETS OR PREVIEWS YOU CAN SHARE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THE MEGA MAN SERIES IN THE FUTURE?
We are already moving ahead with several new plans not limited to a specific target or hardware, and are working hard to be able to tell you more about it. Please stay tuned!

Incidentally, you may be unaware that Ken Souther, the shopkeeper in the Star Force series, is a caricature based on Horinouchi. The following question makes the fact that much more apparent:

WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO FOR FUN BESIDES GAMING?
Surfing and yoga.

Star Force 3 Important Contest Update

As all of you know, the Mega Man Star Force contest was supposed to end tonight. I’m very pleased with the massive amount of entries we have received so far. All the entries are fantastic.

However, I need to announce a scheduling change.
I’ve had a death in the family and need to attend the services. So, needless to say, I will be away for just a few days.

The contest will be EXTENDED to July 3rd. I will return the day of the 4th, and the results will most likely be posted that day. I apologize for this delay, and thank you guys for your understanding.

Star Force 3 Pick-Up Reminder

Hopefully, most of you catch this before you go out, today. Because the Star Force games are not first party games (Like Mario & Pokemon are to Nintendo or Halo is to Microsoft), and also because they don’t generate insane amounts of hype (like Grand Theft Auto IV, Street Fighter IV), you most likely are not going to get Star Force 3 today.

Yes, today is the 30th, the release date. That really should serve as a “ship” date, or the date that most stores receive the games. That simply means that the game will be ready for pick up tomorrow, July 1st.

You can still call the store you pre-ordered or plan to pick up from and check if they got the game today. The most likely situation is that you’ll have to wait until tomorrow, so don’t freak out if they told you they don’t have it today.

Official Capcom press release (which confirms the game ships to retailers today):

Two Versions of the Game — Black Ace and Red Joker — Double the Possibilities

San Mateo, Calif — June. 30, 2009 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Mega Man Star Force ® 3 (MMSF3) for Nintendo DS™ has shipped to North American retailers. Mega Man Star Force 3 comes in two different versions, Black Ace and Red Joker, allowing friends to share unique items and powers utilizing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, enhancing their individual characters. Mega Man Star Force 3 is rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and carries a suggested retail price of $29.99.

As in the previous games, Mega Man Star Force 3 is a unique blend of an action and role-playing game (RPG), combining the high intensity combat that is the hallmark of Mega Man® games with Star Force’s strategic battle system. By defeating enemies and boss characters, players earn “battle cards” that enhance and evolve Mega Man’s abilities and attacks.

New to Mega Man Star Force 3 are “Noise Changes,” random enhancements that change Mega Man’s form and unlock new abilities. The two versions of the game, Black Ace and Red Joker, each have over 100 unique Noise Types that can be combined with Mega Man to unlock elemental powers based on earth, air, water and fire. The new Noise feature will add an exciting randomness to battles, encouraging players to explore, collect and battle across the digital world of Mega Man Star Force 3.

In Mega Man Star Force 3, players travel between the physical world and the digital world via electromagnetic waves that form “wave roads.” Geo Stelar, the protagonist of the game, can see these wave roads by using his unique “visualizer” tool. Once in the digital world, Geo can merge with the electronic life-form known as Omega-Xis to become Mega Man. The wave roads are being overrun by mysterious “noise” that change the player’s environment and powers in different ways. This noise is being generated by an approaching gigantic meteor that threatens both the physical and digital worlds of Mega Man Star Force 3, forcing Geo Stellar and his crew to fight the oncoming threat to save two worlds. Fortunately, Mega Man discovers that he can control the Noise, using the new “Noise Change” system to transform into many different forms, including the ultimate “Black Ace” or “Red Joker” forms.

Yet more Star Force 3 boss battles, and a last boss spoiler (hidden)

With Mega Man Star Force 3 Black Ace and Red Joker coming out next week, Capcom is eager to show off yet more awesome action from the game. In the above video, you’ll see Mega Man taking on a handful of bosses while using various attacks and Noise Changes. Furthermore, for some explicable reason Capcom has even released a video of the game’s final boss. We won’t embed it here of course, but if you don’t mind being spoiled then check it out here. It’s quite an impressive battle.

Star Force 3 demo available on Nintendo Channel

If you’re itching to try out Mega Man Star Force 3 and you also have a Nintendo Wii, you can download a demo of the game from the Wii’s Nintendo Channel onto your DS starting today. The demo will be available until the 28th, this Sunday. The demo contains five battles, including three tutorial battles and a battle with the boss Spade Magnets. You’ll also get to hear Omega-Xis’s voice. All in all, pretty fun little demo that gives a nice taste of the game’s battle system.

In case you weren’t aware, you can access demos by going onto the Nintendo Channel on your Wii (it can be downloaded for free from the Wii Shop if you don’t have it), press the blue button that says “Find Titles for You,” and then press “DS Download Service.” Select Star Force 3, wait for it to transmit, and then boot up your DS and select “DS Download Play.”

News Credit: GoNintendo

Star Force 3 off the air in Europe?

As we near closer to the release of Mega Man Star Force 3 in North America, something had seemed funny to me. There have been no formal announcements of Star Force 3 coming out in the European region. Sure it’s true that Mega Man games tend to arrive to Europe delayed – Star Force 2 was finally out nearly a year after its initial release in Japan – but the games are still announced, delay or otherwise.

When E3 came and passed earlier this June, both Capcom USA and Capcom Europe presented the same press materials, except the European press site was quietly devoid of any mention of Star Force 3. This eventually prompted me to shoot an e-mail over to Ben Le Rougetel, a member of Capcom Europe’s PR, to ask about the fate of the title.

The response I got this morning: “I am sorry to say that currently there are no plans to release this title in Europe.”

So at least for now, it appears Mega Man Star Force 3 won’t be coming to Europe. Of course, Capcom Europe could always decide to announce it later should they see fit to. If you’re living in Europe and have really been waiting for Star Force 3, now’s the time to speak up and show your support!

Following Black Ace, here’s a nice Red Joker trailer

Last week we showed off a trailer for Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace. Now you can enjoy the Red Joker version! It’s pretty much the same fare, as Mega Man shows off his Red Joker skills against an assortment of bosses. And of course more voice acting samples.

Are these videos getting you more amped for our contest?

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