Inafune Would Like to Make Mega Man Game with the Fans, Responds to MM9 Mystery

As promised, Capcom has come through with the second batch of questions for Mega Man mastermind Keiji Inafune, as posed by members of the Capcom Unity.

6) Snppls asks:

What is your stance on fan made material? Like fanart, sprite comics, remixes, fangames or the Rockman movie currently in production in the US. Do you like it that fans are so into your creation or does it bother you that they are using copyrighted material? Do you watch it sometimes or sometimes even get ideas from it?

Inafune: I totally welcome all sorts of Mega Man-inspired-art created by the fans. I really would like to create a game with the fans. I have had the desire since the Robot Master Contest, and the fans’ Mega Man art come from the same inspiration. In reality, there are copyright issues and that puts me on a tough position as a member of a company, but I truly believe that Mega Man has come this far with warm supports from the passionate fans and their creative art work.

7) Samuel asks:

Will there be a new megaman anime series from the Starforce side, Battlenetwork side, or the megaman operate starforce? (Please answer I’ve been waiting for some new megaman animated goodness)

Inafune: I am ready to witness exciting Mega Man action in the animation, too. I would love to try it out when I have a chance, and in fact, I have been thinking about specific ideas on this, too. I will do my best to make this happen and hope to surprise you with the news. We will definitely need your support to make this happen!

ibehv asks:

Why is zero’s appearance in megaman zero different from his appearance in megaman x?

Inafune: Zero is one of the most important characters for me. Initially, Zero was created for the Mega Man X fans as well as for fans new to the series. But rather than making a game with Zero as a main character in the established storyline, we wanted to create a brand new storyline for him with a completely new game design. Thus, Zero you all know now was born. The story of the Mega Man Zero game also tells you the secret behind the Zero’s appearance change. So if you haven’t played the game yet, please try it out!

9) The Blue Badger asks:

What direction would you like to see the Mega Man franchise go in the future?

Inafune: I’ve never stopped thinking about the future of Mega Man series! I want more people to get to know Mega Man and fall in love with it. And I am always thinking about the best way to attract more people to play the game. But instead of us guiding you the direction where we go, I would collaborate with the fans and decide where we go. It would be fantastic if you and we can together create a new direction for Mega Man.

10) Monochrome Twist asks:

What are the chances of us seeing a Mega Man Powered Up 2?

Inafune: Many people have asked us about that. I too feel very passionate about making it happen. But as a reality, there are so many things I want to do and Mega Man Powered Up 2 is one of the projects that is still patiently waiting for its turn…

11) Zepper asks:

It’s been 1 year since the release of Mega Man 9, but until then, we’re inside an endless quest for something “extra”. Even with a lot of recorded gameplays, tricks and so on, it’s said there’s still an undiscovered secret or a little surprise. Could you point us to a certain direction?

Inafune: Well, let me think… I am guessing that most of the tricks and secrets have been discovered by now as there are so many good players out there and they have revealed their great Mega Man 9 skills. So I would rather love to see you try it out and surprise me with your cool techniques and hidden elements! Very looking forward to seeing that!

Hmm, so even Inafune himself doesn’t know. Very curious, indeed.

Details About Two Main Modes for Mega Man Zero Collection

Online game retailer Gamestar has some details about Mega Man Zero Collection on their product listing for the game. Most notably this includes the two main modes that hold the game’s contents.

The first mode is the Easy Scenario Mode, which lets you experience Zero’s story. The classic action games are revived here with the compilation of every stage. You can play Zero through Zero 4 in order, and all the weapons and special systems have reappeared. Personally I’m not sure how this is a special mode itself. It sounds like what the game is supposed to be.

The second mode is the Collection Mode, to feel Zero’s world. As you progress in each game you gather a collection of all the important data. These are the three subsections of Collection Mode:

• Mod Card Collection

  Illustrations that are not just fun to look at, but can also be used in the games to cause special effects.

• Character Card Collection

  Well known heroes, rivals and even rare characters are collected extensively. With commentary available on each character, collecting them all will be like having a character dictionary.

• Wallpaper Collection

  You can record many illustrations and concept artworks as wallpapers. By collecting them all, you will deeply enjoy the world of Zero.

Capcom Announces Mega Man Zero Collection for Summer Release

Remember earlier, when Capcom said “We’ve already seen that you folks really want that Mega Man Zero collection and believe me, we’re listening”? Well, as it turns out, they weren’t kidding. We had a feeling they would announce Mega Man Zero Collection for a North American release, we just didn’t know when– or that it would be so soon.

Capcom has just made the announcement, revealing that the game is on track for a North American and European release this Summer. They boast all new modes in addition to the inclusion of the four games which sold over 500 thousand copies across the continent, but unfortunately, further details as to what these new modes include is not available. Check out the press release, which largely goes over what each title in the series brings to the table:

CAPCOM® ANNOUNCES MEGA MAN® ZERO COLLECTION FOR NINTENDO DS

A Collection of the Legendary Mega Man ZERO Titles Bundled Together For On-The Go-Action!

SAN MATEO, Calif — January 28, 2010 Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the Mega Man® ZERO Collection is coming to Nintendo DS™. The Mega Man ZERO Collection is comprised of all four Mega Man ZERO titles bundled together. Having sold over 500 thousand units in North America, all four titles will be available on one DS cartridge for the first time at a great price. The portable Mega Man® fun will begin when the title arrives in early Summer 2010.

The first Mega Man ZERO game was released in 2002 on the GameBoy® Advance. It featured Zero, a popular Capcom character that was introduced in the Mega Man® X series. The Mega Man ZERO series follows Zero through a dark and thrilling 2D action-adventure with high-quality visuals and action. Users can expect to make use of Zero’s trademarks weapons like the Z-sabor and Buster Shot. There will also be interesting devices like the Chain Rod and Zero Knuckle. For the first time, the Mega Man ZERO series will be available for Nintendo DS™, complete with all-new modes.

In Mega Man Zero our hero awakens after 100 years of sleep to a world where innocent reploids (robots) are unjustly attacked by an organization called “Neo Arcadia”. This new government has turned the world into a place where it is extremely hard for reploids to live and where they are under constant persecution. Reploids who have managed to escape from the punishment flee to an old city which now lies in ruin, but the evil Neo Arcadia is closing-in on their location. A genius scientist named Ciel, who lives with the innocent reploids in hopes of saving them, tries to revive the legendary reploid Mega Man Zero in order to save the cornered reploids. As Mega Man Zero, it is up to you to save the world.

In Mega Man® Zero 2, it has been one year since Zero saved the reploids and defeated the evil advance of Copy X and Neo Arcadia. Nevertheless, Neo Arcadia still hunts him and sets a trap for our hero. His plan is to trick Zero and use him to wreak chaos between reploids and humans once again. But, can he succeed? Mega Man® Zero 3 is set in a world called “Neo Arcadia” that has been created as a utopia for humans and reploids. This new chapter continues the adventure of the series’ title hero, Zero, and his reploid allies in the Resistance group who are fighting for peace.

In Mega Man Zero 3, Zero encounters a malevolent new reploid called Omega who has unleashed the evil power of the Dark Elf to brainwash the Resistance in order to take over Neo Arcadia. As the only one who has escaped the brainwashing attack, Zero must fight to save his allies and Neo Arcadia.

Mega Man® Zero 4 picks up right after the events of Mega Man Zero 3. After falling under the evil rule of Dr. Weil, Neo Arcadia has collapsed into a state of chaos and confusion. Zero discovers this disastrous turn of events when he and his friends come to the rescue of a band of humans fleeing Neo Arcadia. Now it’s up to our hero Zero to resolve this terrible conflict between humans and reploids to restore peace and security to the land. With new systems to seize enemy weapons and create strengthening chips, plus new Cyber elf programs to introduce new abilities, this is some of the most exhilarating Mega Man action you can get in a handheld experience.

We will keep you updated with further information as it becomes available.

Capcom’s Call for Kubrick Customers, Plus Zero Collection Tease

Remember these guys?

We brought you word of the Kubrick and BearBrick figures of Mega Man and robo-bro Proto Man back in October, but there was one small catch to getting these figures. Like so many other pieces of Blue Bomber merchandise, it was only available in Japan– and not cheap, either, at around $30.90 per set.

Fortunately, it seems that Capcom USA has heard the pleas of the masses, and put out a call to action: “If you’d like to see these figures come stateside, hit the comments!” said JGonzo on Capcom Unity. “Let your voice be heard on the matter!” Following that, he dropped the following tidbit:

“We’ve already seen that you folks really want that Mega Man Zero collection and believe me, we’re listening.”

Ippo Yamada Working on Zero Music… To What End?

Ippo Yamada, the primary musician for many Inti Creates titles, including the Zero series, ZX series and Mega Man 9, appears to be working on arrangements of music from the Zero series – but for what purpose we can’t really say. On Ippo’s Spiceman  blog, a collaboration between himself and manga artists Hitoshi Ariga and Yoshihiro Iwamoto, Ippo opens a blog post from this Monday with the following statement: “Tonight I’m planning on an all-nighter working on Zero melody arrangements.” This is the only mention he makes of it, and regrettably the remainder of the post concerns the passing of Japanese voice actor Daisuke Gouri, whom Ippo held in high regard.

But the question remains, just why is Ippo working on Zero music, especially all night long? Perhaps for the Mega Man Zero Collection? Perhaps a new album in the works? Perhaps just for his own enjoyment? Hopefully the answer will come our way soon.

News Credit: Spiceman @ Blog

UPDATE: Rockman Zero Collection Gets a Trailer (now in English)

Looks like it didn’t take long at all for a trailer of the Rockman Zero Collection to drop. While the first half is a pretty straightforward gameplay montage of the series, the second half shows off a bit of the bottom screen. It’s hard to say much about it from what the trailer shows, but it looks like boss artwork is displayed on the bottom screen. There’s also some sort of menu that looks like it contains thumbnails of the artwork. It’s entirely possible that the bottom screen could be a dedicated art gallery, but hopefully this is only one of several functions.

The number one thing I took away from this trailer is that the music seems to be retained from the original instead of using the remasters. I doubt they’d show this trailer with the original GBA music if the music in-game was going to be the redone versions. Honestly, this isn’t too surprising considering the ridiculous amount of space it would take to contain 4 games worth of music in actual compressed audio instead of MIDI. Ah well.

Lastly, the mystery of the “extra logo” has been solved. It seems the rectangular slot on the official site that was previously empty has been filled in with a link to this very trailer which is embedded right below.

Update: Well it looks like there are at least 2 different functions for the bottom screen. While boss art and pics of Zero still look like they’re purely aesthetic, there’s another interesting thing shown. Protodude has pointed out on his blog that the other menu looks like Zero 3’s e-modification card menu.

“The Rockman Zero modification cards were cards sold exclusively in Japan in 2004, and when used with Nintendo’s e-Reader device, they would make minor modifications to Rockman Zero’s 3 gameplay.  To accommodate for the lack of an e-Reader, Zero Collection looks to be implementing this system within the game itself.  ‘Course, this is just speculation, so don’t take my word for it.” -Protodude

Very interesting indeed. A feature predicted by our own LBD “Nytetrayn”.

News Credit: Protodude’s Rockman Corner

The Decade in Review: 200X – 200X

About a week ago, Heat Man came to me and said “you know, it’s going to be the year 20XX soon. You should write something reflecting that.” And then he went and wrote his own article, so now you get two of these things.

With that said, let us take a look back on the decade that was, and all of the many wonderful and bizarre turns of events which took place.

The Robot Revolution

The new millennium got off to an amazing start, as in the year of 200X, roboticist Dr. Thomas Light kick-started the robot revolution, advancing the practice a thousandfold and creating robots to help assist mankind throughout their everyday lives. In addition to robots designed to fulfill nearly every purpose you could think of, he also created a series of six special “Robot Masters” which would lead other robots in fields such as demolitions, antarctic exploration, and more.

Reports state that there were originally eight of these mechanical marvels, but that the last two had been recalled due to issues of ethics, including some allegations of racism. Dr. Light denied any malevolent intent on his part in the designing of any of his robots, shortly before the ill-timed appearance of Roll, his housekeeping robot, who was designed to resemble a pre-pubescent schoolgirl.

Such controversy would have to be put aside, however, as in the year 200X, one Dr. Albert Wily took control of the Robot Masters and the many legions of robots that had made themselves a part of our everyday lives, and threatened to use their combined might to take over the world. The American press made attempts to paint Wily and Light as partners, though this would later be refuted as it was revealed the two doctors in fact shared in a longstanding rivalry, one in which Light was said to always come out on top in.

As such, the rivalry would continue as Dr. Light would repurpose his robotic lab assistant. Giving DLN-001 “Rock” a suit of body armor, a helmet, and an arm-cannon capable of launching compact balls of plasma at high speeds over great distances, Dr. Light christened his champion as “Mega Man,” and sent him straight into the heart of the invaded territories to bring down Wily’s armies.

Amazingly, the plan worked, as Mega Man was able to infiltrate and defeat the six robotic overlords and their master, who hid away in his multi-leveled fortress of terror. Some say he would not have found success without the ability Dr. Light gave him to obtain the abilities of his fallen foes. The fighting was over, but the peace was not to last.

Some would blame the revolving-door nature of our prison system, while others would point the finger squarely at the administration in charge of the government at the time. Regardless of the cause, Dr. Wily found himself a free man in the year 200X, and began his effort to rule the world once again in earnest. This time, he created eight war machines of his own design and sent them out into the world. And once more, Dr. Light deployed his “super fighting robot,” Mega Man, to combat the threat.

The battles were long and difficult, but Mega Man triumphed once again in what many would say was his greatest conflict as he brought Wily’s empire to its knees once again.

In an astounding turn of events, the year 200X would see Dr. Light and Dr. Wily make peace at long last as the two decided to collaborate on an enormous peace-keeping robot known as “Gamma,” which would be energized by crystals obtained from eight mining colonies. How such a creation would actually manage to keep the peace was never fully-disclosed, as a new robot revolt would occur on the mining colonies.

Once more, Mega Man was sent to quell the revolutionaries and retrieve the energy crystals necessary to power Gamma. Upon putting an end to the final Robot Master and sending back the last of the crystals, eight new overlords appeared to wreck the mining colonies, leading to Mega Man taking further action to put an end to the conflict. It was during this time that Dr. Wily would reveal his true colors as the mastermind behind the revolt, turning on Dr. Light and stealing Gamma away to a newly-constructed fortress.

Once finished with his business in the mining colonies, Mega Man would give chase and hunt Wily to the depths of the villainous Skull Castle, where Wily would turn the full force of Gamma on Mega Man himself. Mega Man would persevere and triumph in the end, though wreckage containing robot parts and what some believe to be recycle-friendly video game cases rained down, crushing the mad scientist once and for all.

A tragic end, but at least the world may finally know peace from robotic terror.

The Dot-EXE Boom

While the internet has existed since 19XX, it is in 200X that it began to take the world by storm, as networks connecting people, places, and information would come to criss-cross the globe, making communication easier than ever. Unfortunately, the World Three (aka “WWW”), a fiendish terrorist organization determined to rule the world, began to use the networks as a way of committing their various NetCrimes as they worked toward a greater plot known as the “EndGame.”

The Official NetBattlers, a body established to help quell such crimes as those committed by the World Three, refused to disclose publicly how the full scenario played out. One Official NetBattle, Eugene Chaud, did make a remark to the effect of “@#$ing kids,” however.

Three months later, the absence of the World Three would give rise to a new organization that would strike fear into the hearts of web-denizens, the NetMafia Gospel. This organization would prove itself to be short-lived, but unfortunately, the following month would also see the return of the World Three. It was not long after staging a fake NetBattle tournament that the organization would once more be put to rest.

Things took a turn for the worst five months later, as it was discovered that a meteor was on a trajectory with the Earth. A new NetCriminal organization known as the Nebula Crime Syndicate would attempt to interfere as officials sought out a capable NetBattler to infiltrate the bizarrely-composed meteor and stop it before it could strike the planet, causing untold devastation. Fortunately, they failed in their efforts, but the syndicate’s ringleader, Dr. Regal, may have escaped after a faked suicide attempt in which no body was found.

More Games and Merchandise Than You Can Shake a Stick At

In addition to all of the excitement of the past decade, many video games were made to celebrate the adventures of the Blue Bomber. They are listed as follows:

• The Misadventures of Tron Bonne (200X)
• MegaMan Legends 2 (200X)

• Mega Man Xtreme (200X)
• Mega Man X5 (200X)
• Mega Man X6 (200X)
• Mega Man Xtreme 2 (200X)
• Mega Man X7 (200X)
• Mega Man X: Command Mission (200X)
• Mega Man X8 (200X)
• Mega Man X Collection (200X)
• Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X (200X)

• MegaMan Battle Network (200X)
• MegaMan Battle Network 2 (200X)
• MegaMan Network Transmission (200X)
• MegaMan Battle Network 3: Blue/White (200X)
• MegaMan Battle Chip Challenge (200X)
• MegaMan Battle Network 4: Red Sun/Blue Moon (200X)
• MegaMan Battle Network 5: Team Protoman/Team Colonel (200X)
• MegaMan Battle Network 5: Double Team DS (200X)
• MegaMan Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar/Cybeast Falzar (200X)

• Mega Man Zero (200X)
• Mega Man Zero 2 (200X)
• Mega Man Zero 3 (200X)
• Mega Man Zero 4 (200X)

• MegaMan Star Force: Leo/Pegasus/Dragon (200X)
• MegaMan Star Force 2: Zerker x Saurian/Zerker x Ninja (200X)
• MegaMan Star Force 3: Black Ace/Red Joker (200X)

• Mega Man ZX (200X)
• Mega Man ZX Advent (200X)

• Mega Man & Bass (200X)
• Mega Man Anniversary Collection (200X)
• Mega Man Powered Up (200X)
• Mega Man 9 (200X)

And these are just the American releases!

200X was also a special year for some super heroes to get back to their roots; for Spider-man of Marvel Comics fame, this meant pawning off his marriage to the devil in order to return to a 40-year old status quo. But for Mega Man, it simply meant dialing back things to 8-bit and getting back to basics in graphics, sound, and gameplay. Both were bold moves, but time will tell as to which one pays the greater dividends.

In addition to a plethora of games throughout the past decade, there has also been a ton of merchandise made, including (but not limited to):

• Action figures from Jazwares based on the Classic, X, and Zero series.
• Action figures, PETs, Battle Chips, and other toys from Mattel based on NT Warrior, the Viz licensed version of Battle Network.
• NT Warrior anime, DVDs, and manga by Viz.
• Trading cards based on the Classic, X, Zero, and Legends series by Artbox.
• A four-issue comic book series based on the Classic and X series by Dreamwave.
• DVDs of the Classic-based Ruby-Spears animated series from ADV.
• The Mega Man: Upon a Star DVD from ADV.
• “Official Complete Works” art books based on the Zero, Classic, and X series by UDON Entertainment (with the last two arriving in just the nick of time).

Plus, as the decade closes out, we know that 20XX will kick off with a bang, as Mega Man 10 has been announced for March, plus not one but two manga series are in the pipeline for an early 20XX release from UDON: Hitoshi Ariga’s Mega Man Megamix and Shin Ogino’s Mega Man ZX. And if that wasn’t enough, there is also a triple-threat cameo of Zero, Roll, and MegaMan Volnutt in January’s Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars.

All in all, the years of 200X to 200X have been pretty good to fans of Mega Man, and with any luck, 20XX will be just as good– maybe even better. After all, there’s a lot more 20XX to work with.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Axed Jazwares Mega Man Figures, MiniMates on Display at Video Game Memorabilia Museum

Have you heard of the Video Game Memorabilia Museum? If not, then know this: it is like the ultimate embodiment of video game merchandise, a nirvana of geekish delights for fans of numerous video game franchises.

Don’t believe me? Don’t think such a place exists? Check out their front page, then answer those questions again.

Of course, if Mega Man weren’t among the contents, we probably would not be writing this here (he’s on the second shelf from the left, at the top). And tucked away amongst enough video games and toy merchandise to make even Geoffrey the Giraffe cry are some very rare treasures indeed.

Turning back the clock, further than our current news archive will go, unfortunately, some of you may remember that American toy developer Jazwares, who then and now holds the Mega Man action figure license, had a lineup of new characters to be released: MegaMan Volnutt of MegaMan Legends, Knight Man of Mega Man 6, and the troop-builder Pantheon Hunters from Mega Man Zero, who would have come with an interchangeable head to provide an easy Copy X fix as well.

Somehow, VGMM curator Nightram managed to get his hands on these prototypes, and decided to show them off on video in his blog back in September:

It is a shame the line didn’t catch on more; while the earlier sculpts weren’t very good at all (yet some people loved them, proving there’s no accounting for taste), they did get progressively better, and these prototypes look as though they could have been some of the best yet. Ah, what might have been.

What strikes me as strange is the Pantheon Hunter with the Zero head. Thinking back, I’m not sure we ever saw the Copy X head, so this may have simply been a placeholder, as I believe all three characters shared the same body mold.

You can also see a pouting Servbot sitting in there, behind the MiniMates that I never even knew existed (I brought up the prospect a few times, but word from Jazwares was that Capcom was hellbent against anything MiniMate or LEGO-ish at all). And amazingly, there are even female characters are included in the mix, and Dynamo (misidentified as Gate), too!

As you can see, this is part of a series, so if you’re into video game collectibles on the whole, you may want to check out the full series. Then, you can head on over to the website linked above and gaze to your heart’s content at all sorts of merchandise from around the world. To give you a head start, here’s the link to the Mega Man section.

Source: Protodude’s Rockman Corner

This Weekend: Ocean City Trinity’s Mega Man Marathon

Wow, these marathons sure seem to have become popular, haven’t they?

The Ocean City Trinity has notified us that they are holding such a marathon themselves this weekend on Friday, November 6th at 7pm EST. Their goal: to raise donations for the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, “which provides food, shelter, and other basic living needs to the homeless around the Atlantic City area.”

The marathon is planned to cover the entire core Classic series from 1-9, as well as Mega Man & Bass. From there, they will move on to the core X series games, 1-8. And then, if there is time or donations are sufficient, they will delve into the Zero series. If you’re interested in watching and supporting them and their cause, you can tune in on their website or UStream.

They will no doubt be getting a lot of weapons during that time; will you help them get a lot of donations as well?

So, Just How Much Do You Like Ciel?

Recently uncovered in a Yahoo! Auction is an ultra-rare piece of merchandise in the form of a Rockman/Mega Man Zero telephone card. It features an original picture of Ciel by series artist Toru Nakayama that you are probably not going to find anywhere else (and if you do, for the Master’s sake, share with us!), and only 200 were made and distributed at Capcom’s Yamagawa festival. No word on if there were other designs available.

The price then? ¥10,000. No word on how many minutes that came with.

Now, the seller is apparently willing to part with this ultra-rare piece of merchandise, but the cost is dear. Very dear. How dear?

¥98,000. Or $1,088.00 US dollars. Ouch. And for the heck of it, I decided to see what it would be in Canuck-bucks: $1,351.57. Yikes.

It’s things like this that can make you take pause, look at your pile of Mega Man/Rockman merchandise, and ask “What am I collecting foooooooorrrr???”

Finally, I have to know: Who here is going to go for it? Don’t be afraid to share, as I don’t think you’ll face much competition. Or just tell us after the auction is over, if you wish.

News Credit: Protodude’s Rockman Corner