Price Glitch Affects UDON Books, but Should Be Cleared Up Soon

Last weekend, Amazon and other online book retailers began offering books like Mega Man Official Complete Works for the cutthroat price of $14.99. A pretty good deal, but not a deal that was intended to happen. And while Amazon honored the orders at first, it seems that may not be the case anymore. Staffer Maverick-Jin was e-mailed this morning by Amazon to be told his order for Mega Man Megamix Vol. 1 and Mega Man Official Complete Works was canceled, citing lack of stock and offering him a $25 gift card for the trouble. And sure enough, only stock from Amazon’s third party sellers is available as of now.

We inquired to UDON Entertainment’s Matt Moylan as to the situation, and here is what he tells us. First of all, Matt assures that the books are not out of stock, and they still have a few months supply of both MM and MMX Official Complete Works, as well as Megamix Vol. 1. The source of the problem appears to be with the distributor, Diamond Distributors. Once this glitch had been realized, Amazon put a hold on all products managed by Diamond, which besides UDON includes publishers such as Marvel and Dark Horse. While UDON has no control over the matter, Matt suspects the issue will be worked out in the next couple of days, and asks for the patience of us fans.

Additionally, Matt also offered up some good news. Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works will be going back into print, and should arrive starting the first week of May, so those who may have missed the chance to grab it will get a new one. It sounds like there’s strong demand for Mega Man artbooks and comics!

As always, much thanks to Matt and UDON for the heads up.

Pictures Aplenty from Mega Man 10’s Launch Party at the Nintendo World Store

Last week, we reported that Capcom and Nintendo would be celebrating the March 1st WiiWare release of Mega Man 10 after-the-fact at the Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. Of course, save for the most devoted (with plenty of spare cash and the ability to make long road-trips on short notice), there were about 49 states and such that were left out of the festivities.

However, there were some Mega Fans who managed to make the pilgrimage, and lucky for us, they took pictures of themselves adorned in Mega Man 10 t-shirts, holding up Sheep Man plushies, and of course, playing the game. For a greater look at how things went down, visit this post at Capcom Unity.

Those who had their pictures posted even received a Mega Man prize from Capcom, their choice of an extra Mega Man 10 poster, Mega Man trading cards (unopened packets; I wonder if they’re the Artbox cards from some years back), “weird” Mega Man candy, MegaMan Starforce 3 Red Joker, MegaMan Starforce 3 Black Ace, or a bunch of Capcom Unity points, which are used for their exclusive auctions. Not bad, for doing something they no doubt wanted to do anyway, and it shows the importance of keeping a camera handy for occasions such as this.

GameSpite Examines Mega Man

Following their “Welcome to 20XX” article from earlier last week, GameSpite Quarterly 3 has added a new article about Mega Man to their character profiles, which give a sort of VH1 Behind the Music-styled look at the history of some of gaming’s greatest (and not-so great) characters.

This time, in the odd company of Frogger and The Foreign Prince, is none other than the original Blue Bomber, Mega Man. Learn of his rise from day-to-day laborer to world savior, and the vices which would soon accompany his new role in society before once again rising to claim the spotlight.

Kirby Krackle’s New Song is About Mega Man

For those unaware, Kirby Krackle is a “Nerd Rock Band” based in Seattle, WA. The duo writes songs about the things they love: “comic books, video games, zombies, girls and more”. Their latest song, now streamable on their site, is titled “Take it from me” and is about the blue bomber himself, Mega Man. The band had this to say about the new song:

“There are video games you grew up on, and then there are video games you were RAISED by. For us, that was the 8-bit parent we and 1.5 million other kids who loved it called MEGA MAN 2. For a long time we wanted to write a song about Mega Man but didn’t know how we were gonna do it until we wrote the opening riff and had our Eureka moment. See, if we were born in the year 20XX and Dr. Light sent us across 8 levels to kick ass, this is kinda song we would hope to have running though our headphones hooked up to our blaster arm. Just sayin. With shredding solos provided by good friend Patrick Porter, we wanted to create an-in-your-face song worthy and confident of kicking robot ass…not matter what those bastards were made of…”

“Take it from me” will be part of their new album, “E for Everyone”. The 11-song album comes with a full illustrated, 8-page lyrics booklet. You can pre-order it now for ten bucks (plus $2 S&H). They’ll also be playing a live, CD-Release show at Emerald City ComiCon on Sunday March 14th at 2pm.

You can stream “Take it from me” as well as other songs on both their site and their blog. You can also read all of the Mega Man song’s lyrics at the bottom of this post.

Rockman 10 “Box Art,” Live and In Your Face

Much attention has been paid to the large, triptych box art for Mega Man 10, which once more follows in the footsteps of the art for the release of the original games on the NES some 20+ years ago. Likewise, Capcom of Japan has continued to emulate the style used for the original Famicom Rockman games from the same period, and while we’ve had glimpses of their latest piece, the full work is ready to behold in all its splendor:

Click to enlarge.

It’s a good size for desktop wallpaper, or for simple artistic admiration. And you can expect to see more of it on future Rockman 10 merchandise in Japan, too.

Source: Dengeki and 4gamer.net, via Protodude’s Rockman Corner

The Lost Commercial for Mega Man 10

If there is one thing that the original Mega Man games for the Nintendo Entertainment System did not get a lot of around these parts (i.e. North America), it is some televised commercial love. Sure, there was that secret agent ad for Mega Man 3, and Mega Man 6 was squeezed in alongside the top-loading NES console and Zoda’s Revenge: Startropics II, but beyond that? Most of the love went to Japan.

But apparently, Capcom and GameTrailers have seen fit to rectify the problem, and retroactively at that– with a definite emphasis on “retro.” Check out the following “lost” TV commercial for Mega Man 10:

Video Games | Mega Man 10 | Exclusive The Lost Commercial

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Bonus points for the “end” of some television show, just like on so many VHS tapes of the day. “Mega Awesome,” indeed.

JGonzo of Capcom adds “Yeah try to get that song out of your head now” and “You’re welcome.”

Source: Capcom Unity

The Mega Man Network’s Mega Man Mega Toy Mega Post

There has been a lot of toy news on the Mega Man front recently, and we’re just going to lump everything into one big mega post here to help catch things up, okay?

First, we remember that Capcom put out a call to we the fandom about the Mega Man Kubrick figures, and it looks as though fruit is borne of our desire:

Click to enlarge.

These were spotted by Protodude in an eBay auction which currently has a Buy It Now price of $52.20, with five available. As you can see from the packaging, it is in English, thus hopefully confirming a North American release.

As an aside, note the side of the box and the pixel-version of the Bearbrick Mega Man figure. Nift.

In other domestic news, Tomopop (via Protodude) caught up with Scott Levine of Jazwares to discuss their line of Sonic the Hedgehog toys, as well as other lines, including Mega Man:

Among the issues discussed therein are figures in a 3″ and 3.75″ scale, as well as the possibility of more Retro Roto figures, specifically the unproduced Wave 2, which included such faces as Heat Man and Wood Man.

And speaking of the Retro Rotos, it appears that Jazwares was showing off re-releases of the first line at Toy Fair in New York City, which had been hinted at previously. However, unlike the original releases, it appears that the Build-a-Bot pieces used to create the “Fully-Charged” Mega Man figure will no longer be included, thus making the figure (and for those who keep such things, the complete packages they came in) a rarer item for collectors.

Finally, on the unofficial front, it appears that Rockman924 (via Protodude again) is at work on new sculpts to be released at the next garage kit convention, Spring’s Wonder Festival. And the identities of these sculpts?

Click to enlarge.

That’s right! It’s none other than Harpuia Tornado Man and Sniper Joe! Joe is 12cm tall, and will be decorated as per his Mega Man 7 appearance when completed. He’ll come not only with his trademark shield, but also an interchangeable eye, allowing you to decorate him with a red or green optic.

Sadly, Tornado Man has no such accessories, but looks cool anyway.

We do apologize for the lag in news here; it’s been a rather rough month, but hopefully we can get things rolling again in March.

Rock Candy of a Different Sort

We all like Mega Man here, or as he’s known in Japan, “Rockman.” Or at least, one would think so; if not, we can only assume that this is your first time experiencing the wide world of the Blue Bomber, so we welcome you and hope you’ll enjoy your stay.

Now, where was I? Ah, yes: we all like Rockman, and odds are we all like candy. Which is why we are fortunate enough to be able to experience the union of super fighting robots and the fun, fruity flavors of the iconic Japanese hard confection known as “Sakuma Drops.”

To commemorate the release of Rockman 10, Capcom has partnered with Sakuma Drops to present “Rockman Sakuma Drops.” These candy pieces come in eight flavors: melon, mint, orange, plum, pine, strawberry, lemon, and apple, each of which is meant to correspond with one of the special weapons our hero obtains in the game upon defeating a Robot Master. Plus, the promotional material says that they will help you to “prepare for the Roboenza outbreak.”

Rockman Sakuma Drops will be available in Japan on March 6th, 2010, and cost 350 Yen, or roughly $3.92 USD. And naturally, it is our duty as fans to pester Capcom into making these more readily and easily available to us gaijin-types.

To the suggestion box! Because we must experience the taste of pine candy!

Source: GameBridge News, via CapKobun, via Protodude’s Rockman Corner

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.

Mega Man Megamix Arrives Wednesday; Final Preview Page Emerges

Now that this battle station is fully-armed and operational once again, we can now bring you the final preview page of UDON’s Mega Man Megamix Volume 1, which will be available in comic shops everywhere this Wednesday.

This last preview page gives us details of a fan-favorite Robot Master whose past is more mysterious than many of us at first thought:

Click to enlarge.

UDON Managing Editor Matt Moylan informs us that while comic shops will have the book, other retailers such as Amazon should be shipping the book “any time” as well.

And for those skeptical that this is really it, Mr. Moylan offers the following image as proof of the finished book’s existence:

Click to enlarge.

You might notice that Megamix does not sit alone here; in fact, arriving at comic shops this Wednesday will also be the first issue of UDON’s Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, and I’m sure they would love it if you all would give that a shot as well. After all, you never know when some of the artists might decide to sneak in something of interest.

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