Image courtesy of Ryouko.

Here it is, at long last: The Mega Man Network’s OtaRockman report.

While Otakon officially kicked off on Friday, July 30th, OtaRockman– the Otakon gathering of Mega Man fans (and called such as “OtaMegaMan” doesn’t quite have the same ring)– events did not begin until Saturday morning. As you can see above, there were a number of cosplayers on hand for photo opportunities at 11am, but those are just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s a wider spread:

Image courtesy of Ryouko.

As you can see, there is a pretty good representation of characters: a Mettaur/Metool, Giro, Harpuia, two Lan Hikaris, Alia, Laika (concealed by Alia), FyreFox (with Laika), Phantom, Ms. Yuri (concealed by Phantom), Sniper Joe, Model ZX, Mega Man, Snake Man, “Casual Blues” (as portrayed by our own Oekaki Mom, Tabby), Pickelman, Magnet Man, Bright Man, Geo Stelar (with Omega-Xis), and Mega Man X.

…plus one other I regrettably can not make out. If it’s you, or you know who they are, feel free to post it in the comments below.

And I believe there were a few others running around as well; you can catch many more images of the lot in Ryouko’s gallery.

Following the cosplay gathering, it was time for Terra’s Mega Man 9 Endless Mode tournament! And the prizes for the top-ranking super fighting robots?

Image courtesy of Terra.

Tournaments held in previous years consisted of Mega Man Battle Network NetBattles, but this year, competitors fought their way through as many screens of the downloadable Endless Mode of Mega Man 9 as they could within five minutes, or before they died. Thinking back, I’m not sure anyone met the five minute mark.

Image courtesy of Ryouko.

Many gave it their all, but in the end, there could only be three winners. And those who excelled were as follows:

1st Place: WolfShadow, with 35 screens.

2nd Place: MetroidMaster, with 33 screens.

3rd Place: Jeffery, with 22 screens.

After the tournament, we dispersed until the nighttime, when we would reconvene at 8pm in the Hilton Key Ballroom “Panel 6″ room for “The Anime & Manga Realm of Mega Man.”

Image courtesy of Scarab.

It should be noted that in past years, there had been far more people who tried to attend the panel than could be allowed in. This year, we received a much larger room, but at a small cost: we were set immediately following the OC Remix panel in another room, and at the same time as the cosplay masquerade. But even so, we still had the room nearly filled (with some people staying in after the Gaia Online panel).

For one hour (and a little bit more), Tabby, Terra Stardroid, Robo Nanya, and Ryouko of Rockman.EXE Online, and myself went over the history of Mega Man/Rockman in comic and animated forms, including the Megamix manga series by Hitoshi Ariga, the Rockman.EXE anime, and other noteworthy adventures…

Image courtesy of Scarab.

Following that main portion of the panel, we did a little question-and-answer period before moving on to the raffle, which featured generous contributions from Tabby, UDON Entertainment, and Capcom Unity. Not only did the latter offer up three Mega Man Zero Collection games and t-shirts, but there were also other fun items, including some Mega Man Kubrick sets given out.

Plus, each panelist got their own Mega Man Zero Collection t-shirt, making us a stylish, uniform bunch. So a special thanks to JGonzo and the Capcom Unity!

And with that, the Mega Man-centered festivities came to a close. Good times were had, prizes were given, and with any luck, we’ll be back next year.

Each year, a fans tend to converge for cosplay photos and Mega Man gaming tournaments, with the time and place usually to be determined at the show (as Otakon tends to keep a rather fluid schedule; it’s usually held behind or near the Starbucks kiosk at the main entrance). This year, the gathering begins at 11am on Saturday.

In previous years, Mega Man Battle Network games were the order of the day for tournaments, but host Terra Stardroid has decided to shake things up this year with a Mega Man 9 tournament in which you see how far you can go in Endless Mode within five minutes.

And yes, there will be trophies for the victors… or at least, there should be, if all goes according to plan. For your chance to be a champion, be at the OtaRockman gathering at noon on Saturday.

On Saturday at 8pm in Panel 6 (Hilton Key Ballroom 1-6) (date/location may be subject to change) will be the panel “The Anime & Manga Realm of Mega Man,” hosted by myself, Tabby, Terra Stardroid, Robo Nanya, and Ryouko of Rockman.EXE Online:

For the past two years our focused group of Mega Man lovers have presented comprehensive panels at Otakon, all about our famous blue bomber. This year, we have dedicated ourselves to bringing forth all the facts and interesting tidbits about the adaptations of Mega Man into both the manga and anime forms. Several of them never made it to our shores, so we’re sure you’ll experience something new and exciting! As always, we’ll also be doing our raffle for some unbelievable prizes. Don’t miss it!

We even got a “Best Panel Award” (and the photograph you see at right) from Ending B, so give it a shot if you’re in the area this weekend!

What unbelievable prizes will there be? Suffice to say that we once again have the support of our friends Matt Moylan and UDON Entertainment and JGonzo of Capcom Unity, but beyond that? It’s a surprise!

And if you’d like to make plans for meeting with others at the event, we have a forum thread dedicated to that right here.

Things have not looked good for the title; no announcements were ever made, and normally, the title would have been released right around this time. Instead, Mega Man Zero Collection seems to have taken its place in the American release schedule, while E3 brought no news.

So finally, someone just brought the question straight to Capcom.

“Any plans, or are you guys passing this one up?” asked Jimb0, looking for a status update on Capcom Unity’s Ask Capcom board.

“For the moment, no plans for a Western release,” replied Christian Svensson, Capcom’s Vice President of Strategic Planning & Business Development. Following further pleas from board members, he added “Sorry guys, there are no plans for this to happen at this time.”

So there you have it. With that said, there is really no telling what other plans for Mega Man we can count on seeing over here (meaning Rockman Online doesn’t count). Perhaps light will soon be shed on that Mega Man Universe trademark…

Ah, yes, Mega Man Star Force… it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from that particular branch of the franchise, but it has apparently not been forgotten by Tarbo-san (linked blog is in Japanese). Three months were spent working on the following introduction sequence, which takes Geo back in a different way, though one Capcom has been making a bit of use of recently.

Watch, as the opening story of the first Ryuusei no Rockman/Mega Man Star Force game is re-created in the style of this Mega Man’s NES-originated ancestor:

While there aren’t many grievances here with the gameplay of the Star Force games (other than some of the higher encounter rates), the prospect of an 8-bit platforming version is certainly enticing. But how would it play? Better than Transmission did, hopefully!

Source: Protodude’s Rockman Corner

2. con·ti·nu·i·ty – an uninterrupted connection, succession, or union

A canon, in terms of a fictional universe, is a body of material that is considered to be “genuine” or “official.” The use of the word “canon” in reference to a set of texts derives from Biblical canon, the set of books which are regarded as scripture. When Reeve created The Mega Man Network, he set forth a canon analysis meant to describe how we would interpret information from Capcom in analyzing the timeline of the Mega Man franchise.

Now, almost a decade later, we have a franchise splintered apart over seven distinct sub-series, source books/publications, manga/anime, and various other mediums. Canon, therefore, is not what we need to examine. Succinctly put, if it is made by Capcom, it is canon; if it is officially licensed by Capcom, it is also canon. In this regard, everything made or licensed by Capcom – whether it be the Ruby Spears animated series, the NT Warrior anime, the Ariga mangas, the Dreamwave comic, or even the Captain N cartoon – it is all irrevocably canon.

Perhaps where we erred was our application of the definition of canon – perhaps what we needed to do instead was understand the fundamental difference “canon” and “continuity.” Continuity, by the above definition, defines a set of events that occur within a timeline. To understand the continuity of the Mega Man franchise requires analysis of the timeline of events established within the games themselves, as well as the gaps that occur between the primary series (Classic, X, Zero, ZX, and Legends) and the secondary series (Battle Network and Star Force).

The primary series occurs in one timeline, and the secondary series occurs in another – an “alternate universe” if you will. The problem we run into here is that over time, even Capcom’s own interpretation of events has varied considerably. Events established in new games contradict previously-established scenarios (such as Dr. Cain’s apparent fate in Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X), some publications make mention of things that are completely ignored by the games themselves (the explanation of X’s “suffering circuit” from Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works), and events mentioned in source books are even retracted in later publications (Capcom’s original explanations for the location of the Guardians in Mega Man Zero 4 versus the Official Complete Works).

What we have now is a Mega Man franchise that has been outsourced to different companies over the years, and which has generated a timeline of events that has become nearly impossible to sort out. Continuity in the realm of Mega Man is almost a non-issue now; take the origins of the Mega Man Zero series, for example. It was designed by Keiji Inafune to follow the events of Mega Man X5. When Capcom made Mega Man X6, story events of Mega Man Zero 2 had to be altered somewhat. When all was said and done, there was a convoluted sequence of events following the untold end of the Mega Man X series that left the Mega Man Zero series that much harder to understand.

Trying to theorize how events from one series impact another is fruitless. It is not up to us as fans of the series to make such judgments. Our role is to interpret events as they happen, and make our best guess as to how they integrate into the overall timeline.

So what is it that we’re trying to say here? Nothing different, really. We’re modifying our definition of canon and how we’ve used it in the past, and separating canon from continuity. Canon is just the official elements that comprise the overall framework of the franchise.

Continuity, on the other hand, defines the storyline events that occur from game to game and from series to series. Continuity is something that is open to interpretation, and is something no one website can claim authority over. Therefore, as we cannot predict with any certainty what directions Capcom will take the storyline, the policy of The Mega Man Network is simply to present the facts of the games and merchandise, and let the best educated minds sort everything else out.

It really makes things a lot easier this way, when you look at it in perspective. Trying to piece together a definitive continuity nearly fractured the Star Wars fanbase, and there is no point in doing the same thing to the Mega Man fanbase. Just remember, Mega Man is a little robot that runs around in blue underwear. You wouldn’t take that too seriously if you saw it, now would you? Neither do we. So what we’re trying to say, if we’re saying anything at all, is just relax and enjoy the games.

Tim is a longtime member of the Mega Man fan community and The Mega Man Network. Once site administrator, he now acts as a part-time adviser for the site, trying ever so hard to improve the legacy of analysis, guides, and other content he has contributed to The Mega Man Network over the years.

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.

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”

The mini-game, known as “Star Colosseum,” allows six players to battle wirelessly to collect stars using one copy of the game and a variety of familiar Battle Network and Star Force faces. The rumor also says there could be additions to the download version, such as multiplayer via Wi-Fi and perhaps one new playable character.

Capcom has yet to comment on this, but we’ll keep you posted if anything more develops.

Source: Protodude’s Rockman Corner

Anyway, Operate Shooting Star has been out for a couple days now and seeing how it’s almost exactly the same as Battle Network, you can bet it doesn’t take long to progress through the game (the BN Guide written by Magnet for example helps tremendously when you don’t know Japanese). That being said one of the most frequently asked questions has been when does the Star Force stuff happen and when do you get to kick the tar out of Geo Stelar?

After the ElecMan scenario actually, so it’s almost right before the end for those keeping track. Following ElecMan’s defeat Mayl is harassed by Count Zap and Madoi and calls Lan over. Some talking ensues and you Jack into the net and come across an imposter MegaMan that you gotta chase down through Internet-1 and 2.

Shortly past the Shop area you pin down Geo and…

After this some scenes happen and you get to use Geo in battle. Y Button brings up a shield, X activates the lock on attack on the first thing in your line of sight and your buster is overall weaker than MegaMan.EXE’s. Random battle music is replaced with the Virus busting theme from Star Force while boss fights use the Star Force 2 Wave Battle theme.

I was kind of hoping for some Star Force 3 songs myself. Anyway this is as far as I’ve gotten, so I’ll go back to slugging away at this now.

Guess the game I’m describing:

It’s a DS “port plus alpha” of a GBA Capcom hit which spawned a successful franchise, marketed as a ‘revival’ of the series. In it, a blue-suited hero proudly wearing the symbol of his profession on his chest does battle in an unusual environment to protect the innocent. This DS update adds a new scenario near the end of the game where the main character comes in contact with a new villain. However, the graphics and music are much the same as the GBA version. Budget-priced, the game is clearly meant to appeal to the fans, and sells about 50,000 copies its first week.

As you might have guessed from the picture, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as it may seem. In fact, it seems almost as though history is repeating itself.

Learn what it all seems to point to and mean by reading the full post at Protodude’s Rockman Corner.