At Long Last: The Conclusion of the “What am I Fighting For?!” Contest

It has been a long, bumpy road since first announcing The Mega Man Network’s “What am I Fighting For?!” Contest, but finally, all the pieces are in place and we can bring this thing to an end.

When Jaxel first told me about the acquisition he had made for us to use as a prize in a contest of some sort, a picture of Zero autographed by Lucas Gilbertson (who portrayed the Wily’s crimson creation in Mega Man X8, Command Mission, and Maverick Hunter X), I knew I wanted to do something special, something different. We had done trivia contests before, and I thought perhaps fanart, which had also been done before, would be too limiting.

So in the spirit of Mr. Gilbertson’s remake of Zero’s most (in)famous scene (and arguably the franchise), we decided to take advantage of this new “YouTube” thing, which all sorts of people have made really fantastic creations with. Alternatively, we were also willing to accept non-YouTube videos or even simple sound recordings.

And in the end, when the submissions were counted, there were seven, and they are as follows (note to the entrants: contact me if you want your name changed):

JuVeNiLeJRoCKeR:

The Link:

Rockman 2900:

lucariotrainer16:

RockEsper:

CLShadow5114:

And finally, the winner, as chosen by a panel of judges from The Mega Man Network’s staff, SuperWittyName’s “Astronomic Gentlemen X Four Cinematic:”

I should add that these are not the seven finalists, but that there were seven submissions, total. Admittedly, it was a little disheartening. Nonetheless, lesson learned (hence the more traditional contest for Mega Man 10).

With that being the case, I’m sure there are any number of you wondering what the hell took so long. Besides dealing with numerous… personal circumstances, let’s say, I made it my mission to procure a small prize for each contestant who did not win the big prize– runners-up, shall we say.

So while SuperWittyName will get to take home the grand prize Zero/Gilbertson autograph, each of the other entrants will receive one Mega Man E-Tank Energy Drink as a way of saying “thanks for taking the time to enter; we really appreciate it.” Thanks go out to our staff member MainFinger for obtaining some of the cans, while JGonzo from the Capcom Unity generously donated the remainder. We will have those prizes sent out shortly.

Thanks once again to everyone who participated, and congratulations to SuperWittyName. This was a fun little experiment, and perhaps we’ll try something new again sometime. And once more, I apologize for the lengthy delay in announcing the winners, and hope you understand.

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.

Zero Contest Note

Just wanted to post a quick update for those of you wondering about the results of the “What Am I Fighting For?!” contest: we haven’t forgotten about it, but some things of a personal nature have recently come up, which has derailed the timeline a little bit.

We’ll have the winners posted for you soon, and we thank you for your patience.

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.

So How Is Tatsunoko vs. Capcom?

The release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars has finally come. While many (myself included) never thought the game would come over here, Capcom thankfully proved us wrong. What does this have to do with Mega Man? Well, as you probably know by now, TvC features not one, but three playable Mega Man characters; each from a different series: Mega Man Volnutt/Trigger (Legends Series), Roll (Classic Series), and Zero (X Series), not to mention Frank West’s “Real Mega Buster” Hyper Combo.

But is the game any good?

Capcom was nice enough to send me a copy so that I could review it on the site I primarily write for, WingDamage.com. As for the Mega Man specific stuff: Zero is everything I want him to be and more, Mega Man Volnutt feels very different than Mega Man Classic (featured in Marvel vs. Capcom) in a good way, and Roll is adorable. You can find my full, detailed review of the game here.

And before you throw tomatoes at me for linking my own review, you should know I was asked to make this post.

News Credit: WingDamage

Everything Becomes Zero… Again

I have a confession to make.

I’ve seen people clamoring for a Mega Man Zero Collection, a compilation of the four Game Boy Advance games in the series, for some time now. But ever since Rockman.EXE: Operate Shooting Star turned out to be a port of the original Rockman.EXE title with minimal changes (similar to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney), I’ve been something of a killjoy on the matter. If it was brought up, I would tend to respond that Capcom was more likely to release them all individually, possibly with some added content. But a collection? Highly unlikely.

And I am not afraid to tell you here today that I was more or less wrong; of course, “highly unlikely” doesn’t mean impossible, but evidently, the possibility was greater than I had imagined.

In other words: yes, there is going to be a Rockman Zero Collection on the Nintendo DS. Capcom of Japan has opened the site for it, which you can view for yourself here.

Information seems to be scarce at the moment, suffice to say that it seems to contain all four parts of the Rockman Zero saga. The release date is soon– very soon, in fact, with a date of April 22nd, 2010, and a price of 3,990 yen (roughly $43.83 USD).

One should also note that above the center “Z” logo (which moves to the left when the central image of Zero appears) when the site begins to flash scenes, there is an opening for a logo (?) that is unaccounted for. It may simply be an oversight on my part, but what could that space be for?

Naturally, it’s a touch too soon to hear about a U.S. release date just yet, though I’m sure we’ll hear something by E3 in June. Until then, stay with us as we bring you the latest regarding the Rockman Zero Collection– no doubt some of our crew will import it upon release and tell you whether it’s worth getting more hyped for than Operate Shooting Star.

Thanks to fellow MMN staff member Mainfinger for bringing this to my attention.

Reminder: The “What am I Fighting For?!” Contest Nears Its Close, With Slight Extension

Okay, folks, we’re down to our final week of The Mega Man Network’s “What am I Fighting For?!” Contest. We last extended the contest deadline to January 15th, so that people would have the Christmas/New Year holidays to work on their entry, plus a little more time.

In doing so, I freely admit I really should have looked at a calendar. Having done so, I’m extending the contest by two more days– you have until the clock strikes Midnight PST on the night of Sunday, January 17th to submit your entry to mmncontest(at)gmail(dot)com, thus giving you the weekend to finish things up.

And honestly? I don’t want to divulge numbers yet, but there have not been a lot of entries thus far. Ergo, if you enter, your chances may still be pretty good. Click here for the rules and a reminder of what you are fighting for.

UDON Providing New Endings for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars

Some interesting news has come out of UDON Entertainment today.

As we all likely know by now, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is being bulked up for its worldwide release, and a major part of that is the addition of new characters. So naturally, just slapping the same endings the original version had into this one just won’t cut it– something new has to be done for the guys who were not in the original game.

As such, new endings are being created, from top to bottom, by the fine folks at UDON Entertainment. This may please some fans, who might recall that the cover of the 2006 release Mega Man X Collection (seen at right) was illustrated by the folks at UDON.

By following this link, you can view Capcom’s USTREAM video of the game in action from the Consumer Electronics Show, which even reveals one character’s ending at about six minutes into the hour-long video feed. Unfortunately, however, the endings are not fully-animated, but are instead still-frames with text captions.

Personally speaking, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, as this provides us with some nice new artwork, rather than some short off-model animations, such as this one for MegaMan Volnutt:

Of course, that’s not to say that those are bad; some appear to be rather funny, despite the Japanese language barrier. Perhaps Capcom can sneak those in as a sort of unlockable bonus of some kind?

Capcom Presents “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Mega Man X??? Dream Team?!”

The release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is drawing ever-nearer, and Director Hidetoshi Ishizawa has made a new blog post which introduces two new stages: the “Orbital Ring hangar,” presumably from Tekkaman Blade, and the “Willamette Mall” from Dead Rising.

But in addition to these revelations, he also brings with him new gameplay videos focused on Zero. The first, called “Mega Man X??? Dream team?!” features our favorite red rocker alongside a slightly-less mega man, namely Frank West, who dons his X-inspired armor and weapon for a double-super move:

Short. Sweet. Brutal.

Next up, “The Horror of the Great Jump Rope? (or not quite?).” What does that mean? Let’s find out!



It appears that Gyakuten-oh pilot Ken the Eagle failed to take into account that the hero Zero takes on giant robots like this all the time. Now what’s he going to do?

Finally, the big red robot with the long, blonde hair teams up with the little robot with the long, blonde hair to perform a combo in “Double Rekkoha!!”



I’d say they cleaned up.

For more details on the new stages, be sure to check out the full blog post at Capcom*Unity.

“What Am I Fighting For?!” Update

Just a quick note, a reminder of sorts to those who kept up with our last post about the contest: we have decided to extend the contest deadline indefinitely to allow for more people to enter and have time to work on and polish up their entries.

I have not heard back from Jaxel regarding any preference as to when to end this, but I’m hoping that with the Christmas and New Year holidays and vacation coming up, that it will be enough time for people to do what they would like to do. As such, I figure ending the contest a little into the new year– I’m thinking at the end of the second week of January– should hopefully give people the extra time they need.

And for those who have already submit entries to the contest, you are more than welcome to adjust, fine-tune, or otherwise work more on your entries and send them to us again, if you wish. We still have the originals if those are what you prefer to stand with.

Remember, entries and questions go to mmncontest(at)gmail(dot)com.

Thanks, and I hope we’ll see more of your best inquiries into the reason for which you are engaged in conflict.

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