Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Arika Vice President Shares Image of "Unknown" Mega Man Design (Update)

UPDATE: The original tweet was deleted voluntarily, according to Mihara. He apologized for "any trouble to the rights holders". (The image was not intended for public viewing, it seems.)

Original Post: Ichiro Mihara, the Vice President of Arika and former Mega Man director, recently shared a small, cropped screenshot showcasing an unfamiliar design of classic series Mega Man (above). Notably, this render features additional details not seen in any previous iteration of the character, particularly the helmet's distinct paneling and a bolt. What's more, Mega Man's complexion is strikingly off-white, and the glowing eyes bear some resemblance to X's portrayal in Capcom's Teppen

The image was accompanied by the (translated) caption, "I used to make Mega Man's **** and **** and **** official **** ****, so I know a little bit about Mega Man!" Mihara, who's made no secret about his past involvement with Mega Man on the NES, appears intentional in being discreet about the specifics related to the image.

For some added context, Mihara's tweet was in response to Hitoshi Ariga, who shared his own experiences with the series, concluding with the phrase "I know a little bit about Mega Man."

Although Arika is not a subsidiary of Capcom, the company has collaborated with the developer in the past on Mega Man Network Transmission in 2003. More recently, Arika has entered into partnerships with Bandai Namco to co-develop Tekken 8 and with SNK to develop titles based on non-fighting IPs.

So, where does this Mega Man fit in? There are a few viable possibilities. One, Mihara might be hinting at an unannounced collaboration involving Tekken 8. Alternatively, Arika could be co-developing a new title featuring this design. Lastly, it could be connected to a canceled project with ties to Arika. Regardless of the outcome, this is something I'll be keeping tabs on.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Exoprimal x Mega Man Collaboration Announced

Exoprimal, Capcom's dinosaur-based multiplayer game, will receive a healthy dose of Mega Man-themed content for Season 4. The collaboration will include exclusive Mega Man-themed exosuit skins, emotes and an original mission that pits players against Yellow Devil.

The Mega Man collaboration drops with Season 4 on April 17th. You can get an idea of what to expect from the trailer above. More info is expected to arrive closer to launch.

Source: Capcom US

Indie Dev Makes a Single Level of Mighty No. 9 Playable on 3DS and Vita

The developer behind a Kickstarter campaign for Breath of Thunder, an RPG inspired by Capcom's Breath of Fire, found themselves in the crosshairs of frequent comparisons to the infamous Mighty No. 9. In a savvy move, Jerrel Dulay opted to confront these comparisons head-on by creating a playable level of Mighty No. 9 for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. 

"The campaign is being compared to Mighty No. 9 and its failures," writes Jerrel. "It is unlikely Breath of Thunder will be funded, so I made Mighty No. 9 for PSVita and 3DS instead. Please download and enjoy for FREE!" (3DS here, Vita here)

The 3DS and Vita versions of Mighty No. 9 were supposed to hit the shelves back in 2017. And despite both consoles being discontinued, believe it or not, these games have never officially been cancelled by Comcept or the publisher Deep Silver. In fact, you can still go ahead and pre-order the 3DS version on Amazon UK. Because, you know, why let a little thing like reality get in the way of a good pre-order?

For fans of Mighty No. 9, Jerrel's efforts should provide a little fix for that long-standing itch to play the game on-the-go. As one would say, it's better than nothing. 

If you're interested in checking out Breath of Thunder, hit up the game's Kickstarter campaign here.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Street Fighter 6 Delivers Brand-New Hitoshi Ariga Artwork


Released earlier last week, Street Fighter 6's latest Fighting Pass "Mega Man Gala" had a little surprise in store for fans-- a brand-new piece of artwork drawn by none other than Hitoshi Ariga!

Read more after the break!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Original Mega Man Creator Akira Kitamura Returns for New Projects at Brave Wave

Fortunate to get an early glimpse at future plans, I can confirm exclusively that Akira Kitamura, the original creator of Mega Man, is gearing up for a comeback after a hiatus of more than 30 years. 

Kitamura's return will be marked by a collaboration with Brave Wave, a record label known for its high-quality re-releases of classic game soundtracks. He will play a direct role in various projects currently in production, including a non-music related project. This particular endeavor, closely tied to a certain blue robot, is slated to be announced later this year and has been enthusiastically described by Kitamura as "a dream project."

Zero and Lan Hikari Join Capcom's "Capcorom" Plush Line

After the debut of MegaMan.EXE and Bass.EXE back in late 2022, two additional characters from the Mega Man series have joined Capcom's well-loved plush line, "Capcorom."

Starting this Friday, Zero from the Mega Man Zero series and Lan Hikari from the Mega Man Battle Network Series will be available to purchase at the Capcom Store locations in Tokyo, Osaka and Umeda for 1,100 yen each (around $7.32 or 6,74€). Alternatively, they'll be available on Capcom's online crane game service "Captore" the next day.

With these two new additions, the Mega Man series now boasts a total of eight characters transformed into these palm-sized beans. The current lineup includes MegaMan.EXE, Bass.EXE, Lan Hikari, Zero from Zero Series and Mega Man, Roll, Rush, and Proto Man from the Classic Series.

If you're looking to add these little guys to your collection, keep your eyes peeled to your favorite online import-friendly stores!

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Rockman-Themed Pop-Up Shop Opens at Animate Los Angeles


Announced last November, the official Rockman pop-up is open for business at Animate's Los Angeles location until Sunday, March 17th. Fans can find a bevvy of 35th anniversary themed goods, including  high-resolution art prints, acrylics, books, and apparel. The store also features some lovely life-size standees of different Rockmen, and a murals for photo ops.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Mega Man-Themed Fighting Pass Heads to Street Fighter 6 in March

 

Capcom announced that Street Fighter 6 will be receiving a new Fighting Pass inspired by Mega Man starting tomorrow, March 1st. The "Mega Man Gala pass" is filled with an array of cosmetic avatar gear, emotes, photo frames, and stickers showcasing the Blue Bomber and different characters from the classic series. Additionally, players will gain access to access to Mega Man: The Power Battle, playable from start to finish.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Rockman DASH: Great Adventure on 5 Islands & Rockman Tennis Preserved in Full


Hey Mega Man fans! This is RockmanCosmo, the leader of SciLab Secrets – the team working to preserve lost Rockman games released on Japanese feature phones. In December, we announced that we preserved eight lost Rockman games, including the entirety of Rockman EXE: Phantom of Network and Legend of Network. Today, I am happy to announce that we have preserved the entirety of Rockman DASH: Great Adventure on 5 Islands and Rockman Tennis. Read on for more details and how you can play them right now!

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Mega Man X DiVE Global Version Team in Talks with Capcom to Keep the Game Online

Although the original version of Mega Man X DiVE is no longer playable online, the officially-licensed Global Version by NebulaJoy is still going strong... and they hope to keep it that way.

In a recent livestream, Zero-X, a representative from NebulaJoy, shared insights on the game's future. Zero-X stated, "We are in talks right now with Capcom to extend the online version. I'm 99% sure they are going to say yes." Emphasizing the mutual interest in success, Zero-X added, "They're not going to let us fail because it makes no sense. If this game ever gets shut down they do not benefit at all. If it keeps running, they benefit. Everybody benefits."

While Zero-X refrained from specifying how long service would last in the event of Capcom choosing not to renew the partnership, his confidence should be reassuring for longtime players. We'll keep an ear to the ground if anything changes.

Source: Mega Man X DiVE Global (thanks, Valkysas!)

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Unreleased and Prototype Jazwares Mega Man Figures Up for Grabs

A handful of  unreleased figures from Jazewares' Mega Man line have surfaced on eBay. Among them is a particularly intriguing treasure—a never-before-seen "battle damaged" Zero. It appears to be a redeco of the 6-inch figure from 2004, which was already a significant improvement over its less appealing wave 1 counterpart

We also have an array of test-shot prototypes of classic series Mega Man... with X's body. This fella comes in various colors, including blue, green, red and brown. It's worth noting that similar prototypes were last showcased at Toy Fair 2005 but unfortunately never made it to retail.

According to the seller, these figures were obtained from an industry veteran's estate. Now, for a very pretty penny, they could be yours. If nothing else, these new images serve as valuable additions to the pantheon of cancelled and unreleased Jazwares goodies. You can check 'em out after break!

Source: plerose

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Rockman X and Medarot S Crossover Event Detailed

The previously teased crossover event between Rockman X and Medarot S is scheduled to begin on February 22nd. During the event, Medarots based on X, Zero, Vile, Full Armor X and Sigma will be available to obtain, among other X series-based items.