Mega Man Legends 2 Hits PSN Next Week (North America)

The latest PlayStation Blogcast confirms what we already know; Mega Man Legends 2 is headed to PlayStation Network. When? Oh, how does Tuesday, April 5th sound? Yup! Real soon.

Mega Man Legends 2 will be compatible with PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and good 'ol PSP. We'll let you know when it goes live! Look forward to it.

Source: PlayStation

Rockman "Backpack Figures" Are Creeping Your Way

I don't know, man; there's something about these new backpack hanger figures. Is it the dead eyes? The droopy faces? Consider me spooked. I'll let Rush slide - that one's actually sort of cute*.

Anyway, these little figures were just revealed from E-Capcom. Produced by Evolete, they're due in May for 950 Yen (pack of three, blind box) or a box of 24 for 22,800 Yen. Brace yourself because Evolete distributes internationally. Beware!

*If you want cute, GCC Mini's Rockman stuff was really great.


Source and more images: E-Capcom

With Your Help, Mega Man Battle Network OCW Could Come Back In Stock

Right now, Mega Man Battle Network: Official Complete Works isn't exactly affordable. But that could all change with a little help from you! Our friends at UDON Entertainment are curious if you'd be interested in a reprint. The 176-page art book could be headed back to the printer if UDON sees some demand... and that's exactly what we're going to do.

If this is something you'd like to see happen, simply speak up in the comments below. Remember; the keyword is reprint! Please don't expect any additional content. The intent is to get this thing back in print for fans who missed out the first time around without shelling out $200+ big ones.

So have at it! UDON will be watching.

Mega Man Legends 2 Rated By ESRB for North American PSN

Mega Man Legends 2 is headed to PlayStation Network at last. The ESRB has rated the PSOne Classic for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PSP.

Pending an official announcement from Capcom USA, we're not too sure when it will debut. Let's hope sooner than later, right? More details as it comes!

First4Figure's Proto Man Statue Unboxed and Reviewed

While First4Figure's Proto Man statue isn't due for another few weeks, my good friend Daniel Arseneault brings us an advanced review. Here, we get an excellent look at the final figure from top to bottom. This is the F4F exclusive version with spiffy LED features. Check it out!

Nintendo Minute Presents "The History of Mega Man"

Kit & Krysta, the hosts of the informative Nintendo Minute, sit down with Mega Man Legacy Collection producer Frank Cifaldi and Capcom's Tim Turi for a little Mega Man history lesson. It's a fun for series newcomers, especially if you're not up-to-date with general trivia and factoids. It's also interesting to see another instance of Nintendo showing the series love.

Contest Time: Win Rockman EXE Sound Box!

What's this? Another contest? You bet! To commemorate Mega Man Battle Network's 15th anniversary, I'm giving away one Rockman EXE Sound Box. It's not due until June, but consider this your official pre-order.

Participation is a little different this time. Instead of leaving your contact info in the comments, I'd you to retweet this tweet. I'll choose one random winner on June 1st, 2016 at 12:00pm EST. The winner will receive a DM with further instructions shortly after. I intend to ship internationally, too, so anyone can enter!

Good luck and have at it!

Mega Man Battle Network Started Out As A Horror Game

Recounting Mega Man Battle Network 1's early development, series scenario writer Masakazu Eguchi reveals the game started out quite different. In a time long past, MMBN1 was initially conceived as a portable horror game...

Rockman EXE Sound Box Announced: Six Disc OST Compilation

Hey, what's an anniversary without an announcement? In commemoration of Rockman EXE's 15th anniversary, Capcom are prepping an EXE series soundtrack compilation. Dubbed "Rockman EXE Sound Box", the set will include 6-discs and an all-new Rockman EXE Best Arrange CD. Series artist Ryuji Higurashi is designing the box art (above).

Rockman EXE Sound Box will hit Japanese retail on June 15th, 2016 (price TBA). We'll keep you updated on details as they come out.

Source: CAPKobun

Capcom Survey Asks About Mega Man 11 and More Collections

Capcom Japan has launched an online survey asking fans what they'd like to see from the franchise next. The survey comes from a URL bundled with the Nintendo 3DS version of Rockman Classics Collection in Japan.

The first batch of questions are pretty generic, like which consoles you own and so forth. In the second set, Capcom asks if "you would like to play a new entry in the classic series (like Mega Man 11). The third set concerns future collections, basically asking which past series (X, Zero, Legends, Battle Network, ZX, Star Force) you'd prefer to see collected.

Although the survey is in Japanese, anyone can participate. All you need is a little help from Google Translate to make your way through. For the postal address, just type in six random numbers, three in each box and select any prefecture. It really doesn't matter.

The survey closes on Saturday, April 30th. What happens after that is anyone's guess.

Thanks to SenseiHanzo for the general translation!

Happy 15th Anniversary, Mega Man Battle Network!

It's the 21st in Japan and that means Mega Man Battle Network officially turned 15-years-old. Incidentally today is the Game Boy Advance's 15th anniversary in Japan, too.

In a time where the classic, X and Mega Man Legends series were under-perfoming, Battle Network shot right out of the gate, spawning a successful multimedia franchise. In just a few years time, Mega Man.EXE became the face of Mega Man in the early '00's. From video games and toys to TV and film, Battle Network truly breathed new life into an aging franchise. It's not a stretch to say many of you reading this are Mega Man fans because of MMBN.

I do not know what the future holds for Battle Network. But after after a strong showing at Hanayashiki, I fully believe there's potential. Who knows what the next five, ten years hold!

Here's to you, Mega Man.EXE. Maybe we'll meet again in a few!
_________________

Bonus nostalgic links:

• Vintage MMBN1 announcement assets
• MMBN1 early production art and notes
• Mega Man Outpost's MMBN1 coverage
• Rockman EXE official site 2001
• Capcom USA MMBN1 pre-order page
• IGN's MMBN1 coverage
• A Video History of Battle Network

Rockman EXE Staff Honor 15th Anniversary With New Artwork

A whole slew of commemorative artwork from former Rockman EXE artists and staff line the walls of Hanayashiki's EXE 15th anniversary celebration. You can really feel the love here...

Maverick Hunter X Fan-Film Currently in Production

Directed by JD Buzz, "Maverick Hunter X" promises to deliver big spectacle and a high degree of polish. We haven't seen a Mega Man production quite like this.

It's Super Effective Celebrates "Mega March" With Mega Man Facts (Bumped!)

YouTube crew It's Super Effective are dedicating a whole month to our favorite blue robot with Mega Man fact videos. There's so much stuff covered we'd wager a good few of you are about to learn something new.

Mega Man Legacy Collection Has Been Patched (Update x2)

Sixth months after launch, the PlayStation 4 version of Mega Man Legacy Collection just received its first update. Version 1.01 fixes include:

• Improved in-game audio playback 
• Improved sound effects in menus
• Added support for Japanese Rockman versions of all six games
• Added Japanese language support
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements

The patch should be live across North America and Europe right now. I'm currently awaiting confirmation on PC and Xbox One, too. Mind you, these issues are not issues on the 3DS version. The 3DS version has its own set of problems that have yet to be fixed.

UPDATE: Frank Cifaldi, the game's producer, has yet to be asked by Capcom to develop a 3DS patch. So that's out of the cards, for now. Frank also says they made a Steam patch, a small one, but it hasn't been pushed out yet.

UPDATE 2: Patch is live for Xbox and PC.

Thanks, Frank Cifaldi!

The 3D Battle Network Fan-Game Gets a Visual Update + Demo

Mega Man Battle Network 3D, the long awaited fan-game, is shaping up nicely. A new video shows off Mega Man.EXE's updated model in action, bustin' viruses. The new model has a higher poly count and adheres closer to the source material's proportions.

That's not all, though! Team MMBN3D also announced the first playable demo coming later today. You'll find it at the project's official site here. Check back often!

Rockman X3 Prototype Dump is Coming Along

Hey, remember that Rockman X3 prototype (08/23/1995) that showed up not too long ago? Well we secured it. It's in the hands of a good pal of mine. Right now he's seeking out the hardware needed for a dump. Once everything is in place, we'll release it publicly. I'll be debuting the file right here on the blog.

In the interim please enjoy some more footage. This is an early version of Neon Tiger/Shining Tigerd's stage with a few graphical differences (the background, mostly). Tigerd's sprite is much different than what we ended up with, too. He actually looks intimidating!

I can't say when the dump will go public but it will be worth it. Other differences to look forward to include Byte/Mandareera's early sprite and a fully-intact unused gate in Blast Hornet's stage (previously seen on the back of X3's NTSC box). Stay tuned!

Here's the Latest Batch of Official Rockman X Merchandise

 T-shirts and patches! Oh my!

Mega Man Battle Network 6 Hits North American Virtual Console Tomorrow

Got a Wii U? Live in North America? Good news for you, friend: Mega Man Battle Network 6 will be arriving on the Virtual Console tomorrow. CyBeast Gregar and CyBeast Falzar will set you back $6.99 a pop.

As a friendly tip, you should be able to unlock trade-exclusive Battle Chips from the Comm menu. After saving your game, these special Chips will end up in your pack (EDIT: The e-Reader BBS quests were unlocked by default in the original U.S versions. They should still be here regardless).

And with that, the entire MMBN series - no, the entire Mega Man GBA library, has a home on Wii U.

Source: Nintendo

Help Design Levels for Mega Man Endless Fan-Game

Mega Man Endless is an upcoming fan-game focused on entirely on endurance gameplay. Taking a few cues from Mega Man 9 & 10's Endless Attack mode, players will be tasked with surviving dozens of stages and bosses. One lap is practically a full Mega Man game!

The thing is, the game's creators are in need of some level ideas. That's where you come in. Blyka has setup a contest of sorts to get the ball rolling. Absolutely no coding or developer experience is required -- this is a come one, come all opportunity.

Interested? You can find the full details in the video description here. Submissions end on March 31st.

Rockman Classics Collection Fan Book Due Later This Month

Various Japanese sites have begun accepting pre-orders for Rockman Classics Collection Fan Book, an 80-page homage to the classic series and the fans that support it. The book will feature fan-art collected from a Japanese Twitter campaign, interviews with fans and musicians, and RCC tips and tricks.

The book will be available on March 31st for 1,800 Yen (roughly $15.81 US). A currently unannounced bonus gift will come bundled with copies ordered from Animate Online Shop.

Thanks, CAPKobun!

Listen to One of the Best Mega Man Suites in History

Pardon the hyperbole, but the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra whipped up a truly fantastic Mega Man suite early last month. The orchestra partnered with Manami Matsumae, Takashi Tateishi, Yasuaki Fujita, and Harumi Fujita for one hell of a performance. Grab your headphones and get ready to chill.

More video game tunes from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra can be found here. Have a listen, if you'd be so inclined!

Watch Mega Man Take on 80 Robot Masters in 50 Seconds

What happens when Mega Man forgoes the stage select and goes for broke? This animated short from our pal UltimateMaverickX holds the answer.

Oh, and check out the "secret" Mega Man X version while you're at it. Thanks to Tony Ponce for the tip! 

Four Super Famicom Rockman Games Coming to NN3DS Virtual Console

During today's Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced a bevvy of classic Super Nintendo and Super Famicom titles are coming to New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. At least four Rockman games have been confirmed for Japan: Rockman 7, Rockman X, Rockman X2, and Rockman X3. Rockman & Forte and Rockman Soccer are MIA again.

Nintendo did not specify when we'll see these four hit the service. What's more, there's been no word on North America or Europe. I'm confident we'll see them all on our shores eventually, though.

Check out today's Nintendo Direct for more information.

Rockman Classics Collection Debuts at #2 in Japanese Sales (UPDATED)

Rockman Classics Collection is off to an alright start in Japan. For the week of February 22nd through the 28th, RCC debuted at #2 with 23,942 units sold. The game is second only to Kamen Rider: Battride War Genesis.

Of note, this data only covers the physical Nintendo 3DS version (digital eShop sales and E-Capcom shipments are not calculated) which launched on February 25th. The game is not currently available on PS4, Xbox One or PC in Japan. For those curious, the previous physical Mega Man game available in the region, Zero Collection, debuted at #4 with 21,736 units in June 2010.

Looking at past Media Create data, rarely do we see Mega Man games rise after launch. RCC will drop next week, that much we can expect. I'd wager we'll see another 5K-10K. All in all, its charting better than I expected.

UPDATE: Data from Dengenki indicates RCC sold through 50% of its initially shipment during the first three days on sale. In other words, Capcom shipped a little over 40,000 units to retail, half of which sold. Not bad.

Source: 4Gamer, Media Create, NeoGAF

Check Out Amazon's Exclusive Legacy Collection Statue & E-Tank Bundle

It looks like Amazon's exclusive Mega Man Legacy Collection statue and E-Tank bundle has begun shipping out. While you await your order, here's a gallery's worth of images from NeoGaf member Diggeh. There's some excellent shots of the Mega Man statue and its complimentary E-Tank piece.

If Diggeh's box is to be believed, approximately 2015 (literally two thousand fifteen) statues were produced. The Mega Man statue is based on the 25th anniversary mold with modified feet (no more ugly peg holes!). To illuminate the statue, you must place it in close proximity to the E-Tank. It's not complicated, but someone thought it would be a good to set up an FAQ.

Anyway, seems neat. If you already own the 25th ann. statue, I personally don't believe you're missing much.