Next Mega Man Game Enters Pre-Production in 2019, Implies Mega Man 11 Producer

4Gamer has posted a series of end-of-year interviews with Japanese developers about their 2019 ambitions. Among them is Mega Man 11 producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, who has a few words to share about what's in store for the new year:

“In 2018, we were able to safely release Mega Man 11. This is also a thank-you to all of the game fans. In 2019, I would like to make steady preparations for what’s next, so there may not be any major action, but I hope you can all watch over me with warm eyes…!”

Simply put, Tsuchiya is suggesting that 2019 will be spent preparing for the next game in the franchise. Although we probably won't see a major release in 2019, we can rest easy with the knowledge that something new is on the burner. As to what the next game might be... well, that's anyone's guess. It's way, way too early to call it.

I guess we'll just have to watch Tsuchiya with "warm eyes", then. Stay tuned!

Source: 4Gamer (via Pixelbuster and Gematsu)

Mega Man Mastermix #4 Now Slated for April 3rd, 2019

The twice-delayed fourth issue of Mega Man Mastermix has a new release date: April 3rd, 2019. The good word comes to us from a re-solicitation via Focus Attack. What's more, UDON Entertainment's own Matt Moylan confirmed this is the definitive release date.

Here's the solicitation for this issue in case you've forgotten: "The Blue Bomber returns to comics through the classic stories of Japanese artist Hitoshi Ariga -- available for the first time in color! Mega Man must team up with friends and foes alike to stop both the destructive Gamma robot, and the out-of-control Yellow Devil! It's a giant robot rampage in the latest chapter of Mega Man Mastermix!" 

Pre-orders are up in the usual places with more to follow.

Source: Focus Attack

The Year in Review and the Mega Man 2019 Roadmap

As the year comes to a close, there's no time like the present to pause and reflect. And you know, I think we can safely say that this year has been one of the best in recent memory. Not just for the Mega Man franchise but for all of us – the fans.

Rockman X and Monster Hunter Explore Collaboration Announced

Capcom are kicking off the new year with a brand-new Rockman X 25th anniversary collaboration with Monster Hunter Explore.

Beginning January 14th, Monster Hunter Explore players can get equipped with X and Zero-themed Hunter armors. What's more, players can also find special X series-themed weapons, such as three variations of the X-Buster, the Z-Saber, and a Metool Hammer. Stamps/avatars based on X series characters will be distributed to participants as well.

Additional images and information can be found at the official Monster Hunter Explore website.

No Plans to Release the Rockman X 25th Anniversary Music Albums on CD

We reached out the publisher of the new Rockman X piano and band arranged albums to find out if it will be released on CD. According to them, they have no plans to release either album on CD at this time. They chose the "digital only" format in order to reach a wider, international audience.

GMSTORE Corp. seems to be a small label with not much work done before this particular Rockman X project. Releasing a physical CD worldwide not only would be a logistical challenge, but it presents a financial risk for them as well. It seems their goal is to offer equality for fans in both Japan and beyond, rather than doing a physical release just for Japan and a digital only version for the rest of the world (which has been pretty typical lately).


They are tackling an ambitious project here; literally creating two albums for each game in the X series (minus the Game Boy games). That's a total of 20 albums, 790 songs plus an additional ensemble album with 10 songs selected by fans.

The success of this project rests in our hands! Head over to the GM Store to listen some samples and decide by if it's something you'd be interested in.

E-Capcom Rockman 30th Anniversary Artbook & Artwork Revealed

This evening Rockman 11 producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya announced on Twitter that the E-Capcom store in Japan will be selling a brand-new Rockman 30th Anniversary art book as well as framed art pieces.

The Fully Charged Podcast Talks Mega Man Upon a Star: Future Beware

And we're back with another episode! LBD and I are joined by our editor ShadowRockZX for a special holiday edition of The Fully Charged podcast. We're taking a look at the third episode of Mega Man: Upon a Star, Future Beware. For the uninitiated, Upon a Star is an "educational" OVA that originally released on video back in 1994. The intent of the program was to introduce Japanese culture to elementary-aged children and, in turn, act as a pilot for the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon.

You can listen to this holiday episode directly on SoundCloud and, soon, on iTunes and Google Play. Alternivatly you can listen to the embedded stream on The Mega Man Network.

Happy holidays!

Support Mega Man 11 at the PlayStation Blog Game of the Year 2018 Awards

Mega Man 11 has been nominated for "Best PS4 Game", "Best Art Direction" and "Best Soundtrack" at the PlayStation Blog Game of the Year 2018 Awards. It's unlikely the game will win when it goes against heavy hitters like God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man or Red Dead Redemption 2 to name a few, but you can always show some support for the Blue Bomber!

You can vote in the North American PlayStation Blog and European PlayStation Blog independently. Good luck!

"Imagine-Nation" Rockman 11 Special: "The Return of the Blue Metal Hero"

Back in October 2nd, popular NHK World TV show Imagine-Nation aired an episode mainly focused in Rockman 11. The program provides a closer look at Rockman 11's creation, covering things like game design, sound design, and the team's overall goal while creating Rockman 11. They also had the chance to interview Kazuhiro Tsuchiya (Producer), Ryota Fujii (Lead Designer), Koji Oda (Director) and Ryo Yoshi (Audio Director).

Imagine-Nation is a TV show that focus on introducing Japanese pop culture, specifically anime, manga and video games to overseas audiences. If you wish to learn more about the program, you can do it here.

If you want to see more behind-the-scenes Rockman 11 footage, you can always watch the 5-part "Making Of" series Capcom uploaded to their YouTube channel. It's almost 60 minutes of footage covering the start of the development, the characters, stage design, boss and special effects designs, and sound design. Although it's only in Japanese, you won't be totally lost if you can't understand it – there's plenty of visual information and stuff to see!

Celebrate Christmas with Rockman 11 Special Wallpapers

In the last couple of weeks both Rockman Unity and the official Mega Man Twitter account uploaded a set of Christmas-themed wallpapers designed by the Rockman 11's UI team. There's one wallpaper for each Rockman 11 stage composed of a Robot Master and their respective stage minions in the shape of a Christmas tree.

You can head over to the Rockman Unity blog to grab the eight wallpapers and two more. However, if you want the maximum resolution for the eight wallpapers above, you will have to check Twitter or download them from here.

"The Fully Charged Podcast" is All Caught Up

Whose up for another round of "The Fully Charged Podcast"? LBD Nytetrayn and I are finally caught up on the latest batch of Mega Man: Full Charged episodes (we beat Cartoon Network to the punch!), and we're hoping to keep a more consistent from here on out. I mean I say that, but... eh.

Anyway, you can listen to three new episodes of our show at the following links:

• Episode 24: A Cut Above
• Episode 25: A Bot and His Dog
• Episode 26: This Man, This Man Man!

As always, thanks for supporting the show! We'll be recording a special Christmas Edition over the holiday wherein we'll chat about the Christmas-ish Mega Man: Upon a Star episode, "Future Beware!" Stay tuned!

Mega Man: Fully Charged Returns to Cartoon Network in January 2019

Just in time for all that new merchandise, Mega Man: Fully Charged officially returns to Cartoon Network on Saturday, January 5th, 2019, reports Animation Magazine. Additional episodes will be air Satruday and Sunday mornings at 6:30am/5:30am.

The show returns to Cartoon Network kicks off with episode 21, "Rush to Greatness" wherein "Rush puts his new battle upgrades to the test in a battle with Wave Man."

"Rush to Greatness" is one of several episodes that have already aired in Canada. Cartoon Network will be playing catch-up for a couple weeks, and then they're diving into a couple brand-new, never-before-seen episodes starting Saturday, January 26th. Read on for the schedule!

"Mega Man vs. Block Man" 3-Pack Finally Showing Up at GameStop

It took some time but it looks like the Jakks Pacific "Mega Man vs. Block Man" 3-pack is starting to appear at GameStop.

Rockman Corner readers ShaolinTurtle and Sean are happy to confirm that, at last, the figures are in their possession. ShaolinTurtle found his at the GameStop in Voice of America Centre, West Chester, Ohio. According to employees at that location, they received a shipment last night (Tuesday, December 18th). Meanwhile, the figures that "S" pre-orered some time ago showed up at his GameStop in the Denver metro area. He got the call that they arrived yesterday, too.

I have no other sightings to report at this time. Additionally, the figures still don't appear on GameStop's website. You're best bet is to call a couple stores in your area and see if they have them in-stock. In the meantime, "S" has passed along some pictures and details after the break!

Even More Mega Man: Fully Charged Toys Listed on Amazon

When it rains, it pours. Amazon U.S has posted a bevvy of Mega Man: Fully Charged figures due out in early 2019. These new listings come hot on the heels of last week's news from Entertainment Earth an Toywiz.

The new listings are as follows:

• Cut Man (6-inch)
• Wood Man (6-inch)
• Elec Man (6-inch) 
• Mega Man "Blaze Power" (6-inch)
• Deluxe Sgt. Night (7-inch; listing uses incorrect, placeholder image)
• Deluxe Guts Man (7-inch)
• Deluxe Blaze Man (i.e Fire Man) (7-inch)

No images of these figures are available at this time. Stay tuned to Rockman Corner for updates! Thanks to sim for the tip!

Fan-Game "Maverick Hunter X: Giga Mission" First Trailer

To commemorate Mega Man X's 25th anniversary, game designer Ácido Cinza has launched the first promotional trailer for his fan-game, "Maverick Hunter X: Giga Mission".

"Giga Mission" is a side-scrolling action-platformer/beat 'em up starring X in his famous Command Mission duds. The game features a unique blend of Game Boy style sprites (Xtreme 1 and Xtreme 2) with SNES colors. Combat takes place on two planes and, in-between, you'll find yourself navigating traditional platformer segments. Lesser-known X series characters like Steel Massimo, Marty, and Nástenka from the infamous Novas Aventuras de Mega Man comic are available as "assists" to lend a hand in battle. Use 'em wisely to rack up combos!

"Maverick Hunter X: Giga Mission" is due out when it's finished. In the meantime you can follow Ácido Cinza on Twitter for updates and behind-the-scenes goodies!

Rockman X 25th Anniversary Band & Piano Albums Available to Purchase

A week ago GM Store announced the digital release of new arranged albums based on the Rockman X soundtrack, arranged and played by a band and also by piano independently. And starting today, on the 25th anniversary of the X series, they're now available to purchase.

Kotobukiya Announces New Line of Rockman X Model Kits!

Some days ago we speculated that Kotobukiya would be reviving their Rockman model kit line based on a cryptic countdown. It turns out we were right! (not that it was too hard to figure out).

Kotobukiya have officially confirmed that they are developing new Rockman model kits based on the X series characters. The first model kit will be the original Irregular Hunter himself – X. X will be introduced to the world during the Winter Wonder Festival 2019, which takes place on February 10th, 2019.

Also on that day, Kotobukiya are planning to hold a talk show to discuss this new model kit line and the 25th anniversary of Rockman X in general. More news on this front soon – hang tight!

Source: Kotobukiya

New Rockman X Artwork Kicks Off Rockman X 25th Anniversary

At the closing ceremony of "Rockman Unite", Mega Man 11 stage designer and Battle Network scenario writer Masakazu Eguchi joined Rockman Unity's Takekuni Uchida for a small reveal. While nothing game related was announced, attendees got the chance to see a brand-new piece of artwork drawn by Keisuke Mizuno. Featuring X, Zero, Axl, and Alia in Mizuno's fan-favorite art style, the image will reportedly be used in a yet to-be-revealed product that will be sold at E-Capcom.

Technical Reasons Prevented "Jumping Through Boss Doors" in Mega Man 11, Says Producer

Jumping through boss doors is an age-old Mega Man tradition. It's not in every game but when it is, it's fun. If you're like me, you did it all the time. And if you're also like me, you were a little surprised that, for one reason or another, it wasn't included in Mega Man 11. But why? Well, friends, today we have our answer.

In a recent interview with Game Informer, Mega Man 11 producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya explained that since there are areas in the game "connected by horizontal shutters placed in the floor," they "unified" the movement to make things a bit more consistent. Tsuchiya further explains, "if players were to slide onto the shutter, they would then fall into the area below in the same pose, which would be unnatural."

So that's that. I'm glad Tsuchiya had a rationale behind it, really. It's not the greatest answer to the question but it's better than something like, "we totally forgot about it" or "we didn't consider it." I suppose now that Capcom know there's some demand to it, we can only hope leaping through boss doors will return in Mega Man 12 and so on!

Source: Destructoid

Kotobukiya Possibly Teasing Mega Man X Series Model Kit

It's been several years since Kotobukiya made a *new* Mega Man model kit and it looks like they're about to start back up again.

The official Kotobukiya Twitter account posted the above teaser image today which says that a new plastic model kit project will be revealed in three days. The font style used here is awfully close to that of the Japanese Rockman X logo. Additionally, three days from now is December 17th – the X series' 25th anniversary and Mega Man's 31st overall. Based on that, there's a good chance this new project is not only Mega Man-related but X series as well. We could be seeing a brand-new X model kit in the coming days, people.

More news on this front soon. Stay tuned!

More Mega Man: Fully Charged Toys Up for Pre-order

Hot on the heels of yesterday's news, ToyWiz brings us two more 6-inch Fully Charged toys: Drill Man and Mega Man "Drill Man Power". They're priced at $14.99 a piece and are expected to ship in March 2019.

ToyWiz has all of yesterday's Fully Charged figures up for pre-order too. You can find 'em here.

Mega Man: Fully Charged Toyline Revealed

It looks like Jakks Pacific's long-awaited Mega Man: Fully Charged toyline is taking shape. Entertainment Earth recently posted a whole bunch of Mega Man: Fully Charged toys – and they look pretty good!

"Rewind" Added to Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 on PS4, Xbox One and PC

A new patch is available for Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 on PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One that adds the Rewind feature from the Nintendo Switch version. The feature allows players to hold down a button to turn back time. It comes in handy for beginners and rusty old-timers.

So yeah; update your game now! It's up!

Source: Mega Man

Get Equipped With Official Irregular Hunter Jackets

To mark the onset of the winter season, Capcom are rolling out a pair of super slick Irregular Hunter jackets. They come in two flavors: "17th Elite Unit X" (pictured) and "0th Special Unit Zero." Each jacket features their own unique Irregular Hunter symbols and markings. Be warned, my friends; these jackets aren't cheap. How does $110 sound? Yikes!

Additional sizes, images and pre-orders are available via Play Asia.

December Wallpaper from the Rockman Unity App is Live

The time has come, good friends. Here is the final wallpaper of 2018 from the Rockman Unity app. Unfortunately there's nothing new this time – it's a collage of old art from different sources. It's not bad... just 'eh'. And it's weird, right? I mean every other wallpaper this year has been stellar. They're going out with a whimper here.

Regardless, you can download the full resolution here!

UDON Collectibles Mega Man Goods Return for a Limited Time

If you missed out on UDON Collectables' various convention-exclusive Mega Man goods in the past year, you're in luck. For the next three days you can pick up those sweet collector pins and the 30th anniversary cross-section shirt at UDON Collectibles' pop-up shop. They're gone after December 10th!

So if you're in need of some fun Mega Man stocking stuffers for the holiday season, this is it. The lucky draw pins are my favorite of the bunch – highly recommended. Do note that they're sold in blind bags, though. You won't know what you get at first.

Grab yours ASAP at the link above!

Chapter 3 of Rockman X: The Novel -Irregular Report- Has Been Fan-Translated

A passionate group of fans have been working on a fan-translation of Tsubasa Todoroki's Rockman X: The Novel -Irregular Report- for almost two years. Today, they released Chapter 3 (Spark Mandrill), which is available to read here.

The chapter discusses X's battle with Spark Mandrill, as well as a little more than X bargained for...

Anyone is able to read from the cover of the novel up to Chapter 3 at this point, so consider reading all of what's done so far. The project is still under way, so please be patient with the group as they continue to release updates.

Please also support Todoroki's novel! The novel is available on Amazon (JP) for purchase.

Enjoy!

Mega Man Legends Was Almost Included in the PlayStation Classic

Following the ill-reception of the just-released PlayStation Classic, if there were any more reasons to be disappointed with the console, the Mega Man community would certainly have one for them to add to.

It would appear that Mega Man Legends was, at some point, considered for inclusion in the PlayStation Classic mini console. The source code released by Sony Interactive Entertainment earlier this week references the game, along with international versions, under the individual names MEGA_MAM_LEGENDS_EU [sic], MEGA_MAM_LEGENDS_JP [sic], MEGA_MAM_LEGENDS_US [sic]. No, not a Mega mother. Its suppose to be Mega Man. N and M are right next to each other on keyboards.

Read on for the full story!

Mega Man and Mega Man Countdown to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate countdown continues with our very own blue boy! The official Rockman Unity Twitter account posted a special tribute piece featuring Mega Man's Smash Bros. and Mega Man 11 incarnations. Just one day remains! (in Japan time)

Source: Rockman Unity

Mega Man Zero: Official Complete Works Hardcover Reprint Outed by Amazon (Update)

If you've been hoping that UDON would reprint Mega Man Zero: Official Complete Works, well, the stars may finally be shining upon you. Amazon Canada recently put up a listing for a hardcover "Mega Man Zero: Official Complete Works" with a June 4th, 2019 release date (UPDATE: it's up on Amazon US now). It'll set you back $59.99 CDN or roughly $45.47 USD. That's so much more affordable than what we've got going on right now.

No word yet if this reprint will include any additional content. Based on previous Mega Man hardcover re-releases, though, it's doubtful. Still, it'd be nice if we at least got a spiffy new dust jacket. I mean, any opportunity to get Nakayama to draw new Zero art is a blessing.

We shall see. More news on this front as it comes!

Source: Amazon Canada