No April Fool's joke here. Another Rockman EXE arcade game has been successfully preserved! Medal Network: Rockman EXE has remained somewhat of a mystery to fans for several years, with only a couple of low-quality images and scarce information available. But that's history now—I'm happy to announce that the game has been extracted from its aging hardware and made available to download.
Today, March 25th, marks the 30th anniversary of Rockman's Soccer. To commemorate this milestone, a Japanese sample version of the game has been uncovered and dumped by C. Davis on The Cutting Room Floor.
While closely resembling the final retail build, this pre-release version stands out for its inclusion of features that were ultimately removed before launch. Most notably, it supports 4-player Exhibition matches via the SNES Multitap, a feature curiously absent from the final game. Remarkably, all functionalities seem intact in this sample, including the ability to extend match durations to a full 60 minutes, whereas the final game caps at 10. Additionally, this sample contains a partially complete ending cutscene for Story Mode.
There's a handful of other small changes and differences, and even a collection of unused graphics presumably intended for an unknown baseball game. For further details, hit up The Cutting Room Floor!
Hey, remember those collectible foam keychain things from, like, six years ago? Sure ya do! Well, they're making a comeback with a second wave.
By way of distributor Monogram International, the 3D Foam Bag Clip Series 2 is poised to ship to various retailers across North America this Spring. Series 2 showcases a refreshed art style, spotlighting Robot Masters from Mega Man 2, various iterations of Mega Man himself, Dr. Light, and Rush. The company also plans on releasing a larger magnet version of Mega Man as well.
Even though the original wave of these keychains debuted in 2018, they're still actively sold today. It seems they're popular enough to justify expanding the lineup with additional characters even after all this time. Keep an eye out on Amazon, Target, or wherever you usually find your miscellaneous game paraphernalia.
Source: Monogram International
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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.
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
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.
Read more after the break!
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."
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!
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