Rockman Elysium

Via PRC- the official Capcom press release for RM9:


LOS ANGELES, CA — July 15, 2008 — At the 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit, Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, announced Mega Man 9™ for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Nintendo WiiWare™, and PLAYSTATION® Network. The original 2D classic Mega Man returns, bringing the series back to its core with retro-action platform gameplay and NES-inspired old school graphics. Relive the Mega Man experience with maniacally themed environments, a host of power-ups, and classically inspired bosses, each with their own unique weapons and weaknesses. Mega Man is currently scheduled for a simultaneous launch on all three platforms this Fall.

Mega Man 9 is a continuation of the original Mega Man series and will feature the classic gameplay fans know and love focusing on defeating bosses and acquiring a diverse arsenal of weapons. Mega Man 9 will feature over a dozen new challenging levels, a horde of new enemies with designs directed by Keiji Inafune, the original Mega Man character designer, online leader boards and a gamerscore achievements system.
In the year 200X, as the advanced science of the era has created industrial robots that co-exist with humans. However, an evil genius, Dr. Wily, plots for world domination and creates his own robot army to take over mankind. Luckily for humanity, Dr. Light outfits one of his domestic robots "Rock" to fight Dr. Wily’s creations. Mega Man is born.

Set after the events of Mega Man 8, multiple riots have sprung up all over the world. Whilst many people suspect that this is another plot from Dr. Wily, Dr. Light is stunned to recognize that some of the robots rioting on the TV screen are his own creations. Even more stunning, Dr. Wily appears on television to proclaim that Dr. Light is the evil mastermind behind these latest catastrophic incidents and it’s up to Mega Man to clear his creator’s name!

(Muse says: OH HELL CONCEPTUAL BLEEDOVER CONTINUES ERODING DISTINCTION BETWEEN X AND CLASSIC SERIES SIGH)

Launching this Fall for all three major platforms, Mega Man 9 is the must- buy Mega Man for both old and new fans alike. Its retro look and feel will draw old fans back to the series while its intuitive controls and the 80’s retro style gameplay will open up the game to a broader audience.

First footage of Rockman 9 (copied from niconico, clearly) is here:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x61ltv_mega-man-9-first-footage_videogames

Release date of September 08. It's a Japanese commercial with new music, so I don't think this one is a hoax. (eyerolls so hard)

Some interesting commentary about the game in general is here: http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/EverythingWrongIsRightAgain

(thanks as usual to protodude's for the links)

From niconico:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3781102
Contains clear versions of several screencaps from the game, jaunty music. Sort of a nice summation of what's coming and has been shown officially so far.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3886777
The Japanese commercial, original.
Something interesting about it: The ending of the commercial gives these copyright credits:

(c) Capcom Japan
(c) Capcom USA
(c) Daletto Co, Ltd.
(c) (kanji)/Gold Lightning International co, Ltd.

Not a sign of "Inticreates" on there...

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1491909
Appears to be gameplay video from the first Wily fortress. Before you complain about the fact that it reuses elements from RM2 (the infamous Wily eyebrow wiggle, music, and lead-in animation as well as the final dragon boss for the level), I've heard from a couple of sources that RM9 DOES reuse several elements of music and spriting from RM2. Additionally, the weapons match weapons seen fired in other screenshots, and the Spike Shoes are visible in use throughout the stage as a switchable weapon. (a nice addition, FINALLY- I'll take that over charged shots or that stupid, stupid slide move!)

I believe this is real footage- or a good enough fake to give an idea of the feel of the game.

Protodude from PRC wondered why it seemed like there was an apparent lack of enthusiasm in the fandom for the news of Megaman 9. After thinking about it, I sent this reply:

I think the lack of enthusiasm is because people have been burned by Capcom - and other FANS (yes, I'm looking at you, fake screenshot-makers and false 'insiders') - over and over and over again. Because of such 'fun', people no longer trust anything they hear about the series.

You can't even trust Capcom itself:
The X Collection was 'scaled back' because of IHX, which then itself became a cancelled series. The promises and then cancellation of the Megaman Game Boy collection, despite heavy promotion back at the time. Capcom's complete inability to keep track of its own internal storylines. I think these are valid reasons to be wary of a new release.

If MM9 really is as good as MM2, great! If it's a nostalgia release to placate fans who were wondering why the 20th was such a dull, wet thud, that's fine too. Sure. And then restrict it to only one platform - the most expensive and currently difficult to obtain platform, sure. And then make it an online only game, probably not on the radar of your average nostalgic casual adult gamer- the very people they're supposedly marketing to? Sure, okay.

And you know, you just KNOW, that they're going to claim low sales again and put the 'classic' line into deep freeze again. It's like stacking the deck ahead of time so all it CAN do is fail.

The franchise has been handled poorly like this all along, and Capcom continues to pander to the whims of the market; now, instead of pandering to little kids and 'card game' rages in Japan, they're pandering to the rose-tinted nostalgia of adults.

And, since it's not the effing "Cataclysm" that everybody seems to want to see happen for some moronic reason, people are 'disappointed' to wait 20 years and get a lightweight entry, too.

If this marks the beginning of a new direction for the franchise, great. But I can see why people are holding back their enthusiasm on multiple fronts.

Via Mega Man Network:

http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Inticreates, with Inafune, have created a "new NES game" for the Wiiware Virtual Console.

The game is now OFFICIALLY confirmed. Get your Wii's now, if you care!