Rockman Elysium

Hi all,

Just some quick housekeeping notes. I'm putting the community into hibernative naptosis- suspended animation- no new posts, but no deletion of old posts or of the community itself.
It's time.

GreatestJournal has finally passed away, and this comm and its sister have been inactive for quite a long time.

It was an awesome time that we had here while we had it, but it seems clear to me that the community has served its purpose, and people have clearly moved on. I'd like to thank everyone for their participation and their creative energy, and assure you that the comm's posts and info will remain online without changes. It is, however, no longer going to be a paid account.

To protect the archive from sabotage or abuse by trolls, I have put the community on moderated mode- no new posts and comments in moderated status. Myself and cloudsky, who designed our layout, are the remaining maintainers.

Again, -thank you all- for your presence. I wish everyone the best of luck in whatever new fandom they find themselves.

If you want to ask me any questions about this, feel free to join this thread at my IJ: here!.

Normally, I don't go for the fan made iPod pictures, but these were nicely done :D



EDIT: Muse, we have a Zero!



Love how he just flings the damn thing ^^;

The rest is cut due to overspammage of images. Made a 1024 x 768 for both X and Zero in PS, but I'm sorry I couldn't make the actual pictures bigger without making them a bit pixelated.

( Read more... )

Enjoy ^.^

Credit goes to pixiv.net. I don't know the artist.

Okay, I think I'm missing something (or a couple of things) here.

Siliconera just put up good-size scans of all 8 Robot Masters from Rockman 9- you can see them here:
http://www.siliconera.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bosses_1_big.jpg and http://www.siliconera.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bosses_2_big.jpg

Why are the DRN numbers so HIGH on these models? I thought it was WILY that got up into the 60's- he didn't steal ALL of Light's robots, after all.

What the HELL crack was Light on when he came up with Galaxy Man?

And c'mon, Inti, Splash Woman is SO Leviathan and Tornado Man is SO Harpuia...

Also, soundtrack samples have hit youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xOuYIFNtes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRxaEjwPDAY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWxFNDsIpZg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QKZE_wUwZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QKZE_wUwZA

Alright, I need help with the fangame.

See, I want to "remix" Sting Chameleon's stage, from X1, into a pseudo-3D fashion like X4/X5/X6's stages. But the only place I can go to that has the background... They have them, the stage layouts, and the active elements (like in X3, the breaking glass windows? These are active bits in the background) all together on a single screenshot, which I just can't use.

I need people using romeo-oscar-mangos to help me out with these: can someone take screen captures of Sting Chameleon's BACKGROUND layers? The ones that move at a different rate than the rest of the ground and walls? I know emus can disable layers.

I just need the backgrounds themselves, I can always clean the screenshots from the site to get the rest of it. And, preferably, I'd like to get both the outside and the underground background sets.

And no, Sprites-Inc. don't have them, either.

Via Protodude:

Keiji Inafune sat down with the Brazilian Nintendo magazine, "Nintendo World" to discuss all things Rockman. Most of the stuff we've heard again and again, but a few tidbits stood out:

NW: The remakes Maverick Hunter X and Powered Up didn't reach the expected sales. Even so, are there plans to take them to Nintendo consoles or remake them as sequels?

KI: There are no plans to make remakes [of a remake?!] or sequels of these titles at the moment.

NW: Why is the X series over? Is there any intention of continuing it?

KI: It's not that the X series is over, but we're giving it a break. We hope to make more sequels in the future.

NW: Where in the chronology do Mega Man 9 fit in? Will Mega Man 9 be the last episode of the Classic series? Is Mega Man & Bass part of the main chronology?

KI: Basically, the chronology was made to follow Mega Man 8 and be the last/latest in the series. The world of Mega Man & Bass exists paralel to Mega Man 9.


JUST SAY IT'S OVER. JUST SAY IT. LET US WITHER AWAY IN PEACE. STOP TEASING US. AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

ETA: My god, the new version of Capcom Japan's website is excruciatingly unfriendly to users.

I was actually thinking about this this morning because of some concept-work for ZL9; I have been pondering how to incorporate the new explanation about Wily and Zero and the Virus into the story.

Something occured to me, about Wily and Sigma.

When did Wily and Sigma meet? My first remembrance was to say 'sometime between X4 and X5', since Sigma specifically mentions 'the old man in the desert' in that game, but then I second-thought myself. Sigma calls Zero 'the doctor's last' as early as X2, implying he had knowledge of Wily QUITE some time before he came out with it openly to Zero.

Then I started thinking about the whole batshittery with Zero, Sigma, the initial encounter, and the 'jump' of the virus from Zero to Sigma. Of course, we all have that scene memorized, right? We remember the big "W"- which everybody knows is the symbol of Wily- that made Zero break down on the spot.

Now, taking into account that Inafune has said that Wily was 'revived' by the Virus (I think we can also safely assume the virus either merged with him or has in some other way taken on aspects of him) - does this mean that Wily jumped into Sigma at the very beginning, in that first fight?

So the question for me is, why then would he have leapt away from Zero (his CREATION, who it's seeming more and more likely to me really was intended as a Gary Stu power-body for someone- be it the Virus or Wily himself...) to go to Sigma?

Was he in control until Zero forced him out, because (as Inafune says) "he's not that kind of person"?

To me anyway, this is a new question, not a rehash of earlier, because we have a different angle to look at the scene now.

Hmm, hmm... And if Wily moved into Sigma early, how much of what Sigma did after is actually Sigma's fault?

DISCUSS, y'all. :D

Translated by M. Sipher back in the day...

CYGNUS
Developer Comments
There's been Irregular Hunter organizations in previous games, but we've never seen anyone from them outside of the Hunters, so this time I wanted to add some depth to that area. Bearing in mind ties to the previous games, I considered a young(?) Cygnus having the previous commissioner retire in the sense of taking responsibility for deciding on the Repliforce. Hm? What kind of person is the former commissioner? Well, he has whiskers and looks important, so maybe he's like General? (grin)
Designer Comments
Him being an officer, I was worried he'd end up resembling Colonel, but I was strangely aware of it becoming an odd tale of not being able to determine his role from his form, so I boldly gave him a form that was definitive. His big shoulders and the six crystals on his chest convey his "importance level."

( Read on... )

http://www.capcom-unity.com/s-kill/blog/2008/09/05/inafunesan_answers_your_questions

Keiji Inafune, the creative whirlwind behind a host of Capcom titles and the father of Mega Man, stopped by to visit us this week.

In preparation, we asked if you had any questions for him, and took your best and most frequently asked questions straight to the man himself.

Here are your answers!

1) Did Zero really "kill" the family between the events of the Classic Mega Man and X series?

KI: No, Zero did not kill them. According to the way I created him, Zero is not such a person--it is not in his profile.

2) Any plan to create more games for the Mega Man X series? What about Rockman Dash/Mega Man Legends?

KI: I would love to do more games in the Mega Man Legends and X series, but the business of these games must be considered. Passion and creativity are great, but the reality is that they must be balanced with profitability.

In the case of Mega Man 9, the chance to create it as a downloadable title made this great idea a financial possibility and we did it. We must always search for ways to minimize our risks while also creating great games.

3) What's your favorite hobby when you aren't making games?

KI: I work a lot but in my spare time I enjoy photography, going to the movies, and basically anything unrelated to work. Beyond being enjoyable for their own sake, these hobbies also give me new ideas for games. For instance, the photography mechanic in Dead Rising came from my personal fondness for taking interesting pictures.

4) What was the inspiration for Sigma?

KI: Some people think he might have been inspired by Sagat from Street Fighter because of his look, but that's not actually the case. Sigma and Zero basically represent the idea that nothing is absolute. Sigma was a powerful leader of the Maverick Hunters but after Zero passed the virus to him, his allegiance changed. Circumstances can change anything, and nothing is absolute.

5) Have you ever considered a Rockman fighting game? What about other genres of Mega Man games like shooters or MMOs, or RTS?

KI: I have always considered Mega Man as I conceived it to be basically an action game, so I have not personally thought a lot about other genres of Mega Man games.

6) What happened to Dr. Wily in Rockman X series? Are Dr. Wily and Dr. Weil the same person? Were they ever supposed to be?

KI: A large amount of time has passed between the classic series and Mega Man X. Dr. Wily had died in the interim but was brought back by the virus. Dr. Wily and Weil are not the same person. It is ironic though, because Dr. Wily created Zero, and Dr. Weil used Zero, but ultimately it was a copy of Zero's original body with a different mind that defeated him.

7) Do you think we'll ever see Mega Man in a Smash Brothers game?

KI: That is probably a question better suited for Nintendo than for Capcom. If they were to ask, I see no reason to say no. We'll see what happens.

8) Would you consider making a two-player coop Mega Man game for consoles?

KI: I think this is quite difficult--even close to impossible with the current style of Mega Man. With a different style of game, I think this could be possible.

9) If there are more MM games, is there any chance you will revive the Robot Master community contest where people submit their own Robot Master designs?

KI: If Mega Man 9 becomes a big success and we were to make Mega Man 10, I think our activities with and connectedness to the fans through the internet mean we could certainly bring back this contest.

10) What does your office look like?

KI: Actually it is almost completely decorated by the creations of fans. It is stuffed with drawings, paintings, toys, and every other kind of creation that people have given me over the years. [editor's note: that collection now includes THESE awesome Mega Man 9 hats created by Rio, and presented to Inafune-san during his visit--he was most amused!).


Thanks to all the Unity members who contributed these questions, and thanks very much to Inafune-san for always taking time out of a very busy schedule for the fans!

If anyone reads the webcomic Three Panel Soul (or more recognisable, MacHall), the artist Ian McConville usually posts links to interesting art sites, and I found this particular one pretty cool : )

http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/main.php?id=megaman

Niklas Jansson did a redesign of the Robot Masters into cute manga girls XD

Crash and Gemini are my favourites :D

In b4 slowpoke.jpg:

Been meaning to do a round-up post for a little while and haven't had the time... Anyway, perhaps you've seen these, perhaps not- either way they made for something to post! :D

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dntDPvFeyXM - E3 2008 Hironobu Takeshia Interview

A little bit of conversation from one of the game's directors. He feels the 8-bit graphics are an artistic choice rather than a 'generational' style.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2YlLcbHtVmA - The ENTIRE MM9 cinema opening.

For great hilarity. Note the CLEVAR cameo and Wily's BEST CUNNING PLAN YET! (lawls)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nNlDyej6d-8 - Tanguy Ukulele Orchestra cover of Mega Man 9

The game isn't even OUT yet and remixes are hitting based on the music snippits featured in the trailer. This particular one has become my favorite and is far, far more awesome than it has any right to be. I ripped it to mp3 right after I finished listening, hehe!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jkaM_teNlgk - Megaman 9 Arranged E3 Promo Theme

Another really good remix by Washudoll- more 'traditional' in remix style. I haven't even checked OCR yet, but I bet there's good stuff already there too...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=K1_sGQSxpqY - mega man 9 tornado man (remix by Deadzombie)

This remix is growing on me; I just found it last night.

Finally, just because it gave me LULZ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y8suV56en0 - A Handy Dandy Guide to Mega Man

Remember kids, don't be a douche!

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.

*is pelted with mettaurs for the pun*

My god, I'm so tired of the endless fanwanking about humanoid-type Reploids and hair and skin, and whatnot.

What we've established so far: They're robots. Zero, X, and lots of other Hunters were made to fight. The non-combat Reploids tend to have hair visible, like Alia, Layer, Nana, Spider, and Lumine. We've seen that Zero, Axl, Dynamo and Red have some hair showing despite being battle Reploids. So far, we've seen one Reploid who's bald and doesn't have a helmet: Sigma. We've never seen robots show skin other than that on their faces in canon, and no the mangas don't count. We're all agreeing that Zero and X do not have male equipment, and by extension, no one else should have them unless their creators were demented/eccentric/wanted to have fun with their creations. Should there be hair, they'd have raging cases of helmet hair. And going from extrapolation, X would most likely have hair. ...And most Reploids, with the only exceptions so far being Sigma and Lumine, have eyebrows.

What I'd like everyone to discuss: I have a few questions, for all of you. They're underlined, my answers are, well, normal.

1) Would old-type Reploids with hair bits showing, like Zero, Dynamo, and Red, have actual hair under their helmets?
While I find Zero to be a hot picture, with hair, and definitely like him better with it, I'd have to say he wasn't built with it. If only because I'm sure Forte would keep pulling on it, and Wily would have to make it something that snaps in place on the helmet. He probably does have a full head of hair by his revamp in X8, however, since that smaller ponytail wouldn't tug on his scalp like the weight of the full-blown poofytail does.

I'm pretty sure as well that, beyond vanitous and narcissistic beauty-obsessed types like Dynamo, other old-type battle Reploids wouldn't really care for having hair under the helmet, especially not Red.

2) Would newgen battle Reploids with hair bits showing, like Scarface, have actual hair under their helmets?
I'm fairly sure that, as a norm, newgen battle Reploids would have hair, and only those embarassed by it or otherwise not finding it practical would have it removed, or possibly replaced by "bits" of hair, like their old-model counterparts.

3) Could some Reploids, who seem unarmed and have civillian-type looks, have a hair-shaped helmet (think ala Elpizo in MMZ2), such as Spider or Lumine?
Definitely. I also think that metal hair and synthetic hair can work on a single Reploid, as Elpizo so clearly demonstrates with his helmethair and the girly, curly hair he has after that. And, given that neither Spider nor Lumine's hair shapes that defy gravity (although Lumine's whole BEING likes to defy gravity) move at all, I'm pretty sure that they both have helmethair.

4) Would shapeshifting Reploids like Axl, Lumine, and Redips, be able to reconfigure their own hair style and appearance to suit their circumstances?
While I've heard that argument a few times, and thought about it, I'm tempted to say yes only to Redips, whose shapeshifting ability is advanced enough to take the form of a Reploid who may or may not even EXIST, seeing as we're not able to see if Aile recognizes him, and Chielf R acknowledges only that Aile hasn't always been with him by accepting Spider's bounty-hunter-partner story, and who, with SFM help, turns into a frickin' human-headed white dragon with four arms and hands big enough to squash Massimo. Axl and Lumine in no way or shape exhibit being able to shapeshift parts of their body, and Axl only calls up his guns through his DNA database of defeated Mavericks, and through armories in CM.

5) You've shared your ideas about X's hairstyle. Are there other hairstyles you'd like to show us that you'd think would fit the helmetted guys?
I can't help but see Zero, at least in X8, as having a Dan Hibiki hairstyle, including the bushy eyebrows (which are canon, I'll mention!) and little short forehead lock of hair springing upward. You can see it too, right...?

I'm pretty sure that, under his metal helmet, Lumine would have a nearly identical hairstyle with synthhair instead, but with long and curly-ended hair at the back instead of the gravity-defying fan shape.

As for Axl... I'd like to simply say that he'd look a lot like a porcupine, with his helmet off, in my head. Including all his bangs being spiky and styled backward. And they'd probably be wildly inequal in length, with some itty bitty ones and some long enough to look like floor spikes.

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.

After the MM9 mess, I am elevating Protodude's Rockman Corner and adding the Mega Man Home Page to replace the other links. I'd link to Capcom Unity too if they gave me a single point of contact for MM-related news posts!

MMN and RPM are being removed as I feel they are unreliable resources (and they repost from Protodude almost as much as I do anyway.)

Sorry if this inconveniences anyone!

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!

the cake is a lie

I'm starting to doubt the OFLC rating as well, given that it initially appeared as a rating on Friday the 13th. Okay, time to fess up, Aussies: which one of you pranksters managed THAT? XD

Head there to read the article. No direct links to the image from here for a variety of reasons.

They also say:
- You can play as Blues.
- The graphics are in the 8-bit sprite style, but not the classic Famicom/NES one.
(from the screenshot, I think it looks 16-bit...)
- It doesn't have anything to do with the X series.
- Tango is in it, and works just like the Rockman World Game Boy version.
- The game doesn't support full wide screen YET, but it will.
- It does support 480p.

This is now the second person (if it's not the same person) saying that Blues is a playable and that the game doesn't link to X. I checked the EXIF data of the larger image and confirmed that this IS a cell phone picture, from an LG phone, taken today. Granted, it'd be easy to make a photoshop on a screen, then take a picture of it, but are we getting into the realm of absurd paranoia to say that?

My personal speculation is that this is coming out of Backbone Emeryville as developer working with CoA, because of their very-recent handling of 1942, Bionic Commando and the revised Street Fighter for XBLA/PSN. "The Shadow" has stated two developers are on it - a recent PDF press release from Backbone's parent company mentions "several" classic franchises that they're working on, and the prior 3 have already been revealed.

Most are now focusing on waiting for an announcement at E3 in July.

PRC has a 'deep throat' source inside Capcom's QA department (That would be game testers- people who's job it is to make sure you don't run into walls and get stuck there because the rendering in an area is broken, stuff like that) who PRC believes to be legit.

He has now released a simple, chilling quote about RM9:

"Robots have expiration dates."

Given the current rumor is that Protoman and Megaman are the main playable characters with seperate endings, and we KNOW Protoman has a energy balancer problem that he's never allowed anyone to correct... does this mean Protoman (or Rock) is going to die in RM 9?

Probably not- as has been pointed out by a variety of people including Inafune himself, the game is a CHILDREN'S SERIES- but the thought is still pretty deep for Capcom; and Capcom HAS been more than willing to kill off hero characters before (Y helo thar, Zero/Aile/Girouette/etc--and don't forget Blues being CHOPPED IN HALF in Rockman and Forte!)

PRC adds: On a completely different note: I did some more research about the OFLC, even contacted them for some clarification. Apparently, the OFLC has never in its history listed a "rumored" game, implying that the RM9/MM9 listing is no mistake, it is real.

And you know, even if it turns out to be a completely different plotline, let's just think about the implications that could come out of the statement from a fanfic potential. A speculator on PRC wondered if the 'government' was going to consider ZX-style (or Blade Runner) limitations of lifespan for robots. If that were to happen, some sort of governmental regulation, it would explain Light appearing to take the X project deep underground in MHX, and the sealing of both X and Zero by their respective creators.


ON CONFIRMATION OF THE RUMOR?:
( speculation within )

It's no Iron Man I'm afraid:

http://www.megamanfilm.com/

Get equipped indeed ^^;

The Light Industries logo is pretty cool looking. THERE IS HOPE YET! XD