Fans Gather To Celebrate Rockman

Once every summer, a band of gamers brave the blazing heat to meet up and celebrate all things Rockman in Akihabara, Japan. Dubbed the "Summer of Rockman", these Blue Bomber nuts participate in competitive speed runs, blast chip-tune music into the busy streets and indulge in all sorts of other nifty activities.

This year's festivities kicked off a couple weeks back, largely centered around a Rockman 2 competition. In total, there were sixty something fans who participated, with passerbyers stopping to give it a whirl throughout the day. Retailers get in on the fun, too; a nearby game shop put together a kiosk filled to the brim with Rockman merchandise, all for sale.

After the break, I've compiled a couple photos of the event courtesy of this Japanese blog. It certainly looked like a lot of fun; really makes me wish those outside of Japan had a similar venue to meet up with other fans...

Mega Man Megamix and MMZX Vol 2 Dated

At last, we have ourselves a firm release date for Mega Man Megamix vol. 2 and Mega Man ZX vol. 2. Udon Entertainment's own Matt Moylan sends word that both books are set to hit comic book retailers on September 8th. However, the release date for online vendors and bookstores is a bit less precises; could be a few days earlier or a few days later, but comic book shops will have them in stock on the 8th.

To keep you busy until then, you can check out previews for both volumes over at Udon Entertainment's official blog.  I'm also pleased to announce that Udon intends to hit us up with more exclusive previews right here on the blog as we approach the books' release. Stay tuned!

Many, many thanks, Matt!

Mega Man Kubricks Headed To Capcom Store

One of the neatest products to come from the Mega Man brand earlier this year, the Mega Man and Proto Man Kubrick/Bear Brick sets, are finally coming stateside. Capcom announced tonight plans to stock both sets in their own online store on August 12:

"In addition to the ServBot Bobble Budds, I just added the Mega Man Kubrick & 1Up Bearbrick set and the Proto Man Kubrick & 1Up Bearbrick Set. Available in the Asian market for a while now, we made an exclusive deal with Medicom to localize them for the Capcom Store.

The packaging is all in English! 500 of each set were produced exclusively for us. Buy them both together and get $5 off."

Also of note, the 7cm tall Kubricks come with additional parts. Mega Man has interchangeable pieces that make him helmetless, two different facial expressions and a removable Buster, while Proto Man comes with an optional Break Man face and removable Buster and shield. Additionally, each figure has their own "Bearbrick", a translucent bear figure touting sprites of the character's respective 1UP icons on their chests.

If you'd like to guarantee a set of your very own, you may want to preorders your set(s) now -- they're going to go quick! Click the respective links above to preorder.

The 1UP Cushion

A little while back Capcom released these ginormous E-Can cushions in honor of Rockman 10's release. Now, the company is prepping another soft and cuddly product -- a 1UP cushion!

Featuring a classic 1UP sprite against a vibrant orange case, the pillow measures in at an astonishing 35cm by 35cm and is made entirely of polyester. At that size, it perfectly complements the 30cm by 30cm E-Can cushion.

The pillow is slated to release in September for 2,100 Yen or roughly $24.58 USD, and is available for pre-order via E-Capcom, Capcom Japan's specialty online store. I advise shopping around your favorite import shops if this is something to your liking. After all, who wouldn't want to snuggle with that?

Credit: Rockman_Unity

Rockman Online Closed Beta Coming Soon; New Artwork Revealed

The Mega Man Network reports that Rockman Online, the Korean based MMO from NeoWiz Games and Capcom, will soon be entering a closed beta testing phase. An advertisement for beta testing is apparently being handed out, which features some spiffy new artwork. Check it out:

The source of this news, Korean based fan RockMaster, believes Rockman Online could be released as soon as this year with beta testing beginning shortly. Screens and videos of the game in action will likely surface around that time.

Hopefully, we'll be getting some more concrete info on the beta (and how to participate) soon. Till then, please do admire the lovely new teaser image!

Rockman Anime Goes Off-Air

After eight years of being on Japanese air waves, the animated Rockman franchise has come to an end. Kids-Station, home to reruns of Rockman.EXE Beast and Ryuusei no Rockman, has chosen to remove both shows from their schedule with no signs of either show, or previous seasons, returning any time soon. For the first time in eight years there is no Rockman to be found on Japanese television.

While new episodes of the animated franchise haven't been produced since 2008, Capcom continued to sponsor the EXE and Ryuusei television series on Kid-Station, since 2007, in the form of reruns. Kids-Station also played host to a short-lived mini-television series entitled "Rockman Stadium", a program that aimed to promote the then up-and-coming Shooting Star Rockman 3. Stadium ended its run in the Fall of 2009.  In short, you could find Rockman on TV ever since 2002, despite the lack of any new episodes or series.

Seeing that Capcom has recently used reruns to promote new EXE/Shooting Star games, the chances of shows re-airing is always a possibility, but we've yet to hear even a whisper if a new game from the "Network" series is in development. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised; we traditionally hear something right around this time of the year.

Thanks to Ristar for the news!

Servbot Bobble Budds Coming To Capcom Store

At this year's Comic-Con in San Diego, Capcom sold a limited amount of insanely adorable Servbot "Bobble Budds" figures, limited to 1000 units. If you missed out on picking one up then, you'll be happy to know that Capcom is gearing up to sell them in their own online store on August 12.

The bobble budds aren't your average bobble head -- the little guy's head acts as storage for the rest of the body. Snap the two pieces together and you got yourself a bobbling Servbot of your very own.

Capcom is currently taking pre-orders for figure, set to sell at $9.95 a pop. Quantities will be limited to around a 1000 500 units, so you may want to pre-order ASAP -- they're going to go fast!

EDIT: Scratch that note about a 1000 units -- they're down to 500! Thanks for the heads up, jgonzo!

Mega Man Collides With The Dark Ages

I've seen quite a bit of fan-art in my time, but nothing quite as unique as this. Over at the CGHub forums, computer graphic artists are being tasked with re-imagining characters from the Mega Man universe with a Dark Age fantasy twist. The results are simply astounding, to say the least.

Can you figure out which characters these are? For the uninitiated, we've got Zero, a blacksmith Dr. Wily, the Bonne brothers (with Servbots), and one truly menacing Heat Man.

And that's just a small sampling of their efforts; you can find plenty more over at the competition's official topic here. Most art featured isn't final as the actual contests isn't over until August 9, so some pieces are probably subject to change. Nevertheless, it's all pretty amazing.

Credits: Capcom Unity, Michael and Anonymous

Zap! Mega Man X 'Space Gun'

While browsing eBay today, I came across something of an oddity. A so-called "Mega Man Space Gun". The seller makes it apparent in the description that, clearly, this is not an official product licensed by Capcom -- but most likely one of those cheap, knock-off toys that you'd find at your run-of-the mill Dollar Tree or Goodwill.

Due to the fact that a poorly traced Mega Man X -- or, at the very least, a character based heavily upon the Maverick Hunter's likeness, makes an appearance on the packaging, I figured this would be of some interest. Unlicensed, yes, but would definitely make for a nice addition to your collection just for kicks and giggles. Check out the complete auction here.

Spot anything similar to this in the wild? Feel free to share what you've got in the comments!

Minimalist Mega Man Designer Tee

For those into gaming apparel, specifically, Mega Man tees, then you'll dig this homemade minimalistic shirt by AshRB. The designer tee, on sale over at MySoti, touts a colorful display of Mega Man and co., with Robot Masters ranging from Cut Man to Drill Man...and Dr. Wily!

The tee is available in a number colors and sizes, so you can pick and choose options to your liking. It'll set you back around $20.00, but customization does add on to the base price plus standard shipping.

Quantities are limited so if you or someone you know would like one, now is the time to order!

Snag yours here. Thanks, Jim!

Rockman Parody Comic By Ken Ishikawa

Reader Zeta Metal sent this my way, and it's just so bizarre that I had to share here.

Prior to his death in 2006, Ken Ishikawa, co-creator of the famous Getter Robo series, drew a parody comic based off of the events of Rockman 1. The short one-shot is popular in Japan for its strange and subtly disturbing depiction of the classic series cast; primarily a maniacal Rockman who's hell-bent on defeating everyone that stands in his path in the most vicious manner possible. The story takes a turn to the weird when Rockman assimilates himself with all nearby matter, transforming into an ominous giant as he prepares to confront Wily.

It's a story that has to be seen to be believed, and thankfully, there's an English translation. The strip was finally translated a couple years back thanks to the efforts of Ishikawa's loyal fanbase. The dialog is a bit wonky in some areas, but its supposed to be intentional to coincide with the story's madness. Download it here!

Rockman Gigamix 3 Delayed

Hitoshi Ariga's latest Rockman anthology is seeing a slight delay. According to online retailers Fukkan and Tanomi, the anticipated Rockman Gigamix volume 3  has been bumped from July to mid-September. Coinciding with the delay, the book's pricing was revealed; 1,200 Yen or roughly $13.85 USD.

Ariga's been pretty tight lipped on Gigamix 3 details, keeping its plot shrouded in mystery. However, it's assumed Gigamix 3 will pick up right after the events of Gigamix 2, which ended on a bit of a cliff hanger. I won't spoil things here, but you can check out a detailed Gigamix 2 plot summary (with scans!) over at Rockman Perfect Memories. 

Future Gigamix 3 updates are expected to pop-up over at Ariga's official blog where the author/illustrator traditionally reveals upcoming volumes' cover art and other tidbits publicly. Stay tuned!