Archie Mega Man Editor Talks Comic's Future

Over at MTV Geeks, a new interview has popped up with Archie's Paul Kaminski, Editor of the Mega Man comic books. Many topics are discussed, but among the more interesting bits is mention of a possible comic tie-in with a new Mega Man game down the line:

GEEK: Have there ever been talks of doing any in-game tie-ins?


Kaminski: We do them with Sonic whenever a new game comes out, for instance there's a Sonic Generations tie-in coming up in Sonic #230 that'll act as a primer for the game. With Mega Man, the series hasn't been around long enough to coincide with a new Mega Man game for it to tie in to, but expect to see it down the road! We do adaptations of previously established games too, like the "Sonic Genesis" storyline that ran in Sonic #226-229 (hardcover collection available early next year) which was an adaptation of Sonic 1 and 2 for the Sega Genesis, or the Mega Man 2 adaptation story we've got coming up in Mega Man #9-12.



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Archie's Mega Man is deeply rooted in reinterpreting the events of games past. However, having a story arc directly related to a new game would certainly be a welcome change of pace. And, you know, having a new game in the first place is nice, too.

Kaminski goes on to highlight some future ambitions, once again recognizing the demand for a Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man crossover. No mention of the prospect of a Mega Man X adaption, but Kaminski does tease some surprises for next year. Hey, we can hope!

Head on down to MTV Geeks for the full interview! Thanks for the tip, Jason!

Mega Man Series Reaches 29 Million Units Sold

Look up the Mega Man franchise on any Wiki or press release and you'll find the series' lifetimes sales has been resting comfortably at 28 million units since 2008. However, that number has seen a *slight* bump in the last month or so.

Capcom's revised earnings indicate the franchise has sold roughly 29 million units worldwide as of September 30th, 2011, spanning across 129 games. Though not officially stated, we can assume the likes of Mega Man 9, MM10, Zero Collection, and even Operate Shooting Star contributed to this tiny bump -- all titles released within the 2008~2011 window.

With 29 million units under its belt, Mega Man remains one of Capcom's key tent-pole franchises, fleshing out the "Capcom three" alongside Street Fighter (31 million units) and Resident Evil (46 million units). Monster Hunter, however, is catching up fast (19 million). In another few years, there could be some competition for big blue's spot.

What the franchise could really use right now is a big seller. After all, we haven't had a platinum title since 2003's million selling Battle Network 4. It's certainly a long term goal I'd like to see come to fruition eventually. And you know, the series has the potential. Mega Man is an appealing character with a legacy to boot. All it's going to take is a top quality game that can thrive in today's market. It's a challenge, but if done right, we can achieve it.

Source: Capcom Investor Relations (thanks, Tom)

The Many Expressions of D-Arts Rockman X "Comic Version"

Many as in three. Tamashii Web has a new page up giving some in depth detail on the D-Arts Rockman X "Comic Version." What's noteworthy here is a better look at the figure's various face plates used to change X's expression:

You can really see that Iwamoto Yoshihiro influence now! Compared to the face plates of original figure, "Comic Version" is certainly a lot more expressive. I wonder, are these plates interchangeable with each other? That'd be mighty sweet if we could use the original face plates on the "Comic Version" body, and vice versa.

"Comic Version" X will go on sale on November 25th exclusively at Tamashii Nation 2011 for 3,500 Yen ($44.79 USD). Importers, keep your eyes peeled on the usual stomping grounds.

First Batch of Rockman Online Questions Answered

The first round of Rockman Online questions are up for consumption, with a translation provided by Amunshen and The Mega Man Network's Heat Man. Mind you this batch does not include your questions, but questions submitted by fans in Asia. Your questions should appear in the next round, should NeoWiz choose to answer.

Q&A below and more after the jump:

"Good morning hunters, this is Alia (the blog manager). As per our announcement last week, we prepared a place where we could answer questions submitted by users. Mr.M, the chief of the Rockman Online development team has written his answers while going through every question. Development is still ongoing, so in cases where we’re unable to answer questions concering elements we couldn’t made public, we respectfully apologize. We will be continuing to takes questions until November 13th, so by all means, if there’s something on your mind please leave a comment and ask us!"


Question 1 from  신디루비
Q: As Rockman Online is an online game based on the original games, have the developers played any of the previous Rockman games before…!? Of course I think you’ve played many to completion, but I’m curious if there are any truly passionate fans on board. Also, the “version development”… Is that related to the development of Online?

A: There are indeed passionate fans among the development staff. (Though exactly who is a secret… ^^) And yes, the “version development” at the top of the Rockman Online blog is certainly a Rockman Online development thing.

Rockman Online: No-Show For G-Star 2011?

Rockman Online's quest to achieve vaporware status continues. First announced in the fall of 2010, RMO has remained in an intangible state with little-to-no information and footage since. We had hoped to catch up with the game at G-Star 2011, the largest gaming trade show in South Korea on November 10th -- but, well, the outlook isn't good.

NeoWiz has revealed their G-Star 2011 lineup, and Rockman Online is MIA.  Bless, EIN: Epicus Incognitus and an online shooter, Dizzel are all confirmed to appear at the show, respectively. The Korean blogosphere has little doubt NeoWiz will announce any more games, leaving Rockman Online perpetually in limbo.

NeoWiz have previously gone on record to state development continues, assuring fans that in spite of the news drought, the game survives. But words can only do so little for a fanbase currently disturbed by the cancellation of two games, Mega Man Universe and Mega Man Legends 3. With any luck, this is nothing more than a slight bump in the road. After all, we're still waiting on NeoWiz to answer your questions. That update might enlighten us in terms of where development stands currently.

All in all, I'd hate to see a third game bite the dust prematurely. I like to believe everything will turn out alright, but even my optimism has its limits. As they say: hope for the best, expect the worst

Thanks for the tip, Amunshen.

Mega Man Goes To Elementary School

You may not be aware of this, but by day, I am an assistant elementary school teacher. Though most of my hours are spent within the confines of the classroom, I frequent our library to stock up on books for the kiddos from time to time. There's your run-of-the-mill Dr. Seuss tale and Harry Potter lying about, but sometimes there's stuff that piques my interest... like Mega Man.

A big initiate going on in the country right now is the push to integrate comics books and graphic novels in the classroom. Studies and statistics show comics are a fantastic way to promote reading in reluctant readers as well as help teach writing, critical thinking, and creativity. And it really works. Quick to capitalize on this, my location has been ordering comics by the boatload -- and we've received plenty of Mega Man.

Megamix, Gigamix, ZX, NT Warrior AND even Archie's omnibus, my school library has a near-complete collection of the Blue Bomber's graphic novel adventures. Kids that have never even heard of the character before are now finding themselves engrossed in stories weaved by Hitoshi Ariga and Ryo Takamisaki. For this longtime fan, it's an awesome sight -- true reassurance that interest in Mega Man proceeds onward to the next generation. But this is only the beginning.

I came to discover the Mega Man IP, itself, is being highly recommended by school districts throughout the nation. Panels of teachers and administrators have spent many hours evaluating elementary school-eligible comics for library use, and Mega Man ranked high across the board. And that's not just because the comics are generally kid friendly: the books specifically promote the criteria teachers are looking for in comics: stories and text that captivate, inspire and teach. In time, there may be a Mega Man comic in every elementary school library. That's an incredible honor.

The roots of future fans may not be tied to gaming; rather, Mega Man comics. Certainly an ominous realization, but given Mega's uncertain video game future, it's a reality that isn't too far-fetched. And, hey, that's okay with me. When a new game eventually comes around, there'll be fresh young fans ready to fight for everlasting peace.

Great Adventure On Five Islands Episode 1-2

Hot on the heels of last week's episode, the folks at Get Me Off the Moon have released Part 1-2 of the Rockman DASH: Great Adventure on the Five Islands fan dub. This episode marks the first appearance of the Servbots, who've got curry on the brain. Enjoy!

More episodes to come soon. Stay tuned!

Lost 3D Battle Network 5DS Revisited

Some years ago, the ever-talented Mega Rock made a profound discovery withing the guts of Mega Man Star Force. Picking apart the contents of the code, Mega Rock succeeded in decrypting and opening the 3D model files used by the game. He was shocked to discover remnants of a lost polygonal version of Battle Network 5: Double Team DS.

Mega Rock has since revisited his discovery; perfecting and fine-tuning the tools necessary to view the files. Today, he brings us our best look at the lost project yet.

Speculations aside, we still don't know exactly what purpose these assets served Capcom. The general consensus indicates the models belonged to an early version of Battle Network 5DS, one intended to be rendered entirely with 3D polygons. Still, what were these assets doing inside Mega Man Star Force to begin with? Just one of those unsolved mysteries, I guess. Oh, and speaking of 3D models, MegaRock has successfully assembled the project's unused overworld character models. Check 'em out below (click for animation):

The final game uses very little 3D models, most of which relegated to fleshing out touch screen menus. Interestingly, those models have a number of unused animations, seen here. A possible correlation to the contents in the above footage? Who knows.

So yeah, neat stuff. If the theory holds true, MMBN5 DS could've turned out to be something completely different. One day, maybe, a true 3D Battle Network will be realized. The demand for another Battle Network entry is certainly there -- just a matter of Capcom wanting to budge. Ball's in there court.

Rockman At the Osaka Science Museum?

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Sighted at the OSTEC Exhibition Hall in Osaka, here's a Rockman look-a-like showing visitors the basics of energy, matter and electricity:

The character is interesting mix of your run-of-the-mill Rockman X armor, a bit of a Shooting Star Rockman (i.e the helmet), and a pinch of Zero series elements. The character is apparently plastered throughout the children's wing, acting as a mascot for the energy-based exhibits.  Interestingly, the nod to the Blue Bomber goes beyond aesthetics: a video presentation depicts the character using solar energy to powerup a Rock Buster-like weapon... the very same source of energy consumed by Rockman's own Buster.  No footage of that, but I imagine it must be pretty nifty.

We've seen plenty of Rockman doppelgangers here at Rockman Corner, but none so... cool? Usually they're a mess; a conglomeration of random character traits hastily thrown together. But this guy? He's actually pretty slick. Whoever designed this fellow was clearly a fan.

Thanks for the tip, RonJon! (via Tepid Water)

Mega Man Gigamix Vol. 3 Preview

Mega Man Gigamix Vol. 3 is coming to comic book stores next week, the 9th  (though remember, arriving at other shops like Amazon within the following couple weeks), and UDON has sent over some preview pages to keep your appetites whet. Enjoy!

More sample pages available here!

"The original blue bomber is back for more action-packed adventures! In Volume 3, the remaining robots of Earth make their last stand against the destructive Stardroids! But an even greater threat looms literally on the horizon… what is the secret of Dark Moon? The most epic Mega Man story ever told comes to it’s thrilling conclusion!"

...and that press release is not exaggerating. Gigamix 3 is an absolute brawl -- quite possibly Ariga's finest. You'd be mistaken to pass this one up!

Even More Internal Documents Surface

Following up on our previous report, Buyatari has shared some additional internal Mega Man documents from the early 90's. The latest batch is rooted in conceptual package art, character sketches and some lost "bad box art" Mega Man designs.

More stuff here! 

These pieces really show just how adamant Capcom was at redesigning the character for global "appeal." The push for a Mega MAN design was something that required a lot of conceptualization, as you can see. Thankfully, most of these designs didn't get off the drawing board.

Additional images can be seen at the source link. Do enjoy!

This Fire Man Pumpkin Is On Fire!

Some people think that if you've seen one flaming pumpkin, you've seen them all. Not so. What better way to honor one of the most iconic Robot Masters, Fire Man, than giving him his own fiery Jack-o'-lantern?

I find the fiery eyes all the more menacing. Gosh, don't you just love the whole concept of Fire Man? His head is an eternal torch! Such a simple, memorable design. Love it.

Props to reader Nancy for carving this. Excellent work!