Another Look at Exclusive SDCC Mega Man Cover (Updated)

Following up on last week's story, here's a better look at the San Diego Comic Con exclusive sketch cover for Archie’s Mega Man #14:

SDCC kicks off July 12 to July 15th. Thanks to CrimsonSeiko for the tip and Tony Ponce for the hi-res version!

First Look at Mega Man #18

Courtesy of Capcom Unity, we've got our first glimpse of the cover(s) for Archie’s Mega Man #18. No solicitation details at the moment, unfortunately. Nevertheless, it's a nice peek at what's to come from the Proto Man arc:

Stay tuned, and I'll get you that solicitation info as soon it hits.

Source: Capcom Unity

Now This is One Impressive Collection

Games! Rare memorabilia! Trinkets! Die-hard collector Undamned has it all and then some. You've got to check out his amazing Rockman collection:

Jealous? Me? Certainly.

Anniversary News Coming in December, Says Capcom

Capcom's been pretty quiet in regards to Mega Man's upcoming 25th anniversary.  This has left many with a growing sense of skepticism towards the company and the priorities of purported "top men." However, this may be poised to change... but not for a little while.

In a recent Ask Capcom live Q&A stream (about 30:49 in), community manager Brett Elston touched upon when fans could expect to hear Capcom's plans for the anniversary.

"I feel like December's a good time. It also gives us time to focus on Street Fighter's 25th anniversary which is in August," Elston shares. "Yeah that's right; stay out of our anniversary, Mega Man weirdos!" jokes Seth Killian.

"But yeah, we'll most likely have something to say about the anniversary in December. But as to what it is, we're still discussing that, " adds Elston. "We had a meeting not long ago... very much happening inside those walls."

If you recall, previous anniversaries had announcements (and surprises) leading up to December 17. It doesn't look like that's happening this time. Whatever Capcom's got planned, we're a good six months away from hearing about it.

Have a Happy Rockman Day! 6/9/12

"At Rockman Day, play and make good cheer, for Rockman Day comes but once a year."

June 9th is here, and fans across the net are celebrating the annual tradition of "Rockman Day."  For the unfamiliar, Rockman Day is a holiday of sorts celebrated on June 9th as a way to commemorate the Blue Bomber.  It falls on June 9th because of the Japanese's tendency of creating words from sounds. "Roku” is 6 and “Ku” is 9.  Put them together and voila!  You have "Rokku."  Ever wonder why the number 69 occasionally shows up in so many games and merchandise? Well there you have it.

Rockman Day is more or less a meme that began within a circle of Japanese netizens a couple years ago.  The occasion quickly made its way overseas, followed by official recognition from Capcom last year.  There isn't any sort of specific plan or thing you're supposed to do on this grand day; rather, the day is what you, the fan, make of it.

That's all there is to it, really.  So kick back, relax and set some time aside today to have a little Mega Man flavored fun. Play some games, read some comics or manga, or maybe whip up some cool fan-art (Update: Like this). Own the day however you see fit. Just, uh, don't go too crazy on the E-Tanks, yeah?

Have a good one!

Chad Thomas Shows Off Alternate Mega Man #17 Covers

Chad Thomas, the artist for the recent issues of Archie’s Mega Man comic, has posted a slew of cover variant sketches to his blog.  The focus this time around is Mega Man #17, Proto Man's debut issue. Have a look:

The above represents some of Chad's early #17 covers: heavy on action, the spotlight entirely on Proto Man.  However, editor Paul Kaminski wanted something a bit different; something "more representative of the feel of the story and Blues origin or something including Megaman himself on the cover."

Back to the drawing board, Chad whipped up these bad boys the following morning...

BBA Mega Man On-the-Go? Street Fighter X Tekken Could Be Heading to iOS

Bad Box Art Mega Man and his big 'ol gut may soon be coming to an iOS device near you. According to Famitsu, Capcom is currently demonstrating Street Fighter X Tekken running on iPad and iPhone at E3 2012.

Before you get too excited, it should be noted this is just a tech demo. Capcom *supposedly* doesn't have definite plans to port the fighter over to iOS just yet; however, they are gauging interest in the prospect at E3.  But really, let's not kid ourselves.  This is Capcom.  Of course we're going to see this happen.

Now, if only they can get to work on a Nintendo 3DS version... Bad Box Art Mega Man and all.

Source: Shoryuken

Dr. Wily Seemingly MIA in Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph"

A little while back we caught a sneak-peek of a scene from Disney's animated film Wreck-It Ralph showing Dr. Wily (among other iconic villains) attending a video game villain support group with lead character Ralph.

The first trailer for the film debuted online today (above), featuring a brief glimpse of the support group.  The scene plays out exactly how we imagine it, but it's missing one crucial element: Dr. Wily.

For one reason or another, Wily's cameo has been omitted. Of course, he could show up somewhere else in the film; for all we know, this could be one of many villainous congregations. And, hey, that old image we saw did look work-in-progress-ish. Perhaps Wily was only a placeholder? I suppose we'll know for sure when Wreck-It Ralph hits theaters on November 2.

Wily or no Wily, the film looks incredibly promising. I'm detecting a big Who Framed Roger Rabbit vibe, and that's just awesome. I, for one, can't wait.

Archie Prepping Comic-Con Exclusive Mega Man #14 Variant

Fans of Archie's Mega Man comic book series, or collector's of limited edition Mega Man goodies, take notice! Archie Comics is bringing an exclusive sketch-variant cover of Mega Man issue #14 to the San Diego Comic-Con.  What's more, the creative team behind the series will be on-hand for autographs, so you can add some extra value to the above and any old Mega Man comics you might have!

For a closer look at the varient, hit the jump below.

D-Arts Zero Type 2 Video Review

Still on the fence about Bandai's latest D-Arts Mega Man X figure? Then perhaps this in-depth video review from Peaugh will help you out:

Readily available in Japan, Zero Type 2 is slated to hit retailers in North America next week, closer to or on June 15. Pre-orders are still open from the usual places like Big Bad Toystore and Toy Arena.

Thanks for the tip, RonJon.

Hey, Happy Day of Sigma (Updated)

Friendly reminder: Sigma and his rebellion will, uh, rebel on this day a hundred something years from now. June 4th, 21XX, marks day one of the Maverick Wars.

With "Rockman Day" just around the corner (6/9), I figured it might be fun to remind everyone of this little in-universe occasion. According to Dr. Cain's journal (scribed within the pages of Mega Man X1's instructional manual), Sigma will go Maverick on the fourth of June, consequently inciting a large-scale Reploid uprising against mankind:

"My worst nightmare has just come true. Sigma went Maverick today and took most of the other Hunters with him. His motives are unclear, but it seems that he "decided" that humans are inferior and limiting the growth of the Reploids. For that reason, he decided that all humans should be eradicated. 

Most of the population is in hiding or trying to flee the city. I'm not sure how long we can hold out against Sigma's forces. I fear I have built the Reploids too well." 

It should be noted that, in Japan, the rebellion was recorded on the fourth of July with the release of Rockman X on the PC in 1996. Canonicity is entirely dependent on personal preference, so for many of us in North America, today's the day.

Fans are celebrating this day in different forms. Some are booting up their respective copies of Mega Man X1, others are kicking back and watching the event unfold in The Day of Sigma animated film. Subsequently, the Legacy of Metal team have whipped up a new entry in their annual Maverick uprising fanction; a tradition that's gone on for eight years! UPDATE: I was just informed about another event -- the "Sigma Body Contest" over at MegaManX9.com. You could win a $100! Click the link for more details.

Today is what you make it, really. If anything, it's a day to celebrate the Mega Man X series itself. It's a day to be thankful for the games we have and look to the future with hopes of revisiting the war once again. Without the uprising, there would be no Mega Man X... let alone every series thereafter.

Happy Day of Sigma, everyone.  May your distant offspring make it through safe and sound!

Fan Game Breathes New Life Into Mega Man Mania

When Capcom fails to deliver, leave it to the Mega Man faithful to pick up the slack. NMario is hard at work remaking Mega Man Mania, the ill-fated GameBoy Advance collection of the five Game Boy Mega Man titles. Dubbed "Mega Man World", the fan game runs on a custom engine designed to replicate the look and feel of Mania. It's an admirable effort, to say the least.

"Since Capcom originally lost the source code to release Mega Man Mania/Anniversary for the GBA, they had no choice but to cancel it. So in response, as the fans of the series franchise, we can make this happen," says NMario. "This fan game mimics the style of Capcom's unreleased Mega Man Mania. It will feature 4 previous robot masters, one from each Game Boy game."

The above video depicts an early work-in-progress version of the game, evidently fulfilling the cancelled collection's promise of full color graphics. The current version also boasts proper Game Boy sound, enhanced physics and tweaked gameplay. The convergence of those elements will hopefully give rise to one of the most unique Game Boy Mega Man-inspired projects yet.

But, really, what's the fun in watching the game when you could experience it? Those interested can find a demo of the game's engine at NMario's website. You can either play it in-browser or download an application.  Mind you it's a VERY early build, so things will probably be a bit different in the final version.

I, for one, am looking forward to playing the finished product. It's definitely something to look forward too! Best of luck to NMario and his team.

Thanks for the tip, Kyle!