Chikao Otsuka, the Voice of Dr. Weil: 1929-2015

Some very sad news from the world of voice acting today. Legendary voice actor Chikao Otsuka died of heart failure on January 15th. He was 85 years old.

Father of Akio Otsuka (Metal Gear Solid), Chikao Otsuka played a large number roles in video games, anime and dubbing for foreign films. His repertoire includes the elder Big Boss (Metal Gear Solid 4) and Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog series). The role most well known to us would be that of Dr. Weil, the primary antagonist of the Mega Man Zero series. Otsuka portrayed Dr. Weil in Mega Man Zero 3, Mega Man Zero 4 and numerous Zero 4 drama tracks.

My sincerest condolences to Mr. Otsuka's family, friends and fans. He will be greatly missed.

Source: Anime News Network | Tribute art: Hitoshi Ariga

Covers and Solicitation for Mega Man #48

A new month, a new solicitation. Mega Man #48, the final chapter of "The Ultimate Betrayal" caps off the Mega Man 3 story arc:

The showdown to end 'em all is finally here!

"The Ultimate Betrayal" Part Four: The cataclysmic conclusion!  Dr. Light built Gamma to be the definitive answer to all global disasters—unfortunately it looks like all of its power might just be turned against poor Mega Man!  As the battle rages, the entire castle stronghold begins to collapse. How will anyone get out of this one alive—and will they at all? Don’t miss the epic conclusion to this Mega Man 3 game adaptation storyline, featuring new cover art from fan-favorite Brent McCarthy and a special Capcom art variant!

Script: Ian Flynn Art: Ryan Odagawa, Gary Martin, John Workman and Evan Stanley Cover: Brent McCarthy Variant Cover: Art provided by Capcom On Sale Date: 4/1532-page,  full color comic $3.99 U.S

 
Thanks for the tip, RockX

Rockman Dystopia Track List and Samples

Right on schedule, e-Capcom has posted the complete track list for Rockman Dystopia, the new Rockman X techno-rock arranged album from Basiscape. The list is as follows:

1. The Last No. Zero 【X vs ZERO (X5) / ZERO (X) / ZERO (X2) / ZERO (X3) / Zero's sacrifice】
2. Beware of No Man More Than Thyself【BOOMER KUWANGER STAGE (X)】
3. You'd Better Be Nippy【ICY PENGUIGO STAGE (X) / CRISTAR MYMINE STAGE (X2) / BLIZZARD WOLFANG STAGE (X6)】
4. 46414C4C【CYBER KUJACKER STAGE (X4)】
5. Vertical Resonance【ARMOR ARMARGE STAGE (X)】
6. Flame Gate【FLAME STAGGER STAGE (X2) / EXPLOSE HORNECK STAGE (X3) / BLAZE HEATNIX STAGE (X6)】
7. Rust Orbit to Dusk【GRAVITY BEETBOOD STAGE (X3)】
8. Dim Ciras【VS 8Boss (X8)】
9. Justice of Dys World 【Our Blood Boils～vs Sigma 1st (X7) / SIGMA 2nd (X6) / SIGMA 1st (X4) / Conclusion～vs Sigma Final (X7) / VS Lumine～The second form (X8)】
10. Espero faras nenion【Esperanto (ZERO4)】 

Five samples are available to listen to right here. 

Rockman Dystopia ships February 11th.

New Merch - Plush Zero, Proto Man Hooded Throw Blanket

Looks like GE Animation is continuing to roll out the Mega Man merchandise. Next up on their list: A plush. And not just any plush. It's the crimsons crusader himself, Zero. A perfect companion to a certain other plush Maverick Hunter.

Also on the burner, a Proto Man throw blanket. The helmet (with shades) is attached so you can keeo your head and body warm simultaneously. This is certainly one of the more obscure products under the GE license.

Source: GE Animation

Download Rockman Go Go! Right Here

So you want to play that fancy new Rockman Go Go! but you don't have access to the Korean Google Play Store. No worries; I've ripped the APK. Here it is directly.

I'll be attempting to update the link as new versions become available. If it goes down for whatever reason, let me know. By the way, if you don't have an Android device but still want to play the game, you can grab BlueStacks, a free Android emulator for Windows. You can only install through APK, however.

I think you'll find the game itself to be pretty self explanatory. It's basically an endless runner, more so than Rockman Xover. Simply shoot and dodge obstacles while collecting tokens and power ups. That's it. Text is in Korean but that shouldn't present too big an issue.

Enjoy.

Possibly the Best Custom "Bad Box Art" Mega Man Figure Ever

In recent years "bad box art" Mega Man has gone from a loathed atrocity to a hip and ironic icon. Mega Man 9's marketing and Street Fighter x Tekken brought the big guy back into the limelight, inspiring fan-art, parodies, cosplay, and now, as seen on ModxToy, a custom figure. An incredible figure at that.

Mega Man Battle Network 2 Hits Wii U Virtual Console (North America)

Battle Network fans, rejoice -- Mega Man Battle Network 2 has arrived on Wii U in North America. This one will set you back $8 from the Nintendo eShop.

Fun fact: boot up your game and head to network menu. Check your Chip pack and you'll be greeted with several rare chips normally obtained through trading (the purple star shows up on the title screen too). This is compensation for the Virtual Console's incapability to link two games.

I suspect this will be the case with all Virtual Console Battle Network games here on out...

Rockman Go Go Revealed - New Mobile Game for Android, South Korea

Only a few days into 2015 and we already have ourselves a new Mega Man game. Sort of.

Rockman Go Go is an officially-licensed title developed for Android by South Korean studio Jenoi. It's available now from the Korean Android Market. Hit the jump below for gameplay.

This is the Cover for Rockman Dystopia

Capcom Japan is currently producing two new arranged albums to be released early this year, featuring songs from both the classic Rockman and X series. With Rockman Utopia due in a matter of weeks, E-Capcom has rolled out our first look at Dystopia.

It's a hellish piece, perfectly suited to the style of music the album promotes (hard rock and techno). The best part, though, is the parade of wireframe Sigma virus heads. Maybe we'll be hearing one or two X2 arrangements?

Rockman Dystopia hits stores February 11th.

Source: E-Capcom

Fans Celebrate 27 Years of Mega Man With New Tribute Album

Love remixes of classic Mega Man music? How about a whole album full of them? You're in luck because Hyacintho Resilience is ready for consumption. This project was put together by a band of talented artists from across the fan community to celebrate 27 years of the Blue Bomber.

The album consists of twelve tracks from all corners of the Mega Man universe, from classic to Star Force. What's more, it's chuck-full of exclusive fan-art (I'd argue the quality is right up there with the stuff from Mega Man Tribute). Best of all it's free. Head on over to the Hyacintho Resilience project site and give it a download.

Props to all those who participated -- job well done!

Fan-Mod Brings CD Quality Audio to Mega Man X

The Super Nintendo homebrew scene has been having a blast with byuu's MSU-1 chip. It's an aftermarket cartridge expansion chip (similar to the SuperFX) that allows native playback of CD quality audio. With it, modders were able to recently add streaming CD audio and full motion video to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Natively! Today, the chip is breathing new life into Mega Man X.

Mighty No. 9 Update: New Stage Revealed

Keiji Inafune and Comcept are ringing in the new year with a (very) brief look at a new Mighty No. 9 stage. It takes place in a mansion, complete with fancy lights and statues that are out to kill you.

What's more, Inafune confirms Mighty No. 9 remains on track to launch later this spring. Development is essentially complete and they're about to enter the porting and promoting stage. We'll be seeing a lot more of the game in the months to come.

Source: Comcept