Keiji Inafune Reveals "Mighty No. 9", Kickstarter Project Inspired by Mega Man

No, it's not Mega Man. Not quite. This is Mighty No. 9 — a classic side scroller heavily, heavily inspired by Mega Man. It's a Kickstarter project helmed by Keiji Inafune, Inti Creates (developers of the Mega Man Zero series), and an all-star ensemble of Mega Man veterans including Naoya Tomita (aka TOM-PON) and Manami Matsumae, among others. Read on for the details:

• Mighty No. 9 is an all-new Japanese side-scrolling action game that takes the best aspects of the 8- and 16-bit era classics you know and love, and transforms them with modern tech, fresh mechanics, and fan input into something fresh and amazing!

• You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk. Run, jump, blast, and transform your way through six stages (or more, via stretch goals) you can tackle in any order you choose, using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and confront the final evil that threatens the planet!  

• Every aspect of development—art, level design, music, programming, etc.—is being handled by veteran Japanese game creators with extensive experience in the genre, and with Mega Man in particular, all the way up to and including the project’s leader, Keiji Inafune himself! Backers will have unprecedented access to seeing this team at work through blogs, podcasts, videos, concept art—the works!

• Mighty No. 9 is being developed for the PC with gamepad support (of course!), and will be made available through Steam and DRM-free digital distribution methods. Other platforms, including home consoles, Mac, and Linux, are a high priority, but only if we can afford them via stretch goals. Should we reach those goals, anyone funding the project will be allowed to choose which version of the game they would like to receive. The estimated release date is spring 2015.

The project will carry on the spirit of Mega Man and, in true Mega Man fashion, involve the fans in its production. Inafune and his team need you to help Kickstart the project, vote on characters, and bounce ideas off of the team. Naturally, there's rewards to be had.

Capcom is in no way involved in this. Whether or not this project is a failure is entirely dependent on the fans. It's a $900,000 goal (within 30 days), so every contribution helps. If you'd like to pitch in or just read up on additional details, hit up Mighty No. 9's Kickstarter page here.

Keiji Inafune PAX Panel Livestream (Ended)

In just a few minutes Keiji Inafune will take to the PAX stage. Though he's no longer working for Capcom, we can probably expect him to talk a little bit about Mega Man (and then some). It's bound to be interesting.

Embed not working? Direct stream here.

D-Arts Ultimate Armor X is Here. Let's Have a Look!

Bandai's D-Arts Ultimate Armor X is now available in Japan. If you imported, he should be arriving in the mail soon (if not already). For those currently playing the waiting game, I've gathered a few hi-res photos of the freshly unboxed figure to keep you occupied. There's plenty to see after the jump!

Star Force 3 World Invades Rockman Xover

Hot on the heels of the server leak, Capcom is rolling out another Rockman Xover update. This one introduces players to the new World 9 stage, themed after Star Force 3. Boss-wise, you'll face off against the likes of Jack Corvus, Queen Virgo and Dread Joker.

Furthermore, the OVER-B armor has been confirmed. Unlike past armors, it's based off of a character (Proto Man.EXE) as opposed to an element or fighting style. OVER-B excels in brute force, boosting the player's attack.

For more details and images, hit up the folks at The Mega Man Network.

"OVER-B" Coming Soon to Rockman Xover

Every so often Rockman Xover's servers spring a leak and clue us in on future updates. Tonight is no different: here we have a sneak peek of the upcoming "OVER-B" form. If it wasn't clear enough, this one is based on Blues' Rockman EXE incarnation, complete with (what looks to be) an arm-mounted beam saber.

Other Xover leaks seem to suggest a Star Force 3-themed world (which would accompany OVER-B), a new collaboration with Eagle Talon, and a "special" Roll Caskett swimsuit card. I've included that one after the break. It's not particularly work appropriate.

Thanks for the updates, Django!

Mega Man Legends Art from Archie's Ryan Jampole

Yet more Mega Man Legends love from the Archie Comics Mega Man team. This time it's from Harvey Award nominee Ryan Jampole. This is Ryan's first time doodling Mega Man Volnutt, Roll Caskett (in her Legends 3 wear, no less) and Data, though hopefully not the last. I think there's plenty among us still yearning for Archie to tackle Legends!

Cool piece, nonetheless.

Source: RyanJampole (via 100,000 Strong for Mega Man Legends 3)

Weil's Numbers Make the Best Custom Model Kits

When Kotobukiya doesn't deliver, fans are more than willing to pick up the slack. That seems to be the message being delivered loud and clear with a pair of truly fantastic model kits of Devilbat Schilt (Hellbat to our friends in Europe and Japan) and Childre Inatabitta. These bad boys hail from Mega Man Zero 3's Eight Gentle Judges, aka "Weil's Numbers." Pretty authentic, wouldn't you say?

Both kits made their debut at the Summer Wonder Festival a short while back, but it looks like you can't grab them so easily. Yahoo! Auctions Japan is a good place to start (bring some dough). Nevertheless, there's plenty of photos to admire of both kits on FG. Hit the links above for more!

It's stuff like this that really makes me wish Kotobukiya continued their Mega Man Zero line. Zero series aesthetics look great in plastic, after all.

Mega Man Preview Page from Capcom Character Encyclopedia

By way of Amazon UK, here's a sneak peek of Mega Man's profile from the upcoming Capcom Character Encyclopedia. Everything looks to be in order... except that "last appearance" tidbit. Classic Mega Man didn't appear in Project X Zone (that honor went to Mega Man X). It's a minor error, one that could easily be recified before the book hits the printers. Let's just hope someone from Brady Games is reading this post!

The Capcom Character Encyclopedia is due out this October. It's 208-pages in length, so we can probably expect a few more Mega Man-related profiles in there somewhere. Those interested can preorder it from Amazon and Barnes & Noble for the discount price of $10.19 US.

Source: Amazon UK

Double Dose of Archie Mega Man TPB Preorders

If you've been collecting those nifty Archie Mega Man trade paperbacks, here's two more to look forward to. Amazon has opened preorders for Mega Man 7: Curse of Ra Moon and Sonic/Mega Man: Worlds Collide Volume 3, respectively.

As the title implies, the seventh Mega Man volume collects the entirety of the Ra Moon story arc (issues #29-#32). The third Worlds Collide volume will compile the final four parts of the crossover, which spans Sonic the Hedgehog #250, Mega Man #27, Sonic Universe #54, and Sonic the Hedgehog #251 (phew!).  Both trade paperbacks are a due to ship in May, 2014.

Thanks for the tip, Johnathan.

Masahiro Aoki Shreds to Rockman Xover Main Theme

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon, so here's Masahiro Aoki -- Rockman Xover's sound composer -- rocking out to the game's main theme. I, for one, never tire of the tune despite Xover's overall stinkiness. It's too bad there aren't more original pieces of similar caliber.

Source: MidniteWv4

Free Mega Man Goods at PAX Prime Friday Night Concerts

If you’re one of the lucky people headed to PAX Prime 2013, you're in for a little treat. Capcom has graciously donated a whole batch of inflatable Mega Busters and 25th anniversary pins to be handed out for free during the Friday night Mega Man concerts. Better yet, a very, very limited number of people will walk away with a free classic Mega Man 25th anniversary statue.

Just make sure you show up before 8:30pm. There's going to be quite the crowd, after all.

Source: Capcom Unity

Say Hello to the Official Proto Man Plush

Great Eastern Entertainment, makers of countless Mega Man paraphernalia, are rolling out a cuddly 8-inch Proto Man plush. No sign of the trademark shield at this time (let's make it Velcro, please), but the scarf, shades and smirk are all in good order. Looks nice, all in all.

If AAAnime's product listing is to be believed, Proto will be joining GE's Mega Man plush in late October (North America). Price is still TBD, though you can probably expect something within the $15.99+ ballpark.

Now, I do believe Zero said it best: "Aaarf I want one!"

Source: GE Animation