With Universe Gone, What's Next For Mega Man?

After word of Universe's cancellation hit, a feeling of uncertainty for Mega Man's future quickly set the internet ablaze. It doesn't matter if you liked Universe or not -- what matters is, something doesn't feel kosher with franchise, and it's raising eyebrows.

Ever since Inafune's leave of absence, the IP has been subjected to a downward spiral of not-so great news. From Legend 3's wavering development to Capcom Japan's negative impression of the series popularity overseas, Mega Man's future, for the first time, may truly be unpredictable.

Sharing in these sentiments is GameAbyss writer Andreas Asimakis. Andreas, like your average up-to-date fan, awoke to March 31st with news of Universe's cancellation. From there, he couldn't help but suspect something troubling was going on with the IP in general.

"For all his iterations, the original Mega Man always remained my favorite. And to see this 8-bit superstar get so much attention made me happier than words can express. But in the wake of Universe's cancellation, I honestly wonder what happens to the classic Mega Man series now. There was a time where this year's E3 would surely bring the announcement of Mega Man 11; now I'm not so sure. And what of the other retr0-inspired Mega Man title, Rockman Online? It has been far too long since we've had any updates on this ambitious game.  Am I to assume that this potentially groundbreaking Mega Man MMO will be cancelled as well?"

All speculation, of course, but speculation founded on legitimate grounds. This air of uncertainty is scary, and the silence on Capcom's end, a lack of some form of reassurance, isn't helping either.

Mega Man is just as much as Capcom as Resident Evil and Street Fighter. When you think of Capcom, you think of the Blue Bomber. It's a very important, iconic property to the company, and I highly doubt his days are numbered.

It is my firm belief that Universe's cancellation will open doors to new possibilities and opportunities. Universe was obviously suffering from a rough development, and no longer a thorn in Capcom's side, perhaps now they can pool their efforts and man-power into other MM projects. Legends 3? Maybe now development will truly kick off. The highly demanded X9? For all we know, MMU staff have been diverted to work on that at this very moment. Mega Man 11? Hey, it could happen.

Uncertainty doesn't necessarily spell doom and gloom. Quiet on Capcom's side, for all we know, could mean something is in on the burner. "No news is good news", as they say.

We have three channels to make our voices heard -- three direct links to Capcom: The Legends 3 Devroom, Ask Capcom forums, and the Suggestion Box. Capcom doesn't spare a passing glance. They are actively looking and listening to our feedback, even if it doesn't appear that way.

Show support for the franchise, and take advantage of these channels. If you're concerned about the franchise's future or want to aid in its development (join the Devroom!), raise your voice.

We got Mega Man 9 to happen; Legends 3, almost, too. Someone's listening.

Purported Animated Mega Man Film In The Works

As April Fools' comes to an end, it's best to take this story with a bit of caution. Anthony Jones, talented conceptual artist and college professor to PRC reader LinkFreak, has apparent been tapped to design a teaser poster for an upcoming animated Mega Man film (pictured right).

Specific details about the project are few and far between, but one thing is for sure: it's coming out next April.

Anthony had this to say on his official blog:

"Here is a poster design I did for a team who's working on making an animated version of our beloved Megaman, can't give too many details, but they said it's cool to start the buzz. They will be announcing it soon. I CAN'T WAIT!"

It is unclear if the film is official or a fan production; Anthony didn't specify. However, a glance at Anthony's LinkedIn profile indicates he's worked on a number of projects for several high profile companies in the past. Question is, would a conceptual artist of his caliber contribute to a mere fan-film? Something to ponder on.

LinkFreak speculates the project will be an animated short as opposed to a full-blown feature. Aside from these tidbits, however, that's all the info we've got on this curious project right now.

We'll be keeping an ear out. Thanks for the tip, LinkFreak

Capcom Wants To Know Your Most Wanted Figures

2011 has been met with a truckload of new Rockman merchandise, and it appears we may yet see even MORE. Rockman Unity's Ucchy-san has opened up an online poll which asks fans to vote which characters they'd like to see as a future action figure or model. Twenty four characters from practically every series make up the poll from the likes of Vile and Grey to Iris and Harp Note.

Favorite character not listed? Don't fret! There's a text field below the poll that allows you to submit ANY character not listed. Fill that out, check off your age range, and favorite series, and your vote will be sent off to Capcom for consideration.

The poll is open from now until May 16th, with results being posted shortly afterwords. You've got some time to mull things over, but don't delay for too long; time flies quickly!

Click here to place your votes!

News Credit: The Mega Man Network

April Fools: Coro Coro Teases New Rockman With Boss Design Contest

Capcom and Coro Coro Comics look to be once again collaborating on the unveiling of a brand new Rockman game. For years now, Capcom has invited fans to participate in the development of new games by hosting boss design contests. And as revealed in the latest issue of Coro Coro Comics, it appears that tradition will continue...

Coro Coro is indeed playing host to an all new boss design contest. Curiously, the event isn't being targeted at a specific series or incarnation of Rockman. In other words, the contest is for a new Rockman game, but for which series (if any) remains a mystery.

The event is being promoted by an example boss design, a foe that sports a familiar animal motif reminiscent of X series antagonist "Mavericks." However, the magazine goes on to compare his abilities to that of several Battle Network Net Navis, leaving us to infer the above belongs to a forthcoming Battle Network-ish game.

Given that Coro Coro exclusively reveals Battle Network/Star Force-styled titles, it's possible that this fellow belongs to something similar, perhaps even a sequel to MMBN, SF, or an entirely new series altogether. Shot in the dark, but maybe a Rockman X-inspired Battle Network? Speculation can only last for so long, it seems. Come early June, the identify of this new game will be revealed in the next Coro Coro.

Could this be the rumored 25th anniversary project? A new series, even? After all, Star Force was hailed as the commemorative series for the franchise's 20th anniversary. A third addition to the popular "network" time line seems appropriate, at this point.

Nevertheless, this is exciting news. Looking forward to future updates!

Source: 2chan

**APRIL FOOLS UPDATE**: Wow, that went way better than expected. I'm afraid this contest isn't real in the slightest. April fools, indeed.

As some of you pointed out, this image is actually from the EXE3 boss contest from Spring 2002. It's an image that isn't all too known outside of Japan, so I kind of used that to my advantage.Worked out quite nicely, I think.

In truth, this was a last minute thing that I whipped up late last night. I was originally planning to do something Mega Man Universe related, but that completely back fired. Ah well, there's always next year for something "bigger."

Battle Network Creators Want Your Questions

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Mega Man Battle Network, Jgonzo of Capcom Unity is inviting questions from users for the men behind the Mega; scenario leader Eguchi and character designer Ishihara.

Simply leave your burning questions about the games at this Unity post, and Capcom will have the two gentlemen answer the best of the lot. The winning questions and subsequent answers will be revealed in a follow-up post shortly after Captivate.

There is usually no shortage of questions that members of the community would like to ask, so use this opportunity to get 'em off your chest.

So... anyone care to wager how many will ask, "is there gonna be a seventh Battle Network?"

Mega Man Universe Cancelled

Nearly sixth-months of silence has finally come to a head. Mega Man Universe, the D.I.Y Mega Man game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, has been cancelled. Capcom Japan dropped a message announcing the news over at what remains of the game's official website earlier last night.

Capcom didn't divulge into specifics, merely citing "various circumstances" for the game's cancellation. Unfortunate news indeed, given that the title's status was recently confirmed as alive. But, hey, that's game development for you.

The developer left no indication if the title would resume development at a later date, either, so it's pretty much dead. It's a shame, really, because the title did offer some pretty near concepts. Hopefully those will carry over into a future Mega Man game.

Farewell, Universe. We hardly knew ye.
(Ironic this all comes just minutes after this report. I swear, that was not intentional!)

Credit: Andriasang

Tiny New Bits of Mega Man Universe Art (Updated)

While scrummaging through the likes of Japanese Rockman blogs, I stumbled upon a couple pieces of Mega Man Universe artwork that I haven't seen before. They're rather small (and a tad blurry), but it's something to chew on as we await future MMU news. (UPDATE: High quality scans added. Thanks, RockmanPR!)

The art in question: Mega Man in an action pose with buster drawn (left), and a full body shot of MMU's Roll (stockings? Ok.). A MUCH closer look at Roll, possibly the best yet, is available here.

The artwork is exclusive to a set of decals originally distributed at last year's Tokyo Game Show. To my knowledge, these two pieces haven't been released publicly. In fact, they're not even at Capcom's press room, which houses assets of all known MMU artwork ever released. There's no doubt it's official, but it would have been great to see these up close.

If anyone happens to have this item, please do scan it in. I, for one, would like to see these in higher-res.

Source

Zero Collection Price Slashed

Following Japan's lead, it appears Zero Collection is going budget in North America... at least at Amazon.

To compensate for the lack of Rockman Zero Collection: Best Price! on this side of the pond, residents of North America can snag and equally cheap copy of the game for $19.21 exclusively through Amazon.

With only twenty two copies remaining, this deal can only last for so long. If you've yet to pick up Zero Collection, now might be the time to act! Click the above link to order.

Thanks for the tip, Twitter!

Rumor: Mega Man X Slated For Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 DLC

Even after its release, rumors of Mega Man's inclusion in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 simply won't die. And so, here we are again but before you write this one off from the post title alone, take heart this tidbit has a pretty decent credence

Word has it that Mega Man X, among the likes of a handful of other  Capcom and Marvel characters, will be included as future DLC -- this according to none other than Lupinko, the very individual who accurately leaked the complete on-disc roster in the fall.

The full DLC lineup includes: Mega Man X, Frank West (Dead Rising), Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney), Gene (GodHand), Jon Talbain (Darkstalkers), Strider Hiryu (Strider), Gail (Dino Crisis), Dr. Octopus (Spider-Man), Juggernaut (X-Men), Elektra (Dare Devil), Apocalypse (X-Men), Iceman (X-Men), Thanos, and and Ms. Marvel.

Doc Oc, Phoenix Wright, Frank, and Juggernaut are said to be officially revealed at Captivate next week, and a new court room stage will coincide with their release. It would appear that Capcom also intends on offering new stages as well.

While most of this sounds too good to be true, name of Lupinko alone is enough to offer some hope -- still, April 1st is just around the corner, so...

We'll see how this plays out, but, as per usual, take these rumors with a grain of salt.

Source: Gamrfeed

Captivate 2011 Kicks Off Next Week

Once every Spring, Capcom USA holds their annual pre-E3 press event: Captivate. The show, exclusive to members of the gaming press and select Capcom Unity members, is home to new game reveals and updates on currently in-development projects. Come next week, that time will be upon us once more.

According to a post by jgonzo, Captivate 2011 will begin some time next week in Miami. While we don't know for sure just what titles will be shown off, the least we can hope for is some mention of Mega Man Universe and perhaps even Legends 3. Of course, there's always the possibility of something new surfacing, too, but I'm not counting on it.

The exact date of when Captivate will take place is unknown, but there's been some whispers of April 4. Also, don't count on news from the event to hit next week; there's usually a NDA set in place that prevents news from trickling out until the following week.

Hopefully, the Unity crew will drop a few hints as to what we can expect from the show. I'm holding out for an MMU update, myself. If not then, perhaps at E3!

Got Questions About Archie's Mega Man?

It's amazing to think that in just a little over a month, a new on-going Mega Man comic series will be upon us. Yet, there is still some mystery about Archie's latest gaming foray, and for those wanting to know more about the comic, here's you chance to get an answer from the source.

The Mega Man Network is holding an exclusive interview with Archie soon, and they want your questions! Simply shoot an e-mail to the.mega.man.network @ gmail.com with the subject “Archie Mega Man Interview”, or leave a comment at this post here.

You've got until midnight Sunday to get those questions in, so don't delay for too long. Think of something good; this is quite a rare opportunity!

Archie will be answer your questions via the interview, which is said to appear online shortly after the deadline.

For more details, hop on down to TMMN!

Rockman Zero "resonnant vie" Soundtrack Announced

Ippo Yamada was expected to unveil his latest soundtrack this week, and it looks like E-Capcom has let the cat out of the bag: Rockman Zero -resonnant vie-

Resonnant vie will release nationwide in Japan on April 21st (April 30 for E-Capcom) for 2,000 Yen or roughly $24.48 USD. The album contains a grand total of 13 acoustic arrangements of a variety of Rockman Zero songs, a concept reflected in the very term “resonant vie", which is said to use organic, non-electronic instruments to express the outlook of machine based lifeforms.

In first, Ippo Yamada will be standing in as producer while Luna Umegaki will be responsible for arranging the music. Further, it is said the album will include a special jacket illustrated by series artist Toru Nakayama, and a 12 page full color booklet featuring commentary and notes from Yamada and Umegaki.

Keep an eye out on Inti Creates for the inevitable track samples!

Credit: The Mega Man Network