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!

Custom Command Mission D-Arts Makes Me Yearn For the Real Thing

It was only a matter of time before someone did this. One crafty fan at FC has took the standard Bandai D-Arts Mega Man X, and modified it to resemble the character's Command Mission appearance. The end result is quite the spectacle.

The demand for a *decent* Command Mission X figure is unwavering. Jazwares tried to deliver a couple years back, but I don't think anyone was particularly happy to discover the toy had fingernails (seriously). Bandai/Tamashii would be wise to consider producing the real thing.

You can check out some additional pictures of the figure at FC. Chances of the creator selling this are slim to none, so you're either left with the option of making your own or wait it out until an official one comes out.

'Great Adventure on the Five Islands' Translation Project Debuts

The folks at Get Me Off the Moon have been hard at work translating and dubbing "Rockman DASH: Great Adventure on the Five Islands!", a side story released exclusively for Japanese mobile phones in 2008. Tonight, we can finally bare witness to the fruit of their labor. The first episode in the video anthology is up and running, allowing fans worldwide a chance to experience this little gem. Have a watch:

The project is planned to span across five episodes, distributed on a weekly basis:

• Episode 2: 7PM EST November 5th, 2011
• Episode 3: 7PM EST November 12th, 2011
• Episode 4: 7PM EST November 19th, 2011
• Episode 5: 7PM EST November 26th, 2011

Future episodes will be uploaded directly to Get Me Off the Moon's official YouTube page. I do plan on embedding forthcoming episodes too, so do pop in and drop off your comments and feedback when those go live. That said, do enjoy episode one!

Capcom Planning "Things" For Mega Man's 25th Anniversary

In a recent post at the Ask Capcom forums, Vice-president of Strategic Planning & Business Development, Christian Svensson, fielded a question on whether one could expect to see any festivities for the Blue Bomber's impending 25th anniversary. Though he won't be turning 25 until December 17th, 2012, Svensson confirms plans are already underway for Mega Man's quarter-century milestone:


"25th for MM and 25th for Street Fighter next year. "Both will have "things" to commemorate the occasion. Exactly what is in planning stages but the are solid ideas already being batted around I hope you guys will like. But please bear in mind, they won't happen until some time in our next fiscal year begins mostly (so still a good ways away)."


If I'm not mistaken, next fiscal year begins around March 31st, 2012. A ways away indeed, but man is it ever reassuring to hear something is in the works. Likewise, it's best to keep speculations to a minimum until we hear something a bit more substantial.

Give me a new game and I'll be a happy camper.

Source: Capcom-Unity