Mega Man 9



Mega Man 9, known in Japan as Rockman 9: The Ambition's Revival!! (ロックマン９野望の復活！！), is the official 9th installment in the classic Mega Man series. The game was developed by Inti Creates and is confirmed to be released as a digital download on the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3.

This is the latest non side-story game in the classic series released since 1996/1997's Mega Man 8, and latest non-licensed game released in the classic series (not counting remakes and collections) since 1998/2002's Mega Man & Bass.

According to Capcom's own Keiji Inafune, who is working closely with Inti Creates on the project, the game is being developed using an 8-bit graphics and music engine to bring back the nostalgia of the NES-era Mega Man games. Like Mega Man and Mega Man 2, Mega Man will be unable to slide and will not have a chargeable Mega Buster; this was done to make the game's challenge and handling more in-line with the first two games in the series. While cutscenes will be used to tell the story, they are 8-bit in nature. According to Inafune, the game is "just as much a new Mega Man game as it is a new NES game." Interestingly, the game features the first female Robot Master, Splash Woman.

Many fans hope that this game will add to the story of the Classic series and possibly wrap it up in some way, although Inafune has expressed interest in making more Mega Man games for WiiWare.

Release Dates
Wii (WiiWare)
 * North America: September 22, 2008
 * Japan: September 24, 2008
 * Europe: TBA (2008?)

PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network)
 * Japan: N/A (Rockman 9 is a WiiWare-exclusive in Japan.)
 * North America: September 25, 2008 (PS3)
 * Europe: TBA (2008?)

XBox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)
 * Japan: N/A (Rockman 9 is a WiiWare-exclusive in Japan.)
 * North America: October 1, 2008
 * Europe: TBA (2008?)

Story
While both Capcom and Inafune have been tight-lipped about the smaller details about the game's story, the July 2008 issue of Nintendo Power featured an interview with Keiji Inafune in which he stated that Robot Masters were once again rampaging across the globe. However, Dr. Wily (once again on the loose after the events of R&F, R&F2, and RMS) insists on his innocence, blaming Dr. Light for the recent outbreak of violence. Once again, Mega Man is sent to deal with the situation, having to stop the Robot Masters and prove his creator's innocence. It has been confirmed that the Yellow Devil boss will not appear in this game, but Mets and Sniper Joes will be present as always. Rush has also been confirmed to return, and Inafune has hinted that Mega Man might not be the only playable character.

Robot Masters
The following Robot Masters have been confirmed as bosses for Mega Man 9:


 * Concrete Man
 * Galaxy Man
 * Hornet Man
 * Jewel Man
 * Magma Man
 * Plug Man
 * Splash Woman
 * Tornado Man