| Mega Man 9 | |
|---|---|
 North American virtual artwork designed byiam8bit | |
| Developer(s) | Inti Creates Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Director(s) | Hayato Tsuru |
| Producer(s) | Takuya Aizu Keiji Inafune Hironobu Takeshita |
| Designer(s) | Satoru Nishizawa Ryota Ito Satoshi Yazima |
| Programmer(s) | Shinichi Sema |
| Artist(s) | Yoshitaka Hatakeyama |
| Composer(s) | Ippo Yamada Ryo Kawakami Yu Shimoda Hiroki Isogai |
| Series | Mega Man |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | September 22, 2008
|
| Genre(s) | Action,platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Mega Man 9[a] is a 2008action-platform game developed byCapcom andInti Creates. It is the ninth numbered game in theoriginalMega Man series, and the firsthome console game in the series sinceMega Man & Bass (1998).Mega Man 9 was the first game in the series not to have a physical release, and was initially released only on the downloadable gaming servicesWiiWare,PlayStation Network (PSN), andXbox Live Arcade (XBLA). In June 2017, it was announced thatMega Man 9 and10 would have a physical and digital release with their inclusion inMega Man Legacy Collection 2 forPlayStation 4,Windows, andXbox One, as well as theNintendo Switch in May 2018.
Taking place during the early 21st century,Mega Man 9 continues the adventures of theandroid heroMega Man. When destructive attacks by powerful robots begin occurring all over the world, Mega Man's creator, the good-heartedDr. Light, is blamed. Mega Man's arch enemy, the evilDr. Wily, claims to be uninvolved in the incidents. It is up to Mega Man to stop the robots, prove his creator's innocence, and reveal Wily's true intentions.Mega Man 9 uses the classic2Dside-scrolling gameplay on which the series is based. Using bothaction andplatforming elements, the player must complete a series of eight initial stages in any order desired. Defeating each stage's "Robot Master"boss copies its unique weapon, which the player can select at will throughout the remainder of the game.
Although the game was developed formodern consoles,Mega Man 9 features familiar8-bit visuals and audio similar to theNintendo Entertainment System (NES) as a "retro" throwback to the earliest entries in the franchise. According to itsproducersKeiji Inafune and Hironobu Takeshita, the development team intentionally made the graphics, sound, and gameplay ofMega Man 9 as simple as possible to adhere to the likeness of the fan and critical favoriteMega Man 2 (1988).Mega Man 9 was a commercial success and received mostly positive reviews from the press, although the intentional extreme difficulty, lack of creativity in level design and graphics, and lack of the option to slide or power up weapons was criticized. The game's popularity prompted Capcom to create a sequel,Mega Man 10 (2010), which also utilizes a simple, 8-bit style.
Like previous entries in the series, the fictional events ofMega Man 9 take place during the 21st century ("20XX").Dr. Light, the creator of the world's greatestandroid hero Mega Man, is blamed when several old and outdated models of "Robot Masters" he created suddenly go on a destructive rampage.[6][7] Mega Man's nemesisDr. Wily has no apparent connection to it.[8] After showing a news video of Light declaring planetary domination and Wily refusing to follow him, Wily announces that he needs monetary donations to complete the robots he built to combat those of Dr. Light.[9] Mega Man vows to fight to prove his creator's innocence and expose Wily's true intentions.[7] After Mega Man begins combating the eight Robot Masters—Concrete Man, Tornado Man, Splash Woman, Plug Man, Jewel Man, Hornet Man, Magma Man and Galaxy Man[6]—Light is soon arrested. During the victory over the fourth Robot Master, a piece of scrap metal is left behind, revealing that the robot was shortly due forrecycling.[10] Mega Man eventually picks up the last Robot Master's memory chip, which is analyzed to reveal Dr. Wily vowing to help the robots survive this expiration date and ultimately reprogramming them.[11] However, before the information can become public, Wily swoops in using hisflying saucer and steals the chip.
Mega Man breaks into Wily's robot city, which is guarded by powerful robots Wily built with the crowd's donations. Mega Man fights and defeats Wily, who immediately begs for forgiveness, at which point Mega Man scolds Wily by reminding him of all his begging from all previous mainMega Man series games. Mega Man then discovers that Wily was responsible for arresting Dr. Light, and that Light has fallen ill. However, Mega Man's allyProto Man comes in and warns the hero that it is a trap, stating that the seemingly ill scientist is an impostor previously used by Wily to make the initial news video.[12] Mega Man then takes his chances with Light and the impostor shocks him; Wily escapes while he is disabled. When the fortress comes down on him, Proto Man returns quickly to save him. In the end, Dr. Light is freed, and thestatus quo is restored.[13] The eight Robot Masters are rebuilt and given new functions working alongside Light and his other robots.
Mega Man 9 is anaction-platform game in which the player controls the titular character and must complete a number of2Dside-scrolling stages. The start of the game presents a select screen of eight stages from which the player can choose to complete in any order desired.[6][7] Within each stage, the player advances by running, jumping, avoiding traps, shooting enemies andmini-bosses, and ultimately battling the Robot Master boss at the end. Mega Man begins with a "Mega Buster" arm-cannon weapon, but as each boss is defeated, a unique weapon is added to his arsenal. Because each Robot Master is weak to a specific weapon, the player may strategize the order in which the stages are cleared.[7] The player also begins the game with the option to call on Mega Man's dogRush, who can transform into a "Coil" springboard for jumping higher or a "Jet" for traversing long distances in the air.[14] Mega Man's health, his special weapons, and his Rush options are all limited by energy gauges that can be refilled by picking up items found throughout each level. Specialscrews can also be picked up and used to buy items atAuto's shop between stages. These items includeextra lives, tanks that refill energy, and one-time-use items that call on Mega Man's companionsEddie andBeat for help.[7]
Usingthe originalMega Man andMega Man 2 as the main inspiration for the gameplay inMega Man 9, several significant features from previous games were left out. Specifically, Mega Man lacks the ability to slide along the ground and the ability to charge up his Mega Buster for more powerful shots.[6][7][15] Aside from using or omitting various elements from past games in the series,Mega Man 9 introduces atime attack mode and 50 optional challenges where certain requirements should be met to be accomplished. These range from defeating a boss using only the Mega Buster to clearing the entire game without taking any damage.[7][14]Downloadable content for all three versions of the game was made available for purchase during October 2008. Proto Man can be downloaded as an alternate playable character. Proto Man is able to slide, can charge up his buster, and takes double the damage of Mega Man, among other differences.[16] Additional downloadable add-ons include higherdifficulty modes, anendless stage, and a special stage featuring a new boss, Fake Man.[17][18] This downloadable content was included inMega Man Legacy Collection 2, requiring the player to complete the game or enter a secret cheat code.[19]
Mega Man 9 was co-developed byCapcom andInti Creates. The latter company had developed theMega Man Zero andMega Man ZX spin-off series and employs many former Capcom members who worked on previousMega Man games.[6][15][20][21] The first six games in theoriginalMega Man series were created for theNES during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[22] A plethora of spin-off series, related games, and compilations were published by Capcom as a result of the original series' immense popularity. The most recent entries in the main series,Mega Man 8 andMega Man & Bass, were first released on more advancedhome consoles in 1996 and 1998 respectively.[22]Keiji Inafune, a designer, artist, and producer at Capcom, has been involved in most of franchise's development. As early as 2004, Inafune, credited as "Inafking", publicly expressed his desire to make aMega Man 9 as a "throwback to the superold school", but that its creation would highly depend on the input of fans.[22][23] According to Inafune, the simple fun of a classicMega Man game "doesn't fit into the grandiose and expansive world that the consumer gaming industry has become, and so you have to make games that match the current expectations". He also believed that pushing for the creation of aMega Man in the style of the original "would be quickly criticized for things like being simplistic, outdated, or too expensive", thus making it too difficult to develop such games in the current climate.[6]
Inafune cited the rise ofretrogaming services like Nintendo'sVirtual Console for allowing the development team to put togetherMega Man 9.[6] Not only does the game carry the gameplay and storyline elements of older games,Mega Man 9 is a return to the series' roots, as the graphics and music resemble how their original games looked and sounded on the NES's8-bit hardware.[6] Inafune felt that the "time was right" for choosing this style of game to please its fans.[6][15] Capcom's management was supportive in makingMega Man 9 downloadable, but they wanted the game to be3D instead of 8-bit as they thought the latter would only appeal toMega Man fans. The team additionally discussed giving players the option to choose between 8-bit and current generation styles.[24] However, the idea for solely using 8-bit eventually won out.[25] The staff was concerned with surpassingMega Man 2 rather thanMega Man 8, asMega Man 2 has been more praised.[6][15][18][20][24] Producer Hironobu Takeshita referred toMega Man 9 as "the newMega Man 3" in this regard.[26]
Mega Man 9's development team consisted of about 20 people.[6] Takeshita explained that although Inti Creates used their previous experience to create the gameplay, the technical aspects, like the graphics and sound, were more difficult to fine-tune. As the team had a tendency to make these attributes complex, Inafune would often scold them to simplify their work and "bring it back to the basics".[20][21] Rather than use NES technology,Mega Man 9 runs on a new, proprietary engine that simulates the behavior of 8-bit video games. The game includes a "Legacy Mode" option, which emulates the low video processing power of the NES by partially renderingsprites, thus causing them toflicker when too many are on screen simultaneously.[20][26] The developers also considered distributing the game on NEScartridges, but without technology to bridge the gap between the cartridges and current gaming hardware, the idea was scrapped.[25] Takeshita clarified thatMega Man 9 is much too large to actually fit on an NES cartridge.[20][26]
Inafune designed both Plug Man and Splash Woman, while the artists at Inti Creates designed the remaining six Robot Masters. Plug Man was used as an example to guide the younger designers in making characters with simple yet unique features. The idea for Splash Woman, the first female Robot Master of the original series, was requested by the planning team.[18] Hornet Man was originally conceived as another female Robot Master named "Honey Woman" before being changed to a male after Inafune presented his design of Splash Woman.[18][27]
The musical score and sound effects forMega Man 9 were composed byIppo Yamada, Ryo Kawakami, Yu Shimoda, and Hiroki Isogai.[28] Yamada, a veteran composer for Capcom at this point, worked "with a sense of nostalgia", while the younger designers had to study and imitate the older games.[29] Sound director Yu Shimoda analyzed the audio of the NESMega Man games for several months before beginning the project.[28] Yamada insisted that the game contains no actual NES music, but rather the "spirit of NES music", as no such hardware restrictions were present as they had been during the development of the first six games.[26][28] Most of the tracks were created with the quality of these past games in mind, but only a handful actually reference songs from previous games. Character and levels designs were "fundamental to the process of generating the music".[28] Computers runningMusic Macro Language were used to produce the game's sound effects. Yamada explained that taking away the sound of charging up the Mega Buster allowed for many more sound waves that it would have obscured or blocked out on NES hardware.[28] Still, as aspiritual successor toMega Man 2, layers of background music were deliberately designed to drop out when simultaneously heard with certain sound effects as they did in that game.[30]
Capcom officially announcedMega Man 9 during July 2008.[31] Official details were first confirmed via the magazinesWeekly Famitsu andNintendo Power, revealing that the title would be appearing on the Nintendo Wii as a WiiWare title.[6][32] It was initially slated to be exclusive to WiiWare, with earlier reports of Microsoft'sXBLA and Sony'sPSN editions being denied by Capcom.[33][34] Gaming sites likeIGN confirmed it for PSN and XBLA shortly thereafter.[35] Various regions including North America, Japan, Europe, and Australia saw releases of the game between September 2008 and June 2009.[1][3][2][4] Amobile phone incarnation ofMega Man 9 was also released in Japan in late 2010.[5]
The North American promotional artwork for the game, designed by Gerald de Jesus ofiam8bit, was meant to be reminiscent of the domestic cover art for the originalMega Man game. According to Capcom employee Chris Kramer, the marketing group felt that if they were going to release a game that graphically resembled one that came from 1987, it would be best to have the marketing campaign reflect that.[36] T-shirts bearing the artwork were created for Inafune and Takeshita to wear at the game's official debut at theElectronic Entertainment Expo during the summer of 2008. The T-shirts were later made available to the public via Capcom's online store.[36] A "limited edition"press kit, intended for members of the media, using that same cover art was then created by iam8bit. Being as faithful to the original 1987 release as possible, the iam8bit crew disassembled one-thousand vintage NES cartridges and insertedmini CDs inside. Though the CDs do not contain the actual game, they feature an array of screenshots, artwork, and game information. That was then packaged in a custom-created, classic-looking NES box, complete with shrink-wrap and bargain bin price tags.[37] The press kit was also put on sale at Capcom's store.[38]
To help promote the game in Japan, Capcom released merchandise including "E-Tank"energy drinks and two CD soundtracks.[39] TheRockman 9 Original Soundtrack was released on September 12, 2008.[40][41] The soundtrack, consisting of the game's 35 music tracks, includes a booklet withliner notes written by the Inti Creates sound team, as well as artwork and information on the eight Robot Masters.[42] TheRockman 9 Arrange Album released on October 10, 2008,[40][41] featuring remixes of the game's songsarranged by Yamada, his team, and several guest composers from past entries in theMega Man series.[28][43]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PSN: 77/100[50] WiiWare: 83/100[51] XBLA: 82/100[52] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | B+[44] |
| Edge | 6/10[45] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[14] |
| GameSpot | 8.5/10[7] |
| IGN | 8.6/10[46] |
| Official Nintendo Magazine | 90%[47] |
| PlayStation Official Magazine – UK | 5/10[48] |
| Official Xbox Magazine (UK) | 7.5/10[49] |
Mega Man 9 has received mostly positive reviews from gaming magazines and websites. The WiiWare, XBLA, and PSN versions of the game currently hold aggregate percentages of 83, 82, and 77 respectively onMetacritic.[50][51][52]1UP.com gave the game a B+, praising its old-school aesthetic and challenge.[44] IGN gave the game an 8.6/10, awarded it with an "Editor's Choice" award across all platforms, and praised it for "having some of the best level design in the series".[46] TheOfficial Nintendo Magazine gave the game 90% noting that "it will keep you busy for hours" and "screams retro". It did mark it down because "it might be too frustrating".[47] However,Edge gave the game a score of six out of ten. The magazine responded positively to the game's enemy design, though criticized the game for trying to fit into the "retro cool category" and being not as good as the previous games.[45]
The WiiWare version ofMega Man 9 has received additional recognition from various publications. InNintendo Power's "Game of the Year" section,Mega Man 9 was scored as the best WiiWare game of 2008 by both readers and staff.[53] It was nominated for "Best Platforming Game for the Wii" by IGN in its 2008 video game awards.[54] It was also nominated for "Best Wii Game" and "Best Downloadable Console Game" on GameSpot's "Best of 2008".[55][56] Gaming Target selected it as part of their "40 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2008" feature.[57] IGN has consideredMega Man 9 as one of the top 15 WiiWare games available.[58] In 2011, IGN listedMega Man 9 as the 5th-best WiiWare game and the 14th-best PSN game of all time.[59][60]
Although no financial figures forMega Man 9 have been released, Christian Svensson (Capcom's Vice President of Business Development) debunked all sales rumors shortly after its launch, stating that the company was "cautiously optimistic" about its performance on WiiWare.[61] Both Svensson and Capcom's Seth Killian stated months later that the company was "definitely happy" with the sales of the game.[62][63] Inafune also expressed his satisfaction with the game's success, proclaiming that it far exceeded their expectations.[24][64] A follow-up game,Mega Man 10, was released in March 2010 for WiiWare, PSN, and XBLA. This sequel also features retro-style graphics, audio, and gameplay.[24][65][66]Mega Man 9 was later released on thePlayStation 4,Xbox One, andPC as part ofMega Man Legacy Collection 2, which also made a slight change of allowing the player to unlock all of the formerdownloadable content.[19]
Dr. Wily: Ladies and gentlemen, this is not my doing! These robots are Dr. Light's creations. This proves he's had evil designs on the world all this time!
Dr. Wily: I, Dr. Wily, have created my own robots to stop Dr. Light. But only your donations can help me complete them. Once my robots are finished, they will save the world!
Auto: I've figured out something from the product code on that piece of scrap Mega Man picked up. That robot's period of use had expired, and it was scheduled to be scrapped.Roll: I feel bad for those robots, but their expiration dates are decided by law.
Dr. Wily: Just because you reached some arbitrary expiration date doesn't mean you should be scrapped! You're all still quite useful! You have a right to live! I'm going to help you. Together we'll show the world how useful you all still can be!
Dr. Wily: Dr. Light was taken away by the police, was he not? That wasn't a real officer; it was a fake police robot I created. Dr. Light is in the next room, but he fell ill so he's sleeping now. You have to hurry and get him to a hospital! This way.Mega Man: Dr. Light!Proto Man: You're a fool, Mega Man! It's a trap! That's the Dr. Light robot Wily used to make that fake video!
Narrator: Mega Man once again put a stop to Dr. Wily's evil plans. Dr. Light was found to be innocent of all wrongdoing, and was able to return to his laboratory. The future holds the promise of peace for the people of Earth... Dr. Wily, however, was nowhere to be found...
