W00t! Free gift from CAPCOM! This is probably their most fascinating crossover release this year. Street Fighter X Mega Man is a FREE TO DOWNLOAD 8-bit game for the PC that replaces Mega Man’s bosses with the characters from Street Fighter. If you’re up for some 8-bit nostalgia from two timeless games, check this out on the 17th!
Stay tuned for details here: http://capcom-unity.com/mega_man
I’m loving the fact that I grew up at a time where I got to experience the dawn of electronic gaming back in the Atari and 8 bit era. And I’m just as glad that in my “late twenties” I’m still able to become particularly excited when the oldies become new once more.
For instance, take this:
And 20 years later, turned to this:
I get to play all my favorite 8-bit Nintendo games (including Bionic Commando) on my Firefox browser with FireNES (it’s actually Virtual NES but compressed to a browser plugin) while enjoying the “new” stuff on the next generation consoles and the PC. I guess half the fun is seeing how the old school veterans like Capcom and Konami remake their most memorable titles for next gen console gaming.
What I do appreciate now is how relatively easier the next generation games are compared to their 8-bit counterparts. Weren’t the old games (have you played Silver Surfer, Ninja Gaiden I, Adventure Island or Ghostbusters for the NES??) just too insanely difficult to finish??
First off, this is an ACTUAL IN-GAME SCREENSHOT, and not a retro reference to an old Mega Man game.
This is pure epic! While everyone else is pushing the limits in turning games into cinematic-quality feature films (read: Metal Gear Solid 4), Capcom is going the other direction with Mega Man 9. The Blue Bomber is back to his 8-bit roots, a move that will either make you puke out your lunch or warm your heart. The game will be released through the online distribution networks of Wiiware, XBOX Live and PSN. In this installment, our beloved Blue Bomber will be up against the following Robot Masters:
Galaxy Man
Jewel Man
Magma Man
Hornet Man
Concrete Man
Plug Man
Tornado Man
Splash WOMAN
Yes, there’s a lady master!!
There’s a full length article with page scans to Nintendo Power August 2008 for more details on the Blue Bomber’s 9th installment (technically, not the 9th as Mega Man has had so many series iterations with Mega Man X, Mega Man Battle Network, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX, and Mega Man Star Force).