During the recently-concluded Tokyo Game Show 2007, Capcom bigwig Keiji Inafune talked about Mega Man's 20th anniversary, detailing the highs and lows of his career all throughout and some future plans for the series.

Inafune took the opportunity to dispel the myth that he's the creator of Mega Man, saying that his mentor had a design prior to his entry to Capcom and he only created about half of what the blue blaster looks like. "I didn't get to completely design a Mega Man from scratch until Zero," he narrates. "But I realized that this design wouldn't be accepted as Mega Man, so I had another designer create the new Mega Man, and I worked on Zero to release him as the 'other main character' that would steal all the good scenes!"

One particularly noteworthy anecdote came in when he recounted the story of how he designed early boss Elecman. ""When I created this character, I tried to make a character that looked [like] it was from an American comic," says Inafune. "You'd see characters like him in Spider-Man or X-Men. It was pretty hard to design him, and I had to make sure that he didn't end up looking like an S&M queen."

Asked what his favorite game from the Mega Man series is, some of you may be amazed to know that it's Mega Man Legends, released in 1998 for the PSX. The game received lukewarm reception from aghast fans who were shocked with a 3D action-RPG spin-off of the series. Inafune says that the game might have been to advanced for its time, leaving what could have been a good game under-appreciated.

"I'd love to make a revival," says a determined Inafune. "But it's really difficult to have your company give you a budget for a game that flopped. I'm saving up so that I can make it on my own." He says that given today's technology, the idea might just work and sell better than it did almost a decade ago. "I'm making it my dream to create Mega Man Legends 3 before either I die or leave my company. With the continued support of fans, I hope that the Mega Man series continues to live on, and that we'll get to see its 30th and 40th anniversaries."

Keiji Inafune is the same creative mind behind other big Capcom titles such as Dead Rising, Onimusha, and the very first Street Fighter game. He continues to be a major influence in Capcom's projects and is considered as one of the gaming industry's true-blue trendsetters.

We've seen so many incarnations of Mega Man - all of them recognizable at first glance. Capcom just released more info on the newest one: Mega Man Star Force for the DS. Plus another occasion, Mega Man turns 20 this year.

The title will be released in three versions (much like Pokemon) called Pegasus, Leo, and Dragon. It sports action RPG gameplay and takes players to the 23rd century where technological advances have led to the creation of "Trancers". Trancers are mobile computers that are able to convert various navigation systems into electromagnetic waves (EM waves) or Wave Road. The storyline centers on a new lead character named Subaru Hoshikawa.

Subaru's father, an astronaut, mysteriously disappeared at a satellite station. Even so, the hero's interest in the stars and the universe did not fade with the tragedy. One day, Subaru discovered an alien life form named Warlock. He also learned that other dangerous creatures are on their merry way to wreck destruction on Earth. Subaru combines with Warlock and poof! He becomes Mega Man and in that form he can enter the Wave Road where the invaders are attacking.

As you may have noticed, it's a new storyline and Mega Man Star Force will introduce new characters to the rich series. The three versions each have unique advantages:

• Pegasus – based on the water element, Ice Pegasus can instantly freeze an opponent with its special Ice Slash.
• Leo – turning up the heat, Fire Leo uses a special Flame Burner attack that can incinerate enemies in its path.
• Dragon – the ferocious Green Dragon draws upon the power of wood with a Wood Shot that fires a cluster of razor sharp leaves, slashing enemies to bits.
• Star Force Big Bang – under special conditions, each form can unleash a devastating super move that draws upon their respective element.

Other features include:

• Cyber battles feature an immersive third person view as players engage enemies in a 3x5 battle grid
• Each game version offers a unique powered-up transformation of Mega Man based on the respective elemental power and can unleash a special “Star Force Big Bang” attack
• Battle Cards based on elemental attributes (fire, water, wood, electricity), each a part of a power chain where one is stronger or weaker than another
• Best Combo – combine Battle Cards of the same type to unleash consecutive attacks
• Dynamic Brother Band system – add up to six friends to help each other in battles, share Battle Cards, receive stat boosts and other special benefits
• Each character has their own customizable Personal Page where Battle Cards and information can be viewed and traded with friends to compare progress

Mega Man Star Force is set to rush to store shelves in August 2007 and will retail at US$ 34.99 (SRP). Check out the screens and the videos. Enjoy!

For the rest of the screens and video, click the Full article link below!

Mega Man makes his way back to the DS with Capcom's Mega Man Star Force and this time, it's fifth grade student Subaru Hoshikawa who takes the center stage.

When combined with Warlock, an extraterrestrial from Planet FM, Subaru Hoshikawa is transformed into Rockman, who dons a unique armor and War-Rock, which acts as his "rock buster". Mega Man Star Force is said to be designed in the same style as Mega Man Battle Network (with the Sprites, View, etc) but stands out with its new 3D battle system.

Also, unlike the other games in the Mega Man series, battles are viewed from behind Rockman instead of from the side of the battle. New gameplay elements are also incorporated into Star Force, including an "Access Gauge" and "Brother Band"(also called Brother Force). Mega Man Star Force consists of three versions: Leo, Dragon and Pegasus. Mega Man Star Force is said to be compatible with the DS Wi-Fi Connection, but there are no news yet as to how the game will make use of the service.

An anime series of the game will also be produced, and will air on TV Tokyo starting October 7th. Mega Man Star Force is slated for a Japanese release on December 7th, while US residents will have to wait till fall 2007 to get their hands on the game. For more details, click here to read the game's fact list. Meanwhile, here are some screens for you to enjoy, more of them could be seen by clicking "Full Article".

Capcom has announced the English title for what we've been calling Rockman Rebirth. It is now known as Mega Man Star Force. Sounds a bit kiddy, don't you think? Maybe Capcom wants to go with an Anime that they can license to 4Kids... Anyway, the game is set to be released in Japan later this year and in North America in the fall of 2007.

The game takes place in the year 22XX. Viruses and cyber crime are things of the past and technology is much more advanced than it was in Mega Man Battle Network. The world of 22XX has mobile computers called "Trancers" which change navigation systems into EM waves. These EM waves form the "Wave Road", something that exists in the real world but can only be seen by those who come from the planet FM.

The lead character of Star Force is a boy called Subaru Hoshikawa, whose father disappeared years ago in an accident in a satellite station. This gave Subaru an interest in astronomy. One day, he put on "Visualizer Goggles" that belonged to his father and was able to see EM waves. He triggered something that made Warlock, a being who escaped from Planet FM, appear and learned that monsters from FM were going to attack Earth. Subaru combines with Warlock to transform into Mega Man and enters Wave Road.

Click "Full Article" for the fact list!

Capcom has announced its lineup for the Tokyo Game Show, which includes mostly heavy hitting games from their major franchises. Check out the list:

• Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (360)
• Monster Hunter Portable 2 (PSP)
• Gyakuten Saiban 4 (NDS)
• Rockman Rebirth (NDS)
• Power Stone Collection (PSP)
• Capcom Classics Collection (PSP)
• God Hand (ps2">PS2)

Is that Gyakuten Saiban 4 on the list? Why yes, it is! For those who don't know, that's the fourth game in the Phoenix Wright series, although it will likely become the Ace Attorney series once the game finally hits North America. Interestingly, it seems that the protagonist is no longer Phoenix.

PSP fans should also be happy about all the support their getting as well. Power Stone Collection especially is making former Dreamcast owners giddy with excitement. The next gen people will be getting quite a treat with Devil May Cry 4 and Lost Planet. It seems that Capcom is making sure TGS is good for gamers.

The "sequel series" to Mega Man Battle Network or what the Japanese call Rockman.EXE is being called "Rockman Rebirth" at the moment. Like Mega Man ZX, which takes place a considerable amount of time after Mega Man Zero, this game will take place a good deal after Mega Man Battle Network. The screenshots show that the overworld isn't very different from the GBA games, but the battle sequences seem to be vastly different. Check 'em out! Click the thumbnails for a better view.

   

 
 
   

Some lucky Rockman ZX owners are also owners of a special DVD. What does this DVD contain you ask? Well, something seems to have been uploaded to YouTube pretty quickly. Seeing as it is unavailable outside Japan, we figured we'd better let you look at it! It's a trailer for the upcoming sequel series to Mega Man Battle Network. Currently, it is named "Rockman Rebirth."

The only thing we can tell from the trailer is that the new battle system is more "3D" and that the characters are all new but seem to be based off the character designs from the GBA Battle Network games. Check it out!

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I have made a post about upcoming titles for PlayStation Portable for this month as well as Xbox 360 titles set for release this spring; now let me practice a little bit more of democracy (take that Kim Jong-il) as I make some game-release announcements for Nintendo DS titles in Europe too.

Megaman invades Europe videostores this coming April 14 with his latest stint titled Megaman Battle Network 5 Double Team. This version is a dual-screened game based from the Game Boy Advance title. The DS will combine both Team Protoman and Team Colonel in one game, but a specific content unique to the Nintendo DS version should be expected. The second screen comes into play by giving players direct access to their Cyber Map and PET. The microphone can also be "yelled" into to power up Mega Man during battle.

April 21 is the day the brick-layering, puzzle-type game Tetris DS occupy shelves in videostores. Still based on the classic Nintendo game, this game boasts of touch-screen features, head-to-head action between two players, and massive wireless battles up to 10 DS users.

Trauma Centre: Under the Knife becomes available by April 28. This title enables the gamer top play doctor, as you use the stylus as your scalpel to solve complex surgical puzzles with extreme precision. A compelling story with intriguing characters revolves around the player (so ER'ish, I know).

There, Nintendo fanatics can't hit me for being biased now (I must comment though, two of those three are suck-prone, make your guess).

Next week the first Mega Man game hits the Nintendo DS system. Now, before you get all excited, there are two catches: one, the game part of the Battle Network RPG spin-off, and two, it's a port of the GBA game that released for the system a few months back.

In Battle Network 5, a month has passed since the final battle in Battle Network 4. Another evil syndicate has risen up to try what all the other bad guys in the Battle Network series have attempted: try to take over the global internet. By entering the virtual world with Mega Man, players will be able to partner up with other cyber heroes to liberate the evil territories and prevent the global take-over. Players will obtain teammates to help them work through the hazardous territories of the viral-infected networks. Uncovering digital data will enable players to read through scenario's past and uncover details that will answer questions to the mystery of the Nebula syndicate.

On the Game Boy Advance, Capcom enhanced the gameplay of the Battle Network series with several additions to the presentation established in the four earlier games Players still do battle with chips in a turn-based/realtime fighting environment, utilizing strategies to defeat the hundreds of enemies in the game. A new "Chaos Union" system allows players to control the power of the darkness by uniting with a dark chip.

The Nintendo DS version features both editions of the game released on the Game Boy Advance. Each version has six distinct allies to befriend, each with their own background storyline. There are also six unique "Soul" chips per version, and some enemies will only appear in one edition and not the other. Players choose which version to play as at the start of the Nintendo DS version, and to collect everything in their adventure players will have to seek out others playing the game in the other mode.

The conversion simply puts a lot of the functions during the exploration down on the lower screen for touch panel access. The development team also filled up the DS cartridge with a few new voice samples for the characters in places, as well as threw in a bit more of a flashier presentation jumping back and forth between the real and virtual world.