Yeah, supposedly these were given away for completing both available stages with a single continue.  This was no easy feat (damn disappearing blocks!).  By the time Thursday rolled around, they were out, however. 

Oh man  guys, I just noticed.

Wily's bank account number in the intro is 198-71-219. As in, 1987/12/19. MEGAMAN'S BIRTHDAY.

I'm in love.

nice observation Panda, LOL

That is awesome.  Yay Capcom.

Looks like we've got a positive ID on this particular song: it's Tornado Man's Theme.

MM Network's got a handful of new samples:

http://blue-bomber.jvmwriter.org/commun … topic=1822

Magma Man is especially awesome; it sort of reminds me of....... Sorcerian's Ice Cavern themes, maybe?

SO intense. This OST is going to be amazing!

I'm going to go with the minority (possibly?) and say that Concrete Man is the best thing out of those samples. It sounds the most classic to me! All were fantastic though.

Love that Tornado Man theme.

Man, can't get enough of that Tornado Man theme!

I'm going to go with an even lesser minority and say that Tornado Man is the only one I really enjoyed so far. The other tracks have that classic NES feeling, but I don't find the melodies that exciting. Still, I'm looking forward to the whole OST.

Concrete Man was definitely my favorite. I've been watching gameplay videos of that stage off and on just to hear the music!

I can't really stand Tornado Man's theme - it's certainly not bad - but a lot of the samples in it are a little shrill for my ears. I'll give it a chance to grow on me, though.

I just got confirmation the soundtrack is on it way to my door step - well, PO Box. Really interested in hearing since I decided to stay away from all the samples so I could take it in all at once.

Siliconera got the OST already, and has revealed the composers to MM9:

III, Inti Creates’ in house “Sound Create Unit,” is credited for Mega Man 9’s score. The team, which has contributed to Mega Man ZX for the DS, includes Ippo Yamada, Ryo Kawakami, Yu Shimoda, and Hiroki Isogai. instead of being credited as composers, the members of III are designated “computer programmers,” underscoring the computery aesthetic of the emulated chiptunes and hearkening back to a time before streaming audio.

Link: http://www.siliconera.com/2008/09/12/ro … s-gallery/

So it seems that previous comments about it being the work of one member turned out false. I'm going to go ahead and guess Tornadoman's theme is Kawakami's (because it's awesome, and that's his trademark), but if the CD notes point to one of the new guys, I'd certainly be interested in hearing more from them.

Come ON, Capcom, give us the game already...

Fire up your megabusters, the game is officially slated for its North America release next week on most of the platforms:

http://www.capcomdigital.com/blog/2008/ … ease_dates

"The game will be released for download on September 22 for the Wii (1000 points).  Playstation Network gets it September 25th ($9.99), and XBLA will have it October 1 (800 points)!"

Still deciding between the Wii and PS3 version.... the Wii version's going to support the Classic Controller, right?

Do what I'm doing, get both.
And yes, I think so.

Also be wary of spoilers. Some precious jewel has started posting Castle Boss pics and RM weakness orders in random places, be ye warned.

I'll be getting it for the Wii. Because I don't have a classic controller, I'll probably just play it with the Wiimote turned on its side. Perhaps not ideal but what can ya do?

I can play through the NES Mega Mans in my sleep so I'm really looking forward to this. I have a friend who isn't getting it and he's like, "But it's so UGLY!"

Dude... not the point.

*Sigh*  There are people still bitchin' about that!?

Anyways, it comes out first on Wii, so that's where I'll get it.  No way I'm gonna wait 'til October to download it on XBLA.  I don't have a classic controller, but the Wiimote on its side will do just fine - at least I won't have to shake it like I will with Wario!

Anyone who thinks Megaman is ugly doesn't deserve to be a gamer.

Not ideal!?
Dude, that's the closest you're going to get to the original NES controller!
So yeah, I'll definitely be getting the Wii version.

I really like the achievements they came up with though.
Does anyone know if it will support Trophies on PS3 as well?

My hands have gotten a little bigger since my NES days. I actually find the Wiimote on its side to be a little awkward.

The EXE one, I can see (makes my eyes burn, actually)...But definitely not classic MM.

I haven't made a final decision on which one I'll get, but I'm leaning towards the PS3 version simply because of upscaling, not to mention not having to clean out the fridge.

Same reasons why I'm veering toward the PS3.  I'd love to play this on the Classic Controller, but Ys Book 1 & 2 has put me perilously close to maximum capacity in Wii memory.

Though I wonder just how much of a difference upscaling would make on a game like MM9.

IGN's review says the Wii version looks closer to an actual NES game, but mentions that the 360 and PS3 versions bump up the contrast (presumably to make the game look nicer on HD sets).  I've noticed that the Wii emulations of NES games are strangely dark and flat unless you mess with you TV settings to correct for them.

I'm still hoping for a DS port with all of the DLC included. I'd gladly pay $30 to be able to play the game on the go. Plus, we'd get to have the glorious box art.

That'd be nice if it happened... I don't really want to have to pick up a new console just to play this.

For the record, I think the game plays fine with the Wii remote on its side.  I did run into a few instances where I could have swore I pressed jump, and instead just walked off a ledge into a pit or bed of spikes, but for the most part, it was a lot of fun and brought back a lot of memories.

I die in this game. A lot.

All of the DLC together costs $8, so if you want everything, the final price of the game is $18, which is still a damn good deal for a brand new MM game, though the value of each piece of DLC is kinda dubious (since when does it cost $1 to get a new difficulty level?).

Just wrapped up the game a little while ago, and I must say I'm quite pleased.

Non-spoilery thoughts:

The weapon array is fantastic, and even though there is a "correct order" so to speak it's almost better to pick your own. For instance, one of the bosses is very easy compared to most of the others, and hypothetically a good place to start. But if you were then to head straight into the next stage in the "correct order," you'll almost certainly get your ass handed to you by the miniboss, who has a different weakness. So it might be a good idea to put that "correct choice" off.

That said, boo for not allowing L/R weapon cycling with the Classic Controller. I know it's more faithful to the 8-bit entries, but given how often you'll be switching between weaponry by the time you hit the castle stages, they could've at least put in the option for those less concerned about strict fidelity.

Is it my ears or is the in-game music subtly different from the OST? Not in the form of extra passages or anything, but in just having a less NES-sy sound than what's on the disk.

Wound up finishing with 38% of the Achie-umm, CHALLENGES completed. Not that I'll be getting 100% or anything (Gamer's Day and Mr. Perfect are too insane to be fun), but a respectable first-run haul, I thought.

Haven't tried the extra modes yet (and thus not yet heard Overdrive or Maze), but the best tunes from the rest of the soundtrack (i.e. RM stages notwithstanding) are Castle Stages 1 & 3 and the Staff Roll (which reminds me so very much of another melody and I can't place it).

And spoilery thoughts:

Curse you internet, for getting my hopes of playable Roll up. It turns out the Roll option in the Shop Menu only changes her outfit for the Shop screen and cutscenes between her original dress and her MM8 suit. Lame.

I was pretty irritated with the story for most of the game - it seemed like a clumsy stab at injecting MMX-caliber angst into the Classic series - but the ending makes up for a lot. I would really, REALLY like Capcom to make a Powered Up MM9 release.

So is Bass going to be the DLC secret boss? Computer screen in the ending makes it seem likely.

So where would I rank it?
Gamewise: Powered Up, 2, 5, 7, 9, 3, 8, 4, 6, 1, Bass
Musicwise: 2, 7, 6, 9, 5, 3, Powered Up, 8, 1, 4, Bass

And that's that...at least until I buy it again on Thursday.
I know, it's a sickness. Come onnnnn, DLC.

Huh? It's not just the 360 version that has those Challenges?

Yep there's challenges/achievements on the Wii version too, which I'm glad to see.
It's been a blast so far, played though 5 bosses yesterday, we'll see how far I get today...  Sideways Wiimote works fine for me!

Just in case anyone was wondering, the PS3 version has the same Challenge List as the Wii version, i.e. no Trophies. Interestingly, the manual (which is in-game here) doesn't have the Wii version's DLC page. Caprice, or might the PS3 version get different DLC?

Snagged the game on PSN last night.  The game plays quite well with a Dual Shock controller, and I'm pleased that the default is Square and X to fire and jump.

I was able to get through two stages last night after three Gameovers.  I started with Splash Woman, whose stage immediately started throwing the delightfully old-school challenges.  The floating dissipating bubbles and timed water-depleting platforms were the toughies, but at least Splash Woman herself went down fairly quickly. 

At this point, I'm thinking I'm on the right track as far as the 'proper' boss weaknesses go, because Concrete Man went down insanely quick with the Laser Trident.  His stage was much easier to get through than Splash Woman's, but that first instant with the trick floor that dropped me into the spikes was a stunner. 

I'm trying my best to resist consulting a guide, but I'm thinking.... Jewel Man next?  What's harder, concrete or jewels? :)

Dunno, but I hope PS3 also gets Proto Man.  Sliding and M. Buster charging looks alluring again.

(Are you guys playing with Legacy Mode on or off, by the way?)

Aw, man. Don't use a guide! This is your chance to experience a brand new NES-style Megaman on your own, and the guide will spoil the challenge for you.