The Quest to Collect the Mega Man Series

Recently I have found that obtaining an entire lineage of Mega Man titles seems more and more entertaining to me. It started with me picking up Mega Man 2 at thrift store. Then I found a mint copy of Mega Man X (my personal favorite) at another thrift store. Now I own digital copies of Mega Man 9 on XBLA and Mega Man 3 on Virtual Console.

I now own the following:

Mega Man 2 for NES
Mega Man 3 for Virtual Console
Mega Man 8 for PSX
Mega Man 9 for XBLA
Mega Man X for SNES
Mega Man the Power Fighters 1 & 2 in my CPS2 arcade cabinet

I could buy the collection games easily online, but that just seems boring and the emulation is off in some places from what I hear anyway. One of the most cool things I have ordered online recently is a box of Mega Man candy from Japan. It is called Rockmanju which is a bad pun based on Rockman and manju (Rockman being the Japanese name for Mega Man and Ju the Japanese character for ten.) Manju is a traditional cookie like treat, but I don't plan of eating it.

The box contains the Japanese style Mega Man 10 box art. It is the only place you will find it as everywhere insist on using intentionally bad Western art to parody bad box art from the NES era. The box looks like a famicom box from back in the day which makes it all the more awesome to have in my collection. Inside the box are little cookies with 8-bit Mega Man sprites on them. Overall, Capcom went out of their way to make a great item for fans.

Another edition has the original Japanese Rock Man art.

I plan on hitting the thrift store later today. Hopefully I can find some more Mega Man games hidden away.

Street Fighter IV: Juri Anime in "Limbo", Capcom Says

After looking all over the net for information on the new Street Fighter IV Juri anime movie, I finally turned to Capcom's own forums to ask about it. On the "Ask Capcom" forum, I learned that only the Asian Xbox 360 special edition came with a download ticket for the movie. No Ps3 release or XBLA marketplace release outside of Asia exist (Japan doesn't fall under Asia BTW.) Do not look for a DVD or Blu-Ray either, it doesn't exist. For the less scrupulous fan don't bother looking for torrents, they don't exist either.
S-Kill, Capcom's resident Street Fighter guru, had this response on the message board:

I wish I had some exciting news, but as far as the west is concerned, the anime seems to be in limbo

We're very aware fans would really like to see it, and it's quite good too. Bleh. Will update everyone immediately should I get any good news about this being available outside of Asia.

I suppose the exclusive nature of the Asian XBLA download deal is making it difficult, even for Capcom, to secure rights to the film for an all region release. This is very disappoiting to hear, as Mr. Killian himself notes the anime is quite good. Hopefully this gets a legitimate release in the future, or at the very least leaked for eager fans to enjoy.

Source: http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/24838209/Super_Street_Fighter_IV_anime_by_Gonzo?pg=3

Mario Art

I have been pretty lazy about posting lately. Today I am updating with some Mario inspired fanart from Pixiv. Only a few more days till Mario Galaxy 2 arrives, I can't wait.

No More Heroes 2 is Now Just 19.99

I held off on buying No More Heroes 2, and apparently it was a wise move. All pre-owned copies of the game are now 19.99 at Gamestop. This is a very recent game with solid reviews but I suppose it flopped with poor sales. Too bad for the company and Suda51, but the Wii doesn't have very many hardcore gamers. I intend to grab a copy today as a reward to myself for making a B in my Japanese II class. What better way to celebrate than a cool Japanese game to play after exams?

I cannot resist the sweet 8-bit mini games I've read about...

Games I am Currently Playing

I haven't made a post in awhile. It is finals time for me, and I have been gaming alot as well. Here are the games that are currently taking away from my study time:

1. Super Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360)- I am already a big fan of this game. The new characters are all cool, except Hakan and the online has been done very well. One really cool addition is the replay channel. It is nice seeing other player's strategies and combos. Bravo, Capcom, bravo. I hope they release a DLC pack with Rolento, Elena, and R. Mika.2. Record of Agarest War (Xbox 360)- I ordered this game simply for the boobie mousepad, however it is actually not a bad game at all. I usually steer clear of Idea Factory, but this game seems to be their crowning achievement. The artwork is nice, battles are fun, and the music is fitting. I also dig the marriage and generation system, it reminds me of Phantasy Star 3.3. Space Adventure Cobra (Sega CD)- This game also seemed to be an oddity to me, so I tracked it down finally. The game is like a poor man's Snatcher. The story is ok, and the character designs look like they are out of an issue of Heavy Metal. I will keep playing this one for the story only.4. Sakura Wars V( Wii)- I am at the end of Sakura Wars, but since I seemed to have ended up with the lamest chick, I've been hesitant to beat it. The game is awesome, and I recommend it to any strategy fan. I hope Sega releases the older titles here at some point. The world could use some more mecha and romance.

Super Street Fighter IV Fanart

Enjoy some fanart from Pixiv to celebrate this week's release of SSF IV.

The Best Franchises Abandoned by Sega

Sega has a long history of building up cool franchises and then ignoring them like a dead orphan. Here is the rundown of franchises that would still make money if Sega wasn't retarded:

Alex Kidd- The awesome Master System and early Genesis had some good games going for it. Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, and Alex Kidd in Shinobi World (I miss Shinobi too) all hold a special place in my oldschool gaming heart. These games were nice platformers with enough charisma to compete with any Mario game. Too bad Sonic came along in the early 90's and Alex Kidd (Sega's initial mascot) was tossed to the side in favor of the blue hedgehog and his "Blast Processing". He has made a small comeback recently in a kart racer and Sega tennis game, but Alex has not starred in his own title in a long time. I think the time is ripe for Alex Kidd to return. Give him a new 2-D XBLA or PSN title...better yet call it Alex Kidd in Golden Axe World.Phantasy Star- I know we get online Phantasy Star games all them time, but I am talking about the original series. Phantasy Star started as an awesome space adventure RPG on the Master System. The series ended with Phantasy Star IV on the Genesis, which happens to be the best RPG on the system and a strong contender for best RPG of the 16-bit generation, only behind the phenomenal Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. Sega re-releases this series regularly on it's collection disc, so why not give it another shot? A new Phantasy Star could become the JRPG to beat Mass Effect...or at the least the horrid Star Ocean series.
Streets of Rage- The Streets of Rage series is the pinnacle of beat em ups. I loved Final Fight, but where was the kickass music? In Sega's SOR, that's where. I don't know when walking around punching 500 dudes in the face or kicking crazy trannys in the nuts got old, but it is time to bring it back. Also what other series let you do those cool things with a freakin' kangeroo?Shenmue- The Dreamcast is my favorite retro system. Shenmue is one of the reasons it means so much to me. Ryo Hazuki, young karate student, has his father murdered right in front of him by a Chinese gangster known as Lan Di. Ryo then travels around Japan and China to find the bastard and uncover a plot about some magic mirrors along the way. The series stopped at the second game however, and Sega doesn't seem to care about finishing the plot since they lost a ton of money on the original two. I read in a recent issue of RetroGamer, that the rights to Shenmue are being offered by Sega to any company willing to finish the series. I hope someone takes them up of this offer. I hope even more that the company to pick it up is Bioware.Golden Axe- Golden Axe: Beast Rider doesn't count as a new game in the series, I don't care what Dave Halverson has to say about it. Golden Axe was the essential Conan ripoff. It had brutal violence, scantly clad women, swords, and sorcery. I also loved kicking the crap out of little gnomes to get more magic. Here is some advice for Sega: Re-release Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder on XBLA or PSN, it will make you alot of money and make gamers happy.
Hopefully one day Sega gets their shit together and makes a return to the glory days. Bayonetta was incredible and Sonic 4 looks like it will be tons of fun; these are both steps in the right direction. If Sonic can make a comeback, then I have faith the franchises above can be revived as well.

What Would Super Street Fighter IV Look Like on NES?

I found this awesome 8 bit image today and just had to share it. They all kinda look like Mega Man bosses from the old days. Beware of Ken Man, his power is the mighty Spam Shoryuken Attack!

Marvel vs Capcom 3 is Confirmed ( Possibly Will Take You on a Ride As Well)

I am not talking about another Mugen poject. Last week, Capcom held it's annual Captivate event in Hawaii. All of their new games were on display and were supposed to be kept secret until next week. That was the plan, but one site said, "fuck that nonsense."
http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=7838

This is great news for fighting fans and comic nerds. Since I fall into both categories, all I can say is thank you Capcom. Here are characters I hope make the new ( and supposedly huge) roster:

Marvel side

The Punisher- Frank Castle is just too cool to pass up and he has acquired two feature films under his belt since the last Marvel game.

The Fantastic Four- Dr. Doom needs his real rivals, plus the Thing is one my favorite heroes.

Blade- Watch out Darkstalkers, Wesley Snip...erm...Blade doesn't mess around.

Thor- He is a freakin' thunder god. Nuff said.

Dark Phoenix- She is super powerful and her lack of compassion would make her a fine choice for this game's endboss.

Capcom side

Dante- The hero of the Devil May Cry series would fit right in with the vs. series. His combo heavy attacks would be fun and the ability to become a demon would be a neat gimmick as well.

MegaMan X- He is seriously the only MegaMan not to be used outside his own series. X is a badass, he needs to be in this game...especially if they add Zero.

Bayonetta- She is like a female Dante...possibly even stronger. She would be really fun to have in here, plus she is pretty sexy.

Gene- I know not many people played Godhand, but the main character was practically built for a fighting game. He fights like Kenshiro from Fist of the Northstar, if you think that is lame...You are already dead.

Wesker- The ultimate villain from the Resident Evil series need some vs. series representation. If he fights like Agent Smith from the Matrix like in Resident Evil 5 then it would be even sweeter to have him as a selectable fighter.

I guess some more official announcements will be heard this coming week or next week. Knowing Capcom they will drag out each character unveiling for months, so who knows when we will know the full roster. I just hope we get some cool surprise along the way. I'm crossing my fingers for the characters I mentioned and some weirdos like Phoenix Wright!

So Long Super Nintendo Collection

I am parting ways with my SNES and Super Famicom games via eBay. I have them all listed right now, and the auctions will last till Sunday evening. It is a sad day, but I need the money right now. Here are a few of the fine games I am selling:

Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy II
Donkey Kong Country 2
UN Squadron
Super Mario Allstars + Super Mario World
Chrono Trigger
and many more...

Here is the link to my auctions: http://shop.ebay.com/lastknight01/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

I am condensing my collection to the SNES Powerpak from RetroUsb. It should be pretty damn awesome when it gets here.

Sonic, You Little Rascal...

Insane and hilarious comic, CLICK TO ENLARGE!

Gaming + Girls = Hotness

I think every guy who likes games and girls also like seeing the two in a great fusion of hotness. It is pure geek ecstasy. I decided to scour the net and celebrate some of these fine ladies posing cosplay style or with games. Enjoy this heavenly combination of beauty and geekdom!

Super Mario 3, the girl has taste.

I think we just found where they were keeping the Triforce.

Zelda burlesque is awesome.

So is Princess Peach burlesque...

Justin Bailey would be proud.

Throw in Princess Leia and I can die a happy man.

This is from the game, Queen's Blade. I've never played, but I am thinking I should start.

Cammy would be jealous.

I need to move to Japan...

Final Fantasy sure produces some nice cosplay.

That is it for this update. I was originally going to do an 8-bit comparison thing, but it seemed kinda lame. I did keep one funny picture to share however:

1up?

Gaming for Easter Weekend

I will have a good amount of free time today, so I shall be doing some hardcore gaming. I picked up MegaMan 2 at a thrift store yesterday for pretty cheap. It is so hard, but I did manage to beat Woodman earlier this morning. I traded Resonance of Gayness (yes the game got lame quickly) for Sakura Wars for Wii. Sakura Wars is oddly addictive like a harem anime with some mech fights thrown in for good measure.
I will be heading to my mother's house for Easter tomorrow to have some good home cooked food Have a Happy Easter!

Sega Fanart

Here is some nice Sega fanart from the talented artists of Pixiv:
On a semi-related note, Virtual On: OT is on sale on XBLA for 800 pts. Woohoo!