| Mega Man 9 | |
|---|---|
 North American virtual artwork designed by iam8bit | |
| 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 2008 action-platform game developed by Capcom and Inti Creates. It is the ninth numbered game in the original Mega Man series, and the first home console game in the series since Mega 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 services WiiWare, PlayStation Network (PSN), and Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA). In June 2017, it was announced that Mega Man 9 and 10 would have a physical and digital release with their inclusion in Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, as well as the Nintendo Switch in May 2018.
Taking place during the early 21st century, Mega Man 9 continues the adventures of the android hero Mega Man. When destructive attacks by powerful robots begin occurring all over the world, Mega Man's creator, the good-hearted Dr. Light, is blamed. Mega Man's arch enemy, the evil Dr. 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 classic 2D side-scrolling gameplay on which the series is based. Using both action and platforming 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 for modern consoles, Mega Man 9 features familiar 8-bit visuals and audio similar to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as a "retro" throwback to the earliest entries in the franchise. According to its producers Keiji Inafune and Hironobu Takeshita, the development team intentionally made the graphics, sound, and gameplay of Mega Man 9 as simple as possible to adhere to the likeness of the fan and critical favorite Mega 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.
- ^ a b c d "Capcom Unleashes Mega Man 9 for Digital Download" (Press release). Capcom. September 22, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ "Mega Man 9 - Nintendo - Games". Nintendo. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ a b c ロックマン9 野望の復活！！ 公式サイト [Rockman 9: Revival of Ambition!! official site] (in Japanese). Capcom. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (October 1, 2008). "Mega Man 9 XBLA Arrives Tomorrow". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ Spencer (December 1, 2010). "Mega Man 9 Busts Its Way On To Mobile Phones". Siliconera. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
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