Today, in the wake of scandalous controversy, Wii owners got their first taste of Mega Man 9's downloadable content. DLC is old news for 360 owners who also have the internet (meaning, every 360 owner reading this), but for Wii owners, their only other real DLC opportunities are the overpriced song packs of Samba de Amigo or the hit-or-miss, user created content of Blast Works. So for them, this is a pretty big deal.

Yes, sir, for just 300 Wii points, Mega Man 9 owners can now download an Endless Attack mode, which only ends when you die (just like your actual life). For the slightly cheaper price of 200 Wii points, you can also download Mega Man's older brother Proto Man as a playable character. 

This isn't the first time a Mega Man game has gotten DLC. The under-appreciated classic Mega Man: Powered Up on the PSP has its fair share of downloadable characters and levels. What's more, the DLC in Mega Man: Powered Up is all completely free. So while folks who only own a Wii may be amazed with what is, for them, Mega Man's first outing into the DLC arena, PSP owners may not only be unimpressed, but a tad insulted at the content's price tag as well. 

For Mega Man lovers who have never experienced the joys of DLC, and those who have already been spoiled by Mega Man: Powered Up, I offer this brief report on Mega Man 9's current DLC offerings. Are they crap? Are they overpriced? Should you buy them anyway? Hit the jump to find out.

Endless Attack Mode

This mode has far exceeded my expectations.

I figured it would be a few repeating vertical hallways with some pits, some randomly placed enemies, recycled music from past Mega Man games, and maybe a few cool platforming puzzles. Instead, Endless Attack mode is DLC that rivals the core game of Mega Man 9 in nearly every way. 

For starters, the music is incredible. It has to be, because it's pretty much the only music you hear for the entirety of the mode. It generally takes more risks than the rest of Mega Man 9's music, which is great. Mega Man 9's score tends to play it safe with the frantic but innocent Mega Man charm the games are known for. Endless Attack mode's score starts out in that style, but the longer it goes on, the more it becomes a chopped and screwed sampling of itself. It's like the Grey Album equivalent to Mega Man music, with 100% less Jigga Man (sorry, folks; if you want Jigga Man, you'll have to use the Mega Man Maker and make him yourself).

So the music's great, but how does it play? Extremely well; as great as Mega Man 9's core game, if not better. The underwater levels here are particularly exceptional, and are head and shoulders above Splash Woman's stage in terms of design. The mine placement is amazing. It really makes me question why these levels were used for DLC and not for the main game. They're that much better.

There are even areas that are direct tributes to past Mega Man games. A bit of Heat Man's, Flash Man's, Wily's castle from Mega Man 1, and Wily's castle from Mega Man 2, all make surprise appearances in Endless Attack mode. While they are definitely not carbon copies of those levels, they are close enough to put a smile on the face of any longtime Mega Man fan. 

All the enemies you've grown to love (and hate) from the core Mega Man 9 experience are here too, including those goddamn elephants that drove us all  crazy back at E3 08. Some enemies in Endless Attack mode are even more cleverly implemented than in the main game, like Nega Man, the black-and-white Mega Man clone. Previously, he was only seen only in Plug Man's level, and in specific "doorways of static" that let the player know he was coming. In Endless Attack Mode, Nega Man can pop out of any black area without warning, completely scarring the crap out of you, especially if you're low on hit points.

That sums up the charm of Endless Attack mode in a nutshell. Anything can pop up anywhere at any time, and it's never the same game twice. Even when you start the mode up, your game will begin in any number of randomly determined areas. I've seen at least 20 of these areas in the brief time I've spent with the game, which was just enough time to clear 30 screens and get to a boss fight.

Yes, all 8 bosses make appearances in this mode as well. Personally, I've only beaten one, but I have it on good authority that every 30 screens, you'll fight another boss. So essentially, Endless Attack mode is a gigantic Roguelike remix of Mega Man 9, for just 300 Wii points. 

Amazing. 

Who's it best suited for? People who love Mega Man 9's core game, but are ready for more levels and an excellent new track of Mega Man stage music.

Who should avoid it? People who already think Mega Man 9 is too hard, or people that become easily addicted to endless modes filled with awesome. 

Is it worth the money? It's arguably more replayable than the core Mega Man 9 game, and at a third of the price. Yes, dummy, it's worth three bucks.

Playable Proto Man

Proto Man has always looked cool, and his appearance here is no exception. He's got his own Mega Man 2-style rocket surfboard. He's got his own scarf and his own sunglasses. In fact, he's got a completely different set of sprites than Mega Man, with different run, climb and shoot animations.

Problem is, he sort of sucks.

He plays almost nothing like Mega Man. Both characters jump at the same height and run at the same speed, but other than that they are totally different. Some of these differences are immediately noticeable, like Proto Man's ability to slide and charge his regular buster. On the downside, he can only shoot two shots at a time instead of three, making his ability to attack with a rapid-fire button-mash a gimped affair. This goes against everything that Mega Man 1, Mega Man 2 and now Mega Man 9 players hold dear to their hearts, and takes quite some getting used to. 

Proto Man's signature technique has long been his shield move, and he's got it in Mega Man 9, but only when he jumps. It's weird because that's the total opposite of how Sniper Joe, the precursor to Proto Man, goes about his shielding habits. His shield is out when he stands still, and not when he's moving through the air. Why wouldn't Proto Man learn a thing or two and also hold his shield out when he's standing still? Wouldn't that be the easiest time to do so? Does he like just standing there like an idiot and getting shot? And why is it not cool to get shot while in the midst of a jump around? 

All House of Pain aside, Mega Man players have grown accustomed to keeping still as a strategy when they know they're going to be hit. Being knocked out of the air mid-flight is much more likely to lead to an accidental slip into death; keeping you feet on the ground is much safer. Proto Man plays counterintuitively to this long-learned Mega Man lesson. You want to spend as much time jumping around with him as possible, as most projectiles -- even those fired by bosses -- bounce right off his shield. It all adds up to Proto Man's game involving a lot of unnecessary looking, jumping, shot charging, and sliding. It's certainly a change of pace from the more defensive, methodical method that an expert Mega Man user would apply, but is it more fun? I'm not so sure.

Oh, and did I mention that Proto Man takes double damage? That's right, folks, he dies twice as fast as Mega Man, who's already known for being fantastically underpowered. On top of that, he can't enter Roll's shop at all, so no hairstyle books, E tanks, Beats, or Eddies for him. This makes playing through the game with Proto Man unquestionably harder, despite the ability to slide and charge up shots.

Finally, Proto Man has no storyline of his own, so playing through the entire game again with him yields no unique rewards, cinematic or otherwise. Well, there is a little something, but it's a very, very little something. Seriously, it's barely worth mentioning. No, sir, if you want to play through Mega Man 9 again as Proto Man, it has got to be just because you love playing as the character, because that's all you really get for your trouble (and money).

Okay, there is one other thing. Proto Man has a really cool pose whenever you beat a boss and get their weapon. When it comes to stuff like that, I've got to give it to the guy. He strikes a bad-ass pose.

Who's it best suited for? People who were pissed that Mega Man could slide or charge his shot in Mega Man 9 and are willing to spend two dollars to prove exactly why these options wouldn't make the game any more fun. Also, people who want to master a few interesting, extremely difficult new techniques (like the jumping shield defense). 

Who should avoid it? People who already think Mega Man 9 is too hard, people who hate to see Proto Man get crippled, or people that really like having 200 extra Wii Points.

Is it worth the money? Yes, but if he cost any more Wii points, I might say no. On the upside, Proto Man doesn't play like a Mega Man clone at all, but he's not as fun to use as Mega Man either. More than anything, Proto Man mode just makes me appreciate how much more I love playing as standard Mega Man.

Also, sunglasses.