One year ago today, Mega Man 9 was released onto the world, and people are still playing the damn thing. Though many found the game’s 8-bit style to be ridiculous and alienating, others (such as myself) thought it was one of the best releases of 2008, and one of the best 2D platformers ever made.
Retro sensibilities aside, Mega Man 9 was an important game in many ways. It was the first game to ever be released for download on all three major consoles, and it marked Capcom’s first (and thus far, only) excursion into WiiWare. It also brought the original Mega Man back into the spotlight after almost ten years of taking a back seat to descendants like EXE and Zero. Perhaps most importantly though, Mega Man 9 helped give birth to the Mega Man Maker; the only place on Earth where a Mega Man’s dog can eat anyone‘s ass, even the red/blue butt of the last boss of Street Fighter 3. Ah, the memories.
Capcom’s going to announce some birthday related info later today on their community blog, so keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed. With the Tokyo Game Show going on right now as well, this might actually be big news.
