The Nintendo Download Celebrates 28 Years of Mega Man

Sorry this one is so late today, folks; I’ve been having some internet troubles, but I think everything is clear from here on.

And a good thing, too, because today is the 28th anniversary of Mega Man and the team of Capcom USA and Nintendo of America have opted to celebrate with a triple-dose of Blue Bomber goodness in today’s Nintendo Download for the Nintendo eShop on Wii U! Well, more like 2.5x the dose.

First up…

…Mega Man Battle Network 5!

Will you ally yourself with the known quantities that are ProtoMan and Chaud, or will you walk on the wild side with the new hotness that is Colonel and Baryl? Either way, Dr. Regal and the forces of Nebula have kidnapped Yuichiro Hikari, Lan’s father, and are taking over the Net!

As before, the core story is the same between the two, but the characters you’ll encounter and team up with as well as the Battle Chips you’ll collect will differ. Plus, this is the one (er, two?) game in the series to feature the strategy-based Liberation Missions.

But wait, there’s more!

Mega Man Zero 4 is here to wrap up Zero’s spin-off series. Dr. Weil has taken control of Neo Arcadia, and no one — inside or out — is safe! Zero is here once again to defend the last of humanity and Reploidkind alike from extinction, but fortunately, he has some new tricks up his sleeve…

Shy of the Mega Man Zero Collection for Nintendo DS, this is the one and only entry in the series to feature an Easy mode as well as Normal as a default option, and this one even reduces the hazard of what would normally be an instant death!

Also new to the game is a weather control system, allowing you to affect the obstacles in play and the difficulty of some enemies, allowing for the acquisition of EX skills if you go the more difficult route. There is also the Z-Knuckle, which takes the ol’ “now I’ve got your power!” shtick to a whole new level as you rip weapon arms and other things from enemy Mechaniloids and use them to beat the others to scrap.

As per my norm, here are the Japanese commercials which accompanied each game’s release. And if you’re interested in what else came to the Nintendo eShop today, head over to Mario’s Hat for the full scoop!

LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.