Preview: Mega Man 10 Bosses (Wii)

Mega Man 10's release is only a couple of months away, and today, we get to reveal to you the six yet-unknown Robot Masters featured in the upcoming 8-bit title (along with the two we've already seen). Along with a plethora of art and screenshots, you'll find a write-up examining everything we think we know about each foe.

Strike Man

Strike Man's stadium-themed stage is no doubt full of sporty hazards. The one screenshot we have of his level shows soccer ball rockets that may be dangerous for Mega Man to touch, or could possibly be used as platforms. Maybe even both. Strike Man himself has a design extremely unique amongst the ever-growing Robot Master roster. Essentially, he's a gigantic baseball with arms and legs (with a baseball mitt on one of his hands). From the lone boss battle screenshot, you can see his weapon, some sort of purple-colored orb (that looks suspiciously like a Pokeball) that will no doubt be thrown with incredible velocity toward the Blue Bomber.

Solar Man

Surprisingly, it took a full ten games for a Robot Master to be themed on our very own star, the Sun. Solar Man's design is an interesting one, with some sort of artificial star (or other energy) hanging over his head. What kind of physics allows Solar Man to harness atomic power? That remains to be seen. What can be garnered from the couple of screens we've seen is that Solar Man's stage is aptly full of fiery threats to Mega Man. And when Mega Man finally gets into a battle with Solar Man, it appears that Solar Man shoots energy straight out of the top of his head. Will his uneven lair make the battle more difficult, ala Snake Man, Quick Man or Spark Man in games past? Only time will tell.

Sheep Man

Sheep Man was the very first Robot Master revealed to us when Mega Man 10 was announced back in December, and is beyond a doubt Mega Man 10's most unique enemy. His stage is filled with vividly-colored blocks, no doubt part of a grander puzzle that will transcend much of his level. As for Sheep Man himself, it appears this wool-covered Robot Master harnesses the power of electricity to do his foes in. The screenshot we received of Mega Man doing battle with Sheep Man indicates that Sheep Man may split into multiple parts, hovering at the top of the screen in the form of clouds, raining lightning down from a safe altitude.

Pump Man

Water-themed Robot Masters appear in several core Mega Man games. Bubble Man and Splash Woman are amongst the aqueous robots from games past, but Pump Man appears to be designed after Mega Man 4's very own Dive Man, down to his coloring, and even the look of his face. Pump Man could potentially have multiple weapons, with a specialized arm cannon, chest gun, and giant pump on his head. But from the screenshot of Mega Man doing battle with Pump Man, it appears certain that Pump Man marks the return of the infamous shield-based weapon. His stage itself is a sewer that contains both dry and underwater segments.

Nitro Man

A Robot Master named Turbo Man appeared back in Mega Man 7, and his ability to turn into a car and speed around his lair caused mass mayhem for the Blue Bomber. In Mega Man 10, a similar Robot Master makes an appearance. Named Nitro Man, this robot turns not into a car, but rather into a motorcycle. With handlebars sticking out of his chest, and with tires bulging out of his back, you're likely to find a fast-moving battle when you finally get to Nitro Man. His city-at-night themed stage will ultimately lead to his lair, where you'll have to bob and weave around your foe in order to dodge his Metal Blade-like weapon.

Commando Man

In addition to Sheep Man, December's announcement of Mega Man 10 ultimately revealed to us a second Robot Master named Commando Man. Commando Man is certainly the biggest and beefiest of Mega Man 10's Robot Master roster, though the screenshot of Mega Man doing battle with him doesn't indicate much about what his weaponry might be. Similar, perhaps, to Napalm Man, we can expect Commando Man to come to battle with multiple types of weapons, though that remains to be seen. His stage appears to be desert-themed, with raging sandstorms taking up much of the screen, making it difficult for Mega Man to successfully navigate various hazards.

Chill Man

There have been only four ice-based Robot Masters in the core series before Mega Man 10 -- Ice Man, Blizzard Man, Freeze Man, and Frost Man. Finally, the theme is brought back with Mega Man 10's Chill Man. Chill Man's stage, from the screenshot we've seen, seems to be an icy world with platforms that look a great deal like Gemini Man's from Mega Man 3. Chill Man's wide-open lair could be indicative of the robot's ability to jump extremely high, though it seems his arm cannon is his biggest menace, shooting icy projectiles towards his target. Perhaps Solar Man's atomic abilities will meltdown Chill Man? We'll find out soon enough.

Blade Man

Finally, we come to Blade Man. His stage seems to be medieval or castle-themed, much like Knight Man's stage in Mega Man 6. Axe robots will attack Mega Man here, as he traverses the castle walls to get closer and closer to Blade Man's lair. Blade Man himself has a unique design, with three blades stretching from his body. A tall blade rests on his head, with two swords sticking out where his arms and hands should be. The screenshot we have of Mega Man fighting him could indicate that Blade Man is a melee robot, something not seen often in the Mega Man franchise. Could using his weapon require you to get close to your enemies, like Top Man's Top Spin or Charge Man's Charge Kick? We'll find out in March!

Mega Man 10, a downloadable title, will be available for WiiWare, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network this March. Keep tuned to Nintendoclips.com for the latest news.

DJ Hero 2 Wii

Activision hasn't given up on the music gaming genre.

In an interview with Game Informer, President and CEO Bobby Kotick confirmed the company is set to release a follow up title to its latest turn-table music game DJ Hero.

Kotick was asked about the company's long-term commitment plans to creating new franchises and said a new DJ hero title will be released in 2010 for Xbox 360, PS3 & Wii.

"I think DJ Hero is a really innovative product. I can't wait for you to see next year's," he said. "That's the thing; we're sticking with it. We'll stick with it and get it right."

"But it's going to be less games, better games. That's our strategy," Kotick added.

Since the title's launch in October, the original DJ Hero has sold over 800,000 units in the U.S., according to NPD. Guitar Hero co-founder Kai Huang said late last year the company expected the title to have slower initial sales while fans become acquainted to its unique playstyle.

There Are Over 100 Million Miis In Japan And America

When the Nintendo Wii launched in 2006, it wasn't only the motion controller that was revolutionary. The ability to make your own cute avatar called a Mii shook up console gaming.

At a Nintendo seminar, company president Satoru Iwata revealed that between the United States and Japan, one hundred million players have their own Miis. In Japan, the number of Miis made exceeds 20 million. Nintendo has yet officially announced it, Iwata told the seminar, but the number for the United States is over 80 million strong.

Factoring in the consoles with multiple or quickly erased Miis as well as Miis from Europe and the rest of the globe and Miis that live on consoles not connected to the internet, and the number is probably higher. Maybe a gajillion Miis.

Zelda Sequel Confirmed For 2010 / DS 2 Hint

You are now less than 365 days away from a new console Zelda game. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed to Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily today that the Wii Zelda sequel, first revealed at last year's E3, will be released this year.

Iwata was pretty open for this particular interview. He also revealed that Nintendo will be announcing Vitality Sensor games in July, with an aim to release product as soon as possible (not very specific, for sure, but better than nothing!)
DS also got some mention. Actually, make that DS 2! Iwata told the paper that a successor to the DS would require high resolution visuals and sensors for detecting player motions.

He wouldn't share a time frame for the successor's release, though, instead pointing to the DS's success in 2009. According to Iwata, 2009 was DS's best year ever in North America.

Preview: Super Mario Bros (Wii)

Let's dive straight in: we're guessing everyone understands the basic concept of a Mario platformer after 20 years of the genre: run left and right, and jump until you reach the end of a level. That's it, no convoluted 'innovations' - it's a formula so unwavering in its purity that literally everyone gets it after ten seconds of staring at the screen. Indeed, after some - admittedly unscientific - focus-testing, we've yet to find a person who hasn't fallen for the game's charms, and it's Nintendo's most joyously inclusive offering yet. That's all the more astonishing given that it doesn't sacrifice anything of the Mario formula in the name of accessibility.

This is a proper Mario platformer through and through and, while the original New Super Mario Bros. played like a love letter to Mario Bros. 3, this Wii iteration has more of a Super Mario World vibe, with its playful ingenuity, chunky environmental hazards and refined power-ups. True, it might not be particularly original - and much of the game will be familiar to anyone who's played one of Nintendo's previous platform classics - but it's infused with the company's trademark design excellence, taking traditional Mario tropes and giving them a subtle new spin.

Mario's new abilities, for instance, are a significant improvement over the DS game's largely superficial inclusions. This time, the likes of the propeller outfit and penguin suit play an integral role in the game, granting abilities that actually give you a tactical advantage when used intelligently - whether that's zipping over troublesome areas, freezing enemies into ice cubes and using them to fell multiple foes or offering greater manoeuvrability underwater. Oh, and Yoshi's back too! It all adds up to a game that's an absolute master class in family-friendly fun, without the design simplification seen in Nintendo's more recent mainstream offerings. Yes, Nintendo might be pushing New Super Mario Bros. Wii's multiplayer focus, but it still sits proudly alongside its predecessors as a bone fide Mario platformer, whether playing with friends or as a solo experience.

But, oh, that four player mode! With a full group of friends in tow, for either story mode or multiplayer-specific extras, New Super Mario Bros. becomes thoroughly compulsive in its hilariously haphazard chaos. Its stroke of absolute genius in story mode is its complete lack of enforced objectives - it's not competitive and it's not cooperative. Instead, each level is a neutral playground that polarizes play styles in constantly shifting directions. With no particular goal - other than to reach the end - it's pretty much a free for all, usually starting off with good-natured camaraderie before nose-diving into vitriolic retribution as the ingenious way characters interact with the world and each other comes to the fore.
Release Date: 10/11/2009