If you don’t know by now, the OG Mega Man game is now available on the Wii’s Virtual Console.  Go download it right now, it’s full of retro goodness.  But don’t take my word for it (do I sound like Reading Rainbow?), go check out this review from IGN.  

Also, David Crislip, our talented producer from Japan and the person in charge of our Virtual Console content, wrote a blog for all you Mega Man and Wii fans:

Greetings and thank you for taking the time to read my very first blog post! My name is David Crislip, and I work as an Assistant Producer here in Capcom’s online division in Tokyo. If you played Dead Rising, my last name might look familiar. I got my start here in Capcom’s localization team in Osaka where I translated game text for DR and quite a few other titles. In Tokyo, I help Ono-san out with Street Fighter IV as well as heading up Virtual Console title producer duties. I was flattered to have been entrusted with this job as it requires no real bilingualism, but instead relies on my “talents” as an obsessive classic game collector and enthusiast. How many people do you know, after all, who own both a working SuperGrafx and a Bandai Playdia? If you are remotely normal, your answer is “none”. If you are really normal, you’re scratching your head right now wondering what the heck a SuperGrafx is.

Anyway, now that I have the formalities out of the way, I wanted to take a moment to invite you all to relive our childhood memories and get reacquainted with one of Capcom’s most popular and enduring heroes. I am proud to announce that the Blue Bomber is back and ready for action in the original adventure that started it all. Mega Man is now available for the Virtual Console! What better way to whet your appetite for the shiny newness that is Mega Man 9 than with a trip down memory lane by reliving Mega Man’s original adventure?

At this point, I guess I owe you a confession of sorts. I was more of a Commodore 64 / SMS kid in those days and did not actually own an NES until a decade or so after it ruled the gaming landscape. Therefore, I was never privy to the Mega Man series when it was still new and fresh. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it when I finally gave it a chance 10 years later. The best thing about well-crafted classic games is that, while the graphics and sound may seem dated by today’s standards (which is not to say that this does not hold a certain charm for diehard enthusiasts), the gameplay isn’t as different from modern games as you may think. In fact, I am consistently shocked and amazed as I dig through my back catalog of old games (I love living a half hour from Akihabara!) and realize that there are very few things (aside from certain conveniences like frequent save points, online play, etc.) new games offer that classic games didn’t already have in spades. Mega Man is the perfect example. From pitch-perfect controls to varied enemy types, from a complex weapon system to the ability to tackle stages in any order you wish, Mega Man was ahead of its time in many ways.

Whether you grew up with Mega Man and want to revisit an old friend, or whether you are giving the Blue Bomber a chance for the very first time, you really can’t go wrong giving the original title a try. Ever brag to friends about finishing the Gamecube version of RE with the knife? Did you think that speed runs of DMC in Dante Must Die mode was the pinnacle of your gaming career? If so, Mega Man has a surprise for you. If you have the nerves of steel, the patience, and the fortitude to breeze through this game, you are truly the hardest of the hardcore.

I’ll take my leave now, but be sure to come back again as I continue to give you the inside scoop on Virtual Console!

– David