OK, look. I collect a lot of figures, from Marvel to Godzilla to, yeah, a lot of Mega Man stuff. Every time I think I’ve got it under control though, something irresistible shows up and sets me down the Mad Collector path once more. THIS TIME it’s a Kidrobot Mega Man line, which is p much the exact type of thing I want next to my monitor.
The line is due later this dear, around fall. It’ll be an all-MM1 cast featuring Mega Man, Bomb Man, Fire Man, Cut Man, Ice Man, Elec Man, Dr Wily, Dr Light, Yellow Devil and Roll.
Oh and Proto Man too! While it breaks up the MM1 vibe, who wouldn’t want the option to take ol’ Break Man home as well?
Good news, Dead Rising fans! The very cool, extremely rare, metal “Welcome to Los Perdidos Hell” sign we previously advertised is now available (for pre-order) for five bucks off, and you can still use the promo code “AFTERPARTY” to get an additional five bucks off!
On top of that, the next fifty people to pre-order one will get free shipping!
Triple deal! Pre-order and clear a space on your wall, gaming shelf, or zombie parlor now.
Learn how everything from household chores to Super Smash Bros. inspired the upcoming PS Vita/PS3/Xbox 360 game, Hitbox Team’s Dustforce Capcom wish list and more…
CAPCOM UNITY: So how long did you work on Dustforce?
HITBOX TEAM : Lexie and Woodley made a prototype of Dustforce in the summer of 2010. They entered and won a contest with it, winning enough money to work on turning it into a full game, after bringing Matt and Terence aboard. We finished it in early 2012, so the whole process took about a year and a half.
Above: A look at the Dustforce prototype
CU: Where did the idea for Dustforce come from?
HB: We wanted to create a game about mastering movement systems and showing off your skill stylishly. Woodley was watching his uncle sweep up leaves one day, and was inspired by the fluidity of its movements and the catharsis of cleaning, and realized it was the perfect aesthetic theme for a game.
CU: What games inspired Dustforce? Were there any Capcom games that inspired Dustforce?
HB: Dustforce was heavily inspired by Super Smash Brothers Melee. Its movement system was intuitive enough for everyone to pick up, but was filled with intricacies that gave players room to discover new techniques and to master the system. We were also inspired by old hardcore platformers, particularly Mega Man, because we loved that they forced players to get better by improving themselves instead of their characters.
CU: Approximately how much of the game did you leave for the player to discover?
HB: Almost all of the game is left for the player to figure out. After the tutorial, the player is free to explore any direction, and will have to discover and master the techniques required to find and finish the more difficult levels. There are also lots of opportunities for the player to go off the beaten path and find secret visuals that we left laying around.
CU: How do you feel about what players have added to the game? User created levels and/or acrobatics you didn’t foresee?
HB: We were really impressed by the speed at which the top players developed their skills. In only a few weeks, players were surpassing our own abilities and discovering advanced techniques that we didn’t even realize existed. Later on, we tried to make a new final level that would be impossibly difficult, as a joke dare for masochistic players. Within 6 hours of its release, a player beat it with a perfect score. Just recently, that same player managed to beat the entire game completely blindfolded.
See how Unity stacks up to the Dustforce Pros! (HINT: Not well)
A devoted speedrunning community has developed around shaving off every millisecond on each map, and our mapmaking community consistently adds new maps every week that contain gameplay ideas and visual ideas that we never even thought of. We’ve seen lava pits, snowy mountains, speed boosters, all things we never intended to exist in the game. It’s also really fun playing in the weekly races set up by the community on their custom maps, although sometimes it’s demoralizing coming in last place on your own game!
CU: Do you have a favorite level?
HB: My two favorite levels are some of the earliest ones we made. The first one is Night Temple, which was the first level that we would consider to be very difficult. It had elements of a map from the prototype of Dustforce, so there’s some nostalgia there. It took us forever to beat, but now everyone seems to be able to do it consistently.
My other favorite level is one of the easiest in the game: Downhill. It’s just a simple map perfect for boosting and sliding fast. When we were making the game, we all competed on trying to get the best time. We got really excited when one of us finished it in less than 18 seconds. We tried harder and got it under 17 seconds. We thought for sure that no one would get it in the 15’s. But nowadays, the top score is in the 12’s!
As for custom maps, I love the visuals of Meark’s maps , one of our more prolific community map makers, and I love the flow and gameplay of Towelie’s maps , another great map maker.
CU: Who is you favorite character and why?
HB: A lot of people seem to be fan’s of the red Dust Girl, but I personally like the original blue Dustman himself. He’s just well balanced all around, and a lot of the maps were built around his abilities.
CU: Is there any Capcom character you’d like think would be suitable addition to the Dustforce crew?
HB: Dust Man from Mega Man 4 would be a great enemy, of course! Dante from DMC and Vega from Street Fighter seem to have the finesse for cleaning up the Dustforce world.
D USTMEN!
However, I think Otis, the janitor from Dead Rising, has the most experience in the business.
CU: How do you feel about the added Achievements/Trophies for Xbox, PS3 and Vita?
HB: I love the gold one that is only awarded on beating the entire game. Dustforce is probably one of the hardest games out there: there’s only been around 30 players so far who have gotten an SS score on all the official levels. Getting that gold achievement will truly be an achievement in the original sense of the word!
CU: Are there any secrets players have yet to discover?
HB: I think people have searched every nook and cranny by now, but I think there may be a hidden apple or two that have gone by unnoticed. No one has shown me the one in Night Temple, so hopefully someone will now!
K eep your eyes on those apples
CU: Can you give players any hints and/or advice on what not to overlook in Dustforce?
HB: It’s important to get comfortable with the movement system! Try to understand where you are failing and figure out how to improve, and then practice. For example, most new players don’t realize that they often accidentally step off a ledge right before jumping, which uses up their second jump. Look for the visual cue that says you are jumping off the ground and not the air, and make sure to give yourself enough room to make a jump.
CU: What are you working on now/next?
HB: We’re working on a first-person shooter roguelike game called Spire. It’s a mix of Quake and NetHack – you have the ultra fast-paced movement and combat of Quake, which tests your mastery of moving and shooting, and the procedurally generated worlds and intricate item interactions of NetHack, which tests your ability to adapt on the fly and to be creative with what you are given.
Like Dustforce, it’s a game about exploration and mastery. It’ll also have quite a competitive aspect to it, the same way Dustforce does. We want to really give something special to the speedrunning, climbing, and trickjumping communities that exist for many games.
CU: Thanks so much, guys!
Dustforce is headed to Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita starting February 4th. Click here to see how you can save a bunch of money on the PS Vita version. Head here for more official Dustforce info and other fun stuff.
Just because Ryu’s acid jazz side project never gets nominated doesn’t mean you can keep him out of the ceremonies. Poor, poor Taylor Swift found out the hard way at the 2014 Grammy awards…
Alright, in my next attempt at making this week even more inundated with Monster Hunter goodness, here’s a Unity raffle !
The picture above highlights the star of this MH package: a little Airou (Felyne) keychain that is exclusive to Oita, Japan – I guess they do this thing in Japan where each major city gets its own Airou keychain… and I was able to secure some for giveaways. All of the other ones were given at our local events, so here’s my last one!
But wait, there’s more!
Yep, win this raffle and you take home an MH3U lanyard, MH3U cheat-sheet, MHFesta’08 sticker set, MHTri Wii remote sticker set, MH4 Yian Kut-Ku fans from TGS 2012, MH3U blue “Hunt Me” shirt (M, L, or XL) and the Airou dressed in a monkey suit keychain!
Click here to get yourself some tickets; 500 points a piece.
If you have the first Monster Hunter Illustrations you already know what to expect from MHI2 , but it’ll focus more on the third generation: Monster Hunter Tri, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate .
It includes tons of awesome official art, ranging from monster sketches, early equipment design, Felyne and Shakalaka gear, all the way to emblems and icons. It’s a must-have for Monster Hunter fans and/or appreciators of the visual arts.
We’ve got some preview pages to show you here, but you can read more and check out the pre-order links over at Udon Entertainment .
Today is probably the best Monday in a long time for MH fans out there, wouldn’t you say?
The MH4U reveal was quite intense, literally – I was sweating a bit as I uploaded the first image yesterday – and now we can all rest assured that there’s a fantastic Monster Hunter game coming our way in early 2015. =)
While we we’re all excited about the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate announcement from yesterday, we figured it would be a great time to run a Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate sale. All details below:
So, from now until February 3rd at 9AM PST you can get either the Nintendo 3DS or Wii U version for only $19.99 on the North American Nintendo eShop !
And for our European friends and future hunters, fret not! The word out there is that your sale starts this Friday and goes until February 6th. Though your discounts will be slightly different, it’ll still be a very significant sale!
So, go tell your friends and make the world of Monster Hunter even better with some fresh hunters! Everyone wins! =)
Eight levels, eight Robot Masters, eight expert players vying for out-of-stock Mega Man anniversary statues . There were several close calls and last-minute steals, but now the contest is over and the prizes are claimed – here’s who won, and how they played.
This speedrun challenge put you guys to the test and we were rewarded with some of the best jump-and-shootin’ seen in many months. Great job to everyone who threw their hat into the ring, and if you’re one of the folks who missed the winning time by mere seconds, I’ve got another video lined up that’ll give you a moment to shine as well.
Hey there fellow hunters! Want some really good news? Well, how about we start with… Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is coming to the west in early 2015 on Nintendo 3DS!
I couldn’t be any more excited about a game reveal than this one… but before I say anything, here’s a special video message from the man himself, Monster Hunter series Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto:
You probably deduced this, but to put it clearly Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will be the Western version of Japan’s Monster Hunter 4G . That means it will be built on the foundations of Monster Hunter 4 but have way more content. That’s a ton of stuff!
In typical Monster Hunter fashion, you can expect to see a number of returning older monsters, but also a great selection of new threats to challenge you in unique ways. And just wait until we have more info for you on the new mechanics, weapons and things you can do in this game! As Tsujimoto-san said in the video, they aimed to make the hunts a lot more fluid and dynamic… and they definitely nailed it!
We’ll have more to talk about later on throughout the year. But in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a quick reminder to keep an eye on this blog/forum, our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as our weekly live streams on Twitch . And don’t forget you can get awesome Monster Hunter merchandise at the Capcom Store .
Man. 25 years of Robot Masters. These guys are what sold me on Mega Man way back in 87-88 when playing it for the first time. The idea that bosses were more or less on the same level as the player – a [Name] Man of similar size, durability and capability – was a distinguishing feature in an age of countless 2D action games. To this day I’m obsessed with the very idea of the “Robot Master,” a machine built around one idea that’s core to not just its function, but also its appearance and personality. So cool!
I’d like to personally thank each and everyone of you for putting the time and energy into these pieces. Seeing all these works side by side is amazing and it’s been a pleasure organizing this collab. So again, thank you to every single one of you fantastic artists for a job well done! – Justin Hill (Waywarddoodles)
The good folks over at Comic Book Resources recently sat down with Archie’s Ian Flynn and Paul Kaminski for an exclusive interview regarding the ever-popular Mega Man comic series’ impending Mega Man X story arc.
This is perhaps the most highly-anticipated turn of events in the comic series’ three-year history, and I’m sure the excitement of delving into the X universe isn’t lost on you Unity folks. Check it out and look forward to the “The X Factor” story arc beginning in Mega Man #34 on February 19th!
CU: Who is you favorite character and why?
K eep your eyes on those apples 
