Hey, remember when we told you about Mega Man 9 coming out as a downloadable game for the Wii (oh, and some other consoles with online capabilities, too). Well, it’s finally happened: Mega Man 9 is out today for the Wii (it comes out later for the other systems) for your downloading pleasure.

Now, you’re probably wondering why you should play Mega Man 9 when you could just go run over pedestrians in GTA IV or even download something well-worn and time-tested for your virtual console (like, say, Mario 64). Mega Man is a classic franchise, and the newest installment offers the same platform hopping, laser shooting, and enemy power stealing that made the originals great.

Many classic franchises have floundered in the wake of the 3D revolution (for example: has anyone ever raved about a new PAC-MAN game?), so Capcom have made a bold move to render the newest installment of the main Mega Man series in the NES side-scrolling style that made the original games a hit. Sure, it’s “simplistic” compared to 3D platformers, but that’s part of its charm: figuring out the patterns that allow your little blue helmeted midget to easily defeat the robot masters. Also, having played the originals, they don’t get any easier no matter how much the medium advances. The series will always provide a challenge for the willing gamer.

With such a bold move comes a wise decision: to price it at 1000 Wii Points (or $9.99), making it incredibly affordable for a new game from a major franchise.

Article written for the Wiitards by Danny Djeljosevic

It’s been 11 years since a proper Mega Man game came out, and now we can rejoice. The wait is over: Mega Man 9 is coming out as a download for the Nintendo Wii’s WiiWare. Oh, and X-Box Arcade and PlayStation Network, too… but this is Wiitards, not X-Boxtards or PlayStationtards.

In Japan, Mega Man 9 is called Rockman 9: The Ambition’s Revival!! (yep, that’s TWO exclamation points), and it’s a deceptively telling title. It’s the first installment since Mega Man 8 reached US shores in 1997, not counting all the Legends and Battle Networks, and Capcom has decided to do something incredibly daring with it: they’ve rendered it in the style of the 8-bit NES games, albeit with a few “advanced” flourishes that you might have seen on late 16-bit side-scrollers, such as any moment Sonic the Hedgehog does a 3-D movement in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Otherwise, the gameplay is the same: run to the right, jump, shoot, and make your way to the Robot Master to steal their powers. Gamers old enough to have played the originals will love it, but how will the kids feel?

This is a strange thing for video games, a medium which generally strives for the most advanced graphics and gameplay. Consider it even stranger that it’s on the Wii, probably the most advanced console in terms of the way it demands the user interface with the game by moving more than his or her thumbs. To release a side-scroller that harkens back to the heyday of the NES in a world where gamers are going ga-ga over Grand Theft Auto 4 and eagerly anticipating the next Gears of War game is nothing short of ambitious.

Maybe Capcom’s boldness (and, hopefully, Mega Man 9’s success) will lead to a side-scroller revival, even if it’s only downloadable. It’s high time video games embraced their roots instead of constantly leaving them in the dust.