Double Mega Man action
Capcom mines the past to create launch two Mega Man games onto PSP
In robot-obsessed Japan, Mega Man (or Rockman as he's known there) is a icon. Originally a prototype home-help, the boy robot was transformed into a battle droid (complete with his Mega Blaster) by his owner, Dr Light, to save the world from the robots invented by the evil Dr. Wily.
Created in 1987, he's featured in loads of games, cartoons and animated TV series since, and there are plenty of versions of Mega Man in operation, including the futuristic Mega Man X and Mega Man.EXE, from Megaman Battle Network, who in the real world morphs back into happy fifth grade school kid called Lan.
And it's this back catalogue that has proved to be too tempting for Capcom, which is transforming two old Nintendo games for PSP.
First up will be Mega Man Powered Up. Originally released for the NES, the 2D sideways-scroller is being totally redesigned to work on Sony's hardware. Part of these improvements focus on the gameplay, with the levels being redesigned for the new screen size. You can choose to play as one of eight robots, each of which have their own special abilities and slide, shoot and jump moves. Game stages can be selected in any order and can be retried as many times as possible. Replayability is also encouraged as actions, moves and weapons earned in one level can be strategically used to finish others and will provide access to previously inaccessible levels.
As you'd expect, the graphics are being polished up with one decision being that the characters now have super-sized cartoon heads. All the music and sound effects have been remixed, too, and each boss battle - which include two extra boss characters - will be preceded by story cut-scene to give the extra plot development.
Aside from the main story mode, you'll also be able to take the Mega Man Challenge 100, where you get to play through 100 mini stages, each of which will test your skills in different ways. Another big addition will be a level editor, enabling you to create your own game environments and customise everything from the position of enemies to the placement of items. You'll be able unlock special item packs by progressing through the main game as well as being able to swap levels with your friends or download them direct from the internet.
The second game being worked on is the 3D-enhanced Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. Originally released for Nintendo’s SNES, it develops a more futuristic part of the Mega Man story where good robots X and Zero are battling Sigma, who (once again) is out to destroy mankind.
Like most Mega Man games, you can play levels in any order and replay them limitless times. You'll acquire weapons and abilities such as more powerful jumps, dodges, wall jumps and dash abilities that allow you to unlock new paths through stages you've already played. Another important element is the ability to collect more armour to build up your power, which will be key as Mega Man Maverick Hunter X focuses on direct combat. And if you complete the whole game, you'll get the chance to play a new bad-back-story as X's arch rival, Vile.
