Youd like to think that Mega Man’s Mega Buster Shot and a pair of Rocket Skates is all he needs to defend against any “no touchy touchies” in a crowd of comic book fanatics, but with the masses tipping the odds against him, Mega Man just can’t be too careful in a crowd. Resident Capcomer Francis Mao got the rare honor of getting Mega Man’s back for a day and came home with a few interesting observations.

Q: So whats it like guarding the Blue Bomber?

A: Having played almost every Mega Man game since his 8-bit original, it was a surreal experience to work so closely in person with a childhood video game icon! I had great pride in parting the sea of Comic Con attendees as we marched our way throughout the crowded Capcom booth and surrounding aisles.
“Excuse me folks! Mega Man COMING THROUGH!”

Q: Is he as tall as you thought hed be?

A: He was exactly how I imagined he’d be, because Mega Man’s more of a boyish age/size and as a grown man, I’d be traumatized if he was taller or bigger than me. Standing about 5’4” from boots to helmet top, Mega Man still had tremendous stature and presence.

Q: Was everyone excited to see the “Mega Man” himself in person?

A: Surprisingly so. I knew Mega Man was popular – this being his 20th Anniversary and all – but HOW popular was still a pleasant surprise as people of all ages bolted over for pictures or shouted “Mega Man!” as soon as they saw a flash of blue.

Q: Did Mega Man get a chance to get out on the floor and make his rounds of Comic Con?

A: Definitely. Mega Man was a featured attraction for Thursday through Saturday of the show to meet and greet visitors to the Capcom booth, pose for pictures, and even sign an autograph or two. On Friday, he was accompanied by Harvey Birdman for joint photo-opps.

Q: Did he have to face off with Dr. Wiley or any other baddies?

A: We encountered tons of attendees in costume including Akuma, Freddy Krueger, and other villains, but fortunately no Dr. Wiley. Although there was a guy that looked a lot like the nefarious Nemesis, but he wasn’t wearing a costume so I don’t think the likeness was intentional! lol

Q: Was Mega Man signing autographs?

A: He definitely did sign a couple, but it’s quite difficult having only one free hand while your other is holding his Mega Buster. For the most part, everyone was just happy to take a picture. It was a nonstop wave of digital cameras and camera phones, but one old-fashioned hand-cranked film camera, too!

Q: We ALL love Mega Man, but did anyone attempt to get a little too close for comfort to MM?

A: For the most part, everyone was extremely cool and cordial, but there’re always a couple bad apples in every bunch. Some kids (who were old enough to know better) tried rattling Mega Man’s helmet or yanking on his gun. A lot of guys got a little “too” friendly in hugging or posing too closely, so I had to move in to keep things clear. One huge guy asked if he could pick Mega Man up to pose with him and I was almost too dumbfounded to reply to such a moronic question. Another guy tried to cop a feel of Mega Man’s blue derriere as he put his arm around him, so I grabbed his hand and pushed it away, he pushed back, and well… That’s another story altogether. I was willing to risk life and limb to keep the Blue Bomber safe! lol

Q: Did you spot any OTHER Mega Men on the floor?

A: No other Mega Men were seen. We did see another Harvey Birdman the day Harvey was with us and that created a very funny scene. The fan Harvey Birdman was actually quite peeved that we had a “commercial” Harvey Birdman to sully his name. All in good fun. :)

Thanks, Francis. I’m sure Mega Man and his safe blue derriere thank you as well.

The DX 10 Features Patch and new Multiplayer Map Pack for Lost Planet PC is now available, as well as news for the Xbox 360 Lost Planet community!

A new set of DX 10 enhancements for Lost Planet PC has been released as an automatic downloadable patch on August 16. These are designed to take greater advantage of DX 10 capabilities by utilizing the Geometry Shader to improve overall visual quality through better depth of field effects, improved motion blur and fur shading.

Click here to see some comparision screenshots of the new effects.

A basic chatting system has been added for the PC version which includes four default message options that can be used to communicate with others in the lobby, in-game and result screen.

In addition, PC Map Pack #2 is available for free download on the same day and includes the following four maps:

• Battleground, an abandoned town scattered with rubble from ruined buildings, featuring indoor/outdoor areas with multi-level vantage points.
• Lost Technology, a throw-back to the good ol days of pixelated 8-bit gaming.
• Ruins, ancient temples set amidst a lush jungle.
• Ice Drop, a frigid glacier with lots of peaks, nooks and crannies.

The total file size for PC Map Pack #2 will be 400 Mb.

We have also got some news for the Xbox 360 community of Lost Planet fans! The Lost Technology, Ruins, and Ice Drop maps in PC Map Pack #2 are currently available as Map Pack #3 in the Xbox 360 version of Lost Planet. In conjunction with the PC update on August 16, all these maps are also available for free download on Xbox Live Marketplace. A new patch addressing connectivity for players of the Xbox 360 version will be available in the next few weeks.

2007 marks a momentous milestone for the Blue Bomber: his 20th Anniversary! Capcom celebrated in style on Broadway with none other than the game’s creator, Keiji Inafune. The executive producer and creator of the Mega Man series, traveled from Osaka, Japan for a mega signing event at GameStop on Broadway and 33rd in New York City.

On Tuesday, August 5th, over 600 die hard Mega Man fans came out to welcome and congratulate Mr. Infaune for his amazing work over the past 20 years. One group of individuals waited over 11 hours just to be the first persons in line to personally shake the creators hands.

He signed over 2,000 pieces of fan memorabilia collected over the last two decades: Nintendo 64, DS and GBA systems, games, iPods, t-shirts and even pairs of shoes!

Hundreds of requests for pictures and drawings did not stop Mr. Inafune from smiling in fact, on more than one occasion he offered to draw a picture of Mega Man for each of his fans. The fans will not forget his kindness and diligent style, which has been so evident in his 20 years of dedication to the Mega Man brand.

Some guests presented gifts of art pieces to Mr. Inafune to express their appreciation and gratitude, mentioning how he had been such an inspiration in their lives. We would like to sincerely thank Mega Man fans for coming out to support the brand and one of the most iconic game makers in the world!

See Photos of the Event Here!