We knew it was coming, a listing appeared on the Australian Office Of Film and Literature Classification’s website a few weeks back. In an interview in the latest issue of Nintendo Power, series creator Keiji Inafune confirmed that the latest entry in the classic sidescroller series is coming straight to WiiWare. Inti Creates is handling development duties, more or less confirming Kawano’s (Dead Rising, Mega Man ZX) involvement.

In an interesting twist, Mega Man 9 will return to the visual style and gameplay of the original NES entries in the series. In the interview, Inafune claims that this was to please long-time fans of the series. The difficulty level will also be on-par with the classic entries.

Dr. Wily is back and apparently blames Dr. Light for the Robot Master attacks. Rush will also make an appearance. Bosses for the new sequel include Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, Tornado Man, and Splash Woman (yes, woman). As usual, Mega Man will gain new powers from his vanquished foes (for instance, beating Galaxy Man gives you “black-hole bombs”). When asked if Protoman will be playable, Inafune was notably slippery.

No release date yet, but we’ll bring you all of the details as they emerge. Inafune said that he hopes that this entry will surpass Mega Man 2, which alone is enough to get me to “clean out the fridge” in anticipation for this game.

Low-res Scans