I’ll tell you a secret: I got kicked out of arts and crafts in fourth grade. I was too busy beating up flirting with Patrick McHellen to pay attention to stuff like glue sticks and foldable tabs.

But if I hadn’t gotten booted, maybe I would’ve been able to make this...

FIFA 08 And The Sims Coming To The Sega Genesis

You may think that EA's support of the original Xbox — it released both Madden NFL 08 and Madden NFL 09 for the console — showed serious dedication to legacy platforms. How does Genesis support sound? If you thought "bat shit insane" then you might be surprised to learn that versions of FIFA 2008, Need for Speed: Pro Street, The Sims 2, and SimCity are being ported to the 16-bit Sega platform for the release of Tectoy's Mega Drive 3 (a wild looking Genesis clone) in Brazil.

Insert Credit dug up details on the "new" EA Genesis titles, which happen to be based on the mobile device releases and are being ported by Tectoy devs. Those games are just four of the 86 titles that will come pre-installed on the budget console, including classics like Shinobi III and Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle. There are even some new titles of hazy origin. Everything old is new again... or vice versa.

News: Four "new" EA games on Genesis/Mega Drive [Insert Credit]

Mega-Man Volnutt Ready To Whoop Arcade Butt

Another character enters the fray of Japanese arcade title Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. And it's a whopper! The newest fighter is Rock Volnutt (AKA Mega-Man Volnutt) from Mega-Man Legends game. He'll of course be joining the Capcom side, which currently has a roster that boasts: Ryu, Chun-Li, Morrigan and Alex from Street Fighter III among others. Hit the jump for a look at latest reveal.

Brazil Keeping Mega Drive Dream Alive!

Brazilian SEGA licensee Tectoy has released another 8-bit console. Dubbed the Master System 3, the new system looks like the old Mega Drive (Genesis) with Sonic painted on it and is packed with 131 built-in G-rated games. That's right, no cartridge slot. The system is bundled with two six-button Genesis-style controllers. Its priced at the equivalent of US$133.

Master System 3 (131 jogos) [Tectoy via Insert Credit]

Weekly Wii Update - Old Man Mega

Hooray, Mega Man hits the Nintendo Wii this week! *scans release list excitedly* Oh wait. It's just Mega Man. No Mega Man 9 with Splashwater Falls Woman. Mega Man (NES, 500 points) is nice and all, but I've played it a couple thousand times now and am ready to move on. Oh well, at least we've still got Neo Turf Masters, the classic NEOGEO golf title (900 points), perfect for those of you who love golf but hate technological advancements.

Meanwhile, in the WiiWare aisle, Nintendo really needs to put a limit on how many titles Gameloft can drop on us in any given year, because this is starting to get silly. They should just make a special GameloftWare channel, toss Midnight Pool (800 points) and its seven cool players (ooo, Alison the biologist) into it along with whatever other special surprises the company has in store for us and call it a day.

Drink Mega Man's in-game E Tanks! This August, a Mega Man sports drink called "Rockman E Can Drink" is hitting Japanese beverage retailers to mark the launch of downloadable title Megal Man 9. It's made by "original drink" maker Apris and priced at ¥137 (US$1.24). But can you really put a price on a Mega Man drink? Yes, yes you can.

Oh, and do check out the Apris website. They've got like Astro Boy and GeGeGe no Kitaro cans. So cool.

E缶だけは最後まで取っておく？ 「ロックマン E缶 飲料」発売 [Dengeki Online]

You know Mega Man 9 is coming, you know the score when it comes to the game's retro aesthetics. Now witness the game's intro (and familiar-looking newsreader) in all its 8-bit glory.

The Mega-Man franchise has cool bosses, and Mega-Man 9 is no exception. Bosses include concrete shootin' Concrete Man, twister spinnin' Tornado Man, fireball blastin' Magma Man. Run down of the bosses, screenshots and art after the j-u-m-p!

Mega Man 9 To Include NES "Bugs"

Mega Man 9 doesn't just look and sound like a NES game. It's going to play like one, and feel like one, to the point where you'll experience some of the glitches and bugs found in old NES titles. Capcom's Hironobu Takeshita has told Gamasutra that players will have the option (literally, via the options menu) to introduce and adjust old-timey NES glitches like screen flicker. Even though new, modern sytems are of course not prone to flickering. Sure, it's the "pre-faded jeans" of the gaming world, but this is the gaming world, not the clothing world, so we're all good.

He Is 8-Bit: Capcom's Hironobu Takeshita Speaks [Gamasutra]

The Ecclesiastical Church of St. Mega Man

Before you trundle out your "old/not news" trolls, and in the interest of full fuckin' disclosure, yes, I know this pic went around some sites in April, but not here. And I deem it cool enough to post, so there. And it's not a cake.

Artist "Gary in Cleveland" created this stained glass representation of our favorite 8-bit superhero around the new year, documenting the process on Flickr. It's not a pixel-by-pixel glass (that would take too much time for an amateur glassworker, he says) but it's pretty right on, and it would be an awesome showpiece for a window right over your console's TV.

Mega Man Stained Glass Project [Flickr]

Everyone who visited Capcom's booth at E3 last week were treated to a peek at a glorious retro Mega Man t-shirt. The shirt reflects the decision Capcom made to turn Mega Man 9 into an "impossible hard" 8-bit revival of the franchise.

The marketing group decided that since the game was going to look like it came from 1987 they whole marketing campaign should too. So they called up I Am 8-bit artist Gerald de Jesus and had him whip up a truly fantastic bit of fantasy Mega Man art for the fabled shirt.

Only four of the shirts were created for Inafune and Takeshita to wear during last week's show. The good news? Capcom promises to start selling the shirts on their site soon.

Of Course, Capcom Wants Mega Man 9 Hard

When we were kids, Mega Man was a hard game. We died all the time. And when we were dying in Mega Man, we were dying in Mega Man. It was that hard. So when Capcom decided to make the multi-platform Mega Man 9, the company knew it had to make it hard. Says the game's producer Hironobu Takeshita:

Mega Man 9 is very hard. We didn't want to do Mega Man, but easy. We want players to get better, we want them to remember. I've always tried to challenge players, and I think there are gamers who miss being challenged by games.

We'd like to think so as well. Takeshita also expressed his interest in making more Wii titles, which is good news for Wii owners looking for a challenge.

Justify Your Mega Man 9

Game Marathons: Fad, or Going the Distance?

Two weeks ago saw an extraordinarily successful, more-than-72 hour Super Mario Marathon that raised more than $11,000 for a gamers' charity for kids. This week, four Mega Man enthusiasts are finding out how hard of an act that is to follow — as a fund drive anyway. A new web site indicates that game marathons are a mushrooming craze, capitalizing partly on gamers who enjoy watching others fail at classic console titles. The question is, how long will it last?

Capcom has released a couple new Mega Man 9 (Rockman 9 in Japan) screenies. The game would be out this September and will cost a somewhat charitable 1000 Wii Points (or US$10 in real money). Check out the screens in the link below in all their 8-bit retro glory.
Mega Screens Here [Game Watch Impress]

Mega Man 9: Cheap As $10 Chips

Yeah, Mega Man 9 looks old, and will sound old, but it's a new game. So Capcom will be charging some kind of new price for it, yes? Somewhere around $20? Not. Even. Close. No, Capcom are feeling charitable this month, and have announced that when the WiiWare game goes on sale in September, it'll go for 1000 Wii Points. Or, in human money, $10. Outstanding.

2008年9月に1000Wiiポイントで配信 [Famitsu]