MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9
/'\_/`\                              /'\_/`\                       /'_ `\
/\      \     __     __      __      /\      \     __      ___     /\ \_\ \
\ \ \__\ \  /'__`\ /'_ `\  /'__`\    \ \ \__\ \  /'__`\  /' _ `\   \ \___, \
\ \ \_/\ \/\  __//\ \_\ \/\ \_\.\_   \ \ \_/\ \/\ \_\.\_/\ \/\ \   \/__,/\ \
\ \_\\ \_\ \____\ \____ \ \__/.\_\   \ \_\\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \_\ \_\       \ \_\
\/_/ \/_/\/____/\/____\ \/__/\/_/    \/_/ \/_/\/__/\/_/\/_/\/_/        \/_/
/\____/
\____/
MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9MM9
**************************************************
*                                                *
*                  Mega Man 9                    *
*                                                *
*                                                *
*  General FAQ/Walkthrough                       *
*  Version 1.5                                   *
*  By Justin Morgan                              *
*  Created 9/23/2008                             *
*  Last Updated 10/21/2008                        *
*                                                *
**************************************************
Version History:
1.0 - First complete version of the guide.
1.1 - Revisions to 1.00 such as fixing small errors; added a few hints and
newly discovered info (such as Tornado Blow increasing jump height) and
added reader-submitted content.  Generally fixed up guide.
Thanks to Martino Wolff for support and J.S. for tons of great info,
especially regarding Challenges.
1.2 - More revisions and more info.
Added General Information section.
Added Characters section.
Added Downloadable Content section.
Thanks to Wes Kitty for a heads-up on an error, and Combo,
Tahngarth and manosrules for some nice strategies.
1.3 - Even more revisions, new info and hints!
Added controls for the Wii Classic and PS3 controllers.
Added Boss Mini-Guide section.
Added pros and cons for each weapon.
Thanks to Johnathan Toliver, John P. Walsh and anonymous readers for
even more great tips and strategies; Tahngarth for even more hints; and
a big high-five to Master Espeon on GameFAQs for a boatload of
strategies, hints, tricks and error alerts!
1.31 - Thanks to Chris Sucevich and Nate Rice for some more tips and
anonymous readers for more error notices; generally touched up and
added a bit more to the guide (such as Weapon Energy costs for each
weapon) and everything should be good until the DLC is released.
1.4 - Ever the more fixes and touch-ups, new info, hints and strategies
Added controls for the Xbox 360
Info added for the first DLC, Proto Man Mode and Endless Attack!
Filled in a lot of missing information
Thanks to Mastalock, Andrew Rivera and Eric Pearson for even more cool
new tips and info!
1.5 - Needless to say, more revisions and minor fixes--all the small stuff
should be ironed out now!
Info added for the new DLC; Hero and Superhero Modes, and the Special
Stage!
Thanks to Blackmage0_15 and everyone else who's contributed--this may be
the last version for awhile!
[=====================]
= Table of Contents =
[=====================]
I)     Basics
1-01  General Information
1-02  Story
1-03  Characters
1-04  Controls
1-05  Main Menu
II)    Walkthrough
2-01  Splash Woman
2-02  Concrete Man
2-03  Galaxy Man
2-04  Jewel Man
2-05  Plug Man
2-06  Tornado Man
2-07  Magma Man
2-08  Hornet Man
2-09  Wily's Fortress 1
2-10  Wily's Fortress 2
2-11  Wily's Fortress 3
2-12  Wily's Fortress 4
2-13  Boss Mini-Guide
III)   Equipment
3-01  Weapons and Adapters
3-02  Items and Power-Ups
3-03  Shop
IV)    Extras
4-01  Challenges
4-02  Downloadable Content
4-03  Hints, Tips and Secrets
V)     The End
5-01  Credits
5-02  Copyright
5-03  Contact Information
[=============]
= I) Basics =
[=============]
-----------------------------
- 1-01  General Information -
-----------------------------
Title: Mega Man 9 (International)
Rockman 9: The Ambition's Revival!! (Japan)
Developer: Inti Creates
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Action/Platformer
Rating: E - Mild Cartoon Violence (ESRB)
Release Dates:
- Wii (WiiWare)
- North America: September 22, 2008
- Japan: September 24, 2008
- Europe: September 26, 2008
- Playstation 3 (Playstation Network)
- North America: September 25, 2008
- Europe: September 25, 2008
- Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)
- North America: October 1, 2008
Cost:
- WiiWare: 1000 Wii Points
- Playstation Network: $9.99 (estimate)
- Xbox Live Arcade: 800 Microsoft Points (estimate)
Space Required:
- Wii: 66 blocks
- Playsation 3: N/A
- Xbox 360: N/A
Trial Mode:
- There is a Trial Mode for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Mega Man 9.  You
are allowed to play Concrete Man's stage and look at various options until
purchasing the full game.  Reaching the end of Concrete Man's stage, you'll
meet him but before the battle begins you'll be prompted to purchase the
full version with a message from Capcom staff.
---------------
- 1-02  Story -
---------------
The prologue to the game can be seen at the very beginning, after the company
logos come and go.  It explains the main plot of the game, but here's a more
concise run-through.
After Dr. Wily was bested by Mega Man seemingly once and for all, the world
felt a period of peace and calm.  However, one day robots started going wild
all over the world once again!  Unbelievably, Wily doesn't seem to be behind
this recent series of attacks--he appears on the world news and claims his own
innocence while offering video proof that it was actually Mega Man's creator,
the kindly Dr. Light, admitting that he was behind the attacks!  Dr. Light,
though confused and obviously guilty of no wrongdoing, admits to Mega Man that
the robots shown attacking the cities are, indeed, ones built by his own hands
for various purposes useful to mankind.  Have they gone haywire?  Have they
been reprogrammed?  Mega Man is determined to find out, put a stop to them and
prove Dr. Light's innocence!  Thus he sets out with Rush on his first adventure
in a long time!  Fight, Mega Man!  For everlasting peace!
-------------------
- 1-03 Characters -
-------------------
+++++++++++++++++++
((Main Characters))
+++++++++++++++++++
The characters of the game you might want to know about, in order from roughly
their first appearance in the series.
[[Mega Man]]
Appearance: Light blue and dark blue color scheme with a tell-tale blue helmet
and very humanlike face
This super fighting robot is the blue-tone hero of all of the Classic series of
Mega Man games (not counting the ability to optionally play as a few others in
some instances), and in some way, some iteration of him is the main character
of every part of the Mega Man franchise as a whole (except for Zero and maybe
ZX).  The important thing to know, though, is that this is the ORIGINAL, good
old classic version of the Blue Bomber and while playing this game you can
forget about your X, your Volnutt, your .EXE and whatever else you may have
seen running around for the last long stretch of time.
Mega Man was created as a household robot and an assistant to Dr. Light, along
with his sister, Roll.  Not only were they helpful to have around, but they
served as "children" for the kindly Doc.  As the story, goes, however, one day
Dr. Light's colleague in robotic science reprogrammed their co-op robotic
creations originally designed for productive human use into killing machines,
and then no one was powerful enough to stand against them, Rock took the
liberty to ask Dr. Light to remodel him into a battle android capable to
tackling the evil Robot Masters.  With little choice, Dr. Light painstakingly
transformed his beloved 'son' into a fighting machine the likes of which no one
had seen before; and between his radical upgrades and amazingly humanlike,
fiercely strong sense of justice, Mega Man began the fight for peace--and has
always been on the call when the world needs him since.
[[Roll]]
Appearance: Very similar to a human girl with ponytailed blonde hair with a
green hair ribbon and a red dress
Dr. Light's second numbered creation, she was intended to be Rock's younger
"sister" and help make him and his creations feel more like a "family" and his
lab feel more like a "home".  When Rock became Mega Man and began his series of
endless crusades against Dr. Wily and his many minions and pawns, Roll stayed
home to take care of Dr. Light and has since become a top-notch housekeeping
robot, always ready to welcome back her brother upon his eventual return.
Rarely engaging in actual combat, she aids Mega Man in his adventures in
various other ways such as helping Auto or Dr. Light keep up with the lab shops
and giving him advice and hints (such as help finding the CDs in Megaman and
Bass).
[[Dr. Light]]
Appearance: Rotund old man with white hair, a labcoat and a very fluffy beard
This kindly robotics engineer with an appearance and disposition similar to
Santa Claus is the creator of Mega Man, Roll, Rush, Eddie and Auto, working
with Wily back before his world conquest days to create Proto Man and the six
(or eight, if you go by Mega Man: Powered Up) original Robot Masters.  It would
seem he's been busy trying to make more Masters to actually benefit mankind
to make up for Wily's wrongdoings over the years, as the eight Masters from
Mega Man 9 were created by him as well.  Though a kindly and innocent old man,
he has the ability to create immensely powerful and infinitely useful androids,
items and equipment, and played a huge role in birthing what will become more
and more of a global-scale war between good robots and bad robots, and robots
themselves vs. humanity.  In the setup story for Mega Man 9, it would seem his
own batch of Robot Masters have gone haywire and are attacking cities across
the globe, and as such he is put under arrest unless Mega Man can somehow prove
his innocence.
[[Dr. Wily]]
Appearance: A short old man with huge tufts of grey hair around a bald head,
a large mustache and legendarily wicked eyebrows which he's fond of wiggling up
and down.  He can be known to dress rather vibrantly with garbs ranging from
expensive-looking clothes, a skull-buckled belt and a magnificent cape, but
often (and in this game) you'll see him in his classic labcoat
The twisted antithesis of Dr. Light, this rather insane-looking dark
grandmaster of robotics and somewhat of a severe caricature of Albert Einstein
is the main antagonist of the entire classic Mega Man series, serving as the
main villain in all but Mega Man V for Game Boy.  Though and absolute genius,
he views his ability to create war machines and modify other androids to do his
bidding as a key to world domination rather than a way to aid humanity as a
whole.  After having reprogrammed the Robot Masters he built with Dr. Light to
help him rule the world and being thwarted by Mega Man, he went on to create
many, many more with his own hands, who have one by one fallen to the Blue
Bomber.  Building robots painstakingly to help him build other even more, every
few years Dr. Wily manages to have fully completed yet another fortress to use
as a base of attack, a set of powerful new Robot Masters and smaller minions to
attempt to do away with Mega Man, and come up with another crazy scheme to try
and focus Mega Man's attention elsewhere while he prepares, once again, to take
him down; from manipulating fellow robotics experts to hosting fake fighting
robot tournaments under a disguise, this time Wily has put the blame on Dr.
Light, even supplying a seemingly undeniable recording of Light admitting his
newly evil intentions to Wily.
Wily finally did finish a robot as advanced as Mega Man on his own after years
of work, named Bass, and an equally adaptable canine companion for him named
Treble.  In recent years, though, Bass has seemingly grown more and more tired
of the idea of simply being Wily's pawn and has begun to develop a sense of
self.  Where we'll meet him next, no one's sure.
[[Rush]]
Appearance: An adorable pink-and-red pooch with a long, fat snout tipped with a
black nose, he has a helmet similar to a smaller, red version of Mega Man's and
has the ability to transform into a plethora of useful forms
Mega Man's metallic canine companion, Rush was created after the success of Dr.
Light's prototype mobility-supplementing equipment in Mega Man's second battle
with Wily to pose as both a machine capable of advanced improvements of those
old prototypes, transforming into any given number of useful mobility-enhancing
forms, and an actual simulation of a dog and 'best friend' of sorts to Mega
Man.  Though rarely engaging in actual combat, Rush strives to help his master
in any way he can, serving as a platform and springboard to a hoverboard
to a submarine, sniffing out and digging up useful items or even fusing with
Mega Man to grant him extended natural abilities such as a personal jetpack and
a devastating rocket punch.
In Mega Man 9 you'll get to see both an improved version of the Rush Coil,
allowing you to jump to ridiculous heights, and the trusty Rush Jet which will
allow you to pass long stretches of air with little worry of falling into the
abyss.
[[Proto Man]]
Appearance: Red and grey color scheme, his helmet has a slick white design
around the visor area which is equipped with a sweet pair of shades; he always
wears a yellow scarf and a tall shield known as the Protoshield
The mysterious older brother of Mega Man and roll, Proto Man was a prototype
robot created in a collaboration by both Dr. Light and Dr. Wily before Mega Man
was even conceived.  Having been an imperfect predecessor to the later, fully
functional humanoid robots that were to come, Proto Man didn't listen to his
masters and escaped the lab some time before the events of Mega Man 1 even took
place, not reappearing until Mega Man 3's era to secretly train Mega Man for
the upcoming battles with Wily under the masked guise of "Break Man".  Though
framed as evil by Wily's lookalike robot known as Dark Man and often offering
little suggestion that he's on anyone's 'side' or even fighting for any
definite purpose, Proto Man occasionally shows up to meet Mega Man along his
adventures and give him advice, helpful equipment or even spar with him.  While
seemingly quite jealous of Mega Man's 'superiority' as a newer model, Proto Man
seems to harbor a sense of protectiveness over his little brother and very
often comes to aid him in times of need, even if he often tires of his naivety.
Note that it has been confirmed that Proto Man will be playable in Mega Man 9
through downloadable content.
[[Beat]]
Appearance: A small, round blue bird with a design on his head very similar to
the one on Mega Man's helmet
A useful little bird robot given to Mega Man by Dr. Cossack as a gift after the
events of Mega Man 4, he has joined Rush in aiding Mega Man in some way in each
game thereafter.  Usually he must be unlocked in some way such as finding
activation plates or rescuing him from Dr. Wily's minions, though in Mega Man 9
you must simply buy Beat Calls from the shop to use his services.  As with in
Mega Man 7, Beat will save Mega Man from pitfalls should he fall into one with
a Beat Call in his inventory; he'll even save him from other falls out of
Beat's own clutches provided you have more Beat Calls.  He's not terribly fond
of carrying things, though, especially bulky robots like Mega Man, so he'll
struggle and eventually let go if you don't jump off over a safe area fast
enough.
[[Eddie]]
Appearance: A little red cubic container with a pair of eyes and legs
underneath
This little guy was supposedly built by Dr. Light as a mobile suitcase but has
since been given the main function of delivering supplies to Mega Man in the
midst of dangerous enemy territory.  In previous Mega Man games he would appear
in specific safe rooms to drop Mega Man a random helpful item, but in Mega Man
9 you can buy an Eddie Call to summon him at any point to receieve a total of
five powerups!
[[Auto]]
Appearance: A bulky green robot with yellow and white tones and red eyes. His
right hand is, instead of a Buster cannon, a tool arm (usually a screwdriver)
Auto is a mechanic and engineer robot designed by Dr. Light to help him around
the lab, perhaps in part to replace Rock at the lab when he decided to go play
hero.  He's known for being able to build just about anything with Bolts and
Screws found in various games, and often runs 'shops' in which Mega Man trades
him Bolts or Screws he finds with which he can make Mega Man new items and
upgrades.  In Mega Man 9 he helps run the shop with Roll and looks over Dr.
Light's lab in his absence, and even upgrades Rush with his Rush Jet ability
once again later in the game.
+++++++++++++++++
((Robot Masters))
+++++++++++++++++
The known data and information on this game's 8 Robot Masters, in alphabetical
order; for strategies on their stages and boss fights, refer to the Walkthrough
section (II.)  The descriptions at this time are all the official descriptions
and taken from the Mega Man Knoweledge Base.
[[Concrete Man]]
Appearance: A quite large, predominately orange robot with grey and white
accents and a big green jewel-looking object on his chest
Weapon: Concrete Shot
Concrete Man is a construction robot built to be the supervisor of dam
construction. He is stubborn and will tell off any lazy robots.
[[Galaxy Man]]
Appearance: A silver (though he shimmers a rainbow of colors in-game) robot
with a flying saucer for a head and two small antennae.  He has a black visor
on his face similar to Astro Man with red eyes
Weapon: Black Hole Bomb
Galaxy Man was designed to work in a space research center where it was his job
to instantly calculate the trajectories for rockets. He loves to observe stars
and name any new ones that he finds.
[[Hornet Man]]
Appearance: A yellow-and-black robot with a small baseball cap-like protrusion
over his eyes, a Metal Man-esque facemast and a spike atop his head.  His most
obvious physical attribute is the trio of giant honeycomb-like hexagons making
up his chest
Weapon: Hornet Chaser
Hornet Man was designed to manage a flower park. It was his job to pollinate
the flowers using his vast knowledge of flowers from around the world, and he
loves gardening.
[[Jewel Man]]
Appearance: A similar design to Top Man but with a white and black color
scheme.  He's adorned with large pink jewels over his chestplate, wrists, knees
and belt and has a huge clasped pink jewel atop his head
Weapon: Jewel Satellite
Jewel Man was designed to work in a diamond mine where he was in charge of
cutting and polishing rocks with dexterity. He likes to receive attention and
collect shiny things.
[[Magma Man]]
Appearance: A bulky red robot with black accents, he looks much like a fusion
between Needle Man and Fire Man.  His head and shoulders end with volcano-like
openings that flare up when he's ready for battle, and both of his arms seem to
be flamethrower-like Buster cannons.
Weapon: Magma Bazooka
Magma Man was built to oversee safety operations and manage a geothermal power
plant. He is able to withstand incredibly high temperatures and loves to visit
hot spas.
[[Plug Man]]
Appearance: A top-heavy, fuschia-colored robot with electrical plugs on either
side of his head and on his Buster arm.  His head is similar to Dynamo Man's
without the dome.
Weapon: Plug Ball
Plug Man was designed to inspect the quality control in a television factory.
He is obsessed with gadgets and loves to browse electronic stores.
[[Splash Woman]]
Appearance: A blue and cyan female-designed robot with white accents; she has
a fishlike 'tail' under her waist with a fin at the end, much like a mermaid.
she has white gloves, seashell-like shoulderpads and a blue helmet with a
yellow adornment and an elegant white tuft protruding from over her left eye
with the appearance of seafoam.  She carries a trident with blue energy
forming the fork at the end.
Weapon: Laser Trident
She is a robot that was designed to rescue victims of sinking ships and beach
accidents. She is fond of karaoke bars so she can show off her singing voice.
She is the first female Robot Master in the series, and the second female robot
after Roll.
[[Tornado Man]]
Appearance: A green robot with yellow and white accents, he's one of the most
humanoid in appearance of the Robot Masters and comparable to Mega Man in size
and shape.  He has winglike 'fins' protruding from the back of his legs and the
sides of his helmet, as well as a collapsable propellers on either hand that
he can use to control wind to a great degree.
Weapon: Tornado Blow
Originally a robot stationed in a weather control center. With the ability to
create powerful tornadoes, he used them to offset the formation of typhoons.
------------------
- 1-04  Controls -
------------------
[[Wii]]
(Wiimote)
Mega Man 9 is best played when holding the Wiimote sideways with the Control
Pad and Sensor on the left and 1 and 2 buttons on the right.  This emulates
an elongated Nintendo Entertainment System controller, which was used to play
the original Mega Man games that Mega Man 9 emulates.
Control Pad: Moves Mega Man left and right, up and down ladders, or maneuvers
the Rush Jet upwards or downwards.  Also moves the selection cursor on various
menus and the Stage Select screen.
A Button: Skips the Safety dialogue when first starting up the game.
+ Button: This game's equivalent of the NES's Start button.  Starts the game
and opens up your Pause/Menu screen in gameplay.
- Button: Opens the Challenges List mid-gameplay, i.e. when in a stage.
Home Button: As with all Wii titles, brings up the Home Menu.
1 Button: Fires your weapon and serves as a 'back' or 'cancel' button in some
menus.
2 Button: Jumps and serves as a 'forward' or 'confirm' button in menus.
(Classic Controller)
This will give a control feel much more comfortable to those who spent a lot of
time playing Mega Man 7 or Mega Man X, X2 and X3 on the SNES.
Note: BE SURE to change the Control Type to Type 2 in options, so that Y is
fire and B is jump, if you want a control scheme like the SNES Mega Man games.
Control Pad: Moves Mega Man
A Button: Jump/Confirm
B Button: Fire/Cancel
X Button: Fire/Cancel
Y Button: Jump/Confirm
+ Button: Starts game, opens Pause/Menu screen
- Button: Opens Challenges List during gameplay
Home Button: Brings up Home Menu
L/R/ZL/ZR Buttons: No known use
Left/Right Thumbsticks: No known use
[[Playstation 3]]
Left Control Stick: Moves Mega Man
Control Pad: Moves Mega Man
Square Button: Fire/Confirm
Triangle Button: Jump/Cancel
x Button: Jump/Cancel
Circle Button: Fire/Confirm
Start Button: Start game, opens Pause/Menu screen
Select Button: Opens Challenges List during gameplay
Right Control Stick/L/R/L2/R2/L3/R3 Buttons: No known use
[[Xbox 360]]
Left Control Stick: Moves Mega Man
Control Pad: Moves Mega Man
X Button: Fire/Cancel
A Button: Start game, Jump/Confirm
Y Button: No known use
B Button: Fire/cancel
Start Button: Opens Xbox Live Arcade menu screen
Back Button: Opens Pause/Menu screen
Xbox 360 Button: Opens Xbox 360 Tab
Right Control Stick/LB/RB/LT/RT/Control Stick Buttons: No known use
-------------------
- 1-05  Main Menu -
-------------------
Upon pressing Start (or +, or whatever) on the title screen will bring you to
the name screen and a familiar tune from Mega Man 2.  Once you input a name,
you will be brought to the main menu.  Here are your options (an asterisk *
denotes that the option is available only through Downloadable Content):
GAME START
- NEW GAME (Starts a new file from the beginning, placing you headfirst into
the Stage Select screen)
- LOAD (Allows you to load a saved game from one of 8 save slots)
- TIME ATTACK (Speedruns. The goal is to beat a stage as fast as possible, at
least any length of time under 10 minutes, as once you hit that mark you
instantly die with a "Time's up!" message.  You begin with all weapons but
no usable or passive items, and only one life; there are no powerups
throughout the stages and no way to get more than one life.  You DO have to
face the boss at the end of the stage)
- STAGE SELECT (Gives you a list of all stages, including the final stages
once you complete the game.  There is also a hidden stage at the bottom,
unlocked via downloadable content as the Special Stage, only playble in
Time Attack mode.
Once you select a stage from this menu, you're immediately taken to that
stage to begin a Time Attack. You're brought back to this menu if you die)
- RANKINGS (Gives you a list similar to Stage Select, but selecting a stage
will connect you to Wifi and give you a list of the top 10 time trial
rankings for that stage by people around the world)
- RULES (Explains the rules for Time Attack mode)
- BACK
- *ENDLESS ATTACK (A neverending maze of difficult rooms in which to test your
skill and try to land a spot on the World Top 10)
- START (Starts the Endless Attack mode, dropping you instantly into the
action)
- RANKINGS (The World Top 10 players of Endless Attack, ranked by how many
rooms they've completed)
- RULES (Explains the rules for Endless Attack mode)
- BACK
- *SPECIAL GAMES (A set of special alternative ways to play through the main
game)
-HERO MODE (The normal game, but with a different enemy and powerup layout,
making it more challenging. More information in the Downloadable Content
section [4-02])
-SUPERHERO MODE (Like Hero Mode but far more vast in its changes and far
more difficult. More information in the Downloadable Content section)
-PROTO MAN MODE (Play through the game as Proto Man, Mega Man's brother!
More information in the Downloadable Content section)
- BACK
CHALLENGES LIST (A list of all 50 Challenges in the game, a crown icon appears
next to Challenges you've completed.  See the Challenges
section later in the guide for more info)
RANKINGS
- TIME ATTACK RANKING (Brings up the same list as Time Attack > Rankings)
- ENDLESS ATTACK RANKING (Connects you to Wifi for a list of the top 10
players of Endless Attack mode)
- ALL CLEAR RANKING (Connects you to Wifi for a list of the top 10 overall
times through the entire game, from beginning to end)
OPTIONS
- CONTROL TYPE (Allows you to switch between 'b' shoot 'a' jump similar to NES
style, or 'a' shoot 'b' jump similar to Mega Man Anniversary Collection for
Gamecube, switching whichest two buttons your controller uses for those
actions)
- LEGACY MODE (Allows you to toggle sprite flickering, as in the flashing of
moving sprites when too many were onscreen at the same time a la how the NES
functioned in such a situation)
- PLAYER NAME (Allows you to change the Player Name that you put in when you
first started up the game; this name displays on all your Time Trials
records and is potentially viewable by the world)
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT (Brings up the Downloadable Content menu.  As of this
writing, there is none yet released)
BACK (Returns to the title screen)
NOTE: This menu differs on the Xbox 360 and possibly PS3 versions of the game,
but the basic options and selections are all the same.  For example, the
Xbox 360 version has an Achievements menu as well as a Challenges menu,
and a detailed "How to Play" option.
[===================]
= II) Walkthrough =
[===================]
You begin the game on the Stage Select screen much like the earlier Mega Man
titles from long ago.  From here you can select one of 8 Robot Masters to
tackle as well as go to the Shop, but there's not much reason for that at this
point as you yet have no Screws with which to purchase any items.  You may of
course take on the Masters in any order you so choose, but I have listed them
in order, starting with the easiest to be defeated with your Mega Buster alone
and then moving forward to which Master is weakest to the last's weapon.
----------------------
- 2-01  Splash Woman -
----------------------
Selecting the stage and being greeted by an old-style Boss Selected cutscene
and a well-animated 8-bit sprite of a mermaid/robot chick with a rad trident,
you're promptly teleported to the bottom of a water-filled mechanical base
with a sunny, fluffy-clouded backdrop.  This peaceful scenery will turn rather
abruptly into a fight for your life as a floating mine in the water to your
right comes to life with an angry disposition upon being shot at or walked
close to.  There's no use trying to defeat it--only a powerful weapon like the
Black Hole Bomb will do the job, and even then it's generally a better idea to
just avoid these guys.  They'll home in on you and eventually self-destruct,
but they move in such wide arcs that it's not difficult to dodge them safely.
At the end of this corridor, fall into the pit purposely to reach the next
room.
In this room you'll find pink-colored octopus enemies that hide in jars and
periodically peak out to pelt you with an orb of ink.  It doesn't hurt much and
can be destroyed with your shots, but if you're hit it will turn Mega Man (as
well as all Weapon Pellets) a tar-black color.  From all I can figure, this
doesn't actually hinder gameplay in any way.  Once you've dispatched the octopi
with short jump-shots in order to hit the head, move right to find another hole
as well as a third octopus and Large Screw beyond it.  It's in your interest to
grab this screw, as it's by far the easiest and quickest to find an obtain in
the game and adds 20 to your currency (that's one extra life, or 2/3rds of an
E-tank at the shop!)  Now fall down and BEAR LEFT!  There's a small bed of
spikes in the center of the room below, that you must fall left or right of;
the left path leads to an easy Extra Life.  Continue forward in the room below,
but be wary of the speedy fish-bots that will come from the left side--they're
weak, but very fast.  You'll approach a pair of mines as well as a green wall
climbing bot on the right wall--you'll want to move back and have the mines
dispose of themselves and quickly destroy the wall climber on your way back, as
his shots will explode into an 8-directional mess if not countered quickly.
Fall again here to reach a split path.  The right path, this time, is the one
you'll want to take, despite the fact that it looks more dangerous.  Past this
screen it quickly becomes much easier than the left one, and even offers a
reward in the form of a large Energy Pellet if you bear left after the spikes.
The next room contains a wall crawler at the top, unreachable with just your
Mega Buster, so you'll get a chance to learn how its shots work--and how to
avoid them--while you do battle with the octopus on the bottom and move your
way up.  After one more quick fish and a mine, it's on to the next room, the
halfway point of the stage (you'll continue from here from now on if you lose
a life).
Here's the bubble room!  Just like in Wave Man's stage from Mega Man 5, you've
got an array of large and small bubbles to ride up to the further areas of the
stage.  From right to left, the bubbles come out in order; small, large, small,
small, large.  Large bubbles are slower but safer, never popping and serving as
ideal platforms to ride on to the next screen.  Smaller bubbles are faster but
may only be used as quick stepping stones which you must immediately jump off
once you land on or else they will pop and send you way back down to the first
bubble room.  You can technically ride them up to the next screen as well, but
I wouldn't advise it.  Anyway, jump on the far right big bubble and ride on up.
You'll get some bubble-riding practice on the next screen as a couple fast
drill-nosed fish will fly through from the left as you rise; shoot at them as
you jump to the left big bubble to avoid the spikes, and remember to stay light
footed on the small bubbles.  The next screen contains thee of the speedy fish
but is otherwise quite safe; if you ride the left big bubble to near the very
top of the screen, you can make a daring leap all the way to the one on the
right easily (which you'll need to do to avoid spikes on the next screen up).
If you're confident of your bubble-hopping skills you can use the two smaller
ones to reach a large Screw on the left, but otherwise proceed to your right.
After a fairly safe room you'll climb a ladder to reach a corridor with a
single wall crawler to your left and a series of water-filled platforms that
periodically jet out of either wall, in a specific pattern from bottom to top.
Destroy the crawler from its lowest point and memorize how the platforms come
out; practice in this room as much as you like before proceeding, because the
next few chambers will have similar puzzles.  Also take note of how the water
level inside the platforms clues you to how long they will last before
dissipating.  Move upward to reach a more tricky platform puzzle with spikes
littering the bottom of the screen.  Make sure you have a plan before moving
forward; check out the bottom two platforms and realize their pattern.  If you
run and jump on both at the right time you can easily reach the right-hand rest
but be careful not to let the platform moving out just above it push you off.
It's also possible to summon Rush on the spikes on the bottom and time your
Coil jump so that you land on the uppermost platform from the left, and reach
the ladder easily.  The next room is the toughest, but it's really not as hard
as it may seem.  You obviously can't use Rush here, so get ready to do some
platform-hopping.  Just remember--stick to the left!  It may seem dangerous but
with some quick hops on all platforms from bottom to top focussing on reaching
the left wall as soon as possible makes this room much easier.
Sent in by anonymous:
"For Splash Woman's zone, in the rooms with the flying water-filled platforms,
it's possible to use the rush coil to make things easier. Put rush on the right
of the beginning platform, where there aren't spikes so close directly above,
and bounce to land on the third flying platform. You won't hit the spikes,
and it makes things a fair bit easier."
Get past this point and it's only a couple small rooms with simple enemies and
then the Boss Door.  Oooh, just like Mega Man 2 but with a "Dr. L" symbol?
Very nice!
{***********************}
* WARNING!            *
*  BOSS: SPLASH WOMAN *
{***********************}
Ahh, the first boss!  According to this guide, anyway!  Luckily, she's the
weakest Master there is to your Mega Buster, taking double the damage from it
any other Master would, so she's great to start off with.  After her flashy
intro, Splash Woman will proceed to sit on her trident and sing adorably while
swishing back and forth across the screen, moving upwards.  As she does so,
schools of three yellow fish will enter the screen in quick succession from
one side then the opposite, three schools in total.  They can be destroyed or
avoided, though it'll take a bit of practice to be able to evade both Splash
and her minions at once at this point.  Since she takes so much damage from
your trusty Buster, though, it's easy to just tough it out with her as long as
you don't take *too* many unneeded hits.  Once at the top of the screen, she
will point her trident fiercely downwards and quickly unleash shot after shot
of Laster Trident, her signature weapon.  It's not really that difficult to
avoid simply by moving back and forth, but if you've got her on the ropes you
can jump and hit her at the apex of your leap.  After 6 shots she'll pause for
and instant and then thrust straight downward with her mighty fork, all the way
to the bottom of the screen--this is her most deadly attack, so be sure to
avoid it at all costs!  At this point she'll set herself back up for the siren
song and continue a pattern like this throughout the fight.  Just try to avoid
her more damaging attacks while pelting her as often as possible with your
Buster and you should win out.
Your prize will be the Laser Trident, which shoots a rather basic, but powerful
projectile straight forward; it's stronger than the Mega Buster though not
quite as rapid-firing, takes very little weapon energy and eats through
shields, not to mention destroys special blocks you'll find later in your
journey.  Not bad at all, it's a special weapon you'll find yourself using very
often!
If this was indeed your first Master defeated, you'll now be treated to a short
cutscene expanding the story introduced in the prologue movie.  Press Start to
skip it or watch the whole thing--either way, you'll be sent to the Stage
Select screen once again and get the chance to spend some of your shiny new
Screws at the shop or just proceed to the next stage.
----------------------
- 2-02  Concrete Man -
----------------------
And if you want to choose your next stage according to the Master weakest to
the weapon you just acquired, Concrete's your man!  Upon entering the stage
witih its scenery and catchy tune preceded by a short drum beat, you may get
flashbacks to Wood Man from Mega Man 2--and with a lot of close-quarters
combat, a couple tricky pit traps and a trio of big minibosses one after the
other, it's easy to tell that old Master was likely Concrete's inspiration.
Move to your right and you'll quickly face legions of rock-holding birds,
flying swiftly from the right (or from the left if you backtrack).  They'll
drop their mini-boulders near you and once they contact the ground they'll
split into smaller rock-shrapnel, so be ready to jump and fire rapidly to get
rid of them all.  Once you reach the pits further on the right, LOOK before you
leap!  Small capsule-shaped bots will fly upwards when you near the  pit and
occasionally open up and shoot at you.  You'll want to destroy them on their
upward initial flight and quickly jump over the pit as another will briskly
spawn if you take too much time.  At the end of the screen you'll face a cannon
enemy that slowly aims toward you while lobbing large, explosive orbs which can
be destroyed, followed by a ladder upward.  As a note, if you have the Jewel
Satellite before facing Concrete Man, it makes this entire first room much
easier.
This next room is highly reminiscent of the first room of Elec Man's stage in
Mega Man 1.  You have two Spikes (those annoying, mostly invincible ground
based enemies in just about every Mega Man game) on two platforms jutting out
of the opposite walls; you can shoot them to freeze them, but it's possible to
just quickly hop all the way up without ever being touched.  Black Hole Bomb
or Tornado Blow can destroy them completely if need be, though.  The next room
has an easy 1-up to reach on the top left, and you'll definitely want it for
the one truly challenging portion of this stage which is just ahead--the robot
elephants!
Wood Man's triplet of fire dogs may have been annoying in their own right, but
these guys are just deadly.  The first one introduces you to the concept of the
miniboss you are about to come very accustomed to, giving you a ladder on the
left that basically guarantees a free kill.  Simply climb to the top and fire
at the elephant's face to dispose of it, but you may want to study its attack
patterns first.  It will blast a large red ball forward and then proceed to
immediately suck it back to its snouth once it reaches the far left of the
screen.. and this suction works rather powerfully on Mega Man, as well.  You'll
want to practice jumping over the ball on both its rolls while trying to stay
in the same small area (around the middle of the screen would be best)-you'll
see why soon enough.  The next room, and second elephant, has no ladder and a
green ball that works a bit differently.  It'll instead bounce to the left
instead of rolling, but once reacing the screen's edge the action is basically
the same.  The safest spot to dodge the bouncing ball is actually just in front
of it, this guarantees an evasion each time.  This one's not too hard.
Now, the third room and final elephant is the really tricky part!  You have a
red ball-equipped elephant just like the first, but no ladder, and two pits
in the floor!  It may not seem that difficult, but trust me and the countless
players who've already died multiple times in this room--being hit ONE time, at
ANY point in the room to the left of the elephant, while he's suctioining the
ball pretty much GUARANTEES a death!  You'll be taking damage and won't be able
to control yourself during your knockback animation while the elephant vacuums
you right into a hole!  I hope you practice on the first one well enough,
because it's really going to be put to the test here.  The trick is to move to
the middle platform and slowly shoot at the elephant when you get the chance..
above all, stay calm!  Your main goal is to survive, and to no matter what,
always dodge the ball, especially during its return roll!  Even if you only get
one shot off on the elephant each round, it's worth it--the halfway point is
just past this room.  The Laser Trident may actually come in handy here as
even though it can't destroy an elephant in as low a flat time as the Mega
Buster fired rapidly can, in your patient one-or-two-shot rounds it will take
less overall shots to take it down with your new weapon.
If you have the Magma Bazooka it makes all three elephants wonderfully easy to
defeat; rush them with a shotgunned, charged Magma Bazooka and then rapidly
fire a couple non-charged shots and they'll be decimated.  This even works very
well on the final Elephant, as you can jump toward him and quickly destroy him
as soon as he sends the red ball to the left.  The Concrete Shot,
interestingly, is also an extremely effective weapon here, downing them in five
shots and can be shot rapidly at close range.
Anyway, after THAT ordeal, you come to a small room with a ceiling spider which
will lower itself and bounce around when approached, as well as a large Energy
Pellet only obtainable if you have the Hornet Chaser and the first of many
floors found in the later half of this stage which have a 'fake' block; you'll
notice that one block is the inverse 'lego-like' shape of the others, and
that's the one you'll want to avoid, as you'll fall through if you attempt to
step on it.  Continue down a room to the actual halfway point and then BEAR
RIGHT as you fall to the next room below it for a large Screw.  If you miss it
you can still just destroy the green cannon and use Rush Coil to reach it,
though.  As you move right across this room be sure to jump each time you reach
the waterfalls that obstruct your view, as many of them conceal pits.  When you
approach the second green cannon, jump up on the concealed platform behind the
first waterfall then drop down to the visible platform to finish it off before
leaping clean over to the floor on the right side.  Destroy the cannon in the
next room before climbing up and remember which blocks to avoid.  The above
room is actually the long final area before the boss.  Stay cool as you fight
off the palm tree enemies, they'll hop and lob bullets in both directions if
you near them but otherwise they're harmless.  Take the top path for a couple
small screws or the middle for some small Energy Pellets.  Past this is a large
Weapon Pellet that you'll want to grab if your Laser Trident is low at all on
energy; don't waste a Rush Coil, just ride the upwards platform nearby to reach
it.  After this is the final stretch of the stage, a series of upwards and
downwards-flying platforms that is somewhat reminiscent of the end of Top Man's
stage in Mega Man 3.  Quickly jump off the downward-falling green ones while
riding the upward-flying red ones as high as you wish to make the subsequent
jump easier.  You'll have to ride the next-to-last one pretty high to make it
to the final green one, from which you can quickly jump to reach safety and,
finally, the boss.  (The Rush Jet can help a lot in this last room if you have
it!)
{***********************}
* WARNING!            *
*  BOSS: CONCRETE MAN *
{***********************}
Upon entering his chamber, Concrete Man will clench his fists together as his
health bar fills and immediately proceed with his assault, which is made up of
three different moves which he'll use relentlessly in any random order he so
pleases.  He can and will:
A) Shoulder charge across the room towards you directly into a wall and knock
himself back a bit
B) Jump up and forward into the air, then come crashing down E. Honda-style to
the ground, causing a quake which renders Megaman helpless for a moment unless
you jump just before he lands
C) Blast three globs of concrete that arc low-to-high towards you, solidifying
into solid blocks if they touch the ground or solidifying Mega Man into a solid
statue if any of them hit him
You can get out of the concrete shell if you press buttons rapidly but you'll
have to be *very* quick to both achieve this and dodge his next assault.  It's
also possible to destroy the Concrete Shots with your Laser Trident, though it
may take a bit of practice to get the timing for this down.  You'll want to
equip your Trident and pummel him with it in rapid succession any time you
get the chance; make sure to jump over his charges and hit him up to three
times as he bonks himself into a wall.  Make absolutely sure you're in the air
when he lands or his next attack is sure to hit you, and they're all VERY
powerful.  His Concrete Shot's the hardest move in his repertoire to dodge;
just try to  move toward the opposite wall and jump over the furthest-moving
one as it nears you, or destroy them with your Laser Trident.
Written by manosrules: "The reason I was writing was I had a small tip to
contribute to the fight against concreteman.  If he shoots his concrete shot
then jumps, you can stand on the block of concrete and not have to worry about
being stunned from his landing.  It's a small miracle against him, but it's
very nice for getting a few pot shots on him."
Winning will grant you the Concrete Shot.  Despite its funny name, basic color
scheme and drab graphic of a simple grey blob, it's one of the most versatile
and useful weapons in the game.  Not only does it do  huge damage, but it
creates blocks that can be used as platforms and it freezes and stops certain
tricky hazards throughout the game.
--------------------
- 2-03  Galaxy Man -
--------------------
With his fruity intro and flashing multicolored body as if he'd just touched a
Super Star, you know this one's going to be interesting.  You teleport into a
stage very reminiscent of Star Man's from Mega Man 5, but unfortunately you're
not going to find any low gravity here.  While listening to the funky beats,
move right to be assaulted by a troupe of small green UFOs that move
surprisingly predictably and are simple to defeat.  A bit further in you'll
encounter some Mets--and yes, they're Mega Man 1 style Mets!  No movement
whatsoever other than opening up to shoot (and be shot) and no silly Met
gimmicks (save for one very funny one we'll see later).  Move forward past the
simple platforming area to climb up to a room with an interesting new twist:
teleport boxes!  Jump in one and you'll come out another in the room, shot
straight upwards into the air.  Luckily, this duo is simple to understand and
prepares you for what to expect out of later ones.  Jump in the left, come out
and fall back into the right, then come out the left again and onto the ladder.
This next corridor seems simple enough, and even has a nice large Energy Pellet
on the top le---OOOHMYGOSHWAAAAAAAH!  Oh yes, yes indeed. The most terrifying
enemy in this entire game if not Mega Man history.  A shockingly sudden, loud
helicopter noice will fill your ears as a yellow grappling robot will dive
lightning-fast from the top of the screen and pick you up, hastily carrying you
to the right at full speed.  You can jump and shoot while it's holding you, but
it won't actually let go until it feels like it.  You can get these to fall
before running into their grasp, but until you know where one is this can be
tricky to do.  Of course, you can also use the Jewel Satellite to make them
think twice about diving toward you, but if you're following the order of this
guide you probably don't have that yet.  Now, if you've got your nerves back