The Inti Creates-developed revival is to be a digitally-downloadable title on Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, making the packaging wholly unnecessary. The 8-bit "cartridge" and box shown below are actually a press kit with the CD containing materials such as screenshots.

Hardcore Mega Man fans should fret not. "We're thinking about offering a very limited quantity (200) on the Capcom Store, probably with a [PlayStation Network] or [Xbox Live Arcade] game voucher," wrote Capcom's John Diamonon on Capcom's Unity blog. Diamonon claims that Capcom is putting out feelers for fan reactions and will make the decision based on expressed interest.

Blake's take: Honestly, I don't think 200 limited-edition copies are enough. I'd love to see Capcom take this all the way to retail. Sure, it makes little financial sense to pay for retail distribution of a digitally-distributed game, but if Capcom were super-concerned about Mega Man 9's profit margins they'd be making Resident Evil 6 instead of a super-cool throwback to our collective childhood. Imagine seeing an 8-bit game--a new one, at that--on the shelves next to this week's releases. And at a $10 price point (like it already has in Japan), it'd sell hundreds of thousands of copies on impulse purchases alone. Capcom, consider me "interested"--along with a few hundred thousand game shoppers who would see this on the shelves, drop their jaws, and say, "Coooooooool."