Fan merchandise provider Retro-Bit Gaming announced at Gamescom that they will be releasing the first-ever physical release for the US of Mega Man: The Wily Wars for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive.
Only physically released in Japan and Europe, we are bringing #MegaMan Wily Wars to North America for both #Genesis & #MegaDrive — Get ready for a collector’s edition that includes many extras! ? More details on this release will come soon!#Gamescom2019 #retrogaming #Capcom pic.twitter.com/U9BRzjLzxb
— Retro-Bit Gaming (@RetroBitGaming) August 22, 2019
Mega Man: The Wily Wars was a remake of the first three titles in the Mega Man series originally released for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan and Europe, but never physically in the United States. In the US, the game was confined to a digital release via the Sega Channel, an add-on for the Sega Genesis that allowed players to download games via a subscription service. Very few people were subscribed to the service, and it came and went in very little time, leaving Mega Man: The Wily Wars to be an urban legend and an import collectible for fans living in the US.
While many people have agreed the Wily Wars is not necessarily the best way to experience the original three games in the series, it is still looked at fondly by fans as both a quality title and a unique take on the original games through the use of the Genesis hardware. Wily Wars is essentially the Super Mario All-Stars of Mega Man, though the collection actually differs in several key ways from the classics that was based on. The game utilizes a save feature for all three games rather than a password screen, and Mega Man 2 has no easier difficulty and can only be played in the original Japanese normal difficulty/US Hard mode. The game also features “Wily Tower” mode, which allows the player to mix and match every weapon and special item from the first three games in a series of new platforming challenges and boss fights.
Mega Man: The Wily Wars will release for Sega Genesis and Mega Drive sometime in the future, and will also be available digitally via the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, which will be available September 19th.
