So, by now you've all gotten your hot little hands on Mega Man 9 from your console's download store. In case you don't frequent other gaming forums, there's quite the buzz going on about the included time trial feature, where you get to do everything in your power to put each stage on the business end of your boot as fast as possible. Thanks to the marvels of the internet however, you're not just racing against yourself; the top ten best times for each stage are culled from everyone playing while connected to the internet. You've got some instant competition.

If you've perused the high-scores though, you may have become a bit disheartened. Some of them are flat-out insane on their face, and without knowing and applying a few interesting tricks you're going to find yourself coming up 10, 20, maybe even 30 seconds short. While I won't go into exact step-by-step directions for every single place you need to shoot or jump, I am going to cover some of these very useful techniques so that all you need to provide is the skill and a bit of intuition.


- The first general tip to remember: Never stop for any reason besides a boss fight! If you aren't moving, you're wrong. XD

- Keep in mind is that ladders are bad. Ladders are not your friends! While they may be great for getting from point A to point B in the normal scheme of things, Mega Man just doesn't climb fast enough. If you can avoid using one, do so! With short ladders that you can't quite jump above, also be careful to begin climbing before the end of your jump. That short climb animation to reach the top is just a hair faster than jumping fully, and having to drop back down to a point where you actually grab the ladder.

- Tornado Blow will increase the height of your jump while it's active. You can use this to get higher faster, or even make a jump that allows you to bypass obstacles and enemies. A prime example is that picture above. That's the wrong way to do things! You want to use T.Blow before you hit the bottom UFOs, and as they're swept away, use the extra push to jump onto that two-block platform. Don't forget your trusty Rush Coil, either! If you get good with the timing, you can drop one in front of a ladder or other tall place and make a small immediate hop at the same time, so that you land on him and get where you're going that much quicker. These two philosophies can even be used together; hop off Rush, then quickly switch to T.Blow and use it, flying up to new heights.

- Don't be afraid to pause or grab energy refills. The clock stops when you do those things, and often times you need to switch weapons rapidly and repeatedly anyway. You can use this to your advantage by utilizing the Jewel Satellite on most weak foes. Just plow through them with it on, and recharge it on the fly. That said, be mindful of your energy use. Some weapons are designed such that they can only be fired exactly the number of times needed to destroy the boss weak to them. Plan accordingly as you decide the best way to get through a level.

- Use the Rush Jet to get past slow horizontal areas. The jet moves at the same speed that you walk, but when confronted by areas like the magnetic lifts in Tornado Man's stage, it just plain makes sense to avoid them altogether by flying on past. Also, try to jump for your target ledge once it gets in range, and go to the menu to choose a new weapon. This will save you some fuel for later, should your strategy for speeding through a level call for it again.

- Water has unique effects on Mega Man. You've already noticed this when you accidentally jumped too high and exploded all over some ceiling spikes, but it also applies in other ways. When underwater, you'll fall more slowly than normal for about a half a second if you just walk off a ledge. This is no good when every hundredth of a second counts, but there is a way around it. Simply begin a jump before you reach the edge. If you time it right, you'll be falling at full speed and clear the brink to plummet your way into a faster time. Just be careful not to jump too high, or you'll spend extra time in the air above the place you're trying to fall past.

- You can use the menu to cancel your weapon effects. Again, this is normally something you wouldn't want, but during a speed run it can be very beneficial to be able to use some weapons again right away. For example, the Black Hole Bomb. When presented with a chain of foes you can't simply walk through with the Jewel Satellite(the multi-trajectory cannons come to mind). You can simply bum rush the target, fire and detonate a bomb, then go into and leave the subscreen to clear the gravity well. Whatever you killed will still be out of the way, and you'll be free to do it again right away on the next target.

- Know when to use your weapons in preparation for an upcoming enemy. There are places where a few hornets let loose early, or a tornado on the move will already be in a position to eliminate a robot you're about to encounter, freeing you from getting slowed down by enemy fire or worse. For example, this works great on the "clone" enemies during the later part of Plug Man's level. As you run past, fire a Black Hole Bomb and detonate it, sucking up your would-be pursuer before it can cause you any grief.

- In Splash Woman's domain, during the bubble ride you can use the small ones to ascend more quickly. Jump onto them just before they scroll off the screen, and when you move to the next one, you'll have just a moment to jump and fire the Rush Jet at the same time, providing you someplace to stand until another bubble comes along. Timing for this can be very tricky, but you'll need to master it if you want to knock those precious seconds off the clock.

- If you know you have enough time to get past a magma cannon as soon as you reach it in Magma Man's area, do so. With luck and being sure to move as far forward as possible, you can get past two at once during some parts of the stage. Fun fact: If you stand right next to one, it gives off sparks from brushing against poor Mega Man's arm. XD If you're feeling brave, there are a couple you can freeze with the Concrete Shot before they block your path. The problem with this though, is that if they come out even a bit too far first, you're stuck waiting for them to thaw and continue. Careful with the timing!

- The elephants in Concrete Man's stage can be taken out very quickly if you use the Magma Bazooka. The trick here is to not be afraid of some damage. Just get right up next to them, and begin firing like mad. It should only take a couple of seconds. This has the added benefit of letting you avoid dealing with the pits near elephant #3.

- The attacks of the dragon mini-bosses can be foiled by a number of weapons. Again though, brute force and a healthy disregard for Mega Man's health is the key to blowing them to kingdom come. Pull out your Concrete Shot, and give 'em a face full of gunk. If you're quick, the dragon won't even finish it's first pass.

- The flower clock of doom is easily dealt with by the Hornet Chaser. Simply wait until a moment before it should appear, and fire off your three hornets. Then maneuver around to get behind the "hand" while standing on the bottom platform. Rinse and repeat until it goes pop.

- The boulder mini-boss from Jewel Man's stage can also go down surprisingly fast. This time, make sure you enter the room with Hornet Chaser equipped. As soon as you enter, you're going to want to jump and quickly fire off three shots. Watch where they go. If the mini-boss isn't in one of the two spots closest to the exit door, you might just want to jump down the next pit and try again(hey Capcom, how about an update that gives us a retry option from the pause menu? ;3 ). Once the shots hit it, it'll reveal itself. When that happens, quickly switch to the Magma Bazooka and start charging. Be careful to jump to avoid the shaking that happens when the boss falls, or the 1-2 boulders that might drop before it does. If you're quick, you can be right next to it after it hits the ground and unload bazooka spam on it. It should explode in no more than a second, letting you move on.

- As for the Eight robot masters, learn their patterns well. A direct assault with the weapon they're weak is the fastest way to deal with them, and don't be shy about taking a few hits if it means they go down faster. If you've been speeding though the levels like you should be, you won't have taken any damage anyway. Generally speaking, hit the bosses as fast as their after-damage invincibility will allow.


Whew. That may seem like a lot to take in, but believe me there are even more ways you can speed things up a bit. Try new methods out yourself, and find out what works. Failing that, there are tons of rabid time trial aficionados waiting to give you more pointers at most of the large gaming forums spread throughout the net. Have fun, and don't stop for anything. XD