In what is quite possibly the biggest news to hit WiiWare in its short life so far, the latest issue of Nintendo Power magazine confirms that Mega Man 9 will be heading to the download service. We’ve got the first details after the jump.

Rather than some of Mega Man’s more complex narrative adventures of late, Mega Man 9 reverts to an “old skool” simplicity, where Dr. Wily is back and a group of robots (Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, Tornado Man, and Splash Woman) are on the rampage. Wily blames Mega Man’s creator, Dr. Light, for the trouble, and so it falls upon our protagonist’s shoulders to prove Light’s innocence.

The man behind the Mega Man series, Keiji Inafune of Capcom, explains in the publication that Mega Man 9’s retro styling (a title he explains is for the long-time fans) just wouldn’t work in the current videogaming climate, and that’s where the influence of the Virtual Console and the accessibility of WiiWare comes in:

According to Inafune, the simple fun of a classic Mega Man game “doesn’t fit into the grandiose and expansive world that the consumer gaming industry has become, and so you have to make games that match the current expectations.”

As well as 8-BIT-esque graphics, the music will be influenced by the NES era. Also promised are exciting new bosses, 8-BIT-ish cut scenes; the return of Sniper Joes and Met, and a difficulty level that equals that of the NES Mega Man games.

Inafune concludes by saying:

“The moment you’ve been waiting for is here! We’re not just giving you Mega Man 9, we’re giving you a new NES game. This is a game that brings back the fun of the old games, and I hope you all enjoy it!”

You can check out the first screenshots from the scan above.