Mega Man 9 was released just yesterday, and we had heard about the Proto Man downloadable content that would be available afterward... but this is ridiculous.

Not only will Capcom be releasing some DLC to play as Proto Man, but they will be releasing 4 extra, separate DLC too. From the game's manual, it describes that you can also download:

Endless Attack Mode - October 6, 300 Wii Points: A level which continues until you die. Try breaking the record for the furthest point.

Proto Man Mode - October 6, 200 Wii points: Play as Proto Man, who has his own abilities, including Slide. There is no story for the Proto Man mode.

Hero Mode - October 20, 100 Wii Points: A more difficult and challenging single player mode.

Superhero Mode - October 20, 100 Wii Points: An even more difficult version of the game.

Special Stage - October 20, 100 Wii Points: Another time attack stage, including a brand new boss to fight against.

Now downloadable content can be pretty cool, but this kind of stuff is on the verge of being as ridiculous as Namco's Katamari DLC. Paying extra for a more difficult mode? This should have been in the game in the first place. It's certainly a different plan to Ben Judd's idea for Bionic Commando Rearmed.

It would have been far better if it wasn't so blatantly close to the game's actual release, and wasn't costing you 800 Wii Points to have the whole experience there. It sounds more like a 250 Wii Point Expansion Pack that could have come a month or two down the road.

It's the Japanese way, unfortunately. It's been said that Namco's entire thought process about DLC is that "Those Americans LOVE DLC!" - making people pay for Beautiful Katamari levels that were already on the disc, and Ace Combat 6 skins. Seems like Capcom of Japan see it in a similar light too - and that means they need a good smack upside the head, GamerBytes argues.

Source: Joystiq - Mega Man 9 DLC: You got extra modes!