DualShockers breaks down the iconic series from Capcom. Point being, the game is a cacophony of game design choices; paired with PlayStation 2-era graphics that have not aged well, this is the absolute low point for the Mega Man X series.
But what exactly is so bad about it? Worst of all? As a backdrop to the development, Mega Man X5 was intended early on by prominent series director Keiji Inafune to be the stopping point of the series. Determined to milk the series further, Capcom pushed forward Mega Man X6 with a new team without the help of Inafune, as he noted that the series began feeling out of his control. Outside of the backdrop of development issues, there are some real-world issues with Mega Man X6 — the game shipped with some game-breaking bugs that would hard lock your progress.
Meanwhile, level design had a notable bump in quality, along with a story that undoes a fair amount of the goodwill and continuity that fans of the series had previously enjoyed. On the other end of the spectrum, outside of the technical errors nothing about the game feels explicitly bad; it just feels like a poorly manufactured sequel in an otherwise terrific series.
As the follow-up to the magnificent Mega Man X and Mega Man X2 , the game is the last one we see on the Super Nintendo and settles with carrying over a lot of what made the other titles so great.
However, the SNES version of the game has its drawbacks with some shoddy music, and the Zero gameplay ends up feeling a bit too much like X, instead of some of the better re-imagination in later games. And it worked too! Wily is at it again! We have the first game to thank for this. More importantly, its levels are also a bit smarter than what its compatriots have to offer.
Tight jumps, easy to navigate, simple in their design, and yet, deep enough to open new routes for those who want to explore. That introduction stage alone sets a tone for the game that never lets up. Blazing music, giant hornets, collapsing roadways, speeding cars, and the introduction of Vile. His dash move set a new standard for power platformers approached brief spurts of speed, seen even today in games like Celeste , and powering up special weapons also provided a shocking twist for longtime fans.
Again, in , the series needed a makeover in the face of the PlayStation, and Capcom delivered. Mega Man X4 provides excellent platforming stages with memorable Mavericks waiting at the end of each of them: Magma Dragoon, Frost Walrus, and Volt Stingray leading the pack. Most importantly, Mega Man X4 is memorable for essentially providing two separate games.
At the very beginning, a choice between X and Zero sends players down two separate paths and styles of gameplay. Do you take a traditional route with X and collect projectile weapons of defeated foes, or do you explore the expansive move-set of Zero?
Mega Man X4 also comes loaded with easter eggs, hidden suits, and abilities, and those sweet anime cutscenes… like this classic. I mean, just listen to the introduction video and try not fall in love. In order to do this, they must essentially play the role of villain and steal the necessary resources to repower a cannon from peaceful allies and rogue Mavericks alike.
Seriously, the duo are kind of jerks in this game. The branching storyline takes players to different endings depending on their performance, opening up the game to multiple playthroughs. On the other hand Mega Man X7 is an example of how far this franchise can fall. It looks ugly, plays awful, and is downright annoying. No one wanted tons of dialogue in Mega Man X. Also, for that matter, who asked for a creep like Axl? He is the Jar Jar Binks of this series.
Taking the formula and turning it into an adventure game seemed like an unlikely combination at the time, but it proved to be more than outstanding. The art still holds up thanks to the cel-shading, but admittedly the camera is not great. Everything else though is still terrific. Capcom, get back to work on Mega Man Legends 3! This spinoff series is deserving of better. It is an interactive adventure game that seemingly takes place around Mega Man 8 , or at least uses the same style as that game.
That is all to say this game is not fun, or interesting. Plus, all the bosses were named after members of Guns N' Roses, and it's hard to be mad at that. Looking back, some of Mega Man X2's stages were too short and too simple. But in general, it did exactly what a good sequel should do: take the best ideas of the first game and then build on them. Mega Man X2 introduced the X-Hunters — three difficult, optional bosses who held the keys to reviving a favorite character from the first game.
Players had to figure out a strategy for defeating the X-Hunters while still running the gauntlet of standard bosses, since the trio would disappear permanently after a set amount of time.
Beyond that, the new vehicles were a ton of fun, and the game's experiments with 3D wireframes were cutting-edge at the time. By the time Mega Man X8 came out, a lot of fans had probably written off the series. That may have been preemptive, as Mega Man X8 is easily one of the better games in the franchise. X, Zero and Axl with a much more balanced personality face off against recurring villains Vile and Sigma, but they discover an even greater threat behind the usual suspects.
The 2. You could even unlock three secret characters — the first playable female protagonists in the main series. While Mega Man X: Command Mission doesn't have any bearing on the overall series narrative, it's a side story well worth exploring. X, Zero and Axl take on a mysterious new foe known as Epsilon, but even more sinister Maverick forces may be behind the new villain's plot.
In addition to the regular three heroes, you could also recruit four charismatic new characters, including a ladylike thief, a conflicted strongman and a sly gambler.
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