Mega Man X8

"Well, you know what they say…"

Mega Man X8 (2004), Capcom - R007 - 02.21.2008

There's no place like home.

Sometimes you need that tormenting impact of a disaster to open your eyes for the truth. You know? Waking up at night with sounds of "Burn! Burn to the ground!" must have been very common (and fitting!) 'round 2003. Capcom knows their history when it comes to milking a series with absolutely no effort, as Mega Man X7 would teach us fools who spent a small fortune on that piece of robo-junk. Some would argue that X7 was merely an experiment, an early version of how Mega Man X would play in a 3D environment, but... eh. The thing is, execution was insulting considering the once brilliant Rockman name slapped on the cover; plus the fact that we actually had to pay $50 for a DVD box and a themed frisbee.

Well, apparently, Capcom's own Jiminy Cricket decided to show up in time for another robotic odissey: one year after the evil 3D makeover, Mega Man X8 was released with a decent body of its own. We're lucky to be dealing with intangible creative work here, otherwise convincing the ruined madam of a second plastic surgery would be impossible. At the risk of losing even more public to 21XX deja vu, X8 settles for the comfortable 2D gameplay roots with 3D graphics, and this final solution is indeed satisfactory.

For one, it allows developers to bend and distort reality in order to present unique visuals. The environment isn't limited to the plane in which the player is confined, resulting in very appealing and cinematic sights such as a mini-boss duel that takes place on an L-shaped platform. You only have to worry about left or right, the background rotates and delivers the entire show, free of charge. This isn't exactly new, as Viewtiful Joe and even X7 had done it before, but there's a certain charm to the Mega Man universe that makes it modern and apparent here; you don't expect multiple background layers in a futuristic illusion, so 90% of Mega Man X8's places are influenced by this concept.

Like every other Mega Man title, the formula is something like an inflated match of rock-paper-scissors. The meat of the game consists of eight readily available stages with one angry boss guardian each. When you defeat a boss, you'll earn his weapon, which is strong against another boss, who will give you another weapon when defeated, and so on until all eight are dead. This simple mechanic can be surprisingly addictive because you're not exactly forced to use paper to beat rock; in short, you don't have to follow the recommended weakness path. You may choose your own order of levels to visit, based on your own personal judgement: will you face the tough level/boss first for the worthy reward, will you choose the easy path and work your way up or will you just select stages at random? Since there are specific obstacles, multiple items and other weapons lying around, solving this puzzle isn't as easy as finding a weakness for the next boss, involving much more strategy than one would think.

Unfortunately, the idea of using personal judgement to select your route in Mega Man X8 probably means that you'll want to get rid of your least favorite levels as soon as possible. Generally frustrating, most levels in X8 resort to obvious tacked-on gimmicks to stand out, as if bland labels were enough to grant them personality: Metal Valley is basically a dash race against a huge mechaniloid, Troia Base is a series of ranked mini-games, Dynasty is literally a 45-second cityscape chase scene. There's the place with the gravity switch, the Land Chaser mission and the elevator -- they're not level features or sections, they define those places. Gone are the days of X2, when the fact that you could change weather in Weather Central or use the Ride Chaser only meant that you were given optional tools to have more fun. Not that a full-scale gimmick assault can't be fun, it's just that these things must be properly balanced to provide decent entertainment. The way they were implemented in X8 smells artificial, like those people who are too lazy to take a shower and drink the whole bottle of perfume instead. And then there's auto-scrolling. Lots of it. It's not quite like rail shooters because those are self-conscient, they don't cheat; now, walking into a gorgeous place with a plethora of cool power-ups to use and finding yourself dragged by an invisible force is just disappointing.

There's also an unfair amount of old-school nodding in some levels. Platforming emphasis in a Mega Man title dates back to 1987, when sometimes you had to position the Blue Bomber with pixel perfection to make a jump. Still, people at Capcom were always able to find balance somewhere between the action aspect and the platforming sections, so much that you could barely differ while storming through a level. In the original Mega Man series, you could manipulate the order of stages to have a mobility tool as early as possible if you weren't into hardcore platforming. It makes the whole experience that much more fun and personal. In Mega Man X8, however, action and platforming act like completely opposite extremes, oddly placed and rarely fused together, almost interchangeable. One particular level, Inferno, has our three protagonists infiltrating a really hot facility. Divided into three major sections, Inferno focuses on auto-scrolling shafts with floating platforms that appear in specific spots. Between shafts is a really grumpy old pipe maze with spikes everywhere. You go from one-hit kills to... one-hit kills, and it can be truly irritating.

On the other hand, whenever level design hits the target, you can be sure that it'll be memorable. The really good areas in X8 excel because they don't try to suck the player into a forced mechanic, presenting fair balance between action and platforming while also providing freedom and intriguing secrets. Booster Forest retains some of the old Mega Man X magic with the Cyclops model of the Ride Armor, and what makes it unique is that you can take the fancy mech from early Booster to the very boss fight against Bamboo Pandamonium. It takes a lot of skill to carry the Ride Armor from start to finish, as there are mini-puzzles, alternate paths and strategically placed platforms that'll make you think a little bit more than if you were just by yourself. It feels wrong to reveal more, because those inspired moments are so rare that they shouldn't be ruined here. Besides, what makes X8 a quality Mega Man title in the end is definitely not where you're allowed to go nuts, but everything you may use to go nuts in the game.

First of all, the three main characters were treated with rare attention. All Hunters are playable from the start, and in a predictable maneuver that only contributes to X7's status as an alpha game, tag-team action fully survived the atomic failure. The player will choose two characters to tackle a mission, and the sitting Hunter may be called into action at any time. The feature was actually developed this time around, so you won't have to worry about losing both characters if one of them dies (how lame was that). There's even a cute Marvel VS Capcom-style system where the bench hero has some of his energy restored while the other enjoys the spotlight. Another tag-team addition that was also inspired by Capcom's flashy fighters is the Double Attack, X8's cosmetic trademark move. Fill up the EX bar, touch an enemy with the DA trigger and the whole screen will flash green— no, the whole screen will flash shameless Matrix, hurting all nearby enemies pretty badly. It's reasonably powerful and might get you out of a few tight spots, like the very last form of the final boss. Finally, several enemies and bosses might trap the lead character in some way, giving you the ability to call in the second hero for immediate rescue. Tag-team in X8 may not be the deepest system ever conceived, but it works [especially] because there's enough variety in the game to encourage experimentation and strategy. And we have mainly X, Zero and Axl to thank for that.

X
When you think 'X', you think 'armor'. It's his thing since 1993, and Capcom finally realized that making those suits more useful and customizable was the only true way to evolve the character. Really, Dr. Light, the Shadow Armor is sweet and all, but why can't we use its Parts separately? Totally assassinates strategy, since a great catch in planning our route in X games is figuring out which Parts we want to have early and those we'll choose to ignore. Still, thankfully, Tommy redeems himself in X8. The first capsule you find contains the full Neutral Armor plus the special Part originally located there. As you find new capsules, you may equip the Neutral Armor with other Parts based on two "teams", Icarus and Hermes. The Neutral Armor doesn't make any difference by itself, but it acts as some kind of generic Part installer: in essence, this means that you have two four-Part armor sets to find like in X5 and X6, but now you're able to use those Parts separately and mix-and-match them as you wish. Can you imagine teaming Shadow Armor's charged swipe with the wacky mobility of the Falcon Armor? You can do that sort of thing here. More: wearing a full thematic set (full Icarus or full Hermes) will give you an exclusive move that no other combination may provide. The actual Part functions don't disappoint: shadow dash, increased speed, higher jump, double defense, fast charge, the whole deal. X's share of the boss arsenal isn't quite on par with X1-X3, but if you're a Mega Man X player since 1997 I'm sure you're already used to a bit of laziness there. Expect the occasional interesting power (Drift Diamond, Crystal Wall) and the usual filler nonsense (everything else).

Zero
Now he knows what he's FIGHTING FOOOOR: cool moves and weapons! High-rank Hunter Zero has never been so girly-spoiled in the series. His melee fighting style was improved with six different weapons and remarkable skills borrowed from X8's Maverick crew. The movelist itself isn't that different from what we've seen before (crazy spinning, elemental lift-off, piercing, overhead finisher...), but some of them might differ depending on the weapon Zero currently wields. Weapons range from an all-powerful hammer to Zero's fists, and the latter in particular completely adapts his movelist to a punch-kick combat motif straight out of Street Fighter (Shouryuuken and Senpuukyaku are indeed included and named that exact way). Zero's normal saber combo can be upgraded, his aerial slash is an intimidating energy arc (NOT the ballerina twist seen in X7) and double-jumping will get him anywhere you want, so he's a competent fighter no matter how soon you choose to master his style.

Axl
Let's face it, we all have a cruel tendency to overexpose a newbie's flaws because, well, the party was so great before! The truth is, Axl was a victim of X7itis. He entered the world of Reploids with skills that in theory would make him feel different as a playable character, but they were all very poorly implemented. Introduced as part of an excuse, he would logically remain part of an excuse for the rest of his life... right? Well, using his X7 appearance as a loose sketch, Capcom redesigned Axl's moves and turned him into the most versatile character in this game. Axl's first noticeable ability in X7 was rapid fire, but we're way past button-mashing these days. So, hold down the button and Axl will shoot until you get tired of listening to his taunts. No longer "limited" by 3D and lock-on, Axl can aim up, down and diagonally as well, like Bass in Rockman & Forte. The best part is that he doesn't need ammo at all, being free to use any of the 9 different weapons as frequently as you wish. His second main ability was hovering, something X got to taste a little bit in previous installments. In X7, we were forced to jump, then Axl's boots would automatically carry him forward at the peak of that jump. In X8, you can activate the hover at any point while in the air. Phew. Axl's final mark was that he could clone other Reploids' abilities, but not in the same way Mega Man and X do: being a new-generation Reploid, Axl may copy essential DNA data (?) and physically transform into that robot, earning its prime functions as well. Even though this ability wasn't such a catastrophe in Axl's debut, it's a lot more useful here. There's a command to roll away from enemy attacks, too, but it's not a surprise if you end up playing the whole game without thinking about it.

If the Hunters' exclusive features aren't enough, you can always turn to stat/item customization based on a series-new shop system. The Maverick Hunter base is equipped with an R&D Lab, where Hunters may use Metals to power their abilities and develop special items. Regular Metals aren't hard to come across, often dropped by enemies or magically floating in the air like Coins in Super Mario, although finding more valuable pieces (worth 500 or 3.000 times as much as the most common type) usually requires more effort. Rare Metals, however, represent what Sub-Tanks and Reploid Parts did in previous games, only players must develop the item with regular Metals before using it. On the plus side, there are no limits. They may disguise anything they want as a Rare Metal (from Zero's weapons to shop discount) and get away with it, so there's a whole surprise element from the moment you find the Rare Metal until you visit the R&D Lab to find out what it was. It's also strategic and much more organized in comparison with the messy Part party in X5-X7: you always know exactly what you need to fully power a character, and you're encouraged to analyze your best options based on how much money you have and what you'll be facing next. Still, those who are used to Heart Tanks might feel uncomfortable with this, since there are only three health upgrades per character and they're no longer secret items. Plus, getting your hands on a rare treasure and then being forced to spend money to enjoy it doesn't make a lot of sense. The fact that some items are ridiculously expensive doesn't help, either. It's pretty much hit-or-miss. In the long run, maxing out all characters is possibly the most rewarding quest in the game, but trying to keep your wallet sane in one playthrough will demand a lot of planning or a lot of farming. Either way, there's a ton of efficient methods to rack up Metals in X8.

Similar to the Mercenaries mini-game in Resident Evil 4, defeating multiple enemies in a row will give you more points than taking your time to kill each one of them. In X8's case, the Combo counter will rise with each registered hit, and a high count will get you more Metals when those enemies die. It's good incentive to keep moving, like what they did with EXP in Dino Crisis 2. In addition, there's a series of intermezzo scenarios to be unlocked, where you'll have the opportunity to substantially increase your Metal count in just a couple of minutes. Finally, most levels have some sort of mandatory trap room where your performance there will be ranked for a Metal prize.

But it's not just the stuff. Mega Man X8 is quite polished overall, from shield-breaking tactics to Navigators and the blood-pumpin' soundtrack. No previous MM installment offered so many great unlockables, and no other MM entry dressed their extra material with such grace. There's New Game+, harder difficulty settings, a logical ranking system for a change, awesome prizes for 100%ing characters and Vile, who plays an important part in an unimportant story (i.e. he's plain fan service). Speaking of which, the story is a forgettable evolutionary hoopla revolving around a moon base, an effeminate dude and Reploid clones, where the only interesting bit is the admittedly courageous final boss twist. Oh, and Noah's Park is a hilarious pun, gotta give 'em that one. Suffice it to say, X1-X3 did a much better job at storytelling with an instruction booklet and a couple of text cutscenes. But if you're playing Mega Man for the story, you're barking up the wrong titanium pole. Controls are spot-on, even if somewhat loose at times, and aside from the anorexic protagonists, graphics are at least consistent with what you'd expect in a Mega Man X title. When it's unexpected, it's for the best. I mean, they made a boss named Burn Rooster look cool.

To put it simply, Mega Man X8 is a great game with a lot of crap to deal with. You'll need patience to get over level design frustration, but it's not nearly as bad as some of the Bizarro masterpieces in X6 or X7. Given how hard it has been for a mainstream 2D Mega Man game to appear and breathe in the midst of 3D mania, X8's flaws are mostly understandable. If you're a fan of the series, this should be a no-brainer. In the end, which order to list those pros and cons will be entirely up to you. But hey, that sort of choice-making is what Mega Man is all about, isn't it?

Plus
- It's good ol' 2D Mega Man;
- Balanced characters;
- Plenty of strategy and customization thanks to a series-new shop system;
- Excellent visual presentation and soundtrack;
- Vile;
- Many extras that should keep you busy for a good while.

Minus
- Irregular level design with frustrating sections;
- One playthrough can be very short in comparison with recent games;
- Power-up hunting might not be as enthralling as before;
- *sigh* ... X's boss arsenal once again sucks.

Eight out of ten.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/21/08

Game Release: Mega Man X8 (US, 12/07/04)