Mega Man X7

"Mixed Bag of Much Fun and Some Frustration"

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

So here we have Capcom’s latest foray into the world of Mega Man. If we were to count the original and X-series games (as they are supposedly in the same universe and have similar set-ups), including the recent Mega Man Zero 2, then this is Mega Man 27. I think only Mario is able to match the blue one for sequels but anyway, my point is that the series has lasted a while and thus must have been doing something right. This game features some of that right and a bit of wrong mixed in.

1. Story (4/10)

If ever a game needed no story, it is the Mega Man series in any form. Most games have a decent story summed up in one sentence: “Go kill Dr. Wily.” Replace Wily with Sigma and you have a decent story for the X series. Unfortunately, since X5, this series has been getting bogged down in story. The characters all talk about stuff like DNA data and what have you that makes little to no sense. I don’t think half the stuff they talk about was explained in any X game that I’ve ever played (and I’ve played ‘em all!). So you’re going to have to deal with almost non-stop psycho-babble and all the bosses giving you a garbage philosophy lesson that would outdo the Matrix Reloaded.

There is no purpose for this much story in a hardcore action series like Mega Man. But enough rant. The story in X6 was incoherent. The story in this game is much more simplified and easier to follow. It’s pretty simple but because of that the game should not spend as much time on story as it does. There’s a freakin’ cutscene after you beat every boss for crying out loud. I’m reducing the rating to one point below average due to the poor pacing of the story. Sheesh, robots are so complicated these days. The old Mega Man only had three thoughts: “Crush”, “Kill”, and “Destroy”; and those got him through any and every situation.

2. Graphics (8/10)

For the first time ever, the Mega Man / X series drops sprites for 3-D models (Legends series does not apply). This is actually done really well. The level of detail of the sprites is preserved on the 3-D models for enemies as well as the main characters. The main characters are also cell-shaded so that they stand out from the background and this was actually a smart move as it really helps you keep up with where your character is.

The environment graphics are for the most part good. On a few levels, notably Stonekong’s and the Palace Highway, Capcom skimped on the backgrounds as there is nothing but fog back there. Textures are for the most part almost PSX grade but this is forgivable as I think the game is supposed to be going for more of a less detailed, cartoony look. No major point loss there since the lack of texture detail is the point. Point loss most definitely does occur for the background problems, however. On a side note, the anime cutscenes ala X4 are back. They’re pretty kickass too, particularly the ending one. The comic book drawing regular cutscenes are still big yawners like they were in X5 and X6 though.

3. Music / Sound (5/10)

“Bah, it’ll do” is pretty much the only way to sum that up. Nothing particularly catchy in the game but the music does the job it is supposed to. Sound effects are, as always, top notch in Mega games. Now on to the voice acting. The game allows you to choose between English voices and Japanese. I imagine most of the gamers out there will go with Japanese due to some misguided belief that it is automatically better because it is Japanese. Unfortunately I can’t say give the English voices a chance as they suck for the most part. Still, I wanted nothing to do with the story in the first place so the VA had little purpose for me from the beginning. I didn’t check out the Japanese voices as only a fool would rate voice acting in a language he does not speak, understand, and has no way to identify how it conveys emotion. Rating: Average.

4. Control (10/10)

I’ve seen people whine about the controls in this game, but their issue is more of a gameplay one I find. They confuse the two categories. Control, as always, operates with Capcom smoothness which is smooth indeed. Characters can be controlled as well in 3-D as they were in the old 2-D. Jumping is very accurate and the only real way to miss jumps is if you misjudged a 3-D distance. Again, that is a gameplay issue, not a control issue.

5. Gameplay (6/10)

This game features the most mixed bag with gameplay that I think I’ve ever seen. At some points it is fantastic and at others it is so idiotically designed that you’d think Capcom didn’t hire playtesters.

Let’s start with the good. The 2-D levels work almost exactly like they have always done in the Mega series. Really no problem there except a part in Stonekong’s stage where the screen scrolls diagonally for a little ways. Interesting to look at but you might die the first time going through there. The 3-D is also amazingly done. It feels exactly, EXACTLY like I expected a 3-D version of Mega Man X to feel. Dash, wall grab, its all there. All done near to perfection except for what I talk about in the next paragraph.

These are the bad gameplay elements. For one, that annoying “Save the Reploids” set-up from X6 is back. And just like then if you don’t save a Reploid, it dies and you have to start all over again to attempt a successful rescue. Me, I personally didn’t give a rat’s…uh, well let’s just say I was too lazy to reach for the reset switch every time.

Now, the biggest goof is centered around the trademark wall grab of the X series. It is a little buggy in 2-D mode and almost completely unreliable in the 3-D mode. The 2-D issue is due to the walls themselves sometimes having invisible extra bulk to them at the top so when you do a kick that should take you over a wall you only end up hugging the wall all over again. Other times you can’t hug certain walls (which is an extreme NO for the X series). The 3-D wall grab problems center around the game’s buggy camera. One moment you grab the wall and then the camera does some wacky shift and the direction you were pressing isn’t the right one anymore. So instead of kicking up the wall you go hurtling into oblivion. Most uncool.

The camera is a major bad issue as well. You can rotate it in a few 3-D levels but this is kind of hard to do when the action gets fast and furious. Take the Kangaroo for instance. He hops around all over the place and half the fight is spent keeping the camera on him so he doesn’t use his nerdy Triangle Kick on you while you aren’t looking. The Legends series didn’t have this problem as it featured strafing and auto-lock. Those should have been implemented here. I think the best 3-D targeting I have ever seen to this day, though, is Ocarina of Time’s. That “Z-Targeting” thing would have been perfect in this game for bosses. The game’s regular auto-lock works well enough for regular foes just in case you were curious.

Oh, and though this may not be considered bad by some, just know up front that X’s X-Buster is insanely overpowered in this game from its norm and Zero has one move that does unbelievable damage in its own right. This might be considered bad in that it will suck out the challenge for those that crave it. Me, I don’t mind. Otherwise, the game’s only real difficulty comes from the problems with the gameplay that I’ve stated in paragraphs above.

So basically some times you will be saying this the gameplay is cool and other times you’ll be cursing it and throwing stuff up against the wall. I really wanted to award a 7 in this category but the wall grab set-up is unforgivable.

6. Innovation (9/10)

Now you don’t usually expect to see more than average innovation in a Mega Man title but we get it here in a surprising number of ways. First is that the Maverick fights are varied up and not all just you and the Mav slugging it out in a room. One fight has a Ride Armor duel. Another features a fight atop some horse shaped tank that moves around a square platform adrift in a sea of lava. Some fights are in 2-D and others in 3-D. There’s very little chance of the battles getting boring in this game, I guarantee it.

Next order of business is the new guy, Axl (who apparently can’t spell his own name). He is basically the “Bass” of the X / Mega Man and Zero / Protoman duo. Axl shoots a lot like Bass did in the GBA game Mega Man and Bass. Rapid fire shots and no charge shot. Fortunately Axl can move while firing. Axl does not have a double jump but he does have a hover move, firing roll move, and a “Copy Shot”. The Copy Shot, at first glance, would be confused with a charge shot but in reality it is not all that damaging. If you use the Copy Shot to finish off an enemy close to Axl’s size it will drop a red orb. Grab the orb and Axl will temporarily transform into a clone of the enemy and be able to use its abilities. This is a very fun addition to the gameplay.

Let me also add that Zero’s saber can now reflect bullets and energy shots just like a real lightsaber. I believe the only thing that needs to be said about that is “At last.” X has only one armor to collect in this game but I find that just as well as the majority of his multiple armors in X5 and X6 were rather pointless and / or useless. Heck, you couldn’t even get to the final boss in either game with one particular set of armor (which were ironically similar). I’ll end this segment by saying that the last boss fight itself is really fun and a lot different from the usual. There’s a really easy way to win the fight and you probably won’t even suspect how. At least the last boss in this game didn’t show up hung over like Sigma did back in X6.

Cons (or “Don’t Buy the Game if You Can’t Live with These”):

-So much made-up philosophy and attempted depth for one shallow story
-Graphics are not in Sprites any longer and the game is in 3-D for the majority. This might turn off some of you old-schoolers.
-A wall grab this screwed up should have just been taken out of the game altogether.
-Camera is buggy and will cost you a win more than once, I’ll guarantee you of that.
-That loveable Save the Reploids system from X6 is back.

A247 Recommends:

My recommendation is going to be broken down into categories that you fit in. First, if you are a Mega Man fan and are not psychotically devoted to 2-D, NES type games being the be-all and end-all of video games, then I say buy this. You will enjoy it once you learn the 3-D ropes (gotta retrain yourself in most all areas, especially with Zero). Second, if you are a Mega Man fan and are that close minded type I mentioned above, then I suggest at least a rental. Who knows, this game might open up new horizons for you. Lastly, if you are not a Mega Man fan and are looking for a good platform game, then there are probably better ones than this one. Still, though, try to rent it if you can but don’t lose sleep if you never get to play it.

Final Score (7/10 or 70%)

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/18/03