Mega Man X8

"A decent MegaMan X game for once !"

Alright. This game has been much controversial since its release, some stating that the game does not feel like how it once was supposed to be, or others protesting that the come-back to old-school gaming type is not what it should be.

I disagree. What makes the X game series unique is the fact that it retains the 2-d side-scroller spirit of the ancient games. Yeah, I know... My review of MegaMan X7 is kinda biased, but that was when I LIKED the game. I now realized its flaws and... I must say... it's not good. My score, for X7, if I could change it, would be 6.

Anyway, this is not the subject. So, as I was stating earlier, MegaMan X8 preserves the old 2-d style in a 3d environment. X, Zero and Axl are back to kick ro-butts (sorry for the bad pun) in this awesome game. Plenty of modifications have been made so that this game would be appreciated by the fans. So here are my scores and commentaries...

Story : 8/10
A good story, much more clear and precise than previous ones. New generation reploids sent to the moon go Maverick for no reason, X and co. must uncover the reason, Vile's comeback, Lumine, the director of the project is abducted, etc... Don't want to spoil much more. But the story is excellent and the fact that Sigma is now dead (yeah folks, baldy is gone for good as said in the trailer) now open up the path for a tie-up with the Zero-series with the Cyber-Elves war. That means we could see Mother Elf, Dr. Weil and Omega in the future...

Controls : 9/10
This is where the game shines. The control has been made so that it is back to its roots. X plays like he did on the SNES or Playstation. Also, new for X this time : everyone has been wishing for this : an armor cross-over part system ! You can mix together parts of the 2 armor sets in this game, based on your needs, although that one set armor alone unlocks the special power of that set. For example, the Icarus set's power is the Giga Crash, and the Hermes set upgrades the performance of all parts. But, if you play with a mixed set, you don't have any special armor power. Zero's weapons are no longer part of his specials, and he has plenty more (a whoppin'6!) and Axl is no longer a X clone. The power he earns are weapons based on the enemy defeated (for example, defeating the notorious Optic Sunflower gives him the Raygun. Yeah, that little useless toygun earned from Tornado Tonion in X7 is back, but much more efficient). He plays a lot like Bass in MegaMan and Bass, giving him a reason to be used this time. His copy ability is useful in some place, but other than that does not really shine out. But it isn't necessarily a con.

Graphics : 8.5/10
3d models have been redone for the character, they now look more like the Reploids in the Zero series. Special effects are awesome, final bosses (especially Sigma) looks cool, nothing more to add.

Sound : 9.5/10
People might disagree with me, but the sound in this game was of high quality. The music kicked butt, no more annoying boss battle theme like in X7, only hard rock or heavy metal. No techno. Voice acting is extremely well-done and does show the emotions of the characters this time. Especially Lumine.

Overall : 9/10
The difficulty of the game is fairly hard. It will not be that challenging on a second run, though, since you'll have figured most of the boss patterns. Still, if you are a hardcore fan of MegaMan, this is a must-get. You'll enjoy this game as much I did.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/04