Mega Man X4

"X, Y, Z, A. This should be called Mega Man A!"

Mega Man X4 is one of the most recent releases by Capcom of the Mega Man series. Actually, it’s one of the MANY games in the Mega Man series. Mega Man X4 also saw releases on the PC and the Sega Saturn.
Genre-2-D Platformer (Action)
Release Date-1997
Publisher-Capcom

Game Play-
7.7/10

The game play and controls are that of your average Mega Man X game. I wish
Capcom would have made this game Dual Shock Controller-compatible. And some of the objectives are almost impossible to fulfill. That was especially the case when you’re trying to get the X Buster-enhancer. Why, Capcom, why. Oh, well, my favorite stage in Mega Man X4 had to have been Jet Stingray's stage. Another thing, the eight stages in Mega Man X4 are very easy to get to the boss, the bosses are too hard, though. Even with Mega Man X or Zero. The game is the easiest of the Mega Man X games, but that is not saying much, not saying much at all. Believe me, I mean it.
Control-
7.1/10

The button layout is a little confusing, but it's not that bad. The control on-screen is overall pretty good, but the jump and shoot buttons are used way too often. Capcom did put a little innovation in this game. Zero's special moves are performed by doing a certain button combination, similar to Street Fighter. It's pretty easy to do once you get used to it. But in this there are except there are no blocks this time. That would be a pretty interesting thing to see in a Mega Man game. It would finally give the rejuvenation the Mega Man series needs.

Graphics-
6.7/10

The graphics could have been much better. The levels and bosses were nicely done though, kudos to Capcom on that. The animation was fluid, but the graphics were not as good as the graphics found in Mega Man 8, but that is a different review. And, well I just do not like Anime, so the Anime scenes are what brought this game down to a six-out-of-ten. But otherwise, this game is a good buy; you will find that Mega Man X4 is a good and above-average platformer graphicwise. But, I still think that Mega Man 8 and Rockman & Forte had the best Mega Man graphics ever, because it had great backgrounds and polished surroundings, which this game has, but not to the same degree as Mega Man 8 and Rockman & Forte.

Audio-
8.3/10

The music in Mega Man X4 is peaceful and memorable, and actually makes sense in a stage for a Mega Man X game. That was nicely done, Capcom. Thank you very much for making a Mega Man X game with music that actually makes sense and fits the stage well. Especially the Frost Walrus, Web Spider, Slash Beast, Jet Stingray, and the Storm Owl stage. The music in Mega Man X4 is the best feature in Mega Man X4. The sound effects in Mega Man X4 are your standard Mega Man sound effects.

Enjoyability-
7.4/10

The game is fun, but only if you have a fondness for platformers. It can be a tad difficult, but easier than previous Mega Man games. It basically stays true to the Mega Man name. But Zero's special moves counts as the tiny innovation that Capcom adds to every Mega Man game. Now if only the series wasn't so tired and strained, then maybe I can enjoy it again on the same level as when I first played Mega Mans 1-3.

Score Rundown-

Game Play-7.7/10 – Tried and true. The truth is that it’s boring.
Control-7.1/10 – It’s good to see Capcom changing something
Graphics-6.7/10 - Make it better, Capcom.
Audio-8.3/10 – This has nothing to do with sound, but SEATTLE MARINERS RULE!
Enjoyability-7.4/10 - Platformer fans rejoice!

Score-37.2/50

Percentage of Gaming Goodness-74%

Overall-
7/10

Doodleheimer's Recommendationitivity

Mega Man X4 is a good find at twenty bucks for anyone who likes Mega Man.
You know who you are, admit it. Even if you are not a Mega Man fan, you may still want to buy Mega Man X4. I bet that you will still like Mega Man X4, even if you played Mega Man X3. Mega Man X4 is a solid platformer, and the
2-D Platformer genre is quickly becoming extinct, so Mega Man X4 may be one of the last of its kind.

Street Price-$14.99

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/27/00, Updated 05/20/02