Mega Man X

"The best original Mega Man game"

Persistent, isn´t he? Capcom´s little blue robot has been bringing joy to action gamers worldwide ever since the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System, and today, in 2007, I am quite convinced that there are quite some players who have lost count of the sheer number of Mega Man games...I myself am not sure how many titles bearing the famous Mega Man/Rockman name there actually are. In any case, exploiting a popular franchise is quite typical for Capcom (just look at the endless list of Street Fighter based games, or the amount of Resident Evil ports, remakes and spin-offs...), but that´s not necessarily a bad thing if the quantity also means quality, which fortunately is the case with Capcom quite often. And that´s also the case with "Mega Man X", the Super Nintendo debut for the iconic robot that recently got a fantastic remake with "Mega Man Maverick Hunter X". And even though I can already confirm that the remake really is better than the original, there´s no doubt that this game here has aged more than gracefully.

The basic gameplay remains true to the roots of the series, which means that we´re being treated with another Jump and Shoot in the series with some cool twists that were fresh and innovative when the game hit stores back in 1993. After a rather short introductory level, you are free to choose from several levels, each of them featuring a tough-to-beat boss enemy, and only after beating every single level, you´re allowed to enter the last stage. The levels themselves are moderately long and astound with some great designs, full of demanding jumping passages and enemies that have been placed in a difficult but fair way. They´re challenging and maybe a little difficult for beginners, but they always stay fair and with some practice, everyone might be able to beat them. The highlight of each level, however, are the really cool boss battles, as some of them require precise timing and well thought tactics - believe me, you practically always have to be in motion and wary of the next move the boss is going to make, but in the end, it makes beating them all the more exhilarating. Another great thing about the gameplay is the fact that there are literally tons of abilities you´ll be learning one by one, and more importantly, which you´ll eventually need in order to get through the levels, like the VERY important dash ability, or a helmet with enhanced strength that is able to even break through rocks falling down from the ceiling, nullifying their painful effect on you. Unlike in previous Mega Man installments, the protagonist now also has the ability to charge his canon, creating a far more powerful and devastating blast that can kill some enemies in one single blow. One small detail about the jumps in this game remains to be said as well: this time, Mega Man is able to execute a wall jump similar to Mario in his later games, and I have to admit that it´s a really cool feature that makes some passages in the game far less frustrating. But the controls in general already are very smooth and responsive, with each single action being easy to execute. However, this doesn´t mean that "Mega Man X" is without flaws in terms of gameplay. What really bugged me, for example, is the sad fact that there is no way to save your game. Instead, there only is an overly complicated and annoying password system, which was outdated even at the time of the game´s release. But since the game is rather short, anyway, experts probably won´t mind as they will be able to play through it in one single session. Another unfortunate flaw is that Mega Man still can´t shoot upwards or crouch, which makes the challenge of the game even more considerable. In the end, though, these flaws don´t really matter as they don´t harm the game in any serious way. What remains is the most well playable Mega Man game ever (next to its own remake, of course).

For a Super Nintendo game, the graphics are simply outstanding. Every single character, from Mega Man to the various enemies, has been drawn with a lot of detail and color, giving the game a distinct comic look that fits the character and his universe perfectly. There are also tons of huge explosions that practically occur whenever you blast an enemy into oblivion, and they certainly look most impressive for their age. The character animations are well done for most part of the game as well, even though they can seem kinda stiff at times, which is no big deal, though, when you look at the year this game has been released in. All in all, they´re great for an action packed title like "Mega Man X" and are worthy of being on the Super Nintendo.

Fortunately, the music won´t be annoying you while playing through the game, unlike in lots of other similar titles. In fact, almost each track is pretty cool and catchy, always fitting the atmosphere and driving you forward, so to speak. The sound effects are nicely done as well, even though after a while, some of them tend to get annoying, like the sound of Mega Man charging his lasercanon, but that´s only a slight complaint from my side, since overall, the music and sound fare exceptionally well, even though I still prefer the remixed soundtrack of "Mega Man Maverick Hunter X".

Without a doubt, "Mega Man X" remains a classic title of the Super Nintendo era that still remains wonderfully playable even in the age of PlayStation 3 and X-Box 360. Nevertheless, whoever hasn´t played this game yet should skip this one and get the remake for the PSP instead. It´s easier to find, it has got everything the original had as well...and most importantly, it has an awesome, fresh coat of paint that makes an outstanding game even better. But still, that doesn´t change anything about "Mega Man X" being the best original Mega Man title in my humble opinion.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/07