Mega Man X2

"X introduced the new formula for the Mega Man series, X2 perfected it."

At the time of it's release Mega Man X was considered by many to be the best game in the Mega Man series and one of the best Super Nintendo games up to that point. In fact Mega Man X is still very highly regarded to this day. And due to it's huge popularity it seems only natural that Capcom would make a sequel, and that sequel is Mega Man X2. X2 took every thing that made the original a classic and improved on it.

GAMEPLAY:
In Mega Man X2 you assume the role of Mega Man X. Your mission is to navigate through eight stages and then proceed to the final enemy strong hold (if you've played any of the other Mega Man or Mega Man X games you know the deal). To clear a stage you must fight your way through a vast army of enemy robots and other obstacles and then defeat the powerful area guardian of the stage. The eight area guardians are the Wire Sponge, Magna Centipede, Bubble Crab, Morph Moth, Crystal Snail, Wheel Gator, Flame Stag, and Overdrive Ostrich. Luckily X is well equipped to handle his foes. X can shoot powerful energy blasts out of his hands which can even be powered up for more damage. He can also dash, climb walls, and even use the special abilities of bosses he has defeated. On top of this he can find special upgrades to make him even more powerful. X2 is a 2D action game which is lots of fun and has lots of variety. The controls are easy to learn and are very responsive and the great gameplay that made Mega Man X so much fun to play has remained virtually unchanged. X2 delivers in this department.

STORY:
The story to Mega Man X2 goes like this, X is a powerful reploid robot who was created by renowned scientist Dr. Light (the same person who built the original Mega Man). X was sealed in a hidden capsule underground for many years because it was feared that he was too dangerous to be unleashed upon the world. In the distant future X was discovered by a researcher named Dr. Cain. X was able to think for himself and make his own decisions giving him real intelligence instead of the artificial intelligence in other robots. People used this technology to create more advanced robots like X. But over time some of these new reploids went bezerk claiming that humans were inferior and that reploids should rule the world. Mega Man X set out to defeat the reploid army and their leader Sigma and was successful. However six months after defeating Sigma, X and the other reploid hunters learned that the last of Sigma's supporters had been tracked to a seemingly abandoned ware house. X headed to the ware house in hopes of wiping out the last of Sigma's followers. But after defeating the remaining reploids he learns that there was a far greater threat at hand. A group of strong reploid warriors called the X-Hunters had been secretly rebuilding Sigma's empire. And so X once again sets out to defend the human race. Not a bad story, and one should note that there are some interesting twists and turns to the plot but I won't give away any spoilers.

AUDIO/VIDEO:
The music and sound effects in Mega Man X2 are very well done. Explosions and weapon fire sound good and the music generally fits the atmosphere of the game. The graphics are also excellent for the time period, with lots of detail and variation. One of the coolest things about the graphics in this game were the special 3D wire frame effects. These effects were made possible by the C4 chip (similar to the Super FX chip used in games like Starfox and Stunt Race FX) included in the game cartridge.

REPLAY ABILITY:
There are lots of hidden items and power ups to be found in the game as well as slight variations in the story depending on how you play through the various stages. These things alone will give you a fair amount of replay value, but add to the fact that this game is a lot of fun to play you probably won't get tired of it too soon.

TO BUY OR RENT?:
I doubt you will find this game (or pretty much any SNES game for that matter) available for rent, but if you can I highly recommend giving X2 a try. The more practical thing to do would be to buy the game, but since this game was not as widely produced as many of the other great Super NES titles be prepared to do some extensive searching and pay about $35 plus dollars to get your hands on a copy. But if you are a big fan of the Mega Man series or action games in general, X2 won't disappoint.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/19/01, Updated 09/19/01