Mega Man X

"Mega Man gets all Xtreme for his debut on the SNES."

Finally, finally Mega Man fans got their wish when Capcom decided it was time to bring over Mega Man from the NES to the SNES. I don't think anyone saw what was coming with the release of Mega Man X; it took every single thing that was good about the original and just upgraded it magnificently. The first thing that should be addressed is the new storyline of the series, this game takes place 100 years after the original Mega Man series and stars the new invention of Dr. Light, X. Since he knew he wouldn't live to see the day X would become active he left a message for the one who would find him. Telling them not to open the capsule for at least 30 years. Dr. Cain came along and found X, from there the series took off in style.

This game has a lot of new innovations that the series had been lacking on the late NES days. One of the most noteworthy additions is the ability to wall jump, Mega Man X could now latch onto the wall and jump from it or slide down. This opened up a wide array of gameplay options by adding new ways to avoid bosses, ways to reach secret areas, etc. The second is the ability to be upgraded, through Dr. Light's many capsules in the many different levels. For example, you could get a body armor upgrade, leg upgrade, helmet upgrade, and an X-Buster upgrade. All of this allowed you to become stronger and stronger. Not only that but the series still stayed true to the original by allowing you to collect the Maverick's (bosses) power after you had defeated them.

Mega Man X also focuses on the action portion of the genre than the platformer. Throughout the game you'll run into more enemies, more shooting, and around the same jumping you would expect for a Mega Man game. Something that is missing from Mega Man X that has been present in most Mega Man games to date is the slide; the once useful slide has been replaced with a dash. The purpose of the dash is the same as the slide was, to get you to move faster and go into smaller spaces. Other than these great additions the gameplay has the same formula we've all come to know and love: Jump, shoot, shoot, jump.

The coolest addition to the game was the new character, Zero. He was a badass Maverick Hunter who assisted X in many missions. When playing you'll notice that he becomes more and more prominent in the overall storyline through his many appearances and sacrifices throughout. Which brings me to the plot; it is unlike anything a Mega Man to this point has seen. Unlike the original series where you only had to stop Wily from world domination MMX make has many, many twists and turns in its run. From the creation of X and Zero to how the Maverick's came to despite humans. It is the best story an action/platformer has ever served up. It brings you in and keeps you hooked but not focusing so much that it takes away from the gameplay experience.

After Mega Man 4 it just seemed like the series wasn't getting as hard as it could have been, but MMX completely turned everyone's head in a full 180 degree spin with the difficulty of the Mega Man X. The series was given a new standard in this new generation of gaming. The bosses were given more unpredictable patterns and more damage causing abilities. The basic enemies came in more numbers and took more damage than the enemies of old. So, yes, this game will be sure to give you one knock out of a challenge, as it should.

Capcom just sent chills down my spine when I first heard the music in Mega Man X. Since the mission was to try to make Mega Man more Xtreme they needed to change the music from techno to more of a rock type sound. That's what they did; the music is a very fast paced, adrenaline pumping kind of sound. It's the music that will get you going and bring you more into the game than music usually would. It does contain the more rock type genre of music but it also has the techno like beats from the original Mega Man, but again takes it up to suit the more extreme X.

With the length you have a solid amount of time in playing this game; you have the eight Maverick's you have to face along with many other bosses added to the picture. MMX is much longer than the original series in terms of level design, bosses, and upgrades. The game shouldn't take more than a few hours to complete if you're committed to a one sitting although there are plenty of extra items to go back for in the levels that require an enhancement that you might not have at the time. In addition, Mega Man X is like most others in the sense that you are going to want to go back and just play the game over and over for the sheer enjoyment value.

Overall, this is easily one of the best Mega Man games to ever be released. It contains plenty of upgrades whether it is through gameplay, sound/music, or even the storyline. I've never run into a game that has given me so much enjoyment through all of those categories. It gives you everything you could want in a game, fun, excitement, a story worth reading, excellent music, etc. It doesn't matter if you're a fan or not getting this game is the right thing to do.

Final Score: 9.0

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/04, Updated 05/30/06