Mega Man Xtreme

"The X series has risen to a new height in gaming"

Introduction
The first X game on the GB, and it has already proved to be better than the original! I love this game! They are already working on MegaMan Xtreme 2, which will come out one year after this one. At this rate, they might even bring back the classic series!

Story 8/10
X was taking a stroll when he encountered a bad case of déjà vu. He soon learned that a robot named Techno has hacked into the Mother Computer at Maverick Hunter HQ, and has gathered data from the past into a small personal cyber army. X volunteers to venture into the mainframe, and shut down Techno’s schemes. (look at all those play on words!) Before he can make it to the core, he must defeat 4 gate keepers from the past. Chill Penguin, Spark Mandrill, Storm Eagle, and Flame Stag.

GamePlay 10/10
This game is superb. It is basically like the original X game, but with different control. You jump way higher, you charge up the X Buster faster, and to dash, you must now press down and jump, like the classic MegaMan slide! In each level, you will encounter auto save points, which automatically save your game from that point. As soon as you open an auto saved game, it is erased. Unlike the original game, Xtreme saves your point during the fortress levels, so you won’t have to do them from the beginning every time you play. The game is a mix of X1 and X2, but carries both aspects. The upgrade capsules are where they were originally, and instead of the X-Hunters after you in Flame Stag’s stage, you get a Shadow Hunter. They are working with Techno, and you face one of them. Zain in Normal Mode, and Geemel in Hard Mode. That is another feature. After beating the game, you have access to a new Hard Mode. You keep all the upgrades from the previous game, but have access to 4 different bosses, and a new side-quest. After beating it in Hard Mode, you face it in Xtreme Mode, which has all 8 bosses, and no storyline.

Graphics 8/10
The backgrounds are amazing, for the GBC anyway, but I can’t say that much for the sprites. One thing I didn’t like, was that X doesn’t look different until you get ALL of the upgrades. Which is a pity, as I always loved how he looks with just the armor upgrade. The in-game cut scenes were also great.

Sound 9/10
Good sound, for the GB anyway. Zero’s theme sounds great during every cut scene, and each of the stage themes of the robot masters almost match up to the originals.

Replay Value: Medium to High
The music, the graphics, and the bosses all helped rise this up. The fact that you can face it in 3 different difficulties is excellent, and it’s an over-all great game.

To buy or to rent
Buy, obviously. I didn’t even know you could rent GameBoy games. And while you’re at it, wait a year and get Xtreme 2.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/28/01, Updated 08/28/01