Mega Man Maverick Hunter X

"A classic reborn as a classic."

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is a treat from Capcom to fans of the Mega Man franchise. But it promises to be so much more. The game is essentially a remake of the classic original Mega Man X game that was released on SNES several years back. But the game has enough cool features to keep both old school fans, and new fans content.

Gameplay:
Of course this has always been the meat of Mega Man games. And for the most part this is still a standard Mega Man game. It doesn't play much differently at all than the original MMX. But that's a good thing. It keeps the series trademark boss battle weakness system in tact. This is a system that makes defeating the eight boss robots easier by using your head and knowledge of the game.

When you defeat a boss, you'll acquire a new ability based from the theme of that boss. These abilities can be used against other bosses, and each boss is weak to one of the other seven abilities. So by knowing what you're doing you can take the bosses down with ease. This has been around since the very earliest days of the standard Mega Man series. Another feature this game keep in tradition is spot on, tight controls. The action in these games is fast, and often hectic. But thankfully you have super responsive controls here. And the control layout fits perfectly to the PSP's button layout.

What you'll find here is a seemingly fun gameplay experience that is quite fun and addicting. You'll plow your way through the various bosses, and strive to retrieve valuable heart containers and sub tanks to aid in your battles. There really isn't much at all to complain about here.

Story:
This series actually has a pretty serious story. And it's an engaging one too. Capcom has added a really cool unlockable that will further your interest in this story. A very well animated movie showing the events prior to the game. It boils down to this. Mega Man X was created by Dr. Thomas Xavier Light to be the first reploid robot to have nearly human emotional capabilities. X can think on his own, and feel emotions much like a human.

This makes him a very special robot, and gives him the ability to rise above the rest of his kind with growth and learning. X's formal commander in Unt 17, Sigma, turns against the unit and decides to start a rebellion against humanity. X and his partner Zero take it upon themselves to put an end to Sigma. Over the course of the game you'll learn more and more about why exactly everything is happening. You'll also grow to appreciate X and Zero in their conquest for justice. It may not be the most deep story in a video game, but it is a pretty cool one none the less.

Graphics/Sound:
One of the new features of this game is in it's new 3D graphical engine. But before you storm off in a huff, I'll assure you it actually works out quite well. The new visuals are slick and quite a bit cooler than you might expect. You still get the retro feeling of this title if you've played it before, but now it features a modern face lift. Another new feature is that the game boasts a new remixed soundtrack. Some fans may like this others may not. I didn't mind it at all, in fact I quite enjoyed the new soundtrack. Though this can be hit or miss with a long time fan.

And then we come to raw sound effects. And as sad as it is, I cannot quite remember the sounds from the original game. But the sounds here work quite well. Even down to the steady foot falls of X's metallic boots. And a honorable mention must be given here to the voice over work for this game. It may not be the absolute best, but for a MMX game, it's quite good. Gone are the days of X sounding like a nine year old. Some of the boss reploids voices are a tad annoying, but for the most part it's all pretty well done.

Play Time/Replayability:
Here is my only real complaint with this game. Although it does get evened out.
This game, while challenging just isn't very long. You'll complete it in most likely at most a solid week, and even that's pushing it. Most gamers will have finished the game in a few days. While this could be a turnoff, it is, as I mentioned above evened out.

The replayability here helps even out the game's short length. Not only is the game a quite enjoyable experience, but it features multiple difficulty levels. And if that's not enough for you it features two very cool extras for completing the main game once with X. I mentioned the slick animated movie above, and it in itself is a real treat to fans. But the real kicker here is Vile mode.
For the first time in the series, players are given the option to play as X's rival hunter, Vile. This mode is handled very well. It doesn't at all feel like a simple tacked on addition. As it features it's own story, and dialogue. You'll play through the same stages as you did with X, but quite a few things make them drastically different. Firstly, Vile plays very differently than X, and as such the level layouts change to harness Vile's abilities.

Another things that separates things here is Vile's arsenal. He doesn't simply have a buster arm, but instead three main weapons. A hand based gun, a shoulder mounted cannon, and a knee cap grenade launcher. All of these three pieces can be fitted with new weapons you'll earn from defeating the game's bosses. The total arsenal here is quite impressive too, and the weapons you'll get will depend on the order in which you take down the bosses. Vile mode alone feels like a whole new game, so adds some serious replay value to the package. And for the price, you really can't go wrong here.

Final Recommendation:
I'd highly recommend purchasing this game if you're into action games. If you're a long time Mega Man fan, you really aren't going to get better than this right now. As long as you can get into the gameplay you're almost certain to not regret the game's purchase. There really isn't much here to complain about. Even the game's short length is balanced out with solid reply values. Do yourself a favour and experience one of Capcom's best gems in years.
I give Mega Man Maverick Hunter X an explosive 10/10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/09/06