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Six of the futuristic blue bomber's greatest hits are upon us. Which are hits, which are misses, and which are pure Maverick fodder?
February 6, 2006 | 8:29 AM PSTby: Matthew Green
Capcom has taken a little blue robot named Mega Man and spun him off into numerous iterations and variations over the years. Want a Mega Man who lives in a data network? Check. How about a Mega Man who works as a digger? Done. Desire a futuristic Mega Man swimming in personal angst while blasting enemy robots with powerful weapons? Then you’re in luck. Mega Man X brought the Mega Man franchise into the 16-bit world way back in 1993, extending the popular franchise for the first time and starting another popular gaming series. Eventually X and the entire cast of characters – Zero, Sigma, Vile, and more Mavericks then one could shake a stick at – would become just as beloved and profitable as the original Mega Man and Rush. With nearly a dozen games under his belt, the time has come to look back on Mega Man X's gaming career. Capcom has taken the first six games in the series and loaded them into a compilation disc for the Nintendo GameCube and the Sony PlayStation 2.
Features
The Day Of Sigma
When scientist Dr. Cain unearths Mega Man X sometime in the not-too-distant future, he begins producing new sentient robots based on X’s design. These replicated robots – Reploids – have a nasty habit of turning against their human creators. These Mavericks must be terminated, and it is Mega Man X who leads the charge alongside fellow robot Zero to bring peace back to the planet after the former leader of the Maverick Hunter squad, Sigma, becomes a Maverick himself.
Mega Man X builds off of the familiar and fun formula that made the original Mega Man series so popular. X can do everything the original Mega Man can do, but better. He walks, he jumps, and he shoots. He can also dash for short distances and kick his way up vertical walls. His mission is to engage and destroy the Mavericks that are causing unrest and destruction, and in the Mega Man tradition X gains new abilities by defeating these Mavericks. X can also power up further by finding hidden capsules left behind by the late Dr. Light, X’s creator. Each capsule contains a holographic message from the scientist and an upgrade for one of X’s basic systems: legs, body, helmet, and arm cannon.
The basic formula and structure of each game in the Mega Man X series is established here in the first game. X must destroy eight charismatic animaloid Mavericks such as Chill Penguin and Armored Armadillo, power up his own systems, and track Sigma through several "fortress" levels to a final confrontation. While the original Mega Man X is the easiest in the collection, it is the most pure in terms of gameplay. X games may come and go, but it seems as if this is the one most people remember with a happy nostalgic glow. Each sequel will add new elements and tweak the basic formula, leading to mixed results.
Rise Of The X-Hunters
When a new group of Mavericks organize as the X-Hunters in order to hunt down and destroy Mega Man X, our hero goes back into action to stop the threat. Following closely to the original gameplay style and formula established in the first game, Mega Man X2 adds new elements to the madness. X’s friend and mentor, Zero, was destroyed at the conclusion of the previous game, and now the X-Hunters have collected his broken parts. They move between levels, and if X can find each of the three hunters and defeat them, he’ll recover one of Zero’s parts. Whether or not X succeeds in reviving Zero shapes the game’s final showdown.
Much of Mega Man X2's gameplay follows the solid formula set down by the first game: destroy the eight Mavericks (including foes such as Overdrive Ostrich and Morph Moth), gather enhancements, and destroy Sigma. The inclusion of the three X-Hunters – Agile, Serges, and Violen – and their own search for Zero’s parts is an optional side quest in that players need never engage them and recover Zero to complete the game. Going to the trouble to reactive X’s old friend does lead to a slightly different ending, however. Unfortunately, this game includes the first taste of speedbike action that will later factor more heavily into the series.
The Magnificent Battle Body
With Sigma seemingly out of the way, a Reploid scientist called Doppler goes Maverick. He begins work on a massive mechanical battle body designed to destroy all humans. The Maverick Hunters to go work against this latest threat, taking on Mavericks such as Blast Hornet and Toxic Seahorse. Leaving the Super NES era behind, Mega Man X3 introduces animated clips to drive portions of the story and is the first entry in the series released for the Sony PlayStation. Fans that have never played this version of the game will enjoy the remixed music that does away with the Super NES version’s synth guitar sounds in favor of a full orchestra. Its gameplay is still based on the established formula, but there have been a few more tweaks.
The most significant change is that Zero is a playable character for the first time. Players can bring him in once per level for no more than one-third of a level, he cannot fight bosses or Mavericks, and if he runs out of energy or is otherwise seriously damaged, he’s out of action for the rest of the game. Players may cling to him early in the game when X is still underpowered, but when X finds his enhancements and picks up a few Maverick weapons Zero suddenly becomes a large slow target by comparison.
Speaking of enhancements, another change to the formula introduces additional enhancement capsules. While X can still use the four traditional power-up capsules for his helmet, body, arm cannon, and legs, he can also choose from one of four additional enhancements. For instance, a double-enhancement for his legs allows him to dash twice in the air instead of just once. X can only take one of these extra enhancements though, so players will have to choose carefully.
Features
- Includes the first six Mega Man X games from the Super NES and Sony PlayStation eras
- Mega Man X (Super NES, 1993)
- Mega Man X2 (Super NES, 1995)
- Mega Man X3 (Sony PlayStation, 1996)
- Mega Man X4 (Sony PlayStation, 1998)
- Mega Man X5 (Sony PlayStation, 2000)
- Mega Man X6 (Sony PlayStation, 2001)
- Mega Man X (Super NES, 1993)
- Each game is presented in its original format
- Animated clips move the story forward
- Unlock remixed music clips, production art, and game hints
- Save your progress to a memory card or use passwords like the good old days (for games that support them)
- Mega Man Battle and Chase, the blue bomber’s only racing game, is an unlockable extra
The Day Of Sigma
When scientist Dr. Cain unearths Mega Man X sometime in the not-too-distant future, he begins producing new sentient robots based on X’s design. These replicated robots – Reploids – have a nasty habit of turning against their human creators. These Mavericks must be terminated, and it is Mega Man X who leads the charge alongside fellow robot Zero to bring peace back to the planet after the former leader of the Maverick Hunter squad, Sigma, becomes a Maverick himself.
Mega Man X builds off of the familiar and fun formula that made the original Mega Man series so popular. X can do everything the original Mega Man can do, but better. He walks, he jumps, and he shoots. He can also dash for short distances and kick his way up vertical walls. His mission is to engage and destroy the Mavericks that are causing unrest and destruction, and in the Mega Man tradition X gains new abilities by defeating these Mavericks. X can also power up further by finding hidden capsules left behind by the late Dr. Light, X’s creator. Each capsule contains a holographic message from the scientist and an upgrade for one of X’s basic systems: legs, body, helmet, and arm cannon.
The basic formula and structure of each game in the Mega Man X series is established here in the first game. X must destroy eight charismatic animaloid Mavericks such as Chill Penguin and Armored Armadillo, power up his own systems, and track Sigma through several "fortress" levels to a final confrontation. While the original Mega Man X is the easiest in the collection, it is the most pure in terms of gameplay. X games may come and go, but it seems as if this is the one most people remember with a happy nostalgic glow. Each sequel will add new elements and tweak the basic formula, leading to mixed results.
Rise Of The X-Hunters
When a new group of Mavericks organize as the X-Hunters in order to hunt down and destroy Mega Man X, our hero goes back into action to stop the threat. Following closely to the original gameplay style and formula established in the first game, Mega Man X2 adds new elements to the madness. X’s friend and mentor, Zero, was destroyed at the conclusion of the previous game, and now the X-Hunters have collected his broken parts. They move between levels, and if X can find each of the three hunters and defeat them, he’ll recover one of Zero’s parts. Whether or not X succeeds in reviving Zero shapes the game’s final showdown.
Much of Mega Man X2's gameplay follows the solid formula set down by the first game: destroy the eight Mavericks (including foes such as Overdrive Ostrich and Morph Moth), gather enhancements, and destroy Sigma. The inclusion of the three X-Hunters – Agile, Serges, and Violen – and their own search for Zero’s parts is an optional side quest in that players need never engage them and recover Zero to complete the game. Going to the trouble to reactive X’s old friend does lead to a slightly different ending, however. Unfortunately, this game includes the first taste of speedbike action that will later factor more heavily into the series.
The Magnificent Battle Body
With Sigma seemingly out of the way, a Reploid scientist called Doppler goes Maverick. He begins work on a massive mechanical battle body designed to destroy all humans. The Maverick Hunters to go work against this latest threat, taking on Mavericks such as Blast Hornet and Toxic Seahorse. Leaving the Super NES era behind, Mega Man X3 introduces animated clips to drive portions of the story and is the first entry in the series released for the Sony PlayStation. Fans that have never played this version of the game will enjoy the remixed music that does away with the Super NES version’s synth guitar sounds in favor of a full orchestra. Its gameplay is still based on the established formula, but there have been a few more tweaks.
The most significant change is that Zero is a playable character for the first time. Players can bring him in once per level for no more than one-third of a level, he cannot fight bosses or Mavericks, and if he runs out of energy or is otherwise seriously damaged, he’s out of action for the rest of the game. Players may cling to him early in the game when X is still underpowered, but when X finds his enhancements and picks up a few Maverick weapons Zero suddenly becomes a large slow target by comparison.
Speaking of enhancements, another change to the formula introduces additional enhancement capsules. While X can still use the four traditional power-up capsules for his helmet, body, arm cannon, and legs, he can also choose from one of four additional enhancements. For instance, a double-enhancement for his legs allows him to dash twice in the air instead of just once. X can only take one of these extra enhancements though, so players will have to choose carefully.
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February 8, 2010
