Unlike it's predecessor Mega Man, the game's storyline had a much more darker tone that would mark the history of the Mega Man X saga and it's many sequels. Mega Man X would later be remade for the PSP and re-titled as Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X. This is one of my favorite SNES games of all time, and Mega Man X is one of my favorite video game heroes long before Cloud Strife, Lara Croft, Master Chief, Altair, and Ezio Auditore ever existed. Time to review this classic game.
Plot. Sometime in the 22nd Century, a human scientist named Dr. Cain has found a hidden capsule in an underground lab, and it contained a warning made by the late Dr. Thomas Light. Dr. Cain then decides to remake the design of X thus creating his first "reploid". However, when reploids went mysteriously berserk, they were labeled as Mavericks. A reploid military task force was created to suppress these criminal activities, they were called the Maverick Hunter, and their leader was Sigma. When Sigma went Maverick, the destiny of Mega Man X had begun to unravel. This is the story of the Maverick Hunter named X and his partner Zero.
X can wall jump, which most Mega Man veterans have been looking forward to. And if players get a game over, they can write down the passwords that appear on the screen. X has four different upgrades: Leg Upgrade, enabling him to accelerate. Chest Upgrade, which reduces his damage. Arm Upgrade, which allows him to charge up to a more powerful third shot. And finally the Helmet Upgrade, which allows him to break certain ceilings with a headbutt. A secret capsule can be obtain, which grants X the Hadouken, a skill well known in the Street Fighter series.
Concept. Mega Man X starts in an introductory stage, where X must stop the villainous reploid, Vile (Vava in Japan). After completing the highway stage, players can select which boss to fight. There are a total of eight bosses before Sigma's Fortress: Chill Penguin, Storm Eagle, Flame Mammoth, Spark Mandrill, Armored Armadillo, Launch Octopus, Boomerang Kuwanger and Sting Chameleon. Players then infiltrate Sigma's Fortress in which they randomly fight against bosses as well as dangerous new ones until fighting against Sigma himself.
Design and Development. Unlike the 8-bit graphics of the NES, Mega Man X is in the glorious 16-bit graphics of the Super NES. As for the character, Inafune created Zero and intended to use him as the main character. But then, Inafune decided to re-create Mega Man in which he said "When the X series came out, I really wanted to redesign Mega Man," Inafune explained. "I wanted a totally different Mega Man. I’m a designer, a creator; I wanted something new. I didn’t want to use the same old Mega Man." Also to avoid a negative reaction from fans, Zero was reduced to a secondary role to Mega Man X. But later, Zero would be playable in Mega Man X3, and then fully playable from X4 to X8 and Command Mission. Zero then in 2002 would be the protagonist of Mega Man Zero.
Sounds and Music. The sound effects in Mega Man X were very well made. I liked the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and even Flame Mammoth's roar. As for the music, Toshihiko Horiyama was one of many composers of the Mega Man X series, and the themes are very epic. My favorite themes of the game are the introductory stage, Spark Mandrill, Launch Octopus, Spark Mandrill, Sigma's Final Stage, and even the boss battle themes including the last ones were totally epic.
History. The Mega Man X series began it's development shortly after Mega Man 5 and Mega Man 6 were completed. This new series was a spinoff of Mega Man, and it's storyline would have a much darker and serious tone which involved deaths of allies, tragic battles, and the countless returns of Sigma. Sigma and Vile would become most known for returning more than once. Vile however, would come back in Mega Man X3, X8, and Command Mission. Other spinoffs of Mega Man X were released on the Game Boy Color, and they are Mega Man Xtreme 1 and 2. The series creator, Keiji Inafune was originally going to end the series after X5 to work with Mega Man Zero, but Capcom went against his wishes and made Mega Man X6. The series started to decline shortly after X6, which Mega Man X7 met with mixed reviews due to it's distancing from 2D and entering in 3D. Mega Man X would also make a cameo in the Mega Man cartoon show.
Rantings. Although I liked the helmet upgrade, it wasn't that useful after all. As for difficulty, unlike Mega Man, this game was a bit less challenging. The enemies that I hated were the flying ones, the shield and mace robots, as well as the ones on the wall.
Good Aspects. My favorite items were the sub-tanks because unlike the Energy Tanks in Mega Man, they can be refilled by collecting health recovery items. Also, the Hadouken Fireball was also a great addition for bosses that could be tough. When I was about 8 years old, me an my cousins would re-visit levels to discover secrets. My two sisters (one is a gamer and the other one a Kim Kardashian wannabe) would also join the action of getting secrets. The game's replay value is high, and it's 800 Wii Points on the Wii Shop Channel. You'll love this game.
Overall. Mega Man X gets a 9 out of 10
God Bless and Play Hard Gamers!