Megaman X, the titan of the Mega Man X series, and for good reason.
Graphically, Megaman X is amazing. For the SNES, these were some really nice graphics, and I'll say it, some of the best the SNES was capable of. The sprites in this game are very detailed, and the personality put into making the Robot Masters (The bosses, for those who don't know.) is surprising. Everything looks good, and it always gets it's point across. Now personally, a few sprites in game seem a bit off, but I can't put my finger on it why. I rate Graphics 9/10.
Sound. Oh dear lord, this game's music. Some of these tracks are stuck in my head days after I hear them, and they all work so well! I don't think I encountered a song I didn't like while playing. To put this to scale, some of the most loved tracks in the Megaman X series come from this game, and it's easy to see why. I rate Sound 10/10.
From an addictiveness standpoint, the game doesn't do incredibly well. While you'll probably want to play the game a few times, just to see if you missed anything, or just for fun, it quickly makes itself clear that you aren't going to be changing much. The story stays the same, there is no New Game Plus, and there really isn't much else to do except for speed run the game or get better at it. Now, it's still re-playable, but it's just not as re-playable as you'd think. I rate Addictiveness 6/10.
Story wise, the game isn't doing anything huge. You've got X, the main protagonist, and you've got Sigma, the main antagonist. The antagonist is trying to take over the world and it's your job as X to stop him. While the story is more complex than that, it's about what it sums up to be. The story is good, but it could be better. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, as it's certainly not bad, I sometimes wonder what the game would be like if there was more story. I rate Story 7/10.
This game has a good level of depth. While not too deep, it's secrets and the like will probably take some time in finding. The upgrades are the main secrets to find, and other than that it's really finding out what bosses are weak to what weapons. The first time you'll play this blind, you probably won't find everything. Heck, I found maybe half of the upgrades my first time, and my second time I followed a guide the whole way to make sure I didn't miss anything. I rate Depth 7/10.
And finally we come to the major point of the Mega Man games. The Difficulty. Not going to lie, the game isn't easy. It requires good hand-eye coordination, and memorization. There are lots of instant-death hazards, such as spikes and pits, and there are lots of enemies that require some patience to fight. The bosses are where memorization comes into play. The bosses all have their patterns and attacks, which will take time to get used to. Never before in a game series have I sat on my computer yelling at myself for not remembering that one attack that's really annoying. But there's nothing like the feeling you get after beating that one boss that you've been trying to get past for the last hour or so, and being able to move on to the next part of the game. It's hard but fair in most cases, but there are a few areas that have some pretty frustrating sections, but if you play slowly and take your time you should be alright. I rate Difficulty 8/10.
Overall, I rate the game a solid 9/10. It's wonderful graphics and stunning music are some of it's highest points,and even though the addictiveness isn't that great, it's still a blast to play through. It's story is good, and it even has a few nice surprises in it, and it's depth keep the game interesting. While difficult, it's rewarding, and an absolute blast. Megaman X, the titan of the Mega Man X series, and for good reason.
Graphically, Megaman X is amazing. For the SNES, these were some really nice graphics, and I'll say it, some of the best the SNES was capable of. The sprites in this game are very detailed, and the personality put into making the Robot Masters (The bosses, for those who don't know.) is surprising. Everything looks good, and it always gets it's point across. Now personally, a few sprites in game seem a bit off, but I can't put my finger on it why. I rate Graphics 9/10.
Sound. Oh dear lord, this game's music. Some of these tracks are stuck in my head days after I hear them, and they all work so well! I don't think I encountered a song I didn't like while playing. To put this to scale, some of the most loved tracks in the Megaman X series come from this game, and it's easy to see why. I rate Sound 10/10.
From an addictiveness standpoint, the game doesn't do incredibly well. While you'll probably want to play the game a few times, just to see if you missed anything, or just for fun, it quickly makes itself clear that you aren't going to be changing much. The story stays the same, there is no New Game Plus, and there really isn't much else to do except for speed run the game or get better at it. Now, it's still re-playable, but it's just not as re-playable as you'd think. I rate Addictiveness 6/10.
Story wise, the game isn't doing anything huge. You've got X, the main protagonist, and you've got Sigma, the main antagonist. The antagonist is trying to take over the world and it's your job as X to stop him. While the story is more complex than that, it's about what it sums up to be. The story is good, but it could be better. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, as it's certainly not bad, I sometimes wonder what the game would be like if there was more story. I rate Story 7/10.
This game has a good level of depth. While not too deep, it's secrets and the like will probably take some time in finding. The upgrades are the main secrets to find, and other than that it's really finding out what bosses are weak to what weapons. The first time you'll play this blind, you probably won't find everything. Heck, I found maybe half of the upgrades my first time, and my second time I followed a guide the whole way to make sure I didn't miss anything. I rate Depth 7/10.
And finally we come to the major point of the Mega Man games. The Difficulty. Not going to lie, the game isn't easy. It requires good hand-eye coordination, and memorization. There are lots of instant-death hazards, such as spikes and pits, and there are lots of enemies that require some patience to fight. The bosses are where memorization comes into play. The bosses all have their patterns and attacks, which will take time to get used to. Never before in a game series have I sat on my computer yelling at myself for not remembering that one attack that's really annoying. But there's nothing like the feeling you get after beating that one boss that you've been trying to get past for the last hour or so, and being able to move on to the next part of the game. It's hard but fair in most cases, but there are a few areas that have some pretty frustrating sections, but if you play slowly and take your time you should be alright. I rate Difficulty 8/10.
Overall, I rate the game a solid 9/10. It's wonderful graphics and stunning music are some of it's highest points,and even though the addictiveness isn't that great, it's still a blast to play through. It's story is good, and it even has a few nice surprises in it, and it's depth keep the game interesting. While difficult, it's rewarding, and an absolute blast. |