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07-29-14 09:45 PM
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Back to Not-so-Basics (WARNING: VERY LONG REVIEW!)

 
Game's Ratings
Overall
Graphics
Sound
Addictiveness
Depth
Story
Difficulty
Average User Score
9.2
9.4
9.2
8.9
8.2
7.8
7.1
UncleBalrog's Score
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9
10
10
9
9
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07-29-14 09:45 PM
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UncleBalrog
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Ohhhhhhhhhhh boy, where do I begin with this game. That's a rhetorical question, because as always I'm gonna start by reintroducing myself as UncleBalrog, the guy who does game reviews. And really wants a name change!
I've lowered the gap between reviews from over a year to about a day or two, whether or not this is permanent is up to my motivation and whether or not I feel like some games on here really NEED reviews. Seriously, there's a LOT of game reviews on this board! But I feel this is a game that is so noteworthy that no number of reviews can accurately capture what an expansive behemoth of a game this really is. The fact that it's a Mega Man game just makes the "expansive behemoth" part seem a bit unrealistic.

But without any doubt, the concept of Quality over Quantity is a concept that Mega Man games are no stranger to. Following my experimental reviewing strategy, I'm gonna tackle this one with a much more optimistic attitude than I did with... *Elongated breath intake* ...Oracle of Seasons... Grr...

THE PROS (There's tons!!)
-
A faithful, true successor to the Mega Man franchise for the NES (Seriously, it's part of that same timeline.)
-Takes the series in a MUCH darker direction than the original series did, which I like quite a bit. 
-Removes the awkward gimmicks that piled up on one another from Mega Man 3 and onwards (Rush adapter, Bolts, etc.) while having the same core gameplay, at least at first.
-Adds two very simple maneuvers to the game that change almost EVERYTHING about how you play it.
-A far more in-depth and rewarding upgrade system, especially compared to using Bolts to pay for stuff.
-Definitely one of the best soundfonts out of any SNES game I've played, even more so than its own sequels.
-An actual engaging storyline that leaves room for imagination as well as smooth continuation. 
-Overall a much better game by itself than all of the classic Mega Man games combined in my opinion (and from a critical standpoint.) 

THE VERY FEW CONS (Mostly just nitpicks.)
-A certain upgrade requires INSANE timing and reaction time, my first time getting it had me on the verge of insanity. 
-The final levels weren't handled how they were in the classic series, they would have been far better if it was like a gauntlet rather than separated into four different sections. Even if said separation definitely built up a lot of suspense. 

And now, onto the evaluation of this game's nicks and crannies. Hold on to something, and don't you dare lose your pants for this one.

THEM GREAPHICS!!
I'll admit something about the graphics in this game. I've seen things that look better on the SNES. However, the games in question (Chrono Trigger, specifically) had something that Mega Man X didn't. In that game, there were times where the graphics would oddly transition, or times when the camera would awkwardly pan and make the sprites look reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaally weird. In Mega Man X, it's not so much that the graphics are "good," it's more that they all blend and flow nicely, with the sprites just big enough to be detailed enough, but just small enough so that they don't take up half the screen. This is especially important in a 2-D action-platformer, because you've GOTTA be able to see what's going on around you. Also, this game didn't try to do anything totally revolutionary or fancy with the graphics, unlike games like Chrono Trigger. Don't get me wrong, I love Chrono Trigger, but I'll sing its praises another time. Mega Man X kept the same graphical style, making things much easier on the eyes, and easier to follow as a platformer. All awkward complaints aside, they still look pretty friggin' nice. Most of the bosses were based on animals instead of elements (fire, water, etc.) so the stages had to adapt to fit the boss. They went about doing this absolutely seamlessly. The stages all had this perfect, awe-inspiring atmosphere that, when coupled with the beyond-exceptional music tracks, set the perfect mood for jumping straight into the action and taking down each boss.

THEM MUSICS!!
As I mentioned in the many pros I listed, this game has one of my favorite soundfonts out of any SNES game, including its own sequels. None of it is even close to cringe-worthy, and I love how it was mostly rock-inspired. A few instruments are quite obviously synth-metal, and I swear to god there's even some jazz-inspired elements. This is mainly apparent in the end credits. End credits as in the staff roll, not the cast roll. Cast roll was pretty neat too though. Anyway, as for the other music in the game, every track fits its respective area absolutely perfectly. No exceptions, no exaggerations. Just a heads-up too, my favorite track in the game, as well as what I think of as this game's "defining piece," is the Stage Select BGM. I always find myself smiling in either triumph (after successfully defeating a Maverick) or revenge-ridden determination (after failing a stage) because that's the kind of mood the Stage Select BGM sets. That, and the mugshots of all the bosses are just BEGGING for you to click on them and play through their stage. There's no feeling quite like the feeling you get when you return to the stage select screen and hear that music playing. 
...Another noteworthy set of tracks I feel I should discuss are the four tracks used in the four Sigma Stages at the end of the game. 
The first track plays alongside a cutscene where X and Zero finally locate Sigma's fortress, and stand outside of it and have a small mission briefing before executing their plan of attack. If there was an "Atmospheric" section to the review format, it'd be getting 11/10 just for the music. 
The second track plays during the second Sigma Stage, where X succeeds in infiltrating the fortress to wipe out the Mavericks that Zero left behind after storming the fortress before you. You feel like you're in the belly of the beast, but you know that your partner Zero is just up ahead, waiting for you to catch up with him and execute the next phase of the mission. 
The third track...oh god, the third track. Remember what I said about the second track making you feel as if you're in the belly of the beast? Well this track makes you feel like you're in the very BOWELS of the beast. Sure you're executing the next phase of the mission, but you've got no buddy up ahead to rendezvous with. You're completely alone, fighting not for your friends who are ahead of you, but for yourself and the friends you've been forced to leave behind. Put forth the fact that you got all those armor upgrades, you feel scared at first, but then realize how strong you've become, and press on. At least that's how it made me feel. I played this a couple years back, this is the experience I had with the game. Needless to say I got REALLY into it. 
The fourth track is played for only a short time, but the time it does play for gets you pumped for the inevitable final battle with Sigma that lays just ahead. Or, well, technically it lays just above you... cause you're climbing up a tower... Egh...

ADDICTIVENESS
This is another one of those topics where I don't quite know where to begin...there's just so many things about this game that hooked me from the start, and they all sorta hit me at the same time, so... I guess the combination of the music, enemies, sound effects, and atmosphere is what got me hooked. And it KEPT me hooked. This game grabs your attention immediately, and I assure you it does NOT let go. All the upgrades available for you to find are sort of like an incentive to play the game more, to learn its ins and outs. I certainly did. At any rate, I've played this game countless times, and I still find it insanely fun. 

STORY
The story in this game is by far more...defined than it was in the classic series. It also, like I said, takes a much darker direction than the classic series took. For starters, remember Dr. Light? And Dr. Wily? And Mega Man? And every other character that was alive by the end of Mega Man 7? Well, they're all dead. I'm gonna go ahead and give you an eternity to let that sink in. Bass, Protoman, all of them are long gone by now. But, Dr. Light's last creation, Mega Man X, awakens in this series, and is TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME. Anyway, I don't really think I should spoil the whole story of the game for you, seeing as you can just play the game for yourself and experience it on your own, which I HIGHLY recommend. At any rate, the characters in the Mega Man X series are more developed and, dare I say it, more important than the ones in the classic series, with the exception of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily. They all, especially Zero, have a huge impact on the story in their own ways. Sigma is, sadly, a character that gets really stale as the series goes on. He even resorts to the three cliche villain actions in the later entries. For those of you that aren't familiar, these three actions include; having an evil laugh, monologuing, and elaborately explaining their plans. Most of the time it's all three at once. Otherwise, the story is excellent, and I especially like how Zero's backstory was elaborated on in Mega Man X4, my personal favorite of the series. 
One thing you should probably know: The series was intended to only have 5 entries, ending the series with the final deaths of Sigma and another character. But, unbeknownst to Keiji Inafune, the series's creator, Capcom decided to crap out a 6th game. That game is known as Mega Man X6, my personal most hated game of all time. Needless to say, the X series SORT OF continues into the Zero series, which then continues into the ZX series. I just find it really interesting how all these stories manage to tie together in some way, as it all dates back to the classic series. And guess who started this whole chain reaction off? Dr. Light and Dr. Wily. I don't know whether to thank them, or hate them to death, especially given the fates of all these robots they've created.

DEPTH
This game has a whole new level of depth added to it that the classic series could NEVER manage to live up to, not in a million years. The two new maneuvers I mentioned in the pros were Dashing, and Wall Jumping. They basically shaped the image of the entire Mega Man X series, and these features were also included in the Zero and ZX series. They both add tons of new ways to go about stage design, boss patterns, how to approach and avoid enemies, and the general speed of the game as a whole. It's much faster-paced than the classic series, and I much prefer the X series for this reason. Not only did the general speed adapt to the use of these maneuvers, but also the stage's progressions as a whole as well. Remember how most of the time in classic Mega Man, reaching the end of the screen would simply move you on to the next area? Well in Mega Man X, they removed these entirely in order to not screw up the flow of the game. The only screen-scrolling areas of the game are for the Boss doors--the transition of going through a boss door only contributes to the adrenaline rush you get while fighting them. 
Another thing to add to this game's depth, is the upgrade system. Instead of gathering Bolts to purchase upgrades that serve as only slightly helpful gimmicks, you can find Armor Capsules that enhance X's overall abilities. I'll explain what each part does.
Head Parts: These allow you to break certain blocks above you, which turns out to be crucial if you're going for all the upgrades.
Body Parts (I know that sounds really weird out of context.): Decreases the damage done to you so you're more tanky than before.
Buster Parts: Allows you to charge special weapons, as well as your X-Buster, to shoot a powerful shot. Or in X's case, MANY shots.
Leg Parts: Grants you the ability to dash, this is the only X game where the Leg Parts are required to perform a dash. 
There's also a secret upgrade that allows you to use the Hadouken at full health. It's really powerful, you're not gonna find it on your first play. 

DIFFICULTY
The difficulty in Mega Man X is honestly a bit more lenient than it is with the classic series, especially now that you can just dash away from your problems. Or wall jump above your problems. Or both at the same time. Either way, the difficulty is certainly still there, and it's certainly real, it's just not as unforgiving as the classic series was. I'm not going to lie though, this is honestly one of the easiest games in the X series despite it being the first one. While X2 is still easier, X3 is a whole different case, and each subsequent one aside from X6 and X7 are even more difficult. (X6 falls into the "hard for no good reason" category, X7 is just an overall bad game.) 

To wrap this review up, I'm going to end this on a very positive note and say that Mega Man X still holds up as a strong game today, after over 20 years of...erm...existing. Definitely one of my personal favorites, and for a good reason.
Here's to hoping Zero makes it to the Smash 4 roster! He probably won't but who cares, I can at least hope he does!
Ohhhhhhhhhhh boy, where do I begin with this game. That's a rhetorical question, because as always I'm gonna start by reintroducing myself as UncleBalrog, the guy who does game reviews. And really wants a name change!
I've lowered the gap between reviews from over a year to about a day or two, whether or not this is permanent is up to my motivation and whether or not I feel like some games on here really NEED reviews. Seriously, there's a LOT of game reviews on this board! But I feel this is a game that is so noteworthy that no number of reviews can accurately capture what an expansive behemoth of a game this really is. The fact that it's a Mega Man game just makes the "expansive behemoth" part seem a bit unrealistic.

But without any doubt, the concept of Quality over Quantity is a concept that Mega Man games are no stranger to. Following my experimental reviewing strategy, I'm gonna tackle this one with a much more optimistic attitude than I did with... *Elongated breath intake* ...Oracle of Seasons... Grr...

THE PROS (There's tons!!)
-
A faithful, true successor to the Mega Man franchise for the NES (Seriously, it's part of that same timeline.)
-Takes the series in a MUCH darker direction than the original series did, which I like quite a bit. 
-Removes the awkward gimmicks that piled up on one another from Mega Man 3 and onwards (Rush adapter, Bolts, etc.) while having the same core gameplay, at least at first.
-Adds two very simple maneuvers to the game that change almost EVERYTHING about how you play it.
-A far more in-depth and rewarding upgrade system, especially compared to using Bolts to pay for stuff.
-Definitely one of the best soundfonts out of any SNES game I've played, even more so than its own sequels.
-An actual engaging storyline that leaves room for imagination as well as smooth continuation. 
-Overall a much better game by itself than all of the classic Mega Man games combined in my opinion (and from a critical standpoint.) 

THE VERY FEW CONS (Mostly just nitpicks.)
-A certain upgrade requires INSANE timing and reaction time, my first time getting it had me on the verge of insanity. 
-The final levels weren't handled how they were in the classic series, they would have been far better if it was like a gauntlet rather than separated into four different sections. Even if said separation definitely built up a lot of suspense. 

And now, onto the evaluation of this game's nicks and crannies. Hold on to something, and don't you dare lose your pants for this one.

THEM GREAPHICS!!
I'll admit something about the graphics in this game. I've seen things that look better on the SNES. However, the games in question (Chrono Trigger, specifically) had something that Mega Man X didn't. In that game, there were times where the graphics would oddly transition, or times when the camera would awkwardly pan and make the sprites look reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaally weird. In Mega Man X, it's not so much that the graphics are "good," it's more that they all blend and flow nicely, with the sprites just big enough to be detailed enough, but just small enough so that they don't take up half the screen. This is especially important in a 2-D action-platformer, because you've GOTTA be able to see what's going on around you. Also, this game didn't try to do anything totally revolutionary or fancy with the graphics, unlike games like Chrono Trigger. Don't get me wrong, I love Chrono Trigger, but I'll sing its praises another time. Mega Man X kept the same graphical style, making things much easier on the eyes, and easier to follow as a platformer. All awkward complaints aside, they still look pretty friggin' nice. Most of the bosses were based on animals instead of elements (fire, water, etc.) so the stages had to adapt to fit the boss. They went about doing this absolutely seamlessly. The stages all had this perfect, awe-inspiring atmosphere that, when coupled with the beyond-exceptional music tracks, set the perfect mood for jumping straight into the action and taking down each boss.

THEM MUSICS!!
As I mentioned in the many pros I listed, this game has one of my favorite soundfonts out of any SNES game, including its own sequels. None of it is even close to cringe-worthy, and I love how it was mostly rock-inspired. A few instruments are quite obviously synth-metal, and I swear to god there's even some jazz-inspired elements. This is mainly apparent in the end credits. End credits as in the staff roll, not the cast roll. Cast roll was pretty neat too though. Anyway, as for the other music in the game, every track fits its respective area absolutely perfectly. No exceptions, no exaggerations. Just a heads-up too, my favorite track in the game, as well as what I think of as this game's "defining piece," is the Stage Select BGM. I always find myself smiling in either triumph (after successfully defeating a Maverick) or revenge-ridden determination (after failing a stage) because that's the kind of mood the Stage Select BGM sets. That, and the mugshots of all the bosses are just BEGGING for you to click on them and play through their stage. There's no feeling quite like the feeling you get when you return to the stage select screen and hear that music playing. 
...Another noteworthy set of tracks I feel I should discuss are the four tracks used in the four Sigma Stages at the end of the game. 
The first track plays alongside a cutscene where X and Zero finally locate Sigma's fortress, and stand outside of it and have a small mission briefing before executing their plan of attack. If there was an "Atmospheric" section to the review format, it'd be getting 11/10 just for the music. 
The second track plays during the second Sigma Stage, where X succeeds in infiltrating the fortress to wipe out the Mavericks that Zero left behind after storming the fortress before you. You feel like you're in the belly of the beast, but you know that your partner Zero is just up ahead, waiting for you to catch up with him and execute the next phase of the mission. 
The third track...oh god, the third track. Remember what I said about the second track making you feel as if you're in the belly of the beast? Well this track makes you feel like you're in the very BOWELS of the beast. Sure you're executing the next phase of the mission, but you've got no buddy up ahead to rendezvous with. You're completely alone, fighting not for your friends who are ahead of you, but for yourself and the friends you've been forced to leave behind. Put forth the fact that you got all those armor upgrades, you feel scared at first, but then realize how strong you've become, and press on. At least that's how it made me feel. I played this a couple years back, this is the experience I had with the game. Needless to say I got REALLY into it. 
The fourth track is played for only a short time, but the time it does play for gets you pumped for the inevitable final battle with Sigma that lays just ahead. Or, well, technically it lays just above you... cause you're climbing up a tower... Egh...

ADDICTIVENESS
This is another one of those topics where I don't quite know where to begin...there's just so many things about this game that hooked me from the start, and they all sorta hit me at the same time, so... I guess the combination of the music, enemies, sound effects, and atmosphere is what got me hooked. And it KEPT me hooked. This game grabs your attention immediately, and I assure you it does NOT let go. All the upgrades available for you to find are sort of like an incentive to play the game more, to learn its ins and outs. I certainly did. At any rate, I've played this game countless times, and I still find it insanely fun. 

STORY
The story in this game is by far more...defined than it was in the classic series. It also, like I said, takes a much darker direction than the classic series took. For starters, remember Dr. Light? And Dr. Wily? And Mega Man? And every other character that was alive by the end of Mega Man 7? Well, they're all dead. I'm gonna go ahead and give you an eternity to let that sink in. Bass, Protoman, all of them are long gone by now. But, Dr. Light's last creation, Mega Man X, awakens in this series, and is TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME. Anyway, I don't really think I should spoil the whole story of the game for you, seeing as you can just play the game for yourself and experience it on your own, which I HIGHLY recommend. At any rate, the characters in the Mega Man X series are more developed and, dare I say it, more important than the ones in the classic series, with the exception of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily. They all, especially Zero, have a huge impact on the story in their own ways. Sigma is, sadly, a character that gets really stale as the series goes on. He even resorts to the three cliche villain actions in the later entries. For those of you that aren't familiar, these three actions include; having an evil laugh, monologuing, and elaborately explaining their plans. Most of the time it's all three at once. Otherwise, the story is excellent, and I especially like how Zero's backstory was elaborated on in Mega Man X4, my personal favorite of the series. 
One thing you should probably know: The series was intended to only have 5 entries, ending the series with the final deaths of Sigma and another character. But, unbeknownst to Keiji Inafune, the series's creator, Capcom decided to crap out a 6th game. That game is known as Mega Man X6, my personal most hated game of all time. Needless to say, the X series SORT OF continues into the Zero series, which then continues into the ZX series. I just find it really interesting how all these stories manage to tie together in some way, as it all dates back to the classic series. And guess who started this whole chain reaction off? Dr. Light and Dr. Wily. I don't know whether to thank them, or hate them to death, especially given the fates of all these robots they've created.

DEPTH
This game has a whole new level of depth added to it that the classic series could NEVER manage to live up to, not in a million years. The two new maneuvers I mentioned in the pros were Dashing, and Wall Jumping. They basically shaped the image of the entire Mega Man X series, and these features were also included in the Zero and ZX series. They both add tons of new ways to go about stage design, boss patterns, how to approach and avoid enemies, and the general speed of the game as a whole. It's much faster-paced than the classic series, and I much prefer the X series for this reason. Not only did the general speed adapt to the use of these maneuvers, but also the stage's progressions as a whole as well. Remember how most of the time in classic Mega Man, reaching the end of the screen would simply move you on to the next area? Well in Mega Man X, they removed these entirely in order to not screw up the flow of the game. The only screen-scrolling areas of the game are for the Boss doors--the transition of going through a boss door only contributes to the adrenaline rush you get while fighting them. 
Another thing to add to this game's depth, is the upgrade system. Instead of gathering Bolts to purchase upgrades that serve as only slightly helpful gimmicks, you can find Armor Capsules that enhance X's overall abilities. I'll explain what each part does.
Head Parts: These allow you to break certain blocks above you, which turns out to be crucial if you're going for all the upgrades.
Body Parts (I know that sounds really weird out of context.): Decreases the damage done to you so you're more tanky than before.
Buster Parts: Allows you to charge special weapons, as well as your X-Buster, to shoot a powerful shot. Or in X's case, MANY shots.
Leg Parts: Grants you the ability to dash, this is the only X game where the Leg Parts are required to perform a dash. 
There's also a secret upgrade that allows you to use the Hadouken at full health. It's really powerful, you're not gonna find it on your first play. 

DIFFICULTY
The difficulty in Mega Man X is honestly a bit more lenient than it is with the classic series, especially now that you can just dash away from your problems. Or wall jump above your problems. Or both at the same time. Either way, the difficulty is certainly still there, and it's certainly real, it's just not as unforgiving as the classic series was. I'm not going to lie though, this is honestly one of the easiest games in the X series despite it being the first one. While X2 is still easier, X3 is a whole different case, and each subsequent one aside from X6 and X7 are even more difficult. (X6 falls into the "hard for no good reason" category, X7 is just an overall bad game.) 

To wrap this review up, I'm going to end this on a very positive note and say that Mega Man X still holds up as a strong game today, after over 20 years of...erm...existing. Definitely one of my personal favorites, and for a good reason.
Here's to hoping Zero makes it to the Smash 4 roster! He probably won't but who cares, I can at least hope he does!
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