Megaman X2, the amazing sequel to Megaman X. And by amazing, I mean amazing.
Graphics in this game just look better. The colors are brighter, and the animations are just as good as they are in the first game. There are a few parts of the game where there's some graphical weirdness, but it's not very noticeable, and overall doesn't effect game play. The source of the updated graphics comes from the Cx4 Graphics Chip that the game was made with. It allowed some 3D Wireframe effects, which you can see throughout the game. (For those who don't know, 3D Wireframe effects are basically 3D graphics, or things that give off a 3D look.) I rate Graphics 9/10.
The music in this game never really grabbed me, but is still really good. There are some great songs, and 99% of the tracks in the game are great, but some songs just aren't as memorable. The worst song for me has to be the Level Select music. It just grates against your ears, and just isn't pleasing to listen to for more than two seconds. But then again, I can remember most of the songs pretty easily, with my favorites being the intro stage music and the final boss music. I rate Sound 9/10.
Addictiveness is improved in this game, mostly because this game has a few more secrets to discover. I won't spoil anything, but there are certain collectibles that you can gain by defeating optional bosses that get you and alternate ending, which in itself is a step up from the first game. I actually feel compelled to play through the game again just to see if I missed anything, as I decided to play through this game blind. I rate Addictiveness 8/10.
Story was a bit of a low point for the original game, but in this game there's actually a little more! There's a twist or two, and some new characters that are actually important to the overall plot, and there's actually a bit of an explanation of what's going on towards the end of the game. While not a huge improvement, it still helps, and I feel that the developers actually learned that maybe having more story to their games would help. There's not much else to say, as it's a direct sequel to the first game. I will say, the plot is actually more original from the original game where the plot was bad guy is trying to take over the world and the good guy has to stop him...also they're robots. In this game, there's a bit more thought put into it. I rate Story 8/10.
Depth wise, the game has more than the original. There's more secrets, the before mentioned optional bosses, and the upgrades. In Megaman games, Addictiveness and Depth are almost always linked because of their trend of secret items/upgrades. There are also some sly tricks used to hid things from you, and I think I only found maybe half of the secret items. Honestly, it's nice to have some more depth to the game, even if it's not that much.
Difficulty...I dunno about this one guys. After playing Megaman X1 I turned to this game, and I think this game is either easier, or I've just gotten much better at these games. The game is still definitely hard, harder than most games, but I feel like maybe the difficulty was lowered just a little bit. Most of the bosses could be stun-locked to death, or were just easy all around. But to be fair, there were a few mini-bosses/optional bosses that gave me some trouble, and the final boss had me stuck for longer than all the other bosses, so I suppose it's just easier in some areas. I rate Difficultly 8/10.
Overall, this game is a stunning sequel, taking all the good from the first game and improving it. While the sound design wasn't as good as the original, it's still full of good music. The improvements to story are welcomed with open arms, and the slightly upgraded graphics make the game look a bit nicer, even with the occasional graphical weirdness. It's addictiveness and depth improved as new secrets were added and a secret ending was introduced, as well. It's difficulty, while I felt it slightly easier than the original game, is still challenging and fun. Megaman X2, the amazing sequel to Megaman X. And by amazing, I mean amazing.
Graphics in this game just look better. The colors are brighter, and the animations are just as good as they are in the first game. There are a few parts of the game where there's some graphical weirdness, but it's not very noticeable, and overall doesn't effect game play. The source of the updated graphics comes from the Cx4 Graphics Chip that the game was made with. It allowed some 3D Wireframe effects, which you can see throughout the game. (For those who don't know, 3D Wireframe effects are basically 3D graphics, or things that give off a 3D look.) I rate Graphics 9/10.
The music in this game never really grabbed me, but is still really good. There are some great songs, and 99% of the tracks in the game are great, but some songs just aren't as memorable. The worst song for me has to be the Level Select music. It just grates against your ears, and just isn't pleasing to listen to for more than two seconds. But then again, I can remember most of the songs pretty easily, with my favorites being the intro stage music and the final boss music. I rate Sound 9/10.
Addictiveness is improved in this game, mostly because this game has a few more secrets to discover. I won't spoil anything, but there are certain collectibles that you can gain by defeating optional bosses that get you and alternate ending, which in itself is a step up from the first game. I actually feel compelled to play through the game again just to see if I missed anything, as I decided to play through this game blind. I rate Addictiveness 8/10.
Story was a bit of a low point for the original game, but in this game there's actually a little more! There's a twist or two, and some new characters that are actually important to the overall plot, and there's actually a bit of an explanation of what's going on towards the end of the game. While not a huge improvement, it still helps, and I feel that the developers actually learned that maybe having more story to their games would help. There's not much else to say, as it's a direct sequel to the first game. I will say, the plot is actually more original from the original game where the plot was bad guy is trying to take over the world and the good guy has to stop him...also they're robots. In this game, there's a bit more thought put into it. I rate Story 8/10.
Depth wise, the game has more than the original. There's more secrets, the before mentioned optional bosses, and the upgrades. In Megaman games, Addictiveness and Depth are almost always linked because of their trend of secret items/upgrades. There are also some sly tricks used to hid things from you, and I think I only found maybe half of the secret items. Honestly, it's nice to have some more depth to the game, even if it's not that much.
Difficulty...I dunno about this one guys. After playing Megaman X1 I turned to this game, and I think this game is either easier, or I've just gotten much better at these games. The game is still definitely hard, harder than most games, but I feel like maybe the difficulty was lowered just a little bit. Most of the bosses could be stun-locked to death, or were just easy all around. But to be fair, there were a few mini-bosses/optional bosses that gave me some trouble, and the final boss had me stuck for longer than all the other bosses, so I suppose it's just easier in some areas. I rate Difficultly 8/10.
Overall, this game is a stunning sequel, taking all the good from the first game and improving it. While the sound design wasn't as good as the original, it's still full of good music. The improvements to story are welcomed with open arms, and the slightly upgraded graphics make the game look a bit nicer, even with the occasional graphical weirdness. It's addictiveness and depth improved as new secrets were added and a secret ending was introduced, as well. It's difficulty, while I felt it slightly easier than the original game, is still challenging and fun. |