Damn, I screwed up here. Urgh, just start the review:
Alright, I'm really sorry about this, guys. Anyway, for my second review, I'm gonna take a look at Mega Man X8, made and distributed by Capcom, for the PS2. This game is the latest in the X series (not counting the pseudo-RPG of Mega Man X: Command Mission) and is a side-scrolling action game set in a 2.5D perspective (in other words, it's predominantly 2D with 3D used as effect, which I'll elaborate on later in the review).
Those who are not familiar with the Mega Man X series (or Mega Man in general), it revolves around the titular character named Mega Man (or X, in this case) who was designed to ensure humanity's safety and protection. In the original series, Mega Man was designed by Dr. Thomas Light in order to combat the consistent threats and crimes committed by Dr. Albert Wily. X, however, was destined to be the first robot able to have individual thoughts, but most importantly, he fought the main antagonist of the series in Sigma, a bald Reploid with cool, scar-like eyes who resembles Sagat from Street Fighter (another Capcom flagship series) and eradicates a handful of Mavericks (Reploids gone rogue and awry). As the classic Mega Man series had characters like Rush, Eddie, Auto, Proto Man, and Bass, the X series has its own characters like Zero, Axl, Vile, Dynamo, Colonel/General, and Red (to name a few). Also, the X series takes place more into the future, and has a fair amount of post-apocalyptic cities, ruins, factories, etc, and that the bosses are ferocious animal robots instead of goofy humanoid robots found in the regular, upbeat Mega Man series.
In X8, there is an elevator being built which takes new-age Reploids to the moon to work and mine valuable ore for advancing technology and what-not. Known as the Jakob Project, it is the next step to ensure the establishment of things for the future. While not deep (all Mega Man stories aren't by the way), it helps to set the atmosphere for the impending action. An accident is triggered, as part of the elevator explodes, and X is sent in to investigate. When he arrives at one of the hubs of the elevator, X notices Reploids that bear a resemblance to Sigma...in fact, a horde of them. As they step towards X, who prepares his trusty arm cannon, an androgynous white Reploid with spiky purple hair, named Lumine, shows up and reveals they are copies who exist with Sigma's DNA. Lumine is a 'he' and reveals his position as director of the Jakob Project. Time proceeds on, and the player is sucked to an incident on Noah's Isle (basically, a tropical green plane with water, rocks, and lots of enemies to destroy).
Which brings me to the gameplay portion. In layman's terms, you control X at first, running, dashing, jumping, and shooting everything in your path. Controls are simple, smooth, and dead-on. You can charge X's Buster Cannon to execute a Charge Shot, which is a more powerful (and flashy) blast of energy to take down many small mobile enemies, or dent a huge armored enemy. As you progress through the intro stage, other characters are dropped in to replace X; Axl pops in, and the action continues.
I find that Axl is a nice addition to the cast, and adds some interesting abilities to the game. For example, he carries a gun which can rapid-fire (every eighth hit, I believe, is able to break the guard of huge armored enemies), he can hover across pits for a short distance, and has the ability to transform into different enemies (he can change into a lanky Reploid that rolls like a wheel, a Reploid that skates across spikes, etc). But he can only transform into enemies his own size, not big-ass abominations with drill arms or megaton stomps, for the sake of exaggeration. In addition, Axl is a recent new character (he appeared in X7, which failed because of poor hit detection, uneven management/combination of 2D and 3D specs for stages, and unappealing bosses, among other things).
You spend time with Axl, and Zero shows up to take over from there. Zero is another main character who has been around since the first X game; he is suited for close-range attacks with his Z-Saber, able to hack and maim some unfortunate Reploids. In Mega Man X3, on a side note, Zero had a nifty and powerful attack setup: if you held the attack button and charged for a second or two, his body would flash green, and he could fire two energy shots and threw a saber strike in a combo. Since X4, he utilizes the Z-Saber, although he could still fire off weak shots from his cannon for extra (I guess desperate) manner. I found it wise for the programmers/designers at Capcom to stick with Zero's close-range abilities, since the series already has X and Axl for shooters; it adds variety, and playing as Zero will promote strategy and difficulty, especially when fighting ranged enemies or bosses.
In regards to the bosses, the Mega Man tradition goes like this: the player goes through a shutter, an antichamber, and another shutter (with an exception to Clown Man in number 8, where you go through one shutter, Jet Stingray in X4 is the same situation; sometimes, you don't go through the shutter/antichamber to engage in a boss: like Slash Beast in X4, you keep progressing forward on a military train until you face him), faces the boss in an one-on-one battle, defeats the boss, and acquires his (well, now it would be his/her, since Mega Man 9 features the classic series' first female Robot Master in Splash Woman...Heh! Heh!) weapon. In X8, each character utilizes the bosses' weapons in different fashions: X simply uses the boss weapon, like the Melt Creeper, Drift Diamond, or Squeeze Bomb, Zero learns a technique that a certain boss executes, and Axl gets different guns/ammo (infinite, of course) to whoop some metallic rear-end.
Throughout the course of the stages, players select a team of two characters to go through a stage (this is called the Tag Assist, and was introduced in X7, again with lackluster results). Say you need a shooter to mow down a flock of small enemies, but there's a high ledge without walls you need to climb and grab a secret item or access a capsule to gain a piece of X's armor...well, now it is possible to do that. Also, if a character is running low on energy during a boss fight, for example, you can switch the other character in and continue the fight, while the first character restores a little health. And if the second character is having problems, switch them out, rinse, and repeat some more. One more cool thing about the Tag Assist: there's a small gauge which gains a gradual pace of energy. Once it hits maximum, it will flash pink, and your characters can perform a powerful double-team attack. The screen glows into this fusion of Matrix-like descending vertical digital font, and your characters either blast, chop, or spaghetti western their way to the ultimate destruction of tough opposition and a well-reserved pat on the back or sigh or relief.
The stages are challenging, unpredictable, and fun as hell. They range from a volcanic plant where you start by descending downward and jumping on platforms, a forested base where you can stomp and blow enemies to oblivion on a Ride Armor (in this stage, the camera zooms in the air to switch perspectives while your character moves forth; an example of the 2.5D stuff I was talking about, and if that sounds 'eh' to you, think of Viewtiful Joe or Street Fighter IV, two other examples of 2.5D), a pitch-black base (yeah, mostly bases, factories, and plants, but there's some diversity in them) where you watch your steps and follow traces of light to proceed, and a vehicle segment where your tear-assing through a snowy course and swerving past wheeled machinations and glaciers. In most of the stages, there are plenty of items that the player can acquire, like the triangle crystals, which can help purchase restoration items and upgrades to the health/weapon meters, capsules for X's armor (in previous games, sorry for the lapses of my mind, but X can gather pieces of armor to enhance his defense, offense, mobility, and other specs), and other weapons for Zero. It enhances replayability and helps the player during the last portions of the game, which are challenging.
Other notes: Graphics are smooth, ironed-out, and distinctive. Particle effects are bright and forceful, and the individual characters (including the boss characters) look really cool. Sound effects are loud and explosive, and each stage has an individual theme and track which pumps the mood of the player, and increases the feel of the atmosphere. Cathartic yet pristine, in my view. Another thing I forgot to mention above is the navigators who assist the player through the stages. There are three in total: Layer, who gives you advice on enemies and how to handle them, Palette, who helps out with secret routes and items, and Alia, who is well-rounded in each area. You have the option to not rely on the navigators if you wish. The game takes about eight to ten hours for me, maybe add another two or three for all the unlockables and secret items. It's balanced enough for one or two sittings.
Overall, I enjoyed Mega Man X8. As another side note, I've played all the X games (including a little of Command Mission, which I thought was eh) the classic Mega Man games, and the Mega Man Zero games for Game Boy Advance. I am an avid fan Mega Man (and not ashamed of it) and am super psyched for Mega Man 9 coming up soon. But all the Battle Network and Star Force bullcrap doesn't cut it, and the anime incarnations are ridiculous and trite.
I covered the basic portions and elaborated on them in as much detail as my mind (or hands) could muster. Again, I apologize for the accidental press of the enter button, and I hope this didn't inconvenience you in any way. I hope this review was adequate and alright. Like my Afro Samurai review, please feel free to leave constructive criticism so I may learn how to improve on certain areas for next time. Thank you and enjoy.
Alright, I'm really sorry about this, guys. Anyway, for my second review, I'm gonna take a look at Mega Man X8, made and distributed by Capcom, for the PS2. This game is the latest in the X series (not counting the pseudo-RPG of Mega Man X: Command Mission) and is a side-scrolling action game set in a 2.5D perspective (in other words, it's predominantly 2D with 3D used as effect, which I'll elaborate on later in the review).
Those who are not familiar with the Mega Man X series (or Mega Man in general), it revolves around the titular character named Mega Man (or X, in this case) who was designed to ensure humanity's safety and protection. In the original series, Mega Man was designed by Dr. Thomas Light in order to combat the consistent threats and crimes committed by Dr. Albert Wily. X, however, was destined to be the first robot able to have individual thoughts, but most importantly, he fought the main antagonist of the series in Sigma, a bald Reploid with cool, scar-like eyes who resembles Sagat from Street Fighter (another Capcom flagship series) and eradicates a handful of Mavericks (Reploids gone rogue and awry). As the classic Mega Man series had characters like Rush, Eddie, Auto, Proto Man, and Bass, the X series has its own characters like Zero, Axl, Vile, Dynamo, Colonel/General, and Red (to name a few). Also, the X series takes place more into the future, and has a fair amount of post-apocalyptic cities, ruins, factories, etc, and that the bosses are ferocious animal robots instead of goofy humanoid robots found in the regular, upbeat Mega Man series.
In X8, there is an elevator being built which takes new-age Reploids to the moon to work and mine valuable ore for advancing technology and what-not. Known as the Jakob Project, it is the next step to ensure the establishment of things for the future. While not deep (all Mega Man stories aren't by the way), it helps to set the atmosphere for the impending action. An accident is triggered, as part of the elevator explodes, and X is sent in to investigate. When he arrives at one of the hubs of the elevator, X notices Reploids that bear a resemblance to Sigma...in fact, a horde of them. As they step towards X, who prepares his trusty arm cannon, an androgynous white Reploid with spiky purple hair, named Lumine, shows up and reveals they are copies who exist with Sigma's DNA. Lumine is a 'he' and reveals his position as director of the Jakob Project. Time proceeds on, and the player is sucked to an incident on Noah's Isle (basically, a tropical green plane with water, rocks, and lots of enemies to destroy).
Which brings me to the gameplay portion. In layman's terms, you control X at first, running, dashing, jumping, and shooting everything in your path. Controls are simple, smooth, and dead-on. You can charge X's Buster Cannon to execute a Charge Shot, which is a more powerful (and flashy) blast of energy to take down many small mobile enemies, or dent a huge armored enemy. As you progress through the intro stage, other characters are dropped in to replace X; Axl pops in, and the action continues.
I find that Axl is a nice addition to the cast, and adds some interesting abilities to the game. For example, he carries a gun which can rapid-fire (every eighth hit, I believe, is able to break the guard of huge armored enemies), he can hover across pits for a short distance, and has the ability to transform into different enemies (he can change into a lanky Reploid that rolls like a wheel, a Reploid that skates across spikes, etc). But he can only transform into enemies his own size, not big-ass abominations with drill arms or megaton stomps, for the sake of exaggeration. In addition, Axl is a recent new character (he appeared in X7, which failed because of poor hit detection, uneven management/combination of 2D and 3D specs for stages, and unappealing bosses, among other things).
You spend time with Axl, and Zero shows up to take over from there. Zero is another main character who has been around since the first X game; he is suited for close-range attacks with his Z-Saber, able to hack and maim some unfortunate Reploids. In Mega Man X3, on a side note, Zero had a nifty and powerful attack setup: if you held the attack button and charged for a second or two, his body would flash green, and he could fire two energy shots and threw a saber strike in a combo. Since X4, he utilizes the Z-Saber, although he could still fire off weak shots from his cannon for extra (I guess desperate) manner. I found it wise for the programmers/designers at Capcom to stick with Zero's close-range abilities, since the series already has X and Axl for shooters; it adds variety, and playing as Zero will promote strategy and difficulty, especially when fighting ranged enemies or bosses.
In regards to the bosses, the Mega Man tradition goes like this: the player goes through a shutter, an antichamber, and another shutter (with an exception to Clown Man in number 8, where you go through one shutter, Jet Stingray in X4 is the same situation; sometimes, you don't go through the shutter/antichamber to engage in a boss: like Slash Beast in X4, you keep progressing forward on a military train until you face him), faces the boss in an one-on-one battle, defeats the boss, and acquires his (well, now it would be his/her, since Mega Man 9 features the classic series' first female Robot Master in Splash Woman...Heh! Heh!) weapon. In X8, each character utilizes the bosses' weapons in different fashions: X simply uses the boss weapon, like the Melt Creeper, Drift Diamond, or Squeeze Bomb, Zero learns a technique that a certain boss executes, and Axl gets different guns/ammo (infinite, of course) to whoop some metallic rear-end.
Throughout the course of the stages, players select a team of two characters to go through a stage (this is called the Tag Assist, and was introduced in X7, again with lackluster results). Say you need a shooter to mow down a flock of small enemies, but there's a high ledge without walls you need to climb and grab a secret item or access a capsule to gain a piece of X's armor...well, now it is possible to do that. Also, if a character is running low on energy during a boss fight, for example, you can switch the other character in and continue the fight, while the first character restores a little health. And if the second character is having problems, switch them out, rinse, and repeat some more. One more cool thing about the Tag Assist: there's a small gauge which gains a gradual pace of energy. Once it hits maximum, it will flash pink, and your characters can perform a powerful double-team attack. The screen glows into this fusion of Matrix-like descending vertical digital font, and your characters either blast, chop, or spaghetti western their way to the ultimate destruction of tough opposition and a well-reserved pat on the back or sigh or relief.
The stages are challenging, unpredictable, and fun as hell. They range from a volcanic plant where you start by descending downward and jumping on platforms, a forested base where you can stomp and blow enemies to oblivion on a Ride Armor (in this stage, the camera zooms in the air to switch perspectives while your character moves forth; an example of the 2.5D stuff I was talking about, and if that sounds 'eh' to you, think of Viewtiful Joe or Street Fighter IV, two other examples of 2.5D), a pitch-black base (yeah, mostly bases, factories, and plants, but there's some diversity in them) where you watch your steps and follow traces of light to proceed, and a vehicle segment where your tear-assing through a snowy course and swerving past wheeled machinations and glaciers. In most of the stages, there are plenty of items that the player can acquire, like the triangle crystals, which can help purchase restoration items and upgrades to the health/weapon meters, capsules for X's armor (in previous games, sorry for the lapses of my mind, but X can gather pieces of armor to enhance his defense, offense, mobility, and other specs), and other weapons for Zero. It enhances replayability and helps the player during the last portions of the game, which are challenging.
Other notes: Graphics are smooth, ironed-out, and distinctive. Particle effects are bright and forceful, and the individual characters (including the boss characters) look really cool. Sound effects are loud and explosive, and each stage has an individual theme and track which pumps the mood of the player, and increases the feel of the atmosphere. Cathartic yet pristine, in my view. Another thing I forgot to mention above is the navigators who assist the player through the stages. There are three in total: Layer, who gives you advice on enemies and how to handle them, Palette, who helps out with secret routes and items, and Alia, who is well-rounded in each area. You have the option to not rely on the navigators if you wish. The game takes about eight to ten hours for me, maybe add another two or three for all the unlockables and secret items. It's balanced enough for one or two sittings.
Overall, I enjoyed Mega Man X8. As another side note, I've played all the X games (including a little of Command Mission, which I thought was eh) the classic Mega Man games, and the Mega Man Zero games for Game Boy Advance. I am an avid fan Mega Man (and not ashamed of it) and am super psyched for Mega Man 9 coming up soon. But all the Battle Network and Star Force bullcrap doesn't cut it, and the anime incarnations are ridiculous and trite.
I covered the basic portions and elaborated on them in as much detail as my mind (or hands) could muster. Again, I apologize for the accidental press of the enter button, and I hope this didn't inconvenience you in any way. I hope this review was adequate and alright. Like my Afro Samurai review, please feel free to leave constructive criticism so I may learn how to improve on certain areas for next time. Thank you and enjoy.