The rise and fall and almost-rise again of Megaman X.
Well, I should've played this one last year, but one thing led to another, and I'm finally getting to Megaman X Legacy Collection 1+2 on the Switch. This is a compilation of all 8 main numbered entries in the series, and just like the Megaman collection before it... it leaves a bit to be desired.
So, just like the previous collection... for whatever stupid reason it was split into two different games, one with X1 to X4 and the other one housing X5 to X8. Clearly, one collection is leagues above the other one in term of quality. And the Switch version, the North American release anyways, gets gimped as X5 to X8 are download only. In this case, those are the worst in the series, even if X8 is pretty good, so it doesn't hurt... as much.
Both collections include the Day of Sigma OVA, which is a neat bonus. There are no savestates and no rewind, which is kind of bare minimum when it comes to old game re-releases. That said, there's a new 'Rookie Hunter' mode that makes you nigh invulnerable in every game, which is a decent alternative. And a welcome one, I love being able to revisit these games and turn my brain off and just enjoy the ride. I had a bit of an issue with the SNES games(X1 to X3) in that you can't map functions to the ZR and ZL buttons, since they emulated the SNES joystick. Lame.
There's a new mode, the X Hunter Challange, featured in both volumes, and being pretty much identical, in which you play as X, pick 3-2 different powers, and set out to battle bosses from X1 through X6(the 2D games) in pairs. It's not an altogether bad extra... but X dons a new armor, the 'Ultimate Armor'... and it's one of the worst sprite edits I've ever seen in my life. It's so bad I didn't even realize it was supposed to be the secret/code armor from X4-X6 but recolored in white, since they did such a bad job at it.
As for the games themselves... X1, X2, X3 and X4 are fantastic games. X4 and X1 make this collection worth it by themselves. X2 and X3 are almost as good, but I felt like X2's 'repair Zero' gimmick was a bit annoying. In the case of X3, there's so much stuff to collect that it ends up feeling bloated. Say, you can ignore the four new Chip upgrades, since doing so allows you to access the Gold Chip, which grants you every chip upgrade while making you stronger too, but there are also the four Ride Robots that you need if you want to collect the Heart Containers, Armor Upgrades and Energy Tanks... It's still really good, it really is, but there simply is too much too collect.
So yeah, volume 1 of the Legacy Collection is top notch stuff. A collection of fantastic platforming games. But then... it's time for Volume 2, and I've got more to say about these games...
X5 is almost good. Almost. It's clear that it was made on a tighter budget than X4, as the new sprites and backgrounds aren't as good as the ones in X4. The sound design isn't even as memorable. They added new NPC allies for Zero an X, which wasn't an altogether bad idea... but Alia, the Navigator, is constantly bombarding you with unskippable 'hints' on how to do the obvious. Yes, Alia, I can tell I need to hide behind walls when the fire comes. Yes, Alia, I have played the game before, I know I can crouch. Goddamn. Then there's this annoying 'time limit', which means you have 16 attempts playing stages, which is annoying considering there's a lot of upgrades two collect. Two armors for X, meaning 8 capsules, a lot of heart tanks, 3 energy tanks... It's a lot. And the worst part about it is that neither of X armors are as good as X's armor from X4. And you need to find all four parts before you can use either, instead of being able to use pieces as in 4. To sweeten the time limit, to get the Good Ending you need to either succeed in firing the laser, by collecting 4 laser pieces, or launching the shuttle, which needs four other pieces.... and even if you collect every piece of both, there's a chance they will both fail and you'll get locked into the bad ending. Just because. And to add insult to injury? The boss rematch at the end is ridiculous, since bosses gain MASSIVE health bars. There's a reason you can unlock the Cheat armor by normal means in this entry, as the boss rematch is just ridiculous.
But not as ridiculous as X6. The first stage I played reminded me why I hated this game so much. It has leaps of faith... over SPIKED floors. There's no way to know that there might be an instant kill below you. Thank god for Rookie Hunter mode. It's entirely possible to get yourself stuck on alternate routes/hidden bosses with NO WAY to complete them, as you might need an upgrade part. Upgrade parts that can be permanently lost if an NPC dies since you didn't get to them on time or didn't see them until it was too late. There's a stage in which you have to fight a giant donut four different times. FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES. This game is filled with cheap obstacles. And if the terrible level design wasn't enough, these game features some THE ugliest and most boring Maverick designs in the entire series, and their sprites look awful. Fighting gate is a pain in the rear. Oh! And the two new X armors are even worse than the ones in X5. I hate this game, it's one of the worst games ever made, and the worst Megaman X game. The only good news is that the series could only get better.
...but X7 isn't very good anyways. I used to say that X7 wasn't as bad as X6 because it wasn't as broken, fundamentally, as a game. But having replayed it... it's not good. Unlike X6, you can skip cutscenes, which is neat... but you can't skip most of the completely unnecessary tutorials. There's even a tutorial on how to use the Options menu. Seriously. After every mission you have to sit through the same text guides, you have to sit through the slowest list-checking EVER after you rescued reploids. Oh, and the menus always default to 'No', so try not to mash during the "Save"/"Go to Stage Select". needless text Menus or you'll be stuck in a loop. The stage featuring inverted areas is one of the worst stages in the entire series. But hey! At least the game isn't as broken as X6!
And then comes X8. It's the Megaman X game I've played the least, and last time around... I thought it was pretty good. On this second playthrough.... It's still good, but it's far from the best. I'd probably put it alongside the first four games and say that Megaman X has 4 great games, a really good game(X8), a bland one, in X5, and two trainwrecks in X7 and X6. But I digress, X8 has a brand new, super sleek art-direction that makes the characters look cool instead of dorky, as no longer do they have legs thicker than their torsos! Now everybody gets an official new form: X's Hermes, Icarus and Ultimate armors, Axl's White form and Zero's Black form. And to make it even cooler, you can unlock Alia, Layer and Pallete, the game's Navigators, as alternate skins. Pretty cool! But that's not all, all three characters have been differentiated: X gets sub-weapons, as per usual. Zero gets new moves... but you can also purchase new weapons for him! Such as a hammer or a lance. And Axl now gets different projectile weapons from each boss. X's movement is the most basic, but he can, once unlocked, make his armor a mix-match of both Hermes' and Icarus' armors parts, Zero can double jump and Axl can glide. Pretty darn cool. And you can turn off the Navigators' tips. Thank god. The new upgrade system is really dope, basically, killing enemies makes them drop money which you can then spend on upgrades, such as life-ups, Energy Tanks, Zero's weapons, etc. I love it.
But there's something that might not be to everyone's liking in X8... every stage is built around a gimmick. There's a stage that is an on-rails, from-the-back shooter. There's a third-person bike stage. There's a super boring, downward-scrolling stage. There's a stage that is made up of multiple 'challenge rooms'. There's one about turning the room to move blocks. There's one in which you are chased by a giant robot. One in which you must try to get your Ride Robot to the end... It's not as pure of a 2-D platforming game as the previous games. And, yes, if you don't like the gimmick you'll end up hating the stage and wishing for something more traditional. Another thing... this is the MMX game that took me the most to finish, by far, because it's very bloated. While you don't need to find Heart Tanks anymore, there are still 8 armor pieces for X, as well as a ton of very well hidden, to the point of needing a guide, chips. And you need to find this chips before you can buy some upgrades, such as Zero's weapons. It's incredible, but this game feels even more bloated than Megaman X3. And some stages can be a bit of a pain, like the Ice-Bike stage, which is super slow, and if you missed a pick-up you need to get through the entire stage again. X8 is a fun game, it's a good game... that can turn very boring at times, and if you don't like the gimmick, it can become a chore. It's a shame it took Capcom this long to course-correct.
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