Mega Man X Review

That's right, sod movies and sod the present. I'm going old school!

Now I have to confess, this is the first Mega Man game I've ever sat down and played through. I realise that half of the people reading this review have now stopped, but I'll carry on regardless. It's not like the older games never interested me, I love the idea of a difficult game with precise controls and no-one ever did it as well as Capcom did with the original NES titles. But unfortunately, I was born into the later generations of gaming and as a result my efforts, conditioned by the general easiness of games after 3D hit the mainstream, are met by the laughs and jeers of tiny 8-bit enemies who swat me away with no effort at all.

He KNOWS he's too good.

Don't get me wrong, Mega Man X still hits you hard. I died on the introduction level, I have no shame in that. And I can't blame the game either, that's the point. The controls are too tight to blame anyone else. YOU are the one rushing. YOU mistimed that jump. YOU thought you might be able to cheekily jump over that 8 feet tall ball of metal that fires missiles in all directions. Okay, so that last one only really applies to me, but the point stands. It's hard to find games like this in today's world filled with poor design and more often than not, game breaking glitches.

Difficulty aside, the name of the game is just plain fun. Shooting enemies feels amazing; weak enemies explode in a satisfying puff of smoke and larger enemies absorb bullets and carry on attacking, increasing the level of challenge and tension for the player, especially when you have a ton of other enemies swarming around you as well. Mastering enemy management will leave you satisfied and feeling like the bad-ass cyborg you should be feeling like. Once you obtain the dash upgrade the game gets a wicked pace, driven forward again by excellent control and game feeling. Performing a dash and jumping will make you leap like a super hero, giving you access to new strategies and secrets hidden in various levels. It's this kind of excellence through simplicity that really makes Mega Man X shine. On top of all that, every boss is unique and difficult in it's own way, and you'll often need to take a couple of tries to master their attack patterns. This leaves players beaming after finally defeating a boss - I certainly whooped and hollered after more than one of these tricky fights.

The background is just oozing detail.

Visually, the game is impressive. Like Mega Man of old, you choose a boss to fight and warp to their stage, each one lasting about 5-10 minutes. This means that you'll be fighting in luscious jungle environments one moment and the polar ice caps the next, each area drawn with more charm than the next. This constant switching of background keeps the game feeling fresh at all times, especially combined with a soundtrack that will stay with you for hours. I still find myself whistling some of the stage themes around the house, and that's always a good sign.

Unfortunately, no game is perfect, and whilst Mega Man X gets close, is does fall down in some areas. For instance, the game actually gets easier as the game progresses due to it's free approach to stage selection. The first stage will challenge you to your very limits as you overcome enormous obstacles with bare-bones weaponry and only a sliver of health. But by the fifth or sixth level, you'll find yourself unphased by enemy fire and you won't even blink at being knocked back by a large robot. Even the bosses can become a doddle if you figure out their weaknesses. That said, after all the normal bosses are defeated, you are presented with the final level which will offer a tough fight even when fully upgraded.

Ultimately, I'd have to put this game up among some of my favourites, which really suprised me. I hadn't held a game in such high esteem in quite some time before playing this, and it definitely left me wanting more. The game is a joy to run through again and again trying to beat my best level times, and has plenty of secrets that kept me intrigued for hours. If you like platformers, run-and-gunners or even just well designed games, then I urge you to find this game and play it to death. You won't regret it.

And hey, if this isn't the best secret move ever, I don't know what is.