This game is a continuation of Mega Man X. After the defeat of Sigma, Mega Man X(now the leader of the Maverick Hunters) and the rest of the Maverick Hunters have managed to keep the Maverick threat under control. However, three Mavericks named Violen, Surges, and Agile(calling themselves the X-Hunters) are plotting something. They plan to keep Mega Man X busy with eight new Maverick bosses while they finish whatever their evil sceme is. Meanwhile, Mega Man X and the Maverick Hunters ride to an abandoned reploid factory. This is where the game starts.
Graphics [10/10]:
The graphics on this game are incredible! I believe that like Mega Man X 3, this game also uses the C-4 chip. You can only notice the difference on a few parts, but the graphics are great regardless. The characters seem very well drawn and detailed. The backgrounds for the stages on this game are outstanding. I think the characters are smoother animated than they were in the original Mega Man X. Like the original, there are plently of special effects and cool explosions. Overall, Capcom did a good job of using different colors and using detail.
Music and Sound [8/10]:
I must say that the music on this game is not as good as the music on the original Mega Man X. Instead of the super hero/rockin type music of the first game, this game has music that fits more into a science fiction/futuristic theme. This does make sense, considering all the characters are robots that can act like humans, and this game takes place in the future. I just don't think the music is as good overall. However, a couple of tunes that I like on this game are the stage select theme and the X-Hunters stage theme for the first couple of stages.
Gameplay [10/10]:
Of course, you don't really pay much attention to the music not being as good when this game is just a blast to play. This game has everything the first Mega Man X had, the extra max power capsules, the tanks that can restore your capsules, and capsules with a hologram of Dr. Light that improves one of your features. The improvements Dr. Light has for you in this game are an upgrade for your dash feature that lets you dash in midair, armor that can destroy everything on the screen after taking so many hits, an improvement for your X-Buster, and a radar system for your helmet that helps you find secrets and hidden items. In addition to these old features, you have something new. You must also recover Zero's parts from the X-Hunters who appear in the different eight Maverick stages. They change stages every time you exit a stage. This gives the game more depth because whether or not you get Zero's parts changes something later in the game. It is also fun to plan out a strategy to beat all three X-Hunters. You gotta decide if you are strong enough to take one on yet, or do you want to beat one more stage and get more power? Also added in this game are two vehicles, a speeder bike with a laser, and one of those large suits of armor that can fly for a short period of time. It's too bad the bike is only on one stage, it was really cool.
Challenge and Replay [10/10]:
This game is definately a little harder than the first Mega Man X. However, it is not that difficult and most of the rating I gave this game is for the replay. Like I said before, whether or not you get Zero's parts from the X-Hunters can change something late in the game. I beat this game without getting Zero's parts, so I played it through until I did get all of his parts. It takes careful planning to do this. If a X-Hunter is on the stage you want to go to next, sometimes you gotta play an old stage over so he will move to a new stage. Luckily, when you beat a stage, Mega Man X can just use the escape velocity function, so this isn't as tedious as you might think. Also, the powerups on this game are harder to find than in the first game, so it will likely take you a replay to find them all.
Conclusion/Overall [10/10]:
This game is so much fun to play, and is even an improvement of an already good game. I think what made this game cool is the fact that this game requires some strategy if you want to beat the X-Hunters and get all of Zero's parts. This game will keep you busy for awhile, because when you think you have found everything, you just play through and find something else. It's not really much harder than Mega Man X, the only real extra challenge is the X-Hunters that appear in the eight different stages. Even though I have beaten this game and can find everything, I like to play through it because it is a great action game and easy to get into. I just love shooting robots with my X-Buster and watching them explode.(heh heh heh!)
