My Video Game Library: MegaMan X

    When Capcom finally decided to update the MegaMan series for the SNES, they chose to go beyond what other developers did.  Instead of just adding new features and improving the graphics, they made a whole new game. Sure, the basic premise of the game remained the same. Beat eight preliminary robot bosses, and then use the powers you took from them to get to the main boss. MegaMan X was slightly different. First, it was set further into the future than the original MegaMan series. Next, the robot bosses were now animal-based. (Although future installments would stray from the definition of 'animal.') This allowed for greater styles of enemies. Then, lots of hidden power-ups and features were added. Special hearts that increased the health bar were in each level. Four levels had energy tanks that could be filled up with spare energy pellets, and then drained whenever needed.  The other four levels had armor upgrades that had special abilities. For instance, the leg upgrade added a special dash jump that allowed you to reach new sections of the stage. By tradition, this is the one that is usually the easiest to find. The arm upgrade allowed for powered up charges, that included special abilities when using the bosses' powers. The biggest surprise was the super secret "Hadoken" fireball power-up that, once found and installed, allowed you to perform the action from Street Fighter II to perform a one-hit energy blast, as long as you were at full power. While some new features would later transfer to the original game line, all-in-all, it was a new experience. It took some time, but I did beat the game. 

    When news broke on MegaMan X2, (Note: that should be an exponent, but it is just easier to type the number, especially once I get to the other sequels.) I was thrilled.  While the original game was tough, it was the type of challenge I liked. Unfortunately, I could never find the game. Neither locally or out of town. I don't know how I missed it, but I did.

    MegaMan X3 was found. Its main new feature was mech suits that you could pilot in certain sections.  There were four different suits to be found, each with different capabilities. It took a long time to find everything, and beat the bosses, but I did it. Too bad that the first of the main boss level had a closing wall segment in the middle that I just couldn't figure out the right jump moves to get through it. I never even tried to finish the game.

    X4 and X5 proved to be even harder games, which makes sense since they were designed for the PS1. I think I actually made it to the end of the game for the former, but I could never pull off the final win against the big boss.  The latter one was worse, aside from the fact that the US port changed the names of the robot bosses to ones based on members of the band Guns-N-Roses. I don't remember even managing to get to the final levels for that one.  Its apocalyptic plot also was a little off-putting.

    I think that MegaMan X6 was the only one that wasn't a Christmas present, but I could be mis-remembering. I know I bought one of the PS1 games from the Pikeville Kmart, and this one is the most likely of them. This game was just way too hard. Some of the moves required were just barely beyond me. Also, each of the first stages changed depending on which one you just left. Things were just way more complicated than I liked. I was still trying to beat the game, maybe, when the flood hit.

    While there were more sequels, I never bought any of them. X7 came out just after the flood. I either forgot about it or just didn't bother to get it. I needed the money to buy replacements for other things that I had lost. I don't think I even knew about any other sequels until recently when I saw videos of people posting the play throughs. 

    A few years after the flood, a collection of the first six games came out. Not only did it include the X2 game I initially missed, it had bonus features including artwork and a MegaMan game that never made it to the US. I played X2, and maybe a bit of some of the others, but I never beat any of them or opened up all the bonus features. It would turn out that it was the last PS1, and probably the last ever, physical game I ever bought.