Mega Man X

• Genre: Action Platforming
• Spoiler Free Review: The only spoiler is the screenshot above.
• Time Played: 5 Hours?
• Too Short/Long: Just right.
• Did I cry: No.
• Soundtrack: It's filled with unique tracks that are considered classics today. I'd say it's pretty great.
• Why I played: Alice was playing it recently and it made me want to play it too.
• Jank: It's not perfect. There are slowdown point when too much is happening on screen, like when you go down the minecart, and it doesn't handle perfectly, but the first Mega Man X is a lot better Mega Man.
• Difficulty: Surprisingly difficult. Either my reaction time and pattern recognition have taken a severe hit in the past few years or I just forgot how hard this game was.
• Pleased/Disappointed: I am (almost) always pleased with Mega Man. I've played this plenty so it's not like it was anything new.
• Recommend to others: I will always recommend people play Mega Man games, regardless of age, preferred genre, and other tastes. I know it's not in quite the same standing but for me, playing Mega Man is like playing Super Mario Bros. or Sonic the Hedgehog. If you play games you should know it, to some degree. This is arguably the best place to start if not the original Mega Man.

I haven't played the original version of Mega Man X in some time. Last time I played it Mega Man X... last couple times really, it was Maverick Hunter X. Which is an excellent version of the game, but it's a remake and not exactly the same. Maverick Hunter X is a full blown remake and I'd argue the definitive version of it, but maybe at this point it feels a little aged as well. Maverick Hunter X is now closer to the release of Mega Man X than the current date, and that's kinda crazy to me. Also the original is available on pretty much everything while Maverick Hunter X is only playable on PSP(and maybe Vita/TV for digital version?).

Mega Man X is really hard, and maybe one thing that Maverick Hunter X by default makes it a little easier is having a widescreen format. Sometimes the literal second you step back from where an enemy spawn, just like, a few pixels, the enemy respawns. It makes it a little tough to navigate and dodge attacks and stuff sometimes when the design of the game feels like it wants you to pretty much only progress with forward momentum.

I found the game a little frustrating at times. That said, there was marked improvement as I played, learned what enemies did, and how to react, etc. and honestly that's how a Mega Man game should feel, but it's been long enough that it practically felt like playing the game the first time. The game keeps you on your toes though and never quite becomes a walk in the park, even after obtaining every upgrade. I still love the game though and maybe I'll have to see the rest through again sooner than later.