- Genre: Action Platforming
- Spoiler Free Review: Yes.
- Time Played: 10+ Hours
- Too Short/Long: It's solid for a Mega Man game, but I played it twice to play as both X and Zero as they have exclusive story/animations.
- Did I cry: I'd almost say no, except I did for a kind of meta reason. I was playing via the anniversary collection and there is a little achievement(Hunter Medals?) that comes up if you beat it with X without the Ultimate Armor. "True Hero" popping up as the restarted just got me.
- Soundtrack: Now we're getting into the really good stuff here. Not just a few notable tracks that trigger nostalgia, but a kickass soundtrack all the way through.
- Why I played: Keeping it going...
- Jank: The only thing janky about Mega Man X4 is the voice acting.
- Difficulty: It's much easier than the prior games... until it's not. The final boss is just unbearably difficult, and then, playing as Zero, the bosses just aren't designed(redesigned?) for Zero and it makes some of them way tougher.
- Pleased/Disappointed: Extremely pleased. X4 definitely holds up the best so far.
- Recommend to others: I would definitely recommend X4, especially if someone isn't concerned with playing "all" the Mega Man X games, and just wants to get to the good part. X4 is definitely a great place to start.
Mega Man X4 was the first game released for a new generation after Mega Man X's SNES debut, and it does a lot to show that. I know there was some weirdness with PlayStation not originally wanting 2D games, but the game has a marked improvement on the previous games and glad they were able to get this out like this before making their rough leap to 3D.
Something I may have forgot to mention that annoyed me about 1-3 is that the second 1 pixel of an enemy's spawn point is off screen, that enemy respawns. In some cases, larger enemies will even pop-in partially on screen if you defeat their original version just slightly off screen of the spawn. It's a little tedious and very annoying. X4 gives just enough leeway for off-screen respawn that it doesn't change the feel of the game in any way but positive. I don't personally love enemies infinitely spawning, but in Mega Man, it's not usually like when you're standing still they constantly come at you, only where you currently aren't, they always spawn off-screen, and it greatly benefits to give a little extra space so that you can actually dodge attacks and back up slightly and not get stuck in an being-attacked infinite loop just because you need to move back an inch.
Also, even though we're not yet at widescreen or HD display, resolution is just way better and the screen real-estate makes for a vast improvement. Many Mega Man games, especially the X series, would super benefit from widescreen, so it's truly a shame the Mega Man series fell off kind of and Capcom only very occasionally does something with the original Mega Man IP. I'd love for new Mega Man X games, but on the other hand I'd worry too much that it wouldn't be exactly what I want, as many things that fall of for extended period of time and try returning don't exactly have the same magic with all new people or perspectives working on them. I want the natural successor to the series as if they never stopped, something that would have been made over a dozen years ago.
Something I may have forgot to mention that annoyed me about 1-3 is that the second 1 pixel of an enemy's spawn point is off screen, that enemy respawns. In some cases, larger enemies will even pop-in partially on screen if you defeat their original version just slightly off screen of the spawn. It's a little tedious and very annoying. X4 gives just enough leeway for off-screen respawn that it doesn't change the feel of the game in any way but positive. I don't personally love enemies infinitely spawning, but in Mega Man, it's not usually like when you're standing still they constantly come at you, only where you currently aren't, they always spawn off-screen, and it greatly benefits to give a little extra space so that you can actually dodge attacks and back up slightly and not get stuck in an being-attacked infinite loop just because you need to move back an inch.
Also, even though we're not yet at widescreen or HD display, resolution is just way better and the screen real-estate makes for a vast improvement. Many Mega Man games, especially the X series, would super benefit from widescreen, so it's truly a shame the Mega Man series fell off kind of and Capcom only very occasionally does something with the original Mega Man IP. I'd love for new Mega Man X games, but on the other hand I'd worry too much that it wouldn't be exactly what I want, as many things that fall of for extended period of time and try returning don't exactly have the same magic with all new people or perspectives working on them. I want the natural successor to the series as if they never stopped, something that would have been made over a dozen years ago.
That said, I love this game, and while the prior three offer a bigger sense of nostalgia, X4 is just so good, nostalgia or not. The gameplay is refined, and while many levels may be easier because of many improvements, it's just so much more fun. Eventually having access to unlimited uncharged special energy allows a freedom of use that makes them feel far more relevant, instead of feeling the need to conserve. The bike level is way better than prior attempts. Like X3 before it, it makes an effort to have longer levels, and to balance that it has mid-mission checkpoints that work even if you lose all lives - a godsend. If they kept making longer levels but didn't do something like this, the game would risk growing tiresome.
The anime cutscenes... have terrible voice acting but ooze that mid-nineties style that embodies the epitome of what I like in an anime style. Something you just can't get today. The compiled cutscenes of Mega Man X4 are something I enjoy more than 90% of anime I've ever watched and that's like less than 20 minutes of scenes between both X and Zero's story.
The anime cutscenes... have terrible voice acting but ooze that mid-nineties style that embodies the epitome of what I like in an anime style. Something you just can't get today. The compiled cutscenes of Mega Man X4 are something I enjoy more than 90% of anime I've ever watched and that's like less than 20 minutes of scenes between both X and Zero's story.
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