Retro Quick Bite: Megaman X 2
So Capcom succeeded in knocking the socks off of Megaman Fans with its release of Megaman X. The innovative new moves and the perfection of side scrolling mechanics is unmatched when you play an X game. If that idea was hard to swallow look at Nintendo's classic hit Super Metroid and try to play the game. The controls are okay but it is very difficult to get used to the controls until you have played the game for an hour or two. Megaman literally takes seconds to jump right into. So is the second installment to Megaman X as amazing as its predecessor?
X2 takes place 6 months after the destruction of Sigma.X is promoted to Captain of the Maverick Hunters since Zero Sacrificed himself to save X in the first game. X relinquishes the X Armor because of his desire to never become "Over Powered" and attacks the last of the Maverick resistance. However, he is unable to find Sigma's followers. The last Mavericks unleash a devastating assault on the country with the intent of hunting down and destroying the Blue bomber.
(Just sample footage, I'm not comentating in this film)So X finds the X Armor again and you have to fight off the Maverick robot masters to find their mysterious leader. I am going to be clear about something with this game. Megaman X 2 has the best story campaign in the Super NES X series. Without saying words, the game opens up just showing how much stronger X has become. In Megaman X, you realize that you are helpless and week and you need the assistance of Zero to save you. However, in X 2, you start off just wrecking everything in your path. The boss of the intro stage is a mecha that is like 10 times the size of Vile's Mecha that completely trashes X in the first game. You take out the Machine with 4 charge shots.
After the intro stage the antagonists are shown watching X and stating that is is not to be F*^%ed with and they need to begin construction ASAP. This sets a tone for the player who pushed through the first game. You don't feel like you are starting from square one when you get through the intro stage. But the moment you step through a boss gate, feeling all awesome and confident, you get that ass handed to you. The Mavericks are tough and without upgrades or the weapon they are week against, you will find yourself deeply frustrated in this play through.
But it is the story that shines when you play X2. The enemy lets you know that they have the body of your fallen comrade Zero. You then are placed into a side quest where you must fight The X Hunters to claim Zero's parts. The X hunters post up at enemy hideouts, the entrance to some of their levels are hidden. The X hunters are even harder than the robot Masters. There are also other bosses Bit, Byte, and Vile, they attack you at random and are vicious bosses. The simple story of a warrior trying to save his comrade just keep you playing through this game. But X2 is not perfect.
There are certain things that you expected the franchise to expand on when you played X2. When you Play through Megaman X, after defeating a boss, something happens to another bosses hideout and it is freakin COOL. This never happens in side scrollers before this game. You would beat Storm Eagle, and go to Spark Mandrill's stage and things are...different. Storm Eagle's Battleship has crashed into the power plant debris are strewn about the stage, and the lights are flickering. That is freaking GENIUS! When you defeat Chill Penguin, the the molten steel of the robot factory stage freezes over! When you put down the Octopus, the forest floods and you can use the water to find your heart tanks! That was something I was hoping X2 and 3 would do and for some reason, they didn't. Your actions from previous levels had no effects on the other levels you chose and I though that was a complete let down and a symptom of rushed development.
Secondly, the music!!!! Megaman is known for its iconic composition. Every Megaman game has really good and catchy music... You don't believe me check this out!
(Megaman X, Spark Mandrill Stage Acapellla -This guy is
awesome for this!)
Megaman X had GREAT music. Megaman X2 had ..good music. This was a bit of a setback because I would play some levels and enjoy the music and I would play other levels and just want to turn my TV down, that should never happen when playing a Megaman game. The most disappointing song was the new Doctor Light song when you find an X Capsule. In Megaman X the music was quiet and suspenseful the music made me want to read everything Doctor light said. The X2 song was just not the same. But when you learn the Shoryuken....YES , Ken's Shoryuken from Street Fighter, when you find the (very difficult to reach capsule) Light says "Wow, You are so COOL! I am not Worthy, I am not Worthy " I chose to forgive the new song.
So with the great story line. Awesome Boss fights, and just, really fun game play Megaman X 2 is still
a great continuation of a great game. I still feel that this game was rushed.
The game feels like it was moving towards allowing you to play as Zero once you assembled him
instead, the enemy takes him and you have to face him in the last act. There is an alternate ending and that
helps with a bit of replay ability value. This game still is a ....
Delicious one
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