People always praise this game for its level design and, while I too think it's great (bar a few vertical sections where enemies that respawn as soon as they're one pixel off screen make damage boosting the most intuitive solution), I think the real kicker here is the movement. X's ability to dash instantly makes this game more fun to play than every single classic Mega Man game. Combine that with the wall jump, which opens up a treasure trove of new possibilities for stage layouts, and it's seriously been a hot minute since I've played a game that makes the simple act of doing so as satisfying as MMX. Additionally, the soundtrack of this game can only be described as a carefully crafted assortment of only the finest of bangers, leaving even the most joyless souls bopping their heads after all but two seconds. The boss fights are superb as well, which is not something Mega Man games often get me to say. In conclusion, this game is awesome.

The Mega Man of the 90's. Set hundreds of years in the future after the original series that began on the NES, "Mega Man X" reintroduced the franchise for a lot of kids in the 16bit era. While the game retained the original series' bright and colorful look, it was at the same time layered with an edgier art style, darker atmosphere, and a very seriously played story involving rouge robotic special forces units being led by an insane commander out to kill every last human being. You, as Mega Man X, are part of a futuristic police force of sorts known as a Maverick Hunters and it is your mission to take down these insurgents and quell the Maverick threat.

The game wastes very little time throwing you into the mix with one of the best designed introduction levels ever made. The Central Highway intro stage is the very definition of show don't tell. Against the backdrop of a ruined futuristic freeway with an absolute BANGER of a soundtrack, it will teach you to move, jump, blast, and climb your way across stages through some well thought out enemy placement and action sets. The only way I think it falls short is that if you are completely new to the series it doesn't really teach you that you can hold the fire button for a stronger blast but that isn't exactly rocket science so its not that big an issue.

At the end of the intro stage waits Vile: your first boss encounter. This Boba Fett inspired enemy can make short work of you in a deadly Mech suit that is completely invincible to your attacks and in a flash you are in his literal grasp awaiting death. Though scripted, this boss fight serves to establish the story and introduce us to X's best friend Zero, who blasts his way onto the stage with a single blast and a rockin' tune in a now iconic rescue scene. At the end of the encounter you learn that even though you lost the fight you have the potential to grow stronger. X and Zero teleport off and thus the intro ends.

Now the game opens up and you are reintroduced to the familiar stage select layout with all eight bosses free for you to take on as you please. This is where the game starts to truly differentiate itself from the classic series. That line that Zero said about growing stronger? That's an actual game mechanic he's talking about not just a story beat. Across all 8 stages lie various different upgrades to collect and add to your arsenal. Special Weapons received from defeating bosses, Heart Tanks that increase the life bar, Sub Tanks that you can fill up with reserve energy to use when you are in danger, and Armor Parts that expand everything from firepower to how much damage you can tank. The most important part and what really sets Mega Man X apart from what came before being the Leg Parts. These introduce the Dash mechanic. Similar to the original Mega Man's slide, this mechanic is instead mapped to a single button and retains its speed when jumping, allowing you to quickly maneuver through stages when mastered and greatly increasing the pace of the game. Once you get this down you'll find you seldom even use the walk/run option. Whether one sees that as a positive or a negative is up to the player. Lastly, there is also a secret upgrade in the form of an iconic special move from another Capcom franchise waiting to be found. Kind of cryptic to discover but totally worth it if you can find it.

Accompanying all these great new gameplay features are gorgeous 16 bit graphics with animated and colorful sprites modeled after Keiji Inafune's artwork accompanied by vibrant and detailed backgrounds. From snow covered mountains, to robotic forests, and from futuristic power plants to underwater bases, every stage is full of life and personality with rarely a dull moment. But as great as the game looks, it is an undeniable fact that it wouldn't be as highly regarded and memorable as it is if it wasn't for the amazing soundtrack. Every. Single. Song in this game is a work of art that fits each stage's theme and makes the gameplay and visuals come together in an explosive way. It's an absolute delight that has to be experienced to fully appreciate. Composed by Setsuo Yamamoto, Yuki Iwai, Toshihiko Toriyama, Yuko Takehara, and Makoto Tomozawa, the music of Mega Man X has to be one of the greatest collection of songs in the 16bit generation. Maybe of any generation. You decide.

All this comes together in a package that is short, sweet, memorable and immensely re-playable. Mega Man X stands up there with SNES titans like Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, and Super Castlevania IV. It is well worth your time if you are a fan of the 16bit era. Putting it simply this game is just a damn good time. Give it a whirl.

This game is nonstop fun, until you get to the last few levels with a couple silly parts, but it's still Mega Man X so it's okay. I love how this game revamped not just Mega Man himself but his entire world into a darker "grown up" future. It's like Dragon Ball Z compared to Dragon Ball, but for Mega Man.

The controls feel sublime (especially if you're a freak like me and map dashing to the R button) and the interactivity with your weapons and the environments is very cool. Even the levels themselves can interact with each other depending on which order you beat them in. The presentation is also outstanding. The graphics are 16-bit action encapsulated and the soundtrack is really among the very best of 90s video games. I always have a blast when I go back and play the Maverick stages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9YU7E483SI
You hear this shit right? God what a good game.

Such a breath air after playing so many of the classic games. Can really see where MM7 got a lot of the aspects I liked and I can see why people consider this the true successor to the NES games, familiar but also reinvents the gameplay from the SNES. The equipment collectables makes it feel like you're leveling up as you progress through the game. I also really like Sub Tanks being the substitute for the normal E-Tanks. Being able to climb walls is also a neat new ability that sets this apart from the classic series. Overall a really solid experience and excited to see how the sequels build off it.