Yeah... unfortunately, I didn't like this one too much. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like it, especially with how much I loved X1 and X2. But it just didn't jive with me at all, especially with how difficult it was. I like the challenge of the Mega Man X games, but I didn't like the challenge of the enemies doing so much damage or having so much health. It just was really irritating with how much they ramped that up in this one---if only it was like the prior two, then I could easily see myself liking it just as much. It just felt more like unfair difficulty to me, so I just wasn't really a big fan. So yeah, I played this one mostly on Rookie Hunter mode on the Legacy Collection, just so that I was able to at least go through this one.

There are things to like about X3 though imo. For example, I do like some of the music in this one, some of my favorites being the opening stage (which has an AMAZING remix in Project X Zone 2 that I heard it from first). Alongside that, Zero's theme in this one is really good too. Speaking of Zero, dude, I have to say, I was not expecting being able to play as him in this one. I was sure X4 would be the first game where he would be playable, but to my surprise, once that music started and I moved him, I GOT SO HYPED LMAO. That whole opening stage was easily one of my favorite parts of the game, it was really good. But just... ugh... honestly, I just wish the whole Zero implementation was handled better though. Only being able to play as him in certain sections kind of sucks... I get it since he seemed much more stronger than X with already having a super strong charged shot right off the bat, but I kind of wish they could've done that better were they were just balanced better.

The stages and stuff this time around were pretty okay. I think my favorite one was Toxic Seahorse's stage, I just thought its verticality level design and its aesthetic. It honestly reminded me of something you'd see in Metroid, and given the similarities between the two series, that's just really cool to me (he says, having barely played any Metroid lmao). I do think the abilities in this one I liked more than X2's, with Ray Splasher and Thunder Triad being my favorites. I have to say, it's really cool seeing all of these different abilities that I've seen in the Project X Zone games from X and Zero's movesets in their original form? I think I'll have a much better appreciation for those two whenever I replay those games (and I already loved those two beforehand lmao). The upgrades were also much better in this one too, with the exception of the X Buster which... man... they should've just kept that the same as the last game, I don't know what they did with it here lmao.

Anyway, so yeah, kind of my thoughts on this one. Story was kind of cool, I thought Dr. Doppler was pretty neat. It was also cool to see Vile return, but... I feel like he could've had a more grandiose sort of return? But maybe I'm just nitpicking at this point. Anyway, overall, I just feel half and half with this one. Maybe down the line if I get better at these games, I can come back to this one and like it more? For now though, idk... just wasn't my cup of tea, but I can totally understand why people would like this one though.

I was initially not going to do a review for this, but I decided why not. And I'm going to try and make a review short for once lmao (try being the operative word).

I think X2 is definitely a solid follow up to X1 in my opinion. In fact, I think it does a very great job creating its own identity for itself and making it distinct from X1. There's a lot to love here, whether it be the new gimmicks such as utilizing the hovercyle and air dashing, or many of the varied levels that I really loved going through. I really liked how wonderfully unique in themes the levels were this time around, such as a desert stage, a crystal mine stage, and even a volcano stage too. All of them were really well thought out and creative level designs that I really enjoyed, with really sick setpieces too (such as the climb in Flame Stag's stage as the volcano was rising). And the bosses were just as engaging to fight as they were in the last game too (even if just like in the last game, they made me pull my hair out with how difficult they could be lmao).

I also thought the music in this one was like---I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but just as good as X1's to me? Like, the soundtrack for this game REALLY slaps. I think I like pretty much every level stage theme in this game (with the exception of the junk yard stage, just wasn't my cup of tea). My absolute FAVORITE stage theme though would definitely be that of Wire Sponge's stage theme, which might just be among my favorite tracks in this entire series for me. I swear, it sounds like a fusion between music from the Classic Sonic trilogy and the Sonic Advance trilogy---if that makes sense lmao. Loved the boss themes too, such as the X Hunter's, Sigma's first theme, and of course... I mean... ZERO'S THEME IS LIKE, PEAK MEGA MAN MUSIC. I-I've known about that theme even before getting into the series (and especially the amazing MvC3 remix of it). It's just so legendary... like seriously...

But uhhh, speaking of Zero though, erm... brings me to the only thing I didn't like about X2: the X Hunter subplot of having to get Zero's parts. I know whether or not you get all the parts doesn't really matter that much, but just idk... the principle of not saving Zero the right way just didn't sit well with me lmao. I ended up restarting the game over completely just so that I could get the "good ending", even if it didn't matter that much (of course, this was before I found out about the password generator, making me facepalm). Anyway, idk, I just felt like it kind of messed up the pace and structure for me. I don't think I'd have a problem with it if it was handled differently, but it just rubbed me the wrong way though. I also do kind of wish the Zero fight was canon though, but instead of fighting real Zero, maybe we just fight the fake one. Because even though I wanted to save my boy, it still would've been pretty hype having to fight an enemy Zero even with all of the parts obtained (and then maybe real Zero shows up to deal the final blow or something). Though, it was pretty cool how in the actual story Zero just shows up and EASILY takes care of the fake one like it was nothing, what a badass lmao.

But I digress, aside from that, not really many other issues with the game. I think it definitely made some improvements over the first game, even if I think in some ways I still prefer the first game more. Story-wise, I'm happy that Zero was brought back from the dead. Of course, I knew he was never dead, being on the Internet and all, but I'm happy to see one of the coolest motherfuckers ever created to be alive and kicking again lmao. Sigma continues to be an antagonist I find to be really cool with how every time we kill him, he just keeps coming back stronger and smarter. But I like that despite that, X and Zero are going to be ready to kick his ass again each and every time---just simple good guy vs bad guy stuff is all I need sometimes, haha. And I love the growing bromance of X and Zero, it's becoming one of my favorite gaming duos for sure. Anyway, X2 was quite fun, I really enjoyed my time with it, despite a couple of frustrations here or there.

(...and this review ended up being long AGAIN, son of a---lmao.)

I've been interested in this series for a very long time. I've listened to music from it, watched reviews of the series, and have heard great things about it from people/friends as well. And of course, I've definitely seen the memes from some titles, haha. However, I was always a bit hesitant on taking the plunge out of fear of the series not being my cup of tea, or it being too difficult. It wasn't until I tried out a Touhou fangame inspired by the X series that was the push I needed to finally try the series out through the Legacy Collection.

And I'm very happy I did so, because man is this game just so damn COOL. Okay, so when I first started playing, I was kind of a mess. Didn't know what I was doing at all, felt like I'd never make any progress, and was starting to feel disheartened. But I decided to keep going, look at guides/tips, videos in order to help me out, and then after that... it started to get really fun! The feeling of excitement I felt when I beat my first maverick boss was just so awesome, and it really made me feel like "Okay, maybe I can actually beat this lmao?". And so I would go on to fight Flame Mammoth, Storm Eagle, and Spark Mandrill, and then... that is when I started to get it. That is when I realized why these games were so well regarded, because of how fun and addicting the gameplay was. I loved getting more used to the mechanics---such as dashing and wall climbing. I loved being able to build my arsenal of power ups and then getting excited upon wondering "Ooooh, I wonder what this power up I got does". And I loved using said power ups against the proper bosses who were weak to them (like, my mind was blown with how fucked Spark Mandrill got from Chill Penguin's power up, I had no idea the power ups were THAT huge of game changers). And then I felt really proud of myself when I was able to beat some bosses with just the X Buster. It's like the more I played the game, the more I got my ass beat, and the more I learned... the more satisfying it was for me to actually beat them. And then when I would lose, I would be like, "Okay, I've got their ass next time", and then just try again.

...or I would also maybe try to break my controller in half, but that's on me, not the game's fault lmao.

I just really liked that sense of challenge, I feel that same way when I play Touhou too. So much so that when I put the difficulty on Rookie Hunter mode twice, I ended up turning it off each time, and even started over just so that I could do it on the game's regular difficulty. The thing about me is that with some things, I just can't let myself play on a lower difficulty. My pride would just not allow me to lower the difficulty and play the game AT ALL lmao. And it probably would've saved me less trouble and stress if I did... (but I'm incredibly stubborn with stuff like this, it might be a problem lmao). And this game was REALLY TOUGH for me, probably one of the toughest games I've played, and very frustrating too. But at the same time, that difficulty thrill is fun to me (so long as it's not like, too insurmountable lol). And so when I'm up against a difficult boss, it's fun when I finally beat it, like I really accomplished something. LIKE MAN... THIS GAME IS SO COOL DUDE, I SEE IT NOW LMAO.

Alongside that, I really loved the incredible level-design throughout the many stages, and especially the amazing attention to detail of how beating certain bosses affects the environment of another---usually making it much easier for you. Like, I'm not a game developer expert at all, but having such ambitious level design in 1993 is pretty damn sick honestly. The way this game is structured and the way its designed... it's hard to describe, but it's really well done in its execution of helping the player learn the ropes and challenge themselves just through simply playing the game. Now granted, I uhhh... looked up guides and stuff to help me out, but even taking that out of the equation, I can just tell that the game is really well-designed in that aspect. And then the music... like... yessss... I've listened to the music in the past when I was a kid, but it was really nice hearing these themes old and new to me. Chill Penguin, Flame Mammoth, and Zero's theme are definitely my favorites, and I really loved the Sigma Stage Select music too. Honestly, I really liked a lot of the Sigma themes in general.

I guess my only few gripes would be that I really wish there wasn't a life system, just a personal thing. I like being able to get back into the action, so losing all my lives and having to restock could be a bit of a chore. That and some of the upgrades were HELL to get, which I'm looking at you buster upgrade. Whoever designed getting that upgrade must have had a seriously bad day back in the office, because my fingers were aching after having to do that shit who knows how many times lmao. I mean, it was DEFINITELY worth it for the upgrade, but I would've much preferred a less taxing way to get it lmao. Other than that, not really much else that really bothered me that I can think of at the time of my head.

Anyway, I've always held a lot of respect for Mega Man. I didn't grow up with him like many others, but I had always heard such great things about the games, spin-off material, music, etc. It made me really want to one day try some of the series that really interested me, like the X series or the Legends series. And I'm really happy I ended up trying this game out and enjoyed it, it's a game I've wanted to at least try once in my lifetime. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the games expand or innovate from this one. I hope to especially see more added onto the story as well---since it's an early 1990s title, I didn't expect that much in-depth storytelling, but I really do like the overall premise and lore the X series established in this one,. And I'd really like to see more of X and Zero's characters too! I was already interested in them having seen them in crossover games and the like, so getting to play and learn more about them will be really cool. So yeah, I'm really happy I enjoyed this first entry, and I'm excited to play more of this series.

(Man, I really need to get better at writing shorter reviews... 😖)