I have played this game before, it's like one of the 3 I did touch before and one of the 2 X games I beat, the other being X1, and I was already expecting to like this game quite a bit. Like when I came to it, it'd be a really good bump in quality after whatever X2 and X3 were, but oh god, I did not expect to be so pleasantly surprised that I played it twice in a row. There was a technically good reason. I played as X and I wanted to compare him to Zero and that left some interesting personal notes, but I already played Zero the past two times I played this game, I just wanted to replay him because it'd be fun, and I just like this game a lot.
It's such a massive step up in quality that I think blows even X1 out of the water, let alone the other two that by comparison are progressively more sluggish and worse to play that I just didn't want to finish X3 at all. It's so fluent, it does a lot of quality of life changes in such small ways that it makes the game so much more comfortable, and there really isn't that much to deal with in terms of the collection that you can't already get on the first run of stages, albeit with a few game overs to get some stuff. Especially if you play Zero who only really needs the heart tanks and the different sub tanks.
On top of all that, this is the first game that the Mavericks are actually really cool to me, especially with the flavor text behind them, and how they handle the weapons and techniques they grant is pretty well handled in my opinion. I mean with Zero, it's just additions to his moveset, it's more his relationship with bosses based on his swordplay rather than relying on a strict weakness chain as heavily as X does is neat, but with X, it's mainly down to how they handle weapon energy.
One of the things you can get is the helmet armor part for the fourth armor, and it specifically makes it so that attacking with the weaker, normal versions of the weapons will cost no energy. It'll cost you if you use the charge versions like you'd expect, but the fact that you're a bit more free to use weapons makes me more willing to use them outside of boss rooms. A couple I got a few good uses out of bosses and collectibles aside, was the electric web for it's wall hopping, or the twin slasher for it's handy range coverage (despite it being weaker than a normal buster shot).
It also helps that not only do they finally introduce the weapon energy subtank, but now they refill your weapon energy if you die at a boss, even if you wasted it fully in the last fight. It ironically voids the use for the weapon subtank where it would've been really helpful before, but I'm fine eaither way. In a lot of other games, without a way to grind out energy, it was just really easy to fuck yourself over using the weapon if I was trying to figure out a boss or just fucked up and died on a failed run, and force yourself to do a buster only run basically because I can't do anything else. It's just good to have.
Going back a second to the armor, it's also pretty good, arguably my favorite so far. The Helmet I already explained how it's good, but the leg part is pretty handy because not only is it an airdash, but also doubles as a hover. It's a little finnicky but the option is handy. The Body Armor part does the damage reduction but also introduces the Nova Strike which is really cool to use and actually a lot more interesting than X2's screen nuke or X3's barrier. And the charge shot, inspeaking of something that blows X3 out of the water, the buster parts can be really cool. I said parts, you get an option between either a super shot that leaves a plasma orb that lingers on hit, or just stocking up on 4 charge shots that can be used at will. All on top of being able to charge weapons as typical. I think that the plasma is the clear winner in what I'd stick with, like without a doubt, but it's still really cool you get the choice. Both are also much more useful than X3's buster shot, like a lot more, like holy shit X3's buster sucks.
I didn't really play X in this game because Zero I think is a bit cooler, and his sword style was a lot more unique to me than what most of the series offers where it was just going buster only. It also probably helped that X4 is more Zero's story than anything, as X is just kind of there. But actually playing him, he's pretty alright. I think he's weirdly kind of the "easy" mode, but only because his buster makes a lot more fights just a bit easier since you get to keep your distance and I think some of the boss patterns are a bit more leniant (i.e. Slash Beast or Magma Dragoon). But I don't care, it was a fun run, and far easier at hooking me than before.
That being said, I also played Zero, and revisting him was a bit weird. His style is a lot more about getting up close, so remembering how to play him was remembering to take advantage of the little gaps in enemy patterns to pepper in slashes. Magma Dragoon was a good example in that regard, as to beat him, I had to learn to sneak strikes during his hadoken combos and abuse his weakness weapon when he starts doing shoryukens and spitting fire, quite literally. What was also weird to learn is that X got an extra, simpler fight against Colonel, which is funny because he has significantly more value to Zero, but I dunno.
While I feel this story is actually pretty alright compared to other entries in the X series, or even the series as a whole, it also feels a bit too easy to question why some characters act the way they do. Like Repliforce just makes their situation worse by not being willing to talk things out at all. I'm not gonna say Maverick Hunter force was perfect for going right ahead and deeming ALL OF REPLICFORCE as Mavericks, so they did end up having a reason to fight back, but still. I also have to wonder how Sigma ended convincing the General of anything because the first scene we see of him is telling Sigma to sod off after he tries to convince to turn on humanity. I want to assume it's because that he was forced to after figuring out what Magma Dragoon did, but I'm not clear on that. I poke holes, and I think I could try at it more, but I'm not gonna bother right now. I do think I like MM8's PS1 cutscenes a bit more. Partly because they are better audio balanced... mostly, but also because the dialogue I think is just a bit funnier to meme about. That being said, I like what we get here overall. I do just love the Sigma versus Zero scene, it's really well done.
Overall, I think X4 is at this point, what I consider MM11 is for the classic series, an incredible refinement of a formula with it's own additions and streamlining that makes it hard to beat. The addition of Zero as a playable character with his own campaign, the reworking of armor and super abilities, just a bunch of small additions or adjustments that make the game feel really good to play. It's probably my favorite Mega Man game right now, Classic or X, but I can't say that doesn't make me a bit worried for the games coming after. I just hope this game isn't the peak of the X series...
Anyways, i'll continue X5 later, for now, let's rank the bosses. I was originally gonna rank the bosses seperately for X and Zero, but my ranking is close for both to just come to an average essentially.
8. Cyber Peacock
7. Storm Owl
6. Jet Stingray
5. Slash Beast
4. Frost Walrus
3. Split Mushroom
2. Web Spider
1. Magma Dragoon
It's such a massive step up in quality that I think blows even X1 out of the water, let alone the other two that by comparison are progressively more sluggish and worse to play that I just didn't want to finish X3 at all. It's so fluent, it does a lot of quality of life changes in such small ways that it makes the game so much more comfortable, and there really isn't that much to deal with in terms of the collection that you can't already get on the first run of stages, albeit with a few game overs to get some stuff. Especially if you play Zero who only really needs the heart tanks and the different sub tanks.
On top of all that, this is the first game that the Mavericks are actually really cool to me, especially with the flavor text behind them, and how they handle the weapons and techniques they grant is pretty well handled in my opinion. I mean with Zero, it's just additions to his moveset, it's more his relationship with bosses based on his swordplay rather than relying on a strict weakness chain as heavily as X does is neat, but with X, it's mainly down to how they handle weapon energy.
One of the things you can get is the helmet armor part for the fourth armor, and it specifically makes it so that attacking with the weaker, normal versions of the weapons will cost no energy. It'll cost you if you use the charge versions like you'd expect, but the fact that you're a bit more free to use weapons makes me more willing to use them outside of boss rooms. A couple I got a few good uses out of bosses and collectibles aside, was the electric web for it's wall hopping, or the twin slasher for it's handy range coverage (despite it being weaker than a normal buster shot).
It also helps that not only do they finally introduce the weapon energy subtank, but now they refill your weapon energy if you die at a boss, even if you wasted it fully in the last fight. It ironically voids the use for the weapon subtank where it would've been really helpful before, but I'm fine eaither way. In a lot of other games, without a way to grind out energy, it was just really easy to fuck yourself over using the weapon if I was trying to figure out a boss or just fucked up and died on a failed run, and force yourself to do a buster only run basically because I can't do anything else. It's just good to have.
Going back a second to the armor, it's also pretty good, arguably my favorite so far. The Helmet I already explained how it's good, but the leg part is pretty handy because not only is it an airdash, but also doubles as a hover. It's a little finnicky but the option is handy. The Body Armor part does the damage reduction but also introduces the Nova Strike which is really cool to use and actually a lot more interesting than X2's screen nuke or X3's barrier. And the charge shot, inspeaking of something that blows X3 out of the water, the buster parts can be really cool. I said parts, you get an option between either a super shot that leaves a plasma orb that lingers on hit, or just stocking up on 4 charge shots that can be used at will. All on top of being able to charge weapons as typical. I think that the plasma is the clear winner in what I'd stick with, like without a doubt, but it's still really cool you get the choice. Both are also much more useful than X3's buster shot, like a lot more, like holy shit X3's buster sucks.
I didn't really play X in this game because Zero I think is a bit cooler, and his sword style was a lot more unique to me than what most of the series offers where it was just going buster only. It also probably helped that X4 is more Zero's story than anything, as X is just kind of there. But actually playing him, he's pretty alright. I think he's weirdly kind of the "easy" mode, but only because his buster makes a lot more fights just a bit easier since you get to keep your distance and I think some of the boss patterns are a bit more leniant (i.e. Slash Beast or Magma Dragoon). But I don't care, it was a fun run, and far easier at hooking me than before.
That being said, I also played Zero, and revisting him was a bit weird. His style is a lot more about getting up close, so remembering how to play him was remembering to take advantage of the little gaps in enemy patterns to pepper in slashes. Magma Dragoon was a good example in that regard, as to beat him, I had to learn to sneak strikes during his hadoken combos and abuse his weakness weapon when he starts doing shoryukens and spitting fire, quite literally. What was also weird to learn is that X got an extra, simpler fight against Colonel, which is funny because he has significantly more value to Zero, but I dunno.
While I feel this story is actually pretty alright compared to other entries in the X series, or even the series as a whole, it also feels a bit too easy to question why some characters act the way they do. Like Repliforce just makes their situation worse by not being willing to talk things out at all. I'm not gonna say Maverick Hunter force was perfect for going right ahead and deeming ALL OF REPLICFORCE as Mavericks, so they did end up having a reason to fight back, but still. I also have to wonder how Sigma ended convincing the General of anything because the first scene we see of him is telling Sigma to sod off after he tries to convince to turn on humanity. I want to assume it's because that he was forced to after figuring out what Magma Dragoon did, but I'm not clear on that. I poke holes, and I think I could try at it more, but I'm not gonna bother right now. I do think I like MM8's PS1 cutscenes a bit more. Partly because they are better audio balanced... mostly, but also because the dialogue I think is just a bit funnier to meme about. That being said, I like what we get here overall. I do just love the Sigma versus Zero scene, it's really well done.
Overall, I think X4 is at this point, what I consider MM11 is for the classic series, an incredible refinement of a formula with it's own additions and streamlining that makes it hard to beat. The addition of Zero as a playable character with his own campaign, the reworking of armor and super abilities, just a bunch of small additions or adjustments that make the game feel really good to play. It's probably my favorite Mega Man game right now, Classic or X, but I can't say that doesn't make me a bit worried for the games coming after. I just hope this game isn't the peak of the X series...
Anyways, i'll continue X5 later, for now, let's rank the bosses. I was originally gonna rank the bosses seperately for X and Zero, but my ranking is close for both to just come to an average essentially.
8. Cyber Peacock
7. Storm Owl
6. Jet Stingray
5. Slash Beast
4. Frost Walrus
3. Split Mushroom
2. Web Spider
1. Magma Dragoon