X4 is one of the most solid entries in the entire Mega Man franchise. It's the kind of sequel that reiterates on the formula rather than making radical changes to innovate, but damn if it isn't such a good rendition of what an MMX game should be.
Its visuals are probably the most gorgeous in all of MMX, and its level design is superb. That is double the accomplishment, as each stage had to accomodate both X and Zero.
Each of their play styles are radically different and equally fun, so it's really hard to pick one over the other. Playing as Zero in X3 was... something, but here in X4, they pretty much got it completely right. His play style is so well crafted that it became a staple not only in Mega Man, but also in countless other indie games.
Of course, the ultimate Zero gameplay experience would be yet to come in the Mega Man Zero games, but for the meantime, I'm amazed at how well they managed to integrate him along side X.
This is also pretty middle-of-the-road difficulty for Mega Man standards. If you've never played an MMX game but are curious to do so, I think this is an even better place to start than the original. It's very beginner friendly, as it keeps most items easy to find and has mid stage check points even if you game over. The plot may not be as effective if you have never played any Mega Man games (especially for the Zero playthrough), but it's largely unimportant.
On the topic of plot, I will say that the story's not as bad as many say. It's nothing crazy, but I think its percieved poor quality is mostly due to its now legendary bad voice acting. On the X Legacy Collection, I usually play the Rockman X4 version just to enjoy the cutscenes without bursting out in laughter.
Again, Mega Man games are seldom played for their plot, but voice acting aside, I don't see why anyone would think this stroy to be particularly worse than any other MMX plot. If anything, I like the scope they had, even if it was poorly executed. I've never really been a big fan of the whole Sigma virus thing, as it oversimplifies the conflict of reploids turning evil. I very much prefer Colonel, Iris and General, or even minor characters like Magma Dragoon. Their decisions to turn against the Maverick Hunters are due to their own misguided ideals and/or wish to protect those they love. They didn't simply have the evil switch turned on by the Sigma virus like in X5. I always thought that Reploid's greatest strength and biggest weakness was the ability to make their own decisions, but this is the only game in the series that actually reflects that.
Oh, one last thing: AMAZING soundtrack! Perfect theming and instrumentation. On a good day, I could even call it the best X soundtrack.
Its visuals are probably the most gorgeous in all of MMX, and its level design is superb. That is double the accomplishment, as each stage had to accomodate both X and Zero.
Each of their play styles are radically different and equally fun, so it's really hard to pick one over the other. Playing as Zero in X3 was... something, but here in X4, they pretty much got it completely right. His play style is so well crafted that it became a staple not only in Mega Man, but also in countless other indie games.
Of course, the ultimate Zero gameplay experience would be yet to come in the Mega Man Zero games, but for the meantime, I'm amazed at how well they managed to integrate him along side X.
This is also pretty middle-of-the-road difficulty for Mega Man standards. If you've never played an MMX game but are curious to do so, I think this is an even better place to start than the original. It's very beginner friendly, as it keeps most items easy to find and has mid stage check points even if you game over. The plot may not be as effective if you have never played any Mega Man games (especially for the Zero playthrough), but it's largely unimportant.
On the topic of plot, I will say that the story's not as bad as many say. It's nothing crazy, but I think its percieved poor quality is mostly due to its now legendary bad voice acting. On the X Legacy Collection, I usually play the Rockman X4 version just to enjoy the cutscenes without bursting out in laughter.
Again, Mega Man games are seldom played for their plot, but voice acting aside, I don't see why anyone would think this stroy to be particularly worse than any other MMX plot. If anything, I like the scope they had, even if it was poorly executed. I've never really been a big fan of the whole Sigma virus thing, as it oversimplifies the conflict of reploids turning evil. I very much prefer Colonel, Iris and General, or even minor characters like Magma Dragoon. Their decisions to turn against the Maverick Hunters are due to their own misguided ideals and/or wish to protect those they love. They didn't simply have the evil switch turned on by the Sigma virus like in X5. I always thought that Reploid's greatest strength and biggest weakness was the ability to make their own decisions, but this is the only game in the series that actually reflects that.
Oh, one last thing: AMAZING soundtrack! Perfect theming and instrumentation. On a good day, I could even call it the best X soundtrack.