Product Description
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A new army of Reploids known as the Repliforce is accused of
cing the Sky Lagoon. Now they are classified as Mavericks and
are on the run. X and Zero must hunt them down while getting to
the bottom of the c. In Mega Man X4, 8 more evil robots are
on the loose and only you can stop them. Each character is unique
with strengths and weaknesses.
Review
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Some video games the masses can enjoy, and some video games
cater to the hard-core fanatic of a specific genre. Flight sims
are a good example, as are most golf games. What many don't
realize, though, is that even a genre as innocuous as the simple
platform shooter has a hard-core fan base - a league of players
that can run faster, shoot longer, and generally destroy any side
scroller in one sitting. These blister-thumbed few need something
better, faster, harder. Mega Man X4 was created for them.
First, you must be a fan of the motif to even understand this
game. By motif, I'm talking about anime and all the Speed
Racer-esque backgrounds, bizarre character names, and recycled
sound effects that go along with it. In addition to the game's
general aesthetics, all the cinematic scenes are 100 percent
anime, right down to the shamefully bad voice acting. The first
scene introduces you, by means of a frantic music video, to all
the games major characters. From there, you are thrust into the
action of the game's first two-stage level that serves as a
teaser to the rest of the story.
Through much in-game exposition, we learn that General and
Colonel (great names!), under instruction from the evil Sigma,
have incited Repliforce, an army of reploids formerly allied with
our heroes, the Maverick Hunters, to riot. Following Sigma's
plans to destroy the human race that created them, they have
demolished a Maverick Hunter base and promise to continue the
destruction until their final weapon is complete, and the earth
is vaporized, or something like that. It is, of course, up to
Mega Man X and his faithful partner, Zero, to foil their plans
and save the earth from destruction.
Inventive it is not, but this latest installment in the extensive
Mega Man series does sport enhanced graphics, a new soundtrack,
gigantic bosses, and one other notable enhancement - this is the
first of the series that lets you play as X or Zero. Capcom is
hyping this feature as providing "two separate adventures." While
it does increase the game's replay value, it's decidedly not two
separate adventures. The game follows one scenario with a few
differences, such as sidekick and dialogue, depending on the
character you choose - much like Sonic and Knuckles or Resident
Evil.
The real difference between characters lies in how the game
plays. Play as X, and the gameplay is very similar to the other
Mega Man X games. You run around and shoot things, collecting
armor from Dr. Light and new weapons from your fallen
adversaries. If you choose Zero, the story doesn't change much,
but you must alter the tactics used to fight attackers and
overcome obstacles. Zero is armed with a Z-Saber instead of X's
Arm Cannon making it necessary to fight up close. No armor is
provided for Zero, and instead of looting his enemies for new
weapons, Zero learns a new fighting tactic when he slays an
nent. This introduces an element of head-to-head-fighter
gameplay into the mix and makes it necessary for you to learn
button combos to pull off each move. Needless to say, playing as
Zero increases the difficulty level a bit.
No matter which character is used, though, this is one tough game
to beat. Challenging gameplay, as in all previous Mega Man
titles, is the key here. Each level, with few exceptions, is
designed to include little secrets and interesting terrain. Each
new weapon or fighting move learned requires practice to master.
The various baddies are quite illusive and hard to eliminate. The
real challenge waits at the end of the level - another Mega Man
trademark. Providing formidable bosses has always been Capcom's
strong suit. The true side-scroller fan is separated from the
rest. It is a real test of will to sit in front of a TV and blast
away at the same massive robotic bad guy for hours straight. Some
find it tedious to the point of delirium; others love the
challenge. I found it tedious. I tend to enjoy a few more puzzles
in the levels themselves and a tad less adversity at the end of
them. Fortunately, MM X4 is executed just well enough to make the
monotony bearable.
The control layout is intuitive, and the reaction time is
unsurpassed. The soundtrack, while incredibly typical, is filled
with the Japanese video-game synth-pop hooks we all hate to love,
and the cutscene dialogue, though pitiful, is a definite
improvement over Mega Man 8. The graphics, unlike previous Mega
Man titles, take full advantage of the PlayStation's 16-bit color
palette and alpha-channel transparency, lending the game a
decidedly 32-bit look. The multiple-parallax backgrounds are
flawlessly rendered and cause no discernable slowdown in the
frame rate. A few more 3D effects would have been nice, but the
decision to stick with a true 2D environment is bold, if somewhat
outmoded. Aesthetically, Mega Man X4 is a sizeable improvement
over its predecessors, but you must remember that it's only a
side scroller. Seventy or 80 similar games are out there that are
just as good. If you're looking for something new, look
elsewhere. If you're one of those weirdo platformer fans, though,
Mega Man X4 is what you crave. --Mark East
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot
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