The price of peace is high, X thinks to himself. Who or what must be sacrificed for it to become reality?

Mm… I really didn’t enjoy this much at all. It feels great, as is generally the case with Mega Man games, but it’s a shallow husk of Mega Man X. Underwhelming weapons, irritating music, and the weakest collection of bosses that I’ve encountered in this series thus far ensure that this one will be easily forgotten. It’s also laughably easy other than the horribly designed (optional) platforming challenges. Mega Man X2 is a cover band.

Mega Man X2 is pretty fun, like its predecessor, but I don't think it was quite as good as X1.
For starters, while the music was pretty good, there were not as many tunes from it that I found memorable. The levels, while good, felt shorter than X1, only really having one or two big set-pieces, and then boss time.

Getting 100% in this game was also not as enjoyable as last time, but the rewards are just as satisying as X1, thankfully.

In spite of this game's shortcomings, I did enjoy the new Mavericks, I enjoyed the boss fights against the X-Hunters, and the final boss was also good, although it's funny seeing Sigma pretty much being a Wolverine simp, lol.

All in all, while not as good as X1, Mega Man X2 was still a good time.

The X-hunters stuff is badly implemented, but you can easily ignore this, and it's much better this way. I saw people saying this game isn't that good because it doesn't have too many new features for the series, but i disagree because this introduced air dash, level design also feels very different from the first X, not in a way i think it's better, but still very good, most weapons are great too. Also very nice having a helmet upgrade that helps you to find upgrades, i don't need it since i've played this like over one hundred times, but for first timers it's really useful, since some things here are very well hidden. I don't find the OST to be as memorable as the first, but it has some great tunes like magna centipede and flame stag stages themes, the only one i think it's kinda weird is wheel gator i guess, sounds like cartoon music, password and level select themes are also very weak, but i wouldn't notice if the ones from the first game weren't great

Gráficos
( ) Minecraft
( ) 144p
(X) Pixel Art
( ) Aceitável
( ) Bom
( ) Ótimo
( ) Cada frame foi pintado por Da Vinci

História
( ) Que história??
( ) Até tem história, mas não entendi nada
( ) Tem história só pra não dizer que não tem
(X) Uma história digna de prestar atenção
( ) Uma história bem elaborada
( ) Mais complexa que Machado de Assis

Jogabilidade
( ) Tudo travado igual a coluna de uma senhora de 90 anos
( ) Precisa de dois dedos pra jogar
( ) Ruim, mas com muita determinação até que vai
( ) Esquisito no começo, mas você acostuma
(X) Gostoso de jogar
( ) Orgasmo para os dedos/mãos

Trilha sonora
( ) Meu peido faz um barulho mais bonito
( ) Deixa mutado
( ) Nada de especial
( ) Boa
( ) Memorável
(X) Toque isso no meu funeral

Nível de diversão
( ) Tão legal quanto assistir uma poça d'água evaporar
( ) Da pra passar um tempo
(X) Vai te prender por horas!
( ) Vai te dar raiva
(X) Meu mundo melhorou depois de jogar isso aqui
( ) Já amanheceu ???

Bugs
( ) Praticamente feito pela Bethesda
( ) Dá pra jogar
( ) Os bugs deixam o jogo mais divertido
( ) Alguns bugs
( ) A palavra bug é desconhecida
(X) Esse jogo saiu perfeito do forno

Tempo de jogo
(X) 1-5 horas
( ) 8-15 horas
( ) 24-48 horas
( ) + 100 horas
( ) Multiplayer infinito
( ) One Piece acaba e você ainda não fez tudo

Dificuldade
( ) Você adapta a dificuldade
( ) Dá pra zerar vendado e bêbado
( ) Médio
( ) Com um pouco de prática vai
(X) Bem desafiador, as vezes difícil
( ) Soulslike
( ) Você precisa despertar o instinto superior para jogar

Para melhor experiência
( ) Desinstalar
(X) O jogo é Offline
( ) SinglePlayer
( ) Coop
( ) Multiplayer

Vale a pena ?
( ) Arrependimento
( ) Reembolsa isso ai
( ) É bom, mas pra zerar uma vez só
( ) Recomendo!
(X) Bom pra caralho, JOGUEM!
(X) Queria apagar a memória só pra me encantar de novo

This game feels like a worst paced version of Mega Man 3, made worst by the X series structure, and admittedly how they handle the X hunters.

In terms of the things I care about a notable bit in these games, I think the mavericks themselves and their weapons are a bit less good than X1's, but I still like them overall I guess. The 2nd Armor is a bit better than the First Armor, but I kind of miss it's buster. Just give it this one's shoe functionality and I'd be happy. It's other effects like map searching or a screen wipe are a bit too situational for me to care about.

I think overall the stages are fine in the main section of the game, the only one I think that sucks for sure is Flame Stag's stage for the volcano section at the beginning of the level because it's too fast at times, and if it touches you, it's really hard to get away. It's honestly better to get insta-killed by it, but it doesn't even do that, it just takes 1/3 of the bar I think per hit. Otherwise the stage is fine, but that section especially sucks. I do like some of them tho, like Bubble Crab's is a race to the finish with a big robot fish, Overdrive Ostrich introduces the ride chasers and they're fun, minus the noise they make (they hurt my ears), and Morph Moth is delightfully unsettling.

I think the main game is fine, but I think the X Hunter Base levels, essentially Wily Castle stages, just suck 1 after another. Either because gimmicks in the stage themselves are just not fun like in Stage 1 with more climbing segments or in Stage 3 with it's jet platform you have to guide by jumping to switch it's direction, and it's just too finicky, or the bosses just aren't fun.

Violen is the same as his normal fight and it's annoying in both because of his stupid wrecking ball, Serges gets a different fight, and it's worse than his first fight. First one was just annoying because he was hard to hit, the second one is just bad because it takes that issue, and makes it a ton worse. And I'm not really that big of a fan of the Sigma fights... well more specifically the Sigma Virus phase, but it's just hard to keep up with how much the fight goes on rather than it just being outright bad. I think the only fight that I kind of like is Agile's fight. I like his first fight, and this second one is cool too, but more because it's a fun gimmick that can become a bit of a mess more than it being a hard but fun fight, especially going buster only in the latter.

I should probably mention why I think the game has worst pacing row quick, both for this review and to clarify some thoughts on MM3. I think MM3 is overall fine just considering the main game and the wily castle, but the Doc Robot stages reusing old stages to have rematch against the last game's bosses with a completely different set of weakness weapons was more a slog than actually fun. It just took a stab to the pacing, and made the game feel longer than it should be.

I think why this game's a bit worse about it is partly because of what it is compared to 3. MM3 is a relatively simple platformer with a random low point in the middle. This game intends to be more focused on collecting things throughout stages and completing a lot of it's hidden challenges if you want to get X to standing a chance more than just obtaining the weapons. From armor pieces to heart and e-tanks, to even finding some secret bosses. It's certainly not as straightforward I suppose.

I also think part of it just comes from how I like to play X games, I like to get everything I can in it so not only is there nothing left to scour the levels for once i'm done with them and I get a sense of completion out of the task, but I'm more ready for the challenges later to come. Because of the nature of this game's upgrades, it necessitates revisiting and exploring levels, similar to what MM7 and MM8 encouraged through hidden secrets in levels or through bolts. I think with that in mind, I like X1 because there isn't really much else to worry about in the main stages, and because of that, when I finish levels and I got the right stuff, it's pretty simple to head back and collect what I need with no skin off my back. It's a pretty leniant collection loop.

Doing this for X2 was a bit more of a hassle, partly on me, but also I think on the game. On me, well this is my first playthrough, of course it's gonna take a bit more time to figure out how the game works or where it hides stuff, and especially in nailing down a route, I don't really have it well planned out. But on the game itself, I think finding a good route is made a little inconvient based on the stipulations. There's plenty of collectibles that either require the airdash from the legs part, or a certain weapon like the speed burner with it's charged variation you only get from the buster upgrade. There's quite a few collectibles that are hidden with extra stipulations rather than just being in tricky spots, and considering the weakness order, it's a bit inconvient to play it like a standard mega man game in that regard.

My example is that I started with Wire Sponge, but I should've probably started with Overdrive Ostrich so I could have gotten the Leg parts so I could get some other stuff and generally improve my movement, but no I can't do that, I need wheel gator's weapon to even get it. In the weakness chain, overdrive ostrich would beat out wire sponge who would then beat out wheel gator, then I'd go back and get the upgrade. Until I do that, a lot of the games collectibles are locked off from me unless i'm super technical about my movement, which i'm not. But I didn't do that, I went Wire Sponge, Wheel Gator, then Overdrive Ostrich and went ahead and fought him with the buster only. Part of the blame is one me for the order, but no matter what, this was the one MM game i've played that's gotten me to break the weakness weapon chain, and not in a way I particularly like.

What complicates this a bit more is if you want to try and just complete the stages weakness to weakness while also trying to fight all the X-Hunter fights. Ignoring that some of them are just a pain in the ass to get to because they are just straight up hidden in the stages which makes sense as optional fights. If you're going for them, you gotta hope that they actually land on one of the 6 remaining stages after you unlock them. Either you try and knock them out early by going off route, hope they're there, or just keep leaving and revisiting levels to reset where they spawn at, especially if you want to face off against one in particular. That last one is just if you don't feel like fighting someone like serges or something. I get that tbf.

Y'know, i'm thinking on it now, and honestly while I do like fighting optional bosses because a secret fights are cool, considering I just don't like 2 out of the three fights, and I end up having to rematch them all anyways, I think it makes things worse in hindsight. I did a lot of work just to not end up fighting Zero at the end. Now, storywise, I think it makes more sense that X would want to save Zero and would end up going out of his way to get his parts back, it makes sense to the characters and the player, especially after X1, but also, I missed a really cool fight with Zero. It's not like I can easily go back either without doing a whole second playthrough, so I just didn't get to fight him. I mean granted, I already think the sigma fights after it are enough trouble normally, so having a tough fight prior be gone is probably easier at the end of the day, and it is cool to have him cut down a copy so effortlessly as he makes a flashy return, but I dunno man, I think the X-Hunters are just kind of busy work...

Trying to account for them in main stages and then deal with them in the latter half of the game just isn't that fun, and combine that with me thinking the collection order is a bit more tedious than normal, and me thinking the stages and bosses aren't that cool... yeah this game feels like a drag more times than not. Overall, not one of my favorites. Not very well paced, not as interesting as X1 in bosses or weapons, and the endgame just kind of tanks in quality. Fucked up... That being said, here's my boss ranking.

8. Wheel Gator
7. Morph Moth
6. Magna Centipede
5. Flame Stag
4. Crystal Snail
3. Wire Sponge
2. Bubble Crab
1. Overdrive Ostrich

Sigma is, at the very least, the worst thing to happen to the collective Mega Man franchise. Just as he brought down the previous game, whatever little inclusion he had into X2 felt like an anchor weighing down this otherwise fantastic sequel.

I feel like this game added more frustrating elements than the original, but the sense of forward momentum and action that X2 delivers on mostly makes up for it. I think the music's better, and while the game doesn't look much better than the original, there wasn't much that needed to be improved upon. The transparency layered effects are more graphically impressive than the wireframe 3D elements. It doesn't matter how many graphical enhancement chips you include onto a cartridge, Sigma is still going to be active detriment to the experience. I hope that moving forward, he's replaced with anything else. Or nothing. If I had to choose between jumping down the pit to fight Sigma as the final boss or fight a stationary supercomputer, I'm choosing the later every day of the week.

Also they should make a Mega Man game staring Zero. Wouldn't that be neat?

Frustrating stage designs. Lots of things that just instantly kill you. Didn’t like the bosses much either. Especially Agile, Serges, Violen and the worst offender Sigma, were a huge pain in the ass to fight.
I liked the suit enhancements less than in X1 too. Targeting Helmet is tedious to use and the Armor upgrade is pretty lackluster too. And it felt like the Double Shot X-Buster was a downgrade from the X-Buster upgrade in X1 as well.
The Air-Dash was alright, although in most cases, a dash into a jump would suffice in most cases. But it did have its uses.
I would have liked to be able to use an Air-Dash after a Dash -> Jump, however that's not possible.
The boss powers were alright I guess.