Definitely an improvement from X7, but there's not much here that isn't done better in earlier games
Completed using Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 on Switch. Played on normal difficulty, and achieved a 100% save file, which involved finding all of the Rare Metals and hidden upgrades. Unlike with MMX1-4, I played this one almost exclusively in Rookie Hunter Mode; I did give it a genuine effort at first, but soon caved in and decided I wanted a more relaxed experience (I attribute this to the oddly restrictive continues system).
After the disappointment that was X5, its disastrous sequel X6, and the lousy excuse for a game X7 was trying to be (which I didn't even finish), I happy to report that Mega Man X8 was breath of fresh air, and a bona fide improvement over its three predecessors. I wouldn't go so far as to rate it as highly as X4, but it truly made an effort to get the series back on track and push it further.
Positives: First off, the opening stage is excellent, and effectively introduces everything the player needs to know. We have three playable characters: X, Zero, and Axl, each with their own strengths in combat as well as platforming. Only two of the three can be brought into a stage at a time, but you can swap between them at the press of a button, and even perform powerful double attacks. The navigation system also gets an overhaul, offering three different navigators, each with their own useful information, and it gives you the option to not only ignore individual transmissions, but also to turn them off completely. And best of all, the X series has finally caught up to the classic series with its own shop system, allowing you to buy handy items with Metals you've collected, or develop advanced gear by retrieving Rare Metals, which are in limited supply. On top of all these improvements, many of the irritating design choices from X5-6 have been reverted, leaving us with a game that feels fresh, not antiquated or afraid to innovate.
Negatives: Unfortunately, this game is far from perfect, I'm afraid. My initial impression was that the gimmicky stages were creative and even fun, but that was only because I unknowingly started with the better ones like Gravity Antonion and Optic Sunflower's stages. Once I got to the likes of Avalanche Yeti and Gigavolt Man-O-War's stages, I realized where the criticisms of this game were aimed at. The rest of the stages were, for better or worse, memorable, and they were certainly hard as well, what with the controls. They're certainly tight as any other MMX game, but everything just feels so FAST; you jump faster, fall faster and even slide down walls faster, and yet somehow dashing feels slow, making for some very demanding platforming. My last major criticism is aimed at the bosses; I will say that they're far more engaging than the last few entries', but they have these overwhelmingly long periods of invulnerability, and it's not always clear when you can hit them without your attack deflecting off. This was very frustrating in the late game, and I'm sure it would've driven me mad had I not played on Rookie Hunter Mode.
In summary, Mega Man X8 easily cleared the bar that had been steadily lowered to hell by X5-7, but it hardly feels like a satisfying conclusion to the series. For nearly every little thing I enjoyed about it, another small thing came along to detract from my experience further, making the game feel like a long match of tug-of-war. I'd surely recommend it to Mega Man fans disillusioned by X series' steep decline, but not to anyone else.
After the disappointment that was X5, its disastrous sequel X6, and the lousy excuse for a game X7 was trying to be (which I didn't even finish), I happy to report that Mega Man X8 was breath of fresh air, and a bona fide improvement over its three predecessors. I wouldn't go so far as to rate it as highly as X4, but it truly made an effort to get the series back on track and push it further.
Positives: First off, the opening stage is excellent, and effectively introduces everything the player needs to know. We have three playable characters: X, Zero, and Axl, each with their own strengths in combat as well as platforming. Only two of the three can be brought into a stage at a time, but you can swap between them at the press of a button, and even perform powerful double attacks. The navigation system also gets an overhaul, offering three different navigators, each with their own useful information, and it gives you the option to not only ignore individual transmissions, but also to turn them off completely. And best of all, the X series has finally caught up to the classic series with its own shop system, allowing you to buy handy items with Metals you've collected, or develop advanced gear by retrieving Rare Metals, which are in limited supply. On top of all these improvements, many of the irritating design choices from X5-6 have been reverted, leaving us with a game that feels fresh, not antiquated or afraid to innovate.
Negatives: Unfortunately, this game is far from perfect, I'm afraid. My initial impression was that the gimmicky stages were creative and even fun, but that was only because I unknowingly started with the better ones like Gravity Antonion and Optic Sunflower's stages. Once I got to the likes of Avalanche Yeti and Gigavolt Man-O-War's stages, I realized where the criticisms of this game were aimed at. The rest of the stages were, for better or worse, memorable, and they were certainly hard as well, what with the controls. They're certainly tight as any other MMX game, but everything just feels so FAST; you jump faster, fall faster and even slide down walls faster, and yet somehow dashing feels slow, making for some very demanding platforming. My last major criticism is aimed at the bosses; I will say that they're far more engaging than the last few entries', but they have these overwhelmingly long periods of invulnerability, and it's not always clear when you can hit them without your attack deflecting off. This was very frustrating in the late game, and I'm sure it would've driven me mad had I not played on Rookie Hunter Mode.
In summary, Mega Man X8 easily cleared the bar that had been steadily lowered to hell by X5-7, but it hardly feels like a satisfying conclusion to the series. For nearly every little thing I enjoyed about it, another small thing came along to detract from my experience further, making the game feel like a long match of tug-of-war. I'd surely recommend it to Mega Man fans disillusioned by X series' steep decline, but not to anyone else.
This game is odd. The story is fine. I like the twist. X, Zero, and Axl all feel great to control. They're all very distinct and feel very evenly balanced. I like the navigator system and the partner system. Its fun trying to balance which ones to use. Zero's weapons are all super fun. His techniques except his spinning move all kind of suck. His weapons make up for it though. Axl's weapons are also really great. His copy shot is whatever. X's weapons kind of suck, but his armors are great. I like the Hermes Armor a lot. I used its parts instead of the Icarus armor. The chip system is also really cool. I like collecting them and buying new chips to power me up. Though, collecting the collectibles is really tedious. Especially since I don't really like the levels. They all feel really one-dimensional and slow. Its feels like they only focus on one idea and one idea only without considering if they're fun. The fact that you have to replay these slow levels multiple times in order to get everything is really annoying. I also don't really like the music that much. I feel like this game has a really good baseline, but it doesn't really apply it in a way I like.
it's pretty okay but half the levels are gimmicks and the game is short as fk
Better than X5-X7 but still kinda sucks. Big Cartoon Network licensed game energy with this one. Was expecting Ben 10 to show up. Music is pretty swag though.
I really feel like a lot of the love this game gets is for not being horrible like X6 and X7. It's close to being decent but there's too many flaws for me to really like it.
Most of the levels are annoying, or not very fun, the only exceptions i can think are the intro stage, dark mantis, antonio and the forest. The stages are too focused on being gimmicky instead of giving us some good fast action plataforming. It wouldn't be that much of a problem if the gimmicks were actually fun like Antonion's stage, but they're not. At least they're not HORRIBLE (except for Manowar's stage, that is one of the worst levels in megaman as a franchise)
The rare metals and the money grind to buy them sucks, and honestly i feel like most of them aren't worth it. I never even used the Subtanks. Zero's weapons are cool but i didn't find any of them on my own and the levels not being fun made me not want to replay them for upgrades. I really wanted to use the knuckles the whole game but i barely did because i found them when i was close to beating the game.
I know the game is like this and very grindy to give you reasons to replay it with more upgrades each time, and i'm not against the idea of having NG+ in a MMX game, but the levels are not fun for me to want to return to.
Most of the levels are annoying, or not very fun, the only exceptions i can think are the intro stage, dark mantis, antonio and the forest. The stages are too focused on being gimmicky instead of giving us some good fast action plataforming. It wouldn't be that much of a problem if the gimmicks were actually fun like Antonion's stage, but they're not. At least they're not HORRIBLE (except for Manowar's stage, that is one of the worst levels in megaman as a franchise)
The rare metals and the money grind to buy them sucks, and honestly i feel like most of them aren't worth it. I never even used the Subtanks. Zero's weapons are cool but i didn't find any of them on my own and the levels not being fun made me not want to replay them for upgrades. I really wanted to use the knuckles the whole game but i barely did because i found them when i was close to beating the game.
I know the game is like this and very grindy to give you reasons to replay it with more upgrades each time, and i'm not against the idea of having NG+ in a MMX game, but the levels are not fun for me to want to return to.
Genuienly a lot of fun, compared to X6 and especially X7. Not an outstanding game, but a fine one. Would recommend!
Surprisingly liked this game less than X7 because it was more bland in terms of environments/levels and bosses. But objectively speaking, it wasn't frustrating the way X7 was with the 3D and awful boss voices looping without cooldown. I just felt nothing with this game and going for 100% was a gigantic chore.
There's some fun in it and it's definitely better than X7 but still just decent at best. I like the artwork of the characters also
احب هذي اللعبة
Ended with mid
My sweet savior
I really didn't liked this game. It started pretty alright, but then I couldn't enjoy it that much. Also that cliffhanger can rot in hell since we won't ever get X9 at this point.
Could be way better
The boys are back in town, one last time.
Mega Man X 8 could not exist without the front flip into the dirt that was Mega Man X 7. X8 feels in every way like what X7 should have been. I don’t want to say that it was an apology for X7, but the amount of things they got right here is like they’re overcompensating.
The most important lesson learned from X7 is keeping it 2D. I don’t necessarily think that Mega Man X NEEDS to be a strictly 2D game series, but the way X7 botched it means they weren’t ready for it yet. With X8, they played it safe and stuck with what they knew and for whatever that’s worth, it’s a better game for it.
The biggest reason for this is there is no targeting system to accommodate three dimensional play. You shoot right in front of you, simple as that. This gives Axl, a character I loathed to play as in X7, a more interesting playstyle. To set him apart from X, his weapons have analogue aiming. Due to his stop-and-pop combat and lack of heavy damage, I still don’t find him to be nearly as viable or fun as X or Zero. I find that stop-and-pop style to be pretty antithetical to Mega Man as a whole but hey, he’s got something besides “X but way worse” so I’m happy for him I guess. He’s still a Scrappy Doo ass character though.
X is as reliable and fun to play as ever, and his new Neutral Armor brings back the toyetic nature of the X series in full force. The Neutral Armor is a blank slate (looks pretty cool too, I like the “collar” that comes up high enough to cover his mouth) that you can mix and match parts from the attack-focused Icarus set (the red one) and the mobility-focused Hermes set (the blue one). The customizability of the Neutral Armor is one of my favorite things about this game. The gunpla-ness of the X Armors has reached its endgame, you can literally kitbash the Neutral Armor into something that fits your playstyle. This is of course made pointless by the secret Ultimate Armor having the best of both armors, but if you’re not using a code, you can’t get that armor without beating the game first.
To round up the cast of playable characters, X8’s treatment of Zero is proof of the Mega Man X’s series’ head over heels love for that guy. It’s not misplaced love, he’s a cool guy. This is also the best Zero has been handled in any of the Mega Man X games. Every skill you learn from a boss is naturally incorporated into his moveset, and it isn’t something like adding an air dash or a double jump (Zero starts the game with those things). They sat down and looked at Zero’s kit and asked what could be added to it, rather than taken away and given back. Furthermore, nothing feels clumsily added either, like taking one of X’s weapons and just giving it to Zero. He’s always been a solid character to play as, but X8 gives us the most polished Zero in any game he shows up in. Except maybe Marvel vs. Capcom 3…
Anyways
The toy box nature of Mega Man X does not stop with X’s kitbash armor, no. Not by a long shot. Zero gets himself a whole arsenal of weapons to play with. From a hammer to battle fans, each weapon has a signature move tied to one of the boss skills. The brass knuckles turning most of the skills into a Street Fighter move is very fun and I like it. But the D Glaive. Oh, the D Glaive. What a weapon. Named from the Hindu goddess of motherhood and war, the Durga Glaive is Zero’s best non-New Game+ weapon for its sheer range alone. This weapon turns Zero into a long range fighter. Spamming the jump slash is enough to take out entire rooms of enemies. There are certain parts of the game where optimal play is needed to get a reward and the D Glaive is the tool for the job. Its so satisfying to swing this thing around. It’s too good. I’m glad the D Glaive is there because the hammer is kinda dumb.
The weapons and armor are just a fraction of things to find in the levels of this game, there is a buffet of upgrades and goodies to get your hands on and then buy in the in-game shop. You’ll be backtracking, you’ll be resetting because you missed something, you’ll be farming for cash at Earthrock Trilobite's level. It’s maybe an artificial extension on the game, but it’s a good enough game that I’ll take any excuse to spend more time with it. Doing Avalanche Yeti’s stage more than once is pretty stupid though! It’s not a great level!
To save yourself a bit of time, I recommend getting the D Glaive from Dark Mantis’ stage as soon as you can (you’ll need to beat Gigavolt Man-O-War first, another not great level) and then clear Optic Sunflower’s stage as best as you can to get the Metal Generator for a steady flow of cash as you go through the game.
Alright I’ve waited long enough, I’ve said enough good things about this game. It’s time for my biggest gripe about Mega Man X 8.
I don’t like the visual style. Everyone looks weird. Axl comes out relatively unscathed but good lord X and Zero look extruded and maligned. The classic bell-bottom boots that Mega Man founded are gone. X’s buster is too busy, he has gray on his boots where it wasn’t needed. The “ear” parts of his helmet have the letter “X” incorporated into it, a design move I really don’t agree with. He looks more cylindrical, I hate it. And Zero? Oh, the massacred my boy. You look at him for a second and everything looks fine, but then he turns around and his beautiful flowing hair has been reduced to a thin dangling rat tail. What where they thinking???
It should be said though that this game is solid enough to make me forget about my misgivings with the visual style. The game is rendered well, I just wish there was a mod that made the boys look more Classic.
Speaking of the boys, I think it’s nice that you can eventually play as the girls, your navigators that have been yapping in your ear the whole game. Layer is very good and I like her and it’s insane that they got away with her body-stocking-underboob design.
I have beaten Mega Man X 8 three times and 100%ed it at least one of those times. I thoroughly enjoyed latest playthrough, though I’m willing to admit that was because I had just come off of Mega Man X 7. I’m also willing to admit that X8 has enough merit to be enjoyable without having to put yourself through torture beforehand.
I recommend Mega Man X 8. Take your time with it, because lord knows we won’t get another one any time soon.
Mega Man X 8 could not exist without the front flip into the dirt that was Mega Man X 7. X8 feels in every way like what X7 should have been. I don’t want to say that it was an apology for X7, but the amount of things they got right here is like they’re overcompensating.
The most important lesson learned from X7 is keeping it 2D. I don’t necessarily think that Mega Man X NEEDS to be a strictly 2D game series, but the way X7 botched it means they weren’t ready for it yet. With X8, they played it safe and stuck with what they knew and for whatever that’s worth, it’s a better game for it.
The biggest reason for this is there is no targeting system to accommodate three dimensional play. You shoot right in front of you, simple as that. This gives Axl, a character I loathed to play as in X7, a more interesting playstyle. To set him apart from X, his weapons have analogue aiming. Due to his stop-and-pop combat and lack of heavy damage, I still don’t find him to be nearly as viable or fun as X or Zero. I find that stop-and-pop style to be pretty antithetical to Mega Man as a whole but hey, he’s got something besides “X but way worse” so I’m happy for him I guess. He’s still a Scrappy Doo ass character though.
X is as reliable and fun to play as ever, and his new Neutral Armor brings back the toyetic nature of the X series in full force. The Neutral Armor is a blank slate (looks pretty cool too, I like the “collar” that comes up high enough to cover his mouth) that you can mix and match parts from the attack-focused Icarus set (the red one) and the mobility-focused Hermes set (the blue one). The customizability of the Neutral Armor is one of my favorite things about this game. The gunpla-ness of the X Armors has reached its endgame, you can literally kitbash the Neutral Armor into something that fits your playstyle. This is of course made pointless by the secret Ultimate Armor having the best of both armors, but if you’re not using a code, you can’t get that armor without beating the game first.
To round up the cast of playable characters, X8’s treatment of Zero is proof of the Mega Man X’s series’ head over heels love for that guy. It’s not misplaced love, he’s a cool guy. This is also the best Zero has been handled in any of the Mega Man X games. Every skill you learn from a boss is naturally incorporated into his moveset, and it isn’t something like adding an air dash or a double jump (Zero starts the game with those things). They sat down and looked at Zero’s kit and asked what could be added to it, rather than taken away and given back. Furthermore, nothing feels clumsily added either, like taking one of X’s weapons and just giving it to Zero. He’s always been a solid character to play as, but X8 gives us the most polished Zero in any game he shows up in. Except maybe Marvel vs. Capcom 3…
Anyways
The toy box nature of Mega Man X does not stop with X’s kitbash armor, no. Not by a long shot. Zero gets himself a whole arsenal of weapons to play with. From a hammer to battle fans, each weapon has a signature move tied to one of the boss skills. The brass knuckles turning most of the skills into a Street Fighter move is very fun and I like it. But the D Glaive. Oh, the D Glaive. What a weapon. Named from the Hindu goddess of motherhood and war, the Durga Glaive is Zero’s best non-New Game+ weapon for its sheer range alone. This weapon turns Zero into a long range fighter. Spamming the jump slash is enough to take out entire rooms of enemies. There are certain parts of the game where optimal play is needed to get a reward and the D Glaive is the tool for the job. Its so satisfying to swing this thing around. It’s too good. I’m glad the D Glaive is there because the hammer is kinda dumb.
The weapons and armor are just a fraction of things to find in the levels of this game, there is a buffet of upgrades and goodies to get your hands on and then buy in the in-game shop. You’ll be backtracking, you’ll be resetting because you missed something, you’ll be farming for cash at Earthrock Trilobite's level. It’s maybe an artificial extension on the game, but it’s a good enough game that I’ll take any excuse to spend more time with it. Doing Avalanche Yeti’s stage more than once is pretty stupid though! It’s not a great level!
To save yourself a bit of time, I recommend getting the D Glaive from Dark Mantis’ stage as soon as you can (you’ll need to beat Gigavolt Man-O-War first, another not great level) and then clear Optic Sunflower’s stage as best as you can to get the Metal Generator for a steady flow of cash as you go through the game.
Alright I’ve waited long enough, I’ve said enough good things about this game. It’s time for my biggest gripe about Mega Man X 8.
I don’t like the visual style. Everyone looks weird. Axl comes out relatively unscathed but good lord X and Zero look extruded and maligned. The classic bell-bottom boots that Mega Man founded are gone. X’s buster is too busy, he has gray on his boots where it wasn’t needed. The “ear” parts of his helmet have the letter “X” incorporated into it, a design move I really don’t agree with. He looks more cylindrical, I hate it. And Zero? Oh, the massacred my boy. You look at him for a second and everything looks fine, but then he turns around and his beautiful flowing hair has been reduced to a thin dangling rat tail. What where they thinking???
It should be said though that this game is solid enough to make me forget about my misgivings with the visual style. The game is rendered well, I just wish there was a mod that made the boys look more Classic.
Speaking of the boys, I think it’s nice that you can eventually play as the girls, your navigators that have been yapping in your ear the whole game. Layer is very good and I like her and it’s insane that they got away with her body-stocking-underboob design.
I have beaten Mega Man X 8 three times and 100%ed it at least one of those times. I thoroughly enjoyed latest playthrough, though I’m willing to admit that was because I had just come off of Mega Man X 7. I’m also willing to admit that X8 has enough merit to be enjoyable without having to put yourself through torture beforehand.
I recommend Mega Man X 8. Take your time with it, because lord knows we won’t get another one any time soon.
Replaying this game makes me want an X9 so bad. There are so many great ideas here that unfortunately just aren't properly executed to their full potential. Still, I will always respect this game for trying something new.
Some of the stages are too gimmicky for their own good, some weapons suffer the same issue, and Zero continues to struggle at keeping up with his projectile-based coworkers. At the same time however, it's the most competent game in the series since 'X4' and the 2.5D design forms some stages is a nice touch. Additionally, it also brings some sense of finality to the endless fight against Sigma.
'Mega Man X8' is a mixed bag but even the weakest prize from that bag is still leagues better than most of what we've gotten from the past three games.
'Mega Man X8' is a mixed bag but even the weakest prize from that bag is still leagues better than most of what we've gotten from the past three games.
that was pretty damn good wow
half the levels are gimmicky and kinda eh but theyre fun in their own weird way
but the core gameplay is amazing it controls so good
AND THAT FINAL BOSS HOLY SHIT I DIDNT THINK THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER GOOD FINAL BOSS AFTER X4 BUT THEY KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK THAT WAS AMAZING
half the levels are gimmicky and kinda eh but theyre fun in their own weird way
but the core gameplay is amazing it controls so good
AND THAT FINAL BOSS HOLY SHIT I DIDNT THINK THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER GOOD FINAL BOSS AFTER X4 BUT THEY KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK THAT WAS AMAZING
Joguei tanto a versão de PS2 quanto a de PC, muito bom fez parte da minha infância.
This review contains spoilers
It probably has my favorite art style out of all the X games. While the environments aren't the most vibrant, I still really like them. The stages are kinda a mixed bag but I like a lot of the ideas they bring, but two ride stages is way too much. The new armor system where you can switch between parts is cool, but I don't like how they're all the same with a simple palette change. Although pretty inconsequential, I love the new shop system where you buy new weapons and items. The new operators, while also pretty inconsequential, are cool. I also like how for the first time they actually break the Sigma formula and have a new antagonist, who although very one-dimensional, is still a welcome addition. The story itself isn't good but it's probably my favorite out of all the games. However, the gameplay itself doesn't feel as on point as other games, the dash doesn't feel right, and the music, with the exception of Jakob Orbital Elevator, isn't on par with the rest of the games.
Melhor gameplay momento a momento de megaman. Mas o game design tenta inovar demais (necessidade de inovar no oitavo jogo de uma serie) e você acaba aproveitando pouco esse gameplay. História também é uma das melhores da franquia
É um jogo divertido que poderia ser bem melhor caso não tivesse um level design tao ruim em certos estágios
Feels really good to play. Just wish most of the levels didn't suck.
Aun tiene el problema del backtracking pero en mucha menor medida y el hecho de tener un new game plus beneficia mucho al juego para hacerlo mas digerible. Ademas aqui Sigma ya no es el jefe final, esperemos que eso se repita en X9 (Si es que sale algun dia)
tries to play this like 4 times, it just doesn't work and I end up leaving it aside
Is it a bad game? Nah, but it just doesn't appeal to me.
Is it a bad game? Nah, but it just doesn't appeal to me.
It's not quite there, but still pretty fun. Also GOATed soundtrack, this shit slaps
Way better than X7 but still not the best
This review contains spoilers
I'm conflicted.
Out of all of the Mega Man X games, X8 is the one that has so many things that I love about it yet also has some damning aspects that drag the experience down for me.
Let me start with the positives: This game has the best controls out of any X game. The characters feel so smooth and fun to control. I don't really know how to describe it, but it feels so fun to play around with the characters and their abilities more than every other game in the series. Speaking of which, X, Zero, and Axl all feel really balanced in this game and they all have distinct characteristics that make them stand out. X has the charge shot and can equip his set of armors but can only shoot straightforward, Axl can shoot in 8 directions but can’t charge his weapons, and Zero has his collection of swords and double jump but has the shortest dash length. They all have their pros and cons and it doesn't feel like one character has a much bigger advantage or disadvantage over the other. The game also brings back the partner mechanic from X7 and improves upon it, as you can now swap out a character to refill their health whenever they're damaged. It's such a fun mechanic, probably my favorite thing introduced in this game if I'm being honest. It just kinda baffles me that we went from X7, which had the worst controls and mechanics in the series, to X8, which had the best.
I also love the new shop system they implemented into this game. No more heart tanks, sub tanks, or rescuable reploids that may give you items at the end of a stage; now you purchase items and abilities with the metals you earn from the stages. It's a fun system that gives light to a new gameplay idea and gets rid of a formula that became stale by the 6th entry.
The bosses are a lot of fun as well, as they now have invulnerability frames so that you don't kill them so easily and have phases so they don't end up repeating the same mundane patterns over and over again. I'm not saying the bosses in the previous games were bad (aside from X7, of course) but you could kill them easily with their weaknesses, which is a little lame.
Another aspect are the list of quality of life improvements this game provided. First off, there is more than one navigator now; Alia gives usual advice to newcomers about tips on the stages, but now there are two new navigators: Layer and Palette. Layer will give you tips on the bosses, and Palette will provide hints on finding items in the stages. And if you don't want any navigation, you can always go into a stage without a navigator, which is very nice feature. I also love that you can mix and match X's armor sets to however you wish. The two new armors in this game, the Icarus and the Hermes armor, are already fun to use on their own, with the Icarus armor being more offensive oriented while the Hermes armor is more defensive oriented. However, because X is given the neutral armor near the start of the game, you can customize X with whatever parts you want on him. I personally just put the Icarus armor on him throughout most of my playthrough, but to each their own. You can even quit a level even if you haven't finished it yet; such a small change that goes a LONG way.
Lastly, I would like to talk about the characterization. I LOVE the character interactions in this game. I love seeing moments like X being so serious about taking down sigma and stopping the war, or Zero exchanging to Layer about the events of X5, or Axl maturing from the events of X7, or Vile being an evil son of bitch in front of the heroes. X8 just has a lot of great characters moments that made me smile, and, again, coming off of X7, makes me wonder how the team characterized X so poorly in that game.
So, all of this sounds like X8 is an amazing game, right? Well, no. The thing is is that X8 drops the ball on some aspects that drag the game down considerably.
First off, a lot of the level design isn't that great. There are a couple of levels that I did enjoy, namely Bamboo Pandemonium's stage, where you have carry a ride armor around because it will help you reach alternate paths in the level, and Dark Mantis's stage, where you have to sneak around search lights so you don't get caught and be forced into fighting a large array of enemies. However most of them just aren't fun; Earthrock Trilobyte's stage has you being chased by a giant robot that you eventually have to chase yourself through the same level design you just played. Then there's Burn Rooster's stage where you have to go through long vertical autoscrolling sections and also go through a tedious platforming section full of spikes that will instikill you unless you have a prickle barrier equipped. But the worst stage to me was Gigabolt Man-O-War 's stage (which btw, what the fuck are these maverick names? “Bamboo Pandemonium”, “Earthrock Trilobyte”, and now “Gigavolt Man-O-War”; who came up with these?), where you have to go through this shooter section, in which you have to chase the maverick by boosting up and shooting him; this is easier said than done because I have no idea what is happening while playing through the level as there is so much shit to maneuver around and the maverick keeps getting farther away from you every second. And once you finish that portion, you just fight the boss and that's the end of the stage ... cool I love it when a level has no items to collect; it's such a great use of my time.
Speaking of which, that's another problem with X8, the matter of collecting items. So, I did praise the shop system earlier, but it comes at a major price: X8's item game is over complicated. Aside from Gigavolt Man-o-War's stage, every stage has at least one rare metal, which will give you upgrades for you to purchase in the shop. However, they are hidden throughout the stage and require you to have certain weapons from other mavericks to be able to access them. This means that you have to do a LOT of backtracking, which kills the replayability aspect of this game. Yeah sure, I can just not collect some of the rare metals on future playthroughs, but I love collecting all the items in X games; I think it's a satisfying achievement to be able to get every item and beat the game with everything at your disposal. So for X8 to have its item game be such a chore is very disappointing to me. It's one of the reasons why I didn't really care for X5 that much; it's because the backtracking was atrocious. This isn't even factoring in retry chips, which I don't mind the idea of, I think having a limited number of tries per stage is actually a cool idea. The problem is that once you're out of retry chips, you have to go through both the results and menu screens, select the same stage that you were just playing, select your characters and navigator, and start the whole stage all over again. At that point, why not just have a 'retry stage' selection; yeah sure I would have to replay the whole stage again, but at least I wouldn't have to keep doing the same stuff I just mentioned ad nauseam. Top that off with how, as mentioned before, a lot of stages aren't that fun to play on and it just makes X8 feel like a mess.
Lastly, I want to briefly touch upon the story. Basically, a new generation of reploids have inherited the copy chip like Axl, and this new character named Lumine reveals that he wants to use something called the Jakob project to lead a new generation of reploids with this ability, as they are able to go maverick at will, and dispose of the old generation of reploids. However, throughout most of the game, you're tricked into thinking Sigma is behind the whole plan as Lumine gets kidnapped by Vile at the beginning of the game. This is actually a pretty cool idea for a story, but the problem with it is that it's just kinda forgettable, as most of it involves the characters believing Sigma is behind the plan and it doesn't really go anywhere until the Lumine reveal. There isn't much discussion in the game involving the new generation of reploids and when there is it once again has to do with Sigma. I don't know, maybe I'm just not getting this story and it's actually good because I've seen some people like it, but I just don't vibe with it. The way I would personally describe X8's plot is that it involves great characters in a story with little direction.
Overall, X8 is a game that I'm VERY mixed on. I think positives out way the negatives, as the game has tight controls, great mechanics, fun bosses, and refined shop system, but it lets me down with its level design, backtracking oriented item game, and story. And that saddens me because this was the last mainline X game to ever be released (I don't count Maverick Hunter X because that's a remake), and it sucks that I don't enjoy it nearly as much as the first four X games. And watching the cliffhanger of this game ends on makes me want to enjoy this game more than I do because there is so much you can do with this series of games. At the end of the day, I think X8 is a good game, and I would much rather play this again than the last three X games, but man, talk about a disappointing way to end Mega Man X.
With that being said, PLEASE CAPCOM FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE US MEGA MAN X9, I'M BEGGING YOU!!!
Out of all of the Mega Man X games, X8 is the one that has so many things that I love about it yet also has some damning aspects that drag the experience down for me.
Let me start with the positives: This game has the best controls out of any X game. The characters feel so smooth and fun to control. I don't really know how to describe it, but it feels so fun to play around with the characters and their abilities more than every other game in the series. Speaking of which, X, Zero, and Axl all feel really balanced in this game and they all have distinct characteristics that make them stand out. X has the charge shot and can equip his set of armors but can only shoot straightforward, Axl can shoot in 8 directions but can’t charge his weapons, and Zero has his collection of swords and double jump but has the shortest dash length. They all have their pros and cons and it doesn't feel like one character has a much bigger advantage or disadvantage over the other. The game also brings back the partner mechanic from X7 and improves upon it, as you can now swap out a character to refill their health whenever they're damaged. It's such a fun mechanic, probably my favorite thing introduced in this game if I'm being honest. It just kinda baffles me that we went from X7, which had the worst controls and mechanics in the series, to X8, which had the best.
I also love the new shop system they implemented into this game. No more heart tanks, sub tanks, or rescuable reploids that may give you items at the end of a stage; now you purchase items and abilities with the metals you earn from the stages. It's a fun system that gives light to a new gameplay idea and gets rid of a formula that became stale by the 6th entry.
The bosses are a lot of fun as well, as they now have invulnerability frames so that you don't kill them so easily and have phases so they don't end up repeating the same mundane patterns over and over again. I'm not saying the bosses in the previous games were bad (aside from X7, of course) but you could kill them easily with their weaknesses, which is a little lame.
Another aspect are the list of quality of life improvements this game provided. First off, there is more than one navigator now; Alia gives usual advice to newcomers about tips on the stages, but now there are two new navigators: Layer and Palette. Layer will give you tips on the bosses, and Palette will provide hints on finding items in the stages. And if you don't want any navigation, you can always go into a stage without a navigator, which is very nice feature. I also love that you can mix and match X's armor sets to however you wish. The two new armors in this game, the Icarus and the Hermes armor, are already fun to use on their own, with the Icarus armor being more offensive oriented while the Hermes armor is more defensive oriented. However, because X is given the neutral armor near the start of the game, you can customize X with whatever parts you want on him. I personally just put the Icarus armor on him throughout most of my playthrough, but to each their own. You can even quit a level even if you haven't finished it yet; such a small change that goes a LONG way.
Lastly, I would like to talk about the characterization. I LOVE the character interactions in this game. I love seeing moments like X being so serious about taking down sigma and stopping the war, or Zero exchanging to Layer about the events of X5, or Axl maturing from the events of X7, or Vile being an evil son of bitch in front of the heroes. X8 just has a lot of great characters moments that made me smile, and, again, coming off of X7, makes me wonder how the team characterized X so poorly in that game.
So, all of this sounds like X8 is an amazing game, right? Well, no. The thing is is that X8 drops the ball on some aspects that drag the game down considerably.
First off, a lot of the level design isn't that great. There are a couple of levels that I did enjoy, namely Bamboo Pandemonium's stage, where you have carry a ride armor around because it will help you reach alternate paths in the level, and Dark Mantis's stage, where you have to sneak around search lights so you don't get caught and be forced into fighting a large array of enemies. However most of them just aren't fun; Earthrock Trilobyte's stage has you being chased by a giant robot that you eventually have to chase yourself through the same level design you just played. Then there's Burn Rooster's stage where you have to go through long vertical autoscrolling sections and also go through a tedious platforming section full of spikes that will instikill you unless you have a prickle barrier equipped. But the worst stage to me was Gigabolt Man-O-War 's stage (which btw, what the fuck are these maverick names? “Bamboo Pandemonium”, “Earthrock Trilobyte”, and now “Gigavolt Man-O-War”; who came up with these?), where you have to go through this shooter section, in which you have to chase the maverick by boosting up and shooting him; this is easier said than done because I have no idea what is happening while playing through the level as there is so much shit to maneuver around and the maverick keeps getting farther away from you every second. And once you finish that portion, you just fight the boss and that's the end of the stage ... cool I love it when a level has no items to collect; it's such a great use of my time.
Speaking of which, that's another problem with X8, the matter of collecting items. So, I did praise the shop system earlier, but it comes at a major price: X8's item game is over complicated. Aside from Gigavolt Man-o-War's stage, every stage has at least one rare metal, which will give you upgrades for you to purchase in the shop. However, they are hidden throughout the stage and require you to have certain weapons from other mavericks to be able to access them. This means that you have to do a LOT of backtracking, which kills the replayability aspect of this game. Yeah sure, I can just not collect some of the rare metals on future playthroughs, but I love collecting all the items in X games; I think it's a satisfying achievement to be able to get every item and beat the game with everything at your disposal. So for X8 to have its item game be such a chore is very disappointing to me. It's one of the reasons why I didn't really care for X5 that much; it's because the backtracking was atrocious. This isn't even factoring in retry chips, which I don't mind the idea of, I think having a limited number of tries per stage is actually a cool idea. The problem is that once you're out of retry chips, you have to go through both the results and menu screens, select the same stage that you were just playing, select your characters and navigator, and start the whole stage all over again. At that point, why not just have a 'retry stage' selection; yeah sure I would have to replay the whole stage again, but at least I wouldn't have to keep doing the same stuff I just mentioned ad nauseam. Top that off with how, as mentioned before, a lot of stages aren't that fun to play on and it just makes X8 feel like a mess.
Lastly, I want to briefly touch upon the story. Basically, a new generation of reploids have inherited the copy chip like Axl, and this new character named Lumine reveals that he wants to use something called the Jakob project to lead a new generation of reploids with this ability, as they are able to go maverick at will, and dispose of the old generation of reploids. However, throughout most of the game, you're tricked into thinking Sigma is behind the whole plan as Lumine gets kidnapped by Vile at the beginning of the game. This is actually a pretty cool idea for a story, but the problem with it is that it's just kinda forgettable, as most of it involves the characters believing Sigma is behind the plan and it doesn't really go anywhere until the Lumine reveal. There isn't much discussion in the game involving the new generation of reploids and when there is it once again has to do with Sigma. I don't know, maybe I'm just not getting this story and it's actually good because I've seen some people like it, but I just don't vibe with it. The way I would personally describe X8's plot is that it involves great characters in a story with little direction.
Overall, X8 is a game that I'm VERY mixed on. I think positives out way the negatives, as the game has tight controls, great mechanics, fun bosses, and refined shop system, but it lets me down with its level design, backtracking oriented item game, and story. And that saddens me because this was the last mainline X game to ever be released (I don't count Maverick Hunter X because that's a remake), and it sucks that I don't enjoy it nearly as much as the first four X games. And watching the cliffhanger of this game ends on makes me want to enjoy this game more than I do because there is so much you can do with this series of games. At the end of the day, I think X8 is a good game, and I would much rather play this again than the last three X games, but man, talk about a disappointing way to end Mega Man X.
With that being said, PLEASE CAPCOM FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE US MEGA MAN X9, I'M BEGGING YOU!!!
This game becomes way WAY more fun on your second playthrough,
thank god megaman games are so short
thank god megaman games are so short
It's alright, I don't know why I played it like four times for 100% completion.