First of all, I did not like how the characters controlled compared to the earlier X games.
The stages are either meh or complete ass. Dynasty, Inferno and Primrose especially stood out as very bad stages.
One stage that I did find cool however, was the elevator level.
Because of these stages I really appreciated the Retry chips.
I liked the many upgrades that were available with chips. However, it also meant that in order to be effective you would have to focus on one character because you get nowhere close enough chips to upgrade all three characters a reasonable amount.
The beginning is a little rough but as soon as you get armor the game becomes extremely easy. The Icarus body armor especially trivializes the game.
As for the bosses, they were alright. I found most of them somewhat interesting and unique.
Although, the final boss did kill me twice with some bullshit. First time he pushed me off the platform which was an instant kill and then in his last phase he just has an instant kill attack? Fucking stupid.

Here we have it the final Megaman X game and let me say I’m glad that this one was actually pretty good!

X8 returns to form being mainly a 2D game with a few 2.5D sections. Level design is pretty good there’s a few frustrating bits on there but at this point every X game has that. Having X, Zero and Axl available form the start is great and I liked that there’s now a money system that you use to buy a lot of your upgrades but you have to find some of those upgrades on the levels before you can buy them so exploration is till there.

Presentation wise it’s still pretty solid I do miss the sprite style of the earlier games but this one still looks good and the voice acting is pretty good too!

Top 3 Maverick Names!
3) Earthrock Trilobyte
2) Avalanche Yeti
1) Gigabolt Man-O-War

Overall playing all these games has been real fun and while some I’d wait awhile before I revisit most I’d love to play again!

Controls smooth as butter (though I personally prefer how the psx games control), fantastic boss design, and some of the best writing in the series (which isn't saying a lot but the final few cutscenes really left an impression on me) but mannnn I kinda actually didn't enjoy my time with this one as much as the others??? By the end of the game you're used to the bullshit but this has by far my least favourite stage design in the series, hitting you with spikes fucking everywhere and often before you have time to react because of how the camera works. Lumine's stage isn't even that bad because by then you're used to it all after having played gravity antonian's stage lord knows how many times but of all the games to drop the infinite lives that the psx games gave you they couldn't have chosen a worse one. It's objectively better than x6 and 7 but I'd genuinely rather revisit those games than play x8 again. Only giving it a higher rating because I can recognise it's a far better game and that final cutscene ending the game on such a good note.

(Played on PC via the X Legacy Collection)

X1
X2
X3
X4
X5
X6
X7
Xtreme
Xtreme 2

It's certainly impressive that the Mega Man franchise, let alone the X series didn't immediately go under following the absolute disaster that was Mega Man X7. If most other series had a game like that then they'd likely never see the light of day ever again as seen throughout time with games like Duke Nukem Forever or Sonic Free Riders, but as Capcom in the 2000s had a literal Gatling Gun with Mega Man games for ammo, they still saw LOTS of potential in it despite their huge mishap, as not only did the X series still receive new installments but new Mega Man sub-series were still created after this in the form of the Star Force series and the ZX duology. Anyway, as I just mentioned, the X series still powered on after X7 and that led to the release of Mega Man X8 for the PS2. Even though this came following X7 it's still clear that game had a hard impact on the X series, as even 19 years on (man this game is nearly as old as I am), X8 still stands as the latest mainline entry in the Mega Man X series, and it is kind of unfortunate because overall the game feels like some sort of apology for X7 as it's a MASSIVE step up from that game, removing pretty much every aspect of bullshit from that game while also bringing back fan-favorite mechanics from the first 4 X games. Also another minor thing is that I'm gonna try and change up my usual structure for longer reviews here by breaking up my points into smaller paragraphs as to not make it feel cluttered or anything, as previously I'd have very big paragraphs dedicated to each core aspect of the game I was reviewing (and depending on how satisfied I am with the final review then I might go and tweak my previous reviews to match this structure as well).

The first major change in X8 comes in the gameplay department. Rather than expanding upon the 3D mechanics introduced in X7, this game chooses to go back to the traditional sidescrolling that the X series has always been known for. It's a change that sounds like a bummer, but it was likely done with the best intentions due to how terribly X7 incorporated 3D mechanics into the Mega Man X formula, so anyone without a single digit IQ would know that sticking to what the series was used to was the much better decision overall. Furthermore, due to the 3D presentation in X8 the game plays with this a LOT when it comes to the level design by having instances where enemies and bosses will attack not only from the background but from the FOREGROUND as well, making it a very unique twist on the regular MMX formula as this is something that even X7 barely tried doing.

Anyway, going on from that is the controls, and I just have to say this, but WOW. Even Capcom must've known X7s controls/movement were trash, so gone are the garbage clunky controls from that game and in its place is arguably THE MOST precise controls and movement from the entire X series, at times they even feel a little too precise as the movements of the heroes feels SO GODDAMN FAST AND PRECISE. I'd even go as far as to say these are the BEST controls in any X game, even beating out the controls of the SNES games which I thought were already smooth enough, because MAN it's fun to zip around without any sort of weight to your character.

Going on from the controls, Axl's back alongside X & Zero and this game makes WAY more of an effort to give him his own identity here compared to X, as in X7 he shared a lot of Xs moves and they even shared the same set of special weapons for the most part. In X8 Axl has his own unique set of special weapons separate from X that come in the form of various separate firearms (while Xs special weapons are just enhancements to his X-Buster). Axl can blast at enemies while he hovers, his copy shot is actually useful and to further set him apart from X, he can continuously fire as long as the attack button is held, therefore giving you actual genuine reason to use him.

This brings me into the fact that X8 arguably as the most balanced set of playable characters in the entire X series, as each of their strengths and weaknesses are emphasized a LOT not just in the level design, but in the way they control too. Zero is as you'd expect: fast & powerful close-ranged attacks with his saber alongside a double jump to make platforming easier, but he has the shortest dash and he lacks any sort of projectile, while Axl is more utility focused due to the rapid fire properties on his weapons that can also be aimed up and down alongside his hover which grants extra air time (mandatory in getting some collectables too), but he can only shoot from a stand still & his individual shots do sub-par damage (however due to his rapid fire, the damage quickly stacks up), and lastly X strikes a middle-ground as he is also a projectile-oriented character, and while he can attack while moving, he can only fire straight ahead of him and so jumping is once again the key in aiming your shots (oh yeah, the sloppy lock-on from X7 has also been removed, HURRAY!).

Each character has their own actual reasons to use them & is something that actually leads to a little bit of a strategy element as the team mechanic returns from X7, and believe me, it is utilized HARD in X8 with the big gameplay-related change it brings to the table being that if one character loses all their health, it automatically switches over to the other character in your team, while in X7 you'd just lose a life if that happened, so fortunately it's cutting out an extremely pointless feature that most people would just bypass. However, coming into contact with insta-kill hazards such as spikes or bottomless pits will NOT force you to switch to the other character, so there is still some balancing involved with it. Furthermore, X8 also introduces the double attack, a move where both characters in your team work together to perform a screen nuke which obliterates all enemies on the screen and does hefty damage to bosses.

While being more of a nice to have feature overall, the game does actually reward you for landing the finishing blow on a boss with a double attack as it leads to a VERY hefty bonus in determining your ranking at the end of each stage. While in the previous 3 X games your rank would have actual effects on the game of varying function, here it's just a pure measurement of performance and contributes NOTHING to the overall experience. Overall, it's simple to understand doesn't have much of an effect on the game like ranks in the previous 3 games, a very solid implementation of the rank system if you ask me.

This leads me into the difficulty options for X8. Difficulty options have been present in the X series ever since X5 but in all of my reviews of the games that had them I completely forgot to ever mention them, so it's a good thing I've finally remembered about them in the game where they have the overall biggest impact on the experience. I'll go more in-depth on its specific implications at more appropriate stages in the review so I'll get the big factor out of the way here and that's that you can't fight the final boss if you play the game on easy difficulty, so even if you're a newcomer to X8 then I must recommend that you play it exclusively on normal or hard, as that's how you get access the final boss. Even the X Legacy Collection encourages it as the basic completion achievement for X8 requires that you do it on normal difficulty or higher, simply because that's how you get the final boss.

The parts system returns once again in X8 but it's received a MASSIVE overhaul, as they're FINALLY no longer tied to Reploid hostages, who have been scrapped for good from X8. THANK GOD for this change because trying to get all of those suckers in X6 and X7 did get pretty frustrating at times as if an enemy got to them then you weren't getting the goodies they were carrying unless you used save-scumming, so I'm glad they got rid of it here. Instead, parts are acquired through a shop, which while being something that the Classic series did before, is a first for the X series. And it's not just parts like a more powerful Buster/Saber or reduced damage intake, but also entirely new blades for Zero alongside items like Life Ups and E-Tanks that you would pick up on the field in the previous 9 X games. To even get these items from the shop, you must collect a currency known as metals that are located in each of the stages and also drop from enemies. The metals do come in varying quantities but it is still easy to rack up a good amount of them in respectable time, therefore making the shop system (and to an extent the entire part rework in X8) a very welcome addition IMO as it makes getting some of the items a lot more straightforward.

Going on from that, a rather strange new gameplay addition that X8 brings to the table is the expansion of the navigator system. This was a system that was just pure unbridled filler in the previous 3 games as Alia would just tell you meaningless stuff that you could easily figure out on your own, but the navigator system in X8... is actually rather well done and is ACTUALLY helpful for once. First things first, alongside Alia there's 2 new navigators in the form of Pallette and Layer. Pallettes information primarily revolves around the stages as she gives you hints as to where collectibles are, Layers information revolves around enemies as she gives you ideas and tips based on the bosses that you encounter throughout the game and Alia strikes a balance between giving you more basic tips for stages and enemies alike. At the start of each stage you can choose from one of the three navigators alongside the 2 hunters to make up your team, but alternatively you can choose to go in without any navigators assistance at all. As I mentioned earlier, these are actually helpful this time around and if you're a newcomer to X8 then I'd genuinely recommend actually paying attention to what they say, in particular Pallettes tips as without her then some of the items can feel rather cryptic. Furthermore the 3 navigators can even be unlocked as secret playable characters, but the way they fight matches that of the 3 hunters (Alias gameplay matches Xs, Layers gameplay matches Zeros and Pallettes gameplay matches Axls). Overall it's a mechanic they didn't need to expand upon but they did anyway, but the way they did it is actually genuinely well done.

The last major change to the gameplay is that getting game overs now functions as it did in the SNES X games, where getting a game over sends you all the way back to the start of the stage rather than back to the last checkpoint, so lives are now of actual importance this time around. On easy difficulty you have infinite lives, but on normal you have 2 by default with up to 3 more being purchasable in the shop and on hard you're locked to 3 lives with no way of getting more, and this, combined with the level design that I'll discuss next, results in X8 being one of the harder games in the X series in my honest opinion.

Speaking of that, X8 has some rather interesting level design when it comes to Mega Man X standards. Now this series is no stranger to having levels that entirely revolve around gimmicks, but X8 dials it up to 11 as pretty much every level has a specific gimmick tied to it. Booster Forest (Bamboo Pandamoniums stage) for instance has one of the funner gimmicks IMO as it revolves entirely around getting a Ride Armor through the stage by throwing in platforming challenges that do genuinely feel like a puzzle, and the game greatly rewards you for getting the Ride Armor through the stage by allowing you to get items alongside a much easier boss at the end. Troia Base has another fun gimmick as it involves a series of minigames that all revolve around beating the same kind of enemy, but each time they change it up so as to not make it feel repetitive or anything, & the game even rewards good performance in these mini games with collectibles and even a battle against Cut Man from the classic series if you get the best rank in every one of them, therefore making it my personal favorite level from X8 due to the way it plays with its gimmick, how it rewards you for your performance and even classic series fanservice if you manage to play REALLY well.

However due to X8s extremely varied level design there's also multiple instances where it isn't so great. The first instance is Dynasty (Gigabolt Man-O-Wars stage) where all that you do is chase Man-O-War with a Ride Chaser and nothing else, easily do-able in like 30 seconds so long as you can keep on top of him. This stage IMO feels like pure filler and this is further boosted by the fact that there aren't even any items to collect in the stage, and as far as I'm aware this is the ONLY Maverick stage in any of the X games to not have any items located in it. Then there's Central White (Avalanche Yetis stage) which is another Ride Chaser stage except this one goes on for WAY too long instead as alongside rather lengthy sections that involve platforming & blasting enemies there's also 2 midbosses who are more than capable of eating up your resources which is NOT good since you need both of your hunters active to get this stages items, both of which are located right at the very end of the stage). Additionally, the level designers seemed to have a thing or two for insta kill hazards as a few certain stages (Primrose, Troia Base, Inferno and Sigmas Palace) go ALL OUT with the spikes as you must make careful movements like wall jumps or air dashes to get across, but like with Gates Laboratory in X6, nailing down the movement timings in these sections provides a VERY BIG feeling of satisfaction, so at least I can say that about the level design, however this is why I also think X8 is among the hardest games in the X series (alongside X3 & X6), as having the game over system from the SNES X games alongside level design like this will surely put your movement skills to the absolute test.

This leads me into the item placement of X8, and at first glance it seems to be VERY convoluted, as X8 pretty much has every single trope associated with previous games item placements all in one package. You've got items that need charged special weapons, items that require Zeros double jump, items that require Axls copy shot, Armor capsules that only X can access etc. There are more than what I listed, so it's very understandable that you'd think it's convoluted. However, X8 has a new-game+ feature, a mechanic that was introduced in X7 that I also forgot to discuss in my review of that game. With this mode, all the items that you collected in your previous run of the game get carried over to a new save file, and X8 honestly feels like it was designed with the new-game+ in mind as trying to get every item in one single run will lead to a LOT of backtracking. I'm talking, people who complain about X3s backtracking would likely have a mental breakdown if they tried to get all of X8s items in one run. So my recommendation is to only go after the items you can get on a first run while backtracking for a few items and save the rest of them for a new-game+ run of the game. You'll have a LOT more fun if you approach X8 that way as by the end of the new-game+ run you should have pretty much every item in the game acquired. The stage that encapsulates this the best IMO is Inferno (Burn Roosters stage) as it has an armor capsule that only X can access, an item that requires Axl to copy a certain enemy, and an item that requires one of Zeros blades, and said weapon is unlocked from an item located in this very stage. If you're trying to get every item in X8 in one run then you'll have to backtrack here up to 3 times depending on the team you use for it, so that's part of why the new-game+ feature is so damn helpful in smoothly 100&'ing this game.

Going on from that is the items themselves in X8. I mentioned earlier that Life Ups and E-Tanks are now items that you buy in the in-game shop using metals, so alongside the traditional armor capsules, then what is there to collect? The answer to that question is that X8 introduces the brand new collectible, Rare Metals. Barring Dynasty, each stage has 2-3 Rare Metals located in each of them. Rare Metals enable brand new items to be acquired in the shop, INCLUDING E-Tanks so therefore you technically are still collecting them. Zeros new weapons are also tied to Rare Metals alongside other very helpful perks such as Shock Buffers and converting damage taken from enemy attacks into energy for your special weapons. Overall, despite some of the opinions surrounding them, I don't mind the Rare Metals and I think they spice up Mega Man Xs usual item formula in a unique way. A minor thing that I find amusing is that X8 gets rid of the EX Tank from X4-X7..... in the first game SINCE X4 where extra lives actually matter since game overs send you back to the stage select again regardless of where it happened at.

Then on the other end of the items are the special armors in this game, and X8 has far and away the most unique armor system in the entire X series. Basically, the way it works is that the first armor capsule you find, regardless of the stage you find it in will give you the Neutral Armor which while changing up Xs appearance significantly, doesn't actually enhance any of his abilities. That's because true to its name, the Neutral Armor acts as a template for the two new armors that X can find in this game, the Icarus Armor which gives it red highlights, and the Hermes Armor which gives it blue highlights. Not only does X immediately acquire the benefits of armor capsules in this game unlike in X5/X6, but X can also MIX & MATCH between the parts of the Icarus and Hermes armors to create an armor set that's most comfortable to use. However, the game still encourages using either of the full armors as that's the only way to use their Giga Attacks. Because of this, X8s armor system is EASILY my favorite armor system even if the armors themselves aren't my favorite (they're still a tonne of fun to use however). I'm happy they eventually did it here because it was understandably a feature that wasn't present in X5/X6 which also had multiple armors for X to collect. However that's not the end of the discussions about Xs armor, as after being absent from X7, the Ultimate Armor makes its triumphant return here with a brand new look and abilities to go along aside it. It still retains most of its core functions as its X4 counterpart like unlimited special weapon energy, Plasma Shots and the Nova Strike, but the latter of which is now tied to a cool-down gauge so it isn't as spammable. However the Nova Strike itself is WAY stronger than it was in X4-X6, as here it's pretty much an insta-kill on bosses, only leaving them with 1-4 units of health left for reasons I'll discuss when I get around to the bosses. The hover ability that it previously had has now been replaced with the Shoryuken, making its return from X2/Xtreme 2. Like in X5, you can even unlock the Ultimate Armor if you get every X-related item in the shop and start a new-game+ run, so that's pretty neat. Overall, a damn fun set of armors that X has at his disposal here alongside a fun system to boot, so what isn't there to love?

But X isn't alone with new abilities to play with in X8, as Zero & Axl both get their own unique armors to boot albeit only in palette swaps as opposed to new designs for both of them. Zeros black armor returns after being absent in X7, where it gives him a boost to his attack and speed but at the cost of reduced defense, and Axl gets the white armor which enhances his speed and allows him to hover while firing for an indefinite amount of time. Pretty neat abilities overall, but Black Zero is an absolute BEAST in combat if you can get around his reduced defenses and make full use of his increased attack. Additionally, as I alluded to numerous times throughout the review, Zero also has a plethora of new weapons to use rather than just his standard saber, with the more notable weapons being the D-Glaive, a returning weapon from X7 that gives Zero MUCH more range on his attacks and the Sigma Blade, a weapon that becomes available after beating the final boss which defeats pretty much every stage enemy in one hit, making it a VERY ideal tool for getting some of the Rare Metals in Troia Base. Overall, Zeros new weapons are a tonne of fun to use in X8, not just the aforementioned examples, but the other ones I didn't mention too, and like the armor customization, I'm surprised it took them this long to implement new weapons for Zero as well, but better late than never I suppose.

After that comes the plot of X8 which I don't wanna dwell on for too long as this review is already getting long and I haven't even discussed the bosses or presentation yet. First things first, X has his actual character back after the character assassination he underwent in X7 and I've NEVER been more happy to see him back to the determined yet pacifistic fighter he's always been and you can clearly see his determination in the way he speaks not only to Sigma, but to the returning Vile as well, with a new color scheme that makes no effort at all to hide the fact that he's a shout out to Boba Fett. While there's been no explanation as to how he came back, his character hasn't changed a BIT since X3 as he's still very much a glutton for chaos and to be a threat to the Maverick Hunters.

Zeros character also underwent some redemption from X7 as he, like X overall feels WAY more determined to the task at hand, so much so that it not only leads to Zeros awesome monologue at the end of the game, but it even stems into his dialogue with Layer, the latter of which CLEARLY shows signs of romantic interest to Zero while he doesn't buy it. You could say this is because he's still scarred after what happened with Iris, but it's still pretty humorous nonetheless. And then there's Axl and... well. He CERTAINLY speaks like an optimistic new hunter who wants to one day be among the leagues of X and Zero, but it works so well as that's the EXACT kind of character he has here. X has also fortunately warmed up to Axl in the time between X7 and this game as now he's a proper part of the Maverick Hunters and all 3 of them have a VERY good dynamic together. Overall, while not the most groundbreaking characterization in the world, it's still leaps and bounds better than X7s characterizations and further helps to make these guys feel like an actual proper team.

And then there's the story itself. It expands upon Axls copy abilities that were established in X7 as X8 shows that now an entirely new type of Reploids have been constructed with Axls copy ability, dubbed the "New Generation Reploids". These Reploids have the DNA of Sigma ingrained into them as a method of ensuring that they don't go Maverick, but the main antagonist of this game (spoiler alert: it isn't Sigma) reveals that because of this, the New Generation Reploids have the ability to go Maverick at will, which is actually a pretty unique way of expending on the reasons for Reploids going Maverick, as before this the most common causes were because of corruption via a virus, undying loyalty to individuals like Sigma/Gate or because of misinterpretations like the Repliforce. Because of the dangerous nature of these Reploids and countless Maverick incidents already, humans and other Reploids alike decide to book it and go the moon in hopes of living peacefully there, and to do this the Jakob Elevator is created. However while this going on a Maverick attack occurs at Noahs Park (real subtle with the Christianity elements there Capcom) and X, Zero & Axl head to the scene, where after disposing of the mechanoloid responsible for the attack they discover that the head of the project, Lumine has been kidnapped by Vile, and from there they deal with other Maverick activity while figuring out what Vile & Sigma want with Lumine. I won't spoil the rest of the plot as it is pretty interesting and I'd be here all day discussing it, but overall, despite simply being nothing groundbreaking on its own, it's VERY unique for Mega Man X standards.

That then links into the bosses of X8. In general, the bosses all have a new major gimmick attached to them known as their Overdrive State, where once you get them down to a certain amount of health (around 25% on normal and 50% on hard, while on easy they don't enter it at all. This is also why the Nova Strike doesn't immediately wipe their entire health bars) they gain i-frames and release their strongest attack on you. These attacks hit HARD, and in some cases they insta-kill you such as Bamboo Pandamoniums overdrive, but at the same time they're very telegraphed and you have more than enough time and space to dodge them. They're a neat addition overall and work VERY well with X8s bosses as not a single one of them feels cheap, chaotic or ear-grating with their voice clips. Burn Roosters fight in particular is significant as unlike pretty much every other boss in the X series, the stage doesn't immediately end once you beat him, but rather you have to go through an escape sequence by climbing up platforms while lava rises below you. Why this is the only fight to do it, I don't know, but it still helps in making him feel more unique than not just other fire bosses, but fellow fire bird Blaze Heatnix from X6, as both of them do have quite a few attacks that are similar to each other and even have similar weakness as well.

Additionally, like you could randomly encounter Bit & Byte in X3, you can randomly encounter Vile throughout the 8 Maverick stages where you must fight him until you eventually repel him with enough damage taken. Like with the Bit/Byte encounters in X3, X8 has rooms dedicated to Vile encounters, but even if you don't encounter him there'll still be something there to deal with before you can move forward such as in Primrose where you must dodge through blocks that move up and down or in Inferno where you get faced with a mook rush that you can use to gather up some metals for the shop. Vile himself is a pretty fun fight with the array of attacks that he uses, and there's even some instances where you WANT him to show up such as in Primrose, as the hazard that you have to deal with otherwise can be rather frustrating if your luck isn't great. You then encounter Vile again for the last time in the fortress stages where he not only has a new attack that's VERY fun to dodge, but he also finally uses a Ride Armor again and to even damage him you have to knock him off the Ride Armor and damage him while he's on his own, a VERY unique way to do a Vile fight if you ask me rather than just separating it into 2 phases like how X1 and X3 did it.

And then there's the final boss who is definitely one of the more unique final bosses as he attacks with an array of moves from the previous 8 Mavericks and even has their same weaknesses depending on the attacks that he uses. However his second phase just feels cheap as once you get his HP into overdrive range you're on a time limit. Fail to defeat him in time (I think it's around 30 seconds) and he hits you with an insta kill move. The game doesn't give you much indication that there's a time limit to this attack either so that's why I think it's rather cheap, and as he LOVES to make himself invincible on and off during this phase I make sure I have Ultimate Armor X on my team so I can one-tap him with the Nova Strike as that does alleviate a lot of the stress involved with it, but to unlock White Axl the legitimate way you have to land the finishing blow on him as Axl... which is easier said than done if anything.

Moving on from that I do want to take time to talk about X8s presentation, because it's actually really damn good. For starters, there's ACTUALLY GOOD ENGLISH VOICE ACTING in a Mega Man X game. CRAZY, I KNOW? Mark Gatha, Lucas Gilbertson and Jeffrey Watson all return from X Command Mission to provide the voices for their respective characters, and MAN do they do a good job at encapsulating their personalities. Mark absolutely nails down Xs determined yet compassionate personality, Lucas does a damn good job at showing the calm & colder personality of Zero and Jeffery encapsulates Axls nature as the younger rookie of the three. And then there's Roger Rhodes whose performance accurately matches Viles status as an Ax-Crazy Reploid who enjoys the thrill of violence and fighting the Maverick Hunters. Additionally, Dave Pettitt who voiced Epsilon in X Command Mission returns to X8 to provide a ridiculously hammy voice for Sigma, but man does he do it WELL, as X4 AND X7 both seemed to indicate that a hammy voice was in Sigmas nature, so while it was natural that the voice direction would gravitate more towards that same kind of nature, it's just done so much better here.

Performance-wise, I do at least know that the original PS2 version of X8 had some notable load times that were drastically cut down in the X Legacy Collection version of it, and this same version also seems to make the overall visuals/UI look more smooth which is always appreciated. However the X Legacy Collection uses the original PC version of X8 which is notable for removing the infinite metal glitch, which isn't too substantial outside of getting things like the playable navigators or the Sigma Blade which require a LOT of metals so there's unfortunately no way around grinding for metals if you want those items.

Lastly, as per Mega Man X fashion, X8 has a damn good OST. Personal shout outs from it go to Bamboo Pandamoniums theme, Burn Roosters theme, Avalanche Yetis theme and Sigmas theme. All in all, good tunes in a Mega Man X game, go figure.

In conclusion, Mega Man X8 is a MASSIVE step up from X7 in virtually every aspect, and felt like the beginning of a path to redemption for the X series following that game. The gameplay/movement is the best it's ever been, the level design is actually interesting and there's a LOT of content that'll keep you engaged for a while, although the level design can take a dip at times but not to the point where it'll ruin the game. However, the damage was likely already dealt by X7 as even today X8 still stands as the latest mainline entry in this series, and it is sad because X8 is genuinely a pretty solid platformer and therefore I definitely recommend this one to all Mega Man X fans, as you'd still be forgiven for skipping right over X7 and going straight to this game as well, there's actual fun to be found in the gameplay here. Anyhow with all 10 of the main MMX platformers reviewed on here I do have to admit that discussing all the major entries in this series was something I had a lot of fun doing even if few people actually read them and if I came off as being negative a few times in them (COUGH X7), and I'll certainly try to retain this long structure for reviews of different games later down the line, however this won't be the last time I'll be talking about Mega Man X, as there are still a few minor entries/spinoffs I'm yet to delve into, starting with one I mentioned a few times near the end of this very review, Mega Man X: Command Mission for the PS2/GameCube. That's a game I'm still in the midst of playing through as of the time of me typing this out (unfortunately I haven't had much time to play it recently as I wait for my GameCube adapter to come), so it'll be a while before I get around to reviewing that game, but I will just say that it's a Mega Man X game that ISN'T a platformer, so that's gonna be interesting to discuss.