Pretty much the premier "so close, yet so far" game for me. Mega Man X is pretty good, even great. It's probably one of the most consistent action-platformers I've ever played. But there's just a few small things that really add up that are keeping it from true greatness for me.
The biggest selling point for Mega Man X over the original series is easily the fact that it basically plays like an action game with a completely revamped and overhauled movement system. X simply has some of the best controls in the history of 2D gaming. Even the button mapping, which I had a little bit of a problem with since no matter which button you map dash onto juggling between shoot, dash, and jump at the same time can be a bit problematic in the heat of the moment - ended up completely perfect once I realized that you can actually dash by double tapping the D-pad in the direction you are heading, meaning you don't actually have to juggle many buttons at all. Unfortunately I realized this too late - at the end of my second playthrough no less - so there was still some awkward moments with the control setup prior, even after customizing the button layout.
Putting that minor gripe aside, the biggest problem with Mega Man X is unfortunately related to the controls - it feels like this game often isn't made to take into account just how much more mobile X is. There's a decent number of stages where playing the game normally and utilizing your dash to continue on your merry way will result in a ton of enemies crashing right into X, and while I suppose the onus could theoretically be on the player for taking into account possible dangers ahead and playing more cautiously, the game is pretty inconsistent as to whether you would be served better to run or dash. It might be a nitpick, but I can't shake the feeling that if Mega Man X was less forgiving like its predecessors, or had the infamous knockback the Castlevania series is known for, some of its design flaws would stick out a lot more and it would be remembered a lot less fondly. As it stands, the games difficulty is made to account for Mega Man X's movement, not the games scenarios themselves.
I also can't help but think the decision to have enemies respawn the moment their original position is off-screen was a poorly thought-out design choice. While it certainly can benefit the player (such as when grinding the beginning of Armored Armadillo's stage), Mega Man X is a game that is much more exploration based, and unlike its predecessors players are going to find themselves wanting to backtrack more often. So it can be annoying when you realize just how much of a nuisance backtracking through enemy spawns can be. While I think Mega Man X's sprite sizes are absolutely fine as well, the mix of bigger sprites than the original games as well as faster gameplay certainly doesn't help with the last two points as well.
The soundtrack, much like the game itself, is great, albeit a little monotone and one-note. The OST most closely resembles power metal in terms of traditional music genres, with its fast and energetic pace and high pitches and squeals. only with an unquestionable videogame-y soundfont to back that energy up. The benefit to the approach taken here is that the music gives an unmistakable characteristic to Mega Man X that is totally unique. It has its own identity. The downside is that the music is so reassured of it that tracks often start to blend together. It's not that the tracks by themselves aren't great, put them in any other game and they'd surely be a standout, but most of the stage themes serve the exact same purpose and because of that only the strongest survive. Just listen to how close Sting Chameleon's breakdown is to the opening stage's theme, for example. Even the intro is not that different once you realize it resembles a slower less grand version of the intro to the opening theme. This type of repetition is probably why some of the more subdued or melancholic tracks really stick out to me as highlights - Sigma stage 1 & 3 as well as Variable X, for example. The fanfares are also absolutely amazing, though I have no idea why the "Get a Weapon!" theme seems to have lower quality samples.
Also, much like Castlevania III, the final boss would be much better with one less phase.
The biggest selling point for Mega Man X over the original series is easily the fact that it basically plays like an action game with a completely revamped and overhauled movement system. X simply has some of the best controls in the history of 2D gaming. Even the button mapping, which I had a little bit of a problem with since no matter which button you map dash onto juggling between shoot, dash, and jump at the same time can be a bit problematic in the heat of the moment - ended up completely perfect once I realized that you can actually dash by double tapping the D-pad in the direction you are heading, meaning you don't actually have to juggle many buttons at all. Unfortunately I realized this too late - at the end of my second playthrough no less - so there was still some awkward moments with the control setup prior, even after customizing the button layout.
Putting that minor gripe aside, the biggest problem with Mega Man X is unfortunately related to the controls - it feels like this game often isn't made to take into account just how much more mobile X is. There's a decent number of stages where playing the game normally and utilizing your dash to continue on your merry way will result in a ton of enemies crashing right into X, and while I suppose the onus could theoretically be on the player for taking into account possible dangers ahead and playing more cautiously, the game is pretty inconsistent as to whether you would be served better to run or dash. It might be a nitpick, but I can't shake the feeling that if Mega Man X was less forgiving like its predecessors, or had the infamous knockback the Castlevania series is known for, some of its design flaws would stick out a lot more and it would be remembered a lot less fondly. As it stands, the games difficulty is made to account for Mega Man X's movement, not the games scenarios themselves.
I also can't help but think the decision to have enemies respawn the moment their original position is off-screen was a poorly thought-out design choice. While it certainly can benefit the player (such as when grinding the beginning of Armored Armadillo's stage), Mega Man X is a game that is much more exploration based, and unlike its predecessors players are going to find themselves wanting to backtrack more often. So it can be annoying when you realize just how much of a nuisance backtracking through enemy spawns can be. While I think Mega Man X's sprite sizes are absolutely fine as well, the mix of bigger sprites than the original games as well as faster gameplay certainly doesn't help with the last two points as well.
The soundtrack, much like the game itself, is great, albeit a little monotone and one-note. The OST most closely resembles power metal in terms of traditional music genres, with its fast and energetic pace and high pitches and squeals. only with an unquestionable videogame-y soundfont to back that energy up. The benefit to the approach taken here is that the music gives an unmistakable characteristic to Mega Man X that is totally unique. It has its own identity. The downside is that the music is so reassured of it that tracks often start to blend together. It's not that the tracks by themselves aren't great, put them in any other game and they'd surely be a standout, but most of the stage themes serve the exact same purpose and because of that only the strongest survive. Just listen to how close Sting Chameleon's breakdown is to the opening stage's theme, for example. Even the intro is not that different once you realize it resembles a slower less grand version of the intro to the opening theme. This type of repetition is probably why some of the more subdued or melancholic tracks really stick out to me as highlights - Sigma stage 1 & 3 as well as Variable X, for example. The fanfares are also absolutely amazing, though I have no idea why the "Get a Weapon!" theme seems to have lower quality samples.
Also, much like Castlevania III, the final boss would be much better with one less phase.