Completed using Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 on Switch. Playing as X, I collected all Heart Containers, Tanks, and individual Armor Parts. In addition, I fought all Mavericks and optional bosses before proceeding with Gate's stages. Unlike with MMX1-4, I played this one almost exclusively in Rookie Hunter Mode to deal with all the bullshit, and this time, I never turned it off.
Calling this game a disappointment would be inaccurate, because that wording implies I had expectations that weren't met. In truth, Mega Man X6 didn't just fail to clear the bar raised by X4, but proved to be a truly awful experience that makes X5 look competent in comparison.
This review doesn't need to be as long as the one I made for X5, though, because nearly every mistake that game made has been repeated and amplified by this one. Level design hits a new low, with unrelenting enemy spam and maliciously-placed hazards that made me thankful for Rookie Hunter Mode. Stages range from boring to infuriating, with Blaze Heatnix and Blizzard Wolfang's being the worst offenders, perhaps in the series' history so far. There are occasional interesting concepts, like the lasers in Shield Sheldon's stage, but their execution is consistently fumbled. The most promising feature, a record that keeps track of stranded Reploids, is ruined by the Nightmare Virus enemies (which are everywhere, by the way) that latch onto them and infect them, rendering them permanently impossible to rescue. All in all, any subtle improvements over X5 are made trivial by the obnoxious design choices that are present nearly everywhere throughout the game.
TL;DR - Mega Man X6 isn't just unremarkable or inadequate, it's just plain bad. It helped me to appreciate the moments during X5 when it seemed like the developers were actually trying, and had me distraught over how quickly such a popular series fell from grace following its highest point. I will not be playing through Mega Man X7; its intro stage was enough of a warning.
Calling this game a disappointment would be inaccurate, because that wording implies I had expectations that weren't met. In truth, Mega Man X6 didn't just fail to clear the bar raised by X4, but proved to be a truly awful experience that makes X5 look competent in comparison.
This review doesn't need to be as long as the one I made for X5, though, because nearly every mistake that game made has been repeated and amplified by this one. Level design hits a new low, with unrelenting enemy spam and maliciously-placed hazards that made me thankful for Rookie Hunter Mode. Stages range from boring to infuriating, with Blaze Heatnix and Blizzard Wolfang's being the worst offenders, perhaps in the series' history so far. There are occasional interesting concepts, like the lasers in Shield Sheldon's stage, but their execution is consistently fumbled. The most promising feature, a record that keeps track of stranded Reploids, is ruined by the Nightmare Virus enemies (which are everywhere, by the way) that latch onto them and infect them, rendering them permanently impossible to rescue. All in all, any subtle improvements over X5 are made trivial by the obnoxious design choices that are present nearly everywhere throughout the game.
TL;DR - Mega Man X6 isn't just unremarkable or inadequate, it's just plain bad. It helped me to appreciate the moments during X5 when it seemed like the developers were actually trying, and had me distraught over how quickly such a popular series fell from grace following its highest point. I will not be playing through Mega Man X7; its intro stage was enough of a warning.