Mega Man X2 is a great sequel to the already beloved predecessor. It implements what made the original X game so great in the first place while making a few tweaks, and additions that make it one of the greats in this beloved sub-series. After booting up the game and being greeted with a fantastic opening stage, I knew this game was going to rock me the same way the first game did

Let's start with the stuff that was implemented in the sequel. Weapon upgrades, heart and sub-tanks, and the armor upgrades are all still here and they are a blast collecting them the second time around. I want to list a few of my favorite upgrades in X2. The foot parts include an air dash, making it easier to reach platforms or walls that you've previously missed the first time around. I love what they did to the arm parts, which gives X the ability to fire a Double Charge. Using this is awesome; it looks good, it sounds good, and it feels good to use for decimating enemies in your path. Last but not least, and my absolute favorite is the Shoryuken (like from Street Fighter). I don't need to explain what this move does since most gaming fans know what it is, but it is a one-hit kill like with the Hadoken from the first game. Triggering the right command input that can take down bosses in one hit is oh-so-satisfying; although I wish we could've received this a little bit earlier in the game, since this you can only get this in the third stage of the fortress. The dash is now a permanent move rather than being exclusive to a body upgrade, which is a nice needed change because dashing around stages is one of the best things you can do in the first game

Alongside collecting the upgrades and heart and sub-tanks, X now has to collect three of Zero's body parts that are held by the X-Hunters. After you complete a certain amount of stages, they will start to appear and will change randomly once you completed or exited out a stage. Don't wait for too long, however, as they will start to disappear as you almost clear out the eight Mavericks. You can access these fights by finding specific rooms in each of the Mavericks' stages. Getting those parts only affects the ending, so it's not a big deal to some, but I recommend getting it since I like fighting each of the three X-Hunters and just whaling out my strong attacks (I.e. my Double Charge shot)

Another new thing they added in X2 is the Ride Chaser. Using this, X can drive at high speeds, decimating enemies with the little blaster at the front, and even go up ramps. It's so cool to use, which is why I hate how this was underutilized here. It only appears at one stage, and that is in Overdrive Ostrich's Stage, which is really lame

I don't think I need to go over the soundtrack in X2 because frankly, this is another banger in the Mega Man music department. The Opening Stage, Wheel Gator, Overdrive Ostrich, Magna Centipede, and the X-Hunter stages are my favorites to come out of this soundtrack

Overall, Mega Man X2 is a really good sequel. It takes what worked with the first X game and added a few new things that didn't detract from the experience. Great upgrades and bosses, and a banger soundtrack lead this to become of my favorites in the series so far. Now it's hard for me to decide to which one is better, since they're both great games that you should try; but for right now, I'm giving the slightest edge to X1