There's a joy to be had in perfection through simplicity. The kind of perfection that comes without dizzying highs. Revolution over evolution, etc. That's what I think of when I think of Mega Man X.
Mega Man 2 was my first NES game (along with SMB and, puke, Operation Wolf) and my imagination was ignited by the setting and concept. There's something elemental to the idea of killing an enemy to get his power. It's why ancient tribes ate the hearts of their enemies. This game allows you eat metallic heart after metallic heart until you have the power of a dozen tribes. Mega Man X perfected what Mega Man 2 started and that's why we chose it for the first episode of Watch Out For Fireballs.
http://duckfeed.tv/woff/1
Every aspect of the earlier Mega Man games is improved here. The levels are more complex now that the wall climb allows verticality and, in a move few games have replicated, the order you tackle the stages greatly changes their content. The way this blew my mind as a child....
This game not only rewards reflexes but also exploration. By searching out of the way places and applying your myriad powers in creative ways, you can get a host of upgrades that, in turn, unlock further exploration. This metroidvania touch works wonders, elevating the game from an arcade platformer to something more.
Since you're going to be spending so much time dissecting these levels, it's a good thing they're varied and interesting and it's a good thing the music is top notch. One of the top 5 SNES games, I'd say, and one of the greatest platformers ever.
What do you guys think?
Mega Man 2 was my first NES game (along with SMB and, puke, Operation Wolf) and my imagination was ignited by the setting and concept. There's something elemental to the idea of killing an enemy to get his power. It's why ancient tribes ate the hearts of their enemies. This game allows you eat metallic heart after metallic heart until you have the power of a dozen tribes. Mega Man X perfected what Mega Man 2 started and that's why we chose it for the first episode of Watch Out For Fireballs.
http://duckfeed.tv/woff/1
Every aspect of the earlier Mega Man games is improved here. The levels are more complex now that the wall climb allows verticality and, in a move few games have replicated, the order you tackle the stages greatly changes their content. The way this blew my mind as a child....
This game not only rewards reflexes but also exploration. By searching out of the way places and applying your myriad powers in creative ways, you can get a host of upgrades that, in turn, unlock further exploration. This metroidvania touch works wonders, elevating the game from an arcade platformer to something more.
Since you're going to be spending so much time dissecting these levels, it's a good thing they're varied and interesting and it's a good thing the music is top notch. One of the top 5 SNES games, I'd say, and one of the greatest platformers ever.
What do you guys think?
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Like you Gary, I started with Mega Man 2 as well. Kind of glad I did because Mega Man 1 was pretty hard. That said, I could go on and on about Mega Man 2 and how much I love it so much.
Mega Man X is a really good game. I like you, dug the little things too. For me, the ability to have a cool ability from the start was pretty awesome. I didn't do much until the shot was fully charged up myself. Wall jumping was a nice addition because I felt like Mega Man jumps were pretty hard as is, now if you don't make it by just a bit you can wall jump to safety.
The music and graphics were good and the game came with more of a story than the others.
My only real negative on this game is the speed Mega Man travels. I would have sped him up a bit because he just felt... too slow? Its a minor gripe for such a good game though.
Just found this: Mega Man X cosplay http://imgur.com/a/u1gZE
That slow movement thing might be something I missed in my last playthrough. I do think it looks a little like he runs in place as he moves, which might contribute to that.
That may be now that I think about it. If you play it again and it doesn't come to you then awesome, just something I noticed :D
Then again Mega Man was never really fast to start with.