Mega Man X7

PS2 review by Justin Boot, published on Sunday 24th September 2006

X is having a midlife crisis. After years of working as a Maverick Hunter and ensuring safety throughout the world, the hero of the Mega Man X series has finally lost his edge. Instead of blasting villains away with his trusty X-Buster, he’s retired from the Maverick Hunters in an attempt to find a more peaceful solution to the problems between humans and robots. Though his partner Zero hasn’t gone to pacifism just yet, the Maverick Hunters have lost much of the potency they once had. In their place, a new group called the Red Alert Syndicate has been kicking evil’s collective ass and dispensing justice as they see fit. The problem is that these upstarts are a little too trigger-happy to be new-age heroes; their underhanded tactics and needless bloodshed are a far cry from what the Maverick Hunters have always stood for.

Things have gotten so bad that Axl, a rookie mercenary, has ditched Red Alert to strike out on his own. After a chance encounter with Zero, he decides to join the Maverick Hunters and develop his skills under the legendary warrior’s watchful eye. Unfortunately, the Red Alert Syndicate doesn’t appreciate one of their hired guns suddenly deserting them; after mere minutes of Axl uniting with the Maverick Hunters, his former boss issues a challenge: Red Alert will release eight captured Mavericks back into the world. Whichever group can kick the most bad guy ass will get to keep Axl among their ranks. Since X is still being a whiny *****, it’s up to Zero to win the day. However, he won’t be going alone; Axl’s eager to show off his skills and prove himself to his new comrades. With the young hero’s future on the line, this unlikely duo has their work cut out for them.

That’s right, X’s philosophical dilemma has forced him behind the scenes this time around. Don’t worry, though; Axl may be an annoying newbie (and we’re talking a MGS2 Raiden level of irritating), but he can still get the job done. Instead of charging up laser gun or wielding swords, the new hero comes packing a pistol that fires off short bursts of energy bullets. He can automatically lock on to any enemies within range and keep firing until they’ve been shot to pieces. The problem is that the weapon is horribly underpowered; you’ll have to keep mashing the attack button to fire off a steady stream of bullets. Axl can also use a horribly tedious special attack steal his enemies’ bodies and use them to walk over spikes, bomb large targets, and a few other features. While Axl focuses on speed and agility, Zero retains what he’s best known for: annihilating his enemies with his powerful (albeit incredibly short-ranged) Z-Saber. With just a few quick slashes, the veteran Maverick Hunter can turn his foes into mechanized mincemeat. Should you save the various NPCs strewn throughout the levels, they’ll be able to upgrade your weapons, replenish your health, and give your characters more moves.

They’ll need it, too; the levels of Mega Man X7 can prove to be difficult at times. It’s not that the areas are ridiculously tough, but the execution is terrible. Unlike the previous titles in the series, this game focuses on sidescrolling action and platforming through three-dimensional areas. Not only are the enemies in front of, behind, above, and below, but they’re to the side as well. This is hardly a problem when you’ve got Axl’s automatic lock-on feature, but the fixed camera perspective can make things confusing at times. It gets even worse when the camera abruptly changes from a side to rear view; the camera is angled so badly that you can barely see anything ahead or to the sides, practically forcing you to run through the battlefield with tunnel vision and limited depth perception. It doesn’t help that Axl and Zero move at as snail’s pace, either. All of these factors make somewhat easy levels turn into headaches in the making.

The transition to 3D hasn’t just affected the gameplay, either. Previous Mega Man X games featured some of the best 2D graphics around, treating gamers to vivid and colorful levels, sharp details, and excellent character sprites. Mega Man X7, on the other hand, lacks the same kind of beauty; though the world of Mega Man X has gone 3D, the presentation feels incomplete. Aside from the vast pallet of colors and light, the walls and obstacles lack texture and smoothness, the enemies have rigid movements, and none of the bosses are particularly fearsome. You’ll have to steer your way through a looping racecourse with a horribly unresponsive car, platform over an entire fleet of fighter jets, and dismantle an entire battleship before everything is said and done. Zero and his cronies look blocky and lifeless, their faces show little emotion, and their movement animations are far from perfect. At least the voice acting has improved; Zero’s hardened voice and Axl’s childish whining fit their personalities well. Alia is back and annoying as ever, complete with an irritating “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” line that she’ll squawk every so often. The game may not be the epic 2D experience of yesteryear, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Since Capcom brought the Mega Man X series to the PS2, they must have figured that making drastic changes to the gameplay was an appropriate decision. It could have been great; the introduction of a new playable character was a step in right direction, and the blast-through-a-level-and-kill-the-boss formula still works well. However, the designers of this game got a little too ambitious; in their attempt to portray the game in 3D, they forgot to take care of all the little problems that come with it. The fixed camera angles and shoddy combat mechanics make the game far more of a hassle than it should be. Mega Man X7 is a decent follow-up to the travesty of a game that was Mega Man X6, but it will still come off as a lacking action title for the gamers that have never been interested in the series. Nice try, Capcom.