Megaman X Collection Review (Gamecube)

Without a doubt, the Megaman series has to be one of my favorite series' in the history of videogames.  I mean, what's not to like?  You play as a robot with a gun-arm and gun down any other robot that dares to call itself your enemy.  It's 2D platforming and shooting at it's finest.  Its spinoff/sequel/cousin series Megaman X is no exception to this.

The Megaman X series is a darker take on the Megaman series.  It has a less cartoony feel than the original series.  The story is gritter as X (as Megaman is called in this series) has to deal with things that would give Megaman a nervous breakdown.  Things like losing, betrayal, pandemics, death (or robot death), and a severe Napoleon complex (being so much smaller than the bosses) are all things X has to deal with.  And he deals with them all the same way; by shooting the crap out of them.

Assholes like this guy and others are waiting to be blown into oblivion by X.

The Megaman X Collection allow you to relive the first six games in the series in all their glory.  You'll get to play the Super Nintendo classics (Megaman X 1-3), 32-bit classics (Megaman X4&5, and the 32-bit not so classic Megaman X6 (though it's still good in its own right).  All the music and frustrating moment (like the beginning of Squid Adler's level in X5) return.

The gameplay in is largely the same in all the games.  You'd think that would make things boring, but it doesn't.  You simply blast some robots, kill bosses and steal their weapons, then beat someone else's ass with that weapon.  There are way to power X up in every game, such as armor and health extensions, but you can opt to pass on these items if you're super hardcore.

Choosing the first ass to kick is a part of the fun of these games.

The Megaman X series has a lot of secrets in each game.  There is the aforementioned health and armor power ups.  Some are out in plain sight, but figuring out how to get them is the real secret.  Others require some Sherlock-style searching to find.  There are also hidden bosses in some games who are hard as heck, but make things easier down the road if you beat them (if you've ever played X2, you know what I'm talking about).  Secrets like these add some depth to the games.

Another VERY obvious thing that shakes up the gameplay is the ability to play as Zero.  While his presence is somewhat negligible in X3 (where makes his playable debut), in X4, X5, and X6 (if you can find him) it makes a huge difference.  Zero opts not to use a gun-arm like X (though he does have the Z buster), he uses a light saber to slice up enemies like an angry Jedi.  He also uses the boss weapons differently.  It's not all good, though, and can lead to unbalanced character, which can bite you in the ass if you're unlucky (if you've ever played X5, you know what I mean).

Zero is fully playable starting in X4 and is a game-changer.

As for the other stuff, the graphics are still good, if not a little pixelated on current TVs.  Beyond the six games, there is a gallery with some stuff to be unlocked.  There is also Megaman Battle & Chase, waiting to be unlocked.  Yep, that's all there is for extra context, but you won't feel ripped off.

The Megaman X Collection is a solid package for those who can't get enough of Megaman's darker cousin/descendant.  There's lots of shooting and platforming, Zero mixes things up nicely, and the graphics are pretty good if you have the right kind of TV.  X6 is the low point of these six games, but it's still a decent game and certainly isn't a deal-breaker.  Don't miss it.