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As with Mega Man 8, Mega Man X4 marked the X series' glorious burst to the next-generation hardware. It was released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn simultaneously, with a PC version trailing behind a year later. Our heroes, X and Zero, have a new force to reckon with. The Repliforce, to be more precise. Under the control of Colonel, the Repliforce differentiates itself from the Mavericks by wishing to escape from humans altogether and live separately, rather than harm them. The Maverick Hunters, X and Zero included, still brand them as similar to Mavericks and another war begins. For the first time, you can choose between playing through the game as X or Zero; you can't switch between the two. With the switch to more powerful hardware came, naturally, improved graphics (including full-motion video). Mega Man X4 is, however, a similar game to its SNES predecessors, adding very little in terms of innovation. Wait, no... there is something new here: Mega Man X4 begins the trend of earning a rank at the end of each stage based on your performance. Thanks a lot. Really, we appreciate it.
Check out our Mega Man X4 review for a more in-depth look!
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The viral spirit of Sigma lives on, and he uses whatever powers he has to attack the Maverick Hunters' secret base. He also spreads his virus all over the world, causing most Reploids to turn Maverick; this causes Eurasia, the space colony, to hurdle towards Earth, threatening to destroy all life on our planet. X and Zero must set out and stop this madness before it's too late... which is in only 16 hours! (Don't worry -- it's the year 21XX, so we're safe for now.) And, of course, there are eight Mavericks to defeat for their powers; in the English version of Mega Man X5, they are named after members of Guns N' Roses, thanks to the voice actress whose husband was a fan. Both X and Zero are playable in Mega Man X5, although you now get to choose who to play as before each stage. As well, instead of picking up different enhancements for your characters, you just snatch up entire suits of armor. That's more convenient, I'll admit. Other new features include being able to rescue Reploids, which in turn gives you some nice rewards, and being able to succumb to a virus, which can cause unintended effects on your body. X loses health, but Zero becomes an invincible powerhouse. Oh, and you can duck, if that counts for anything. This was intended to be the final game in the series (with -- SPOILER ALERT -- Zero dying at the end), but Mega Man X6 came along soon after and fudged up the plotline a bit.
Check out our Mega Man X5 review for a more in-depth look!
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Mega Man X5 was supposed to be the last game of the series. So why does this one exist? Likely corporate greed. Zero was presumed to be gone for good at the end of Mega Man X5, but just three weeks after the events involving Eurasia, a new Reploid emerges, known as the Zero Nightmare. X is sent out to investigate and destroys Zero Nightmare, where he soon discovers that Zero is actually still alive and doing fairly well, all things considered. Together, they then seek out the creator of Zero Nightmare. Mega Man X6 drills the concept of rescuing Reploids into your head, making it far more important than ever before. Other than that, it has no major improvements over the previous X games. In fact, it feels like a far inferior effort on Capcom's part. Series producer Keiji Inafune had nothing to do with this one (he has been occasionally apologetic about the game's release), and it shows. The level design is surprisingly awful, the difficulty level is far more unbalanced than usual, and the storyline really meddles with the ending of Mega Man X5. It is generally considered one of the worst X games out there.
Check out our Mega Man X6 review for a more in-depth look!
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