Mega Man X : A Near Perfect SNES Game

Sometimes a you find a video game that you love so much, you can play it time and time again with the same amount of joy as the first time you picked up the controller and turn the game on. There are many games that fall into that category for me as I have been playing videogames for most of my life, and I wanted to talk about some of them, starting with Megaman X which I replayed very recently, just a couple days ago. Megaman X released originally for the Super Nintendo is available on a myriad of consoles, I own and have owned multiple copies of this game and can complete it in one sitting. 

The game follows Megaman X as he must defeat rouge reploids which are futuristic androids, known as Mavericks, the mysterious Vile, and their leader Sigma, with the help of Zero. The game takes the classic approach of the classic Megaman games from the NES era and evolves it into something more. Aside from the classic formula of defeating bosses, gaining their abilities, and reaching the end of the game with a gauntlet of challenges that tests everything the player has learned from the game there is so much more. There are secrets to find, new abilities to unlock that enhance what you can do, new item types, and changes in the stages based on which ones you have already cleared.

E-Tanks are gone, now there are sub tanks which are items you can refill with excess health over and over instead of a one time item, heart tanks to extend your health, and pods scattered throughout the stages left by DR. Light that can either give you a dash, increase your damage output and more. Alongside the weapon upgrades you receive from defeating a boss, there are fun ride armor power ups in a couple stages that change up the gameplay a little, there is so much that connected to the classic Megaman games yet still stands on its own, enough that shows it is from the new series but different enough to make a leap from one console to the next. 

The environments look great still, all the environments and characters still look incredible, and the music is nothing short of great. The presentation of this game stands alongside the incredible gameplay. When you defeat certain bosses it will effect the environment of another bosses location such as crashing an airship into a power plant, or freezing over a factory, telling a story through the environments and gameplay, showing a cause and effect even beyond upgrading yourself to have something the next boss you will face is weak too. The music and sound design add so much to this as well, making some tracks unforgettable and great to listen to outside the game even, with each weapon and environmental piece or enemy sounding pitch perfect. There are so many great remixes to the songs from this game because the soundtrack is just that legendary from the moment the game starts on the highway until the credits roll.

Some of the minibosses of this game are not my favorite, but any complaint is outweighed by the sheer amount of fun I have in this game. The sheer energy of getting stronger, as I progress through this game and gain more power ups from the bosses and the environment itself, finding secrets, and getting through this game. The game is not that long, I have beaten it in one sitting multiple times and will again, much like a good movie or show, it does not overstay its welcome and feels just as fun to go through it from time to time. The game is paced well and is worth at least one playthrough, parts of the game can get challenging but there is balance through the games design and how it can be played any way the player wants. You can get through the game with no upgrades, there are even buster only runs, or playing the stages out of order, you can make it as easy or as challenging as you want. And it works for multiple gameplay preferences through its incredible level design, boss fights, and challenging but fair gameplay. The game controls like a dream and gives the players the tools they need to succeed while also offering enough for there to be a layer of freedom, from stage selection to what you pick up. I don't usually go for the all the power ups, I get the sub tanks and a couple upgrades, and then go to a certain stage and fill up the sub tanks when I need a refill. 

This game is a classic in every sense. Fun to play, still looks great, sounds great, and is fun to play from start to finish.  I first played this on the SNES and loved it so much I got the version that was on the IOS store and that is a version I do not recommend but this game is that great. I have played it on multiple consoles from the 3DS and Wii U to the PS4 because I enjoy it that much. There are some classic games that are incredibly short that I love just going through from time to time, most of them at least once a year, in a similar vain to rewatching movies I love. I plan on talking about more of these games in the future and why I love them, but if you have not, play Megaman X. This game is simply awesome, that always makes me feel like a little kid, every time I pick up the controller to play it.