A great remake of a classic.
Excellent re-make of a classic; great 3D graphics; good soundtrack; tons of extras.
The Bad:
Difficulty is very high; awkward pacing; voice acting is painful; short game.
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is the perfect example of how to remake a classic game, and make it better than the original in nearly everyway. A remake of Mega Man X on the SNES, MHX redoes the 2D sprite visuals in 3D polygons and brings a lot of new features to the table.
You play the role of X. A robot created by Doctor Light and preserved in a capsule so that he may benefit mankind in the future. Now a reploid named Sigma has started a revolution, and turned his fellow robots against their human masters. It's up to X to stop him.
GAMEPLAY – 8
MHX plays nearly identical to the original game. The controls are exactly the same, all the power-ups, levels, enemies, and secrets return. But there are some new additions. This time you can remap the controls anyway you want. This eases the problem from the original that makes it hard to charge a shot, and dash at the same time.
The levels, although polygonal now, are still presented in the same side-scrolling fashion. All the bosses and enemies return, and have the same abilities. Same goes for X's special weapons. Even the secret fireball power-up is back.
What's new is the ability to play as Vile once the game is beaten, as well as an anime MHX movie. There are also new dialog screens with all the boss and supporting characters. This gives the story for MHX much greater depth, and new motivations for the various characters. From the moment you start the game, the presentation will floor you.
On the downside, besides a couple new features, the gameplay remains the same. This means that hardcore fans, or players that have beaten the original wont find a whole lot that's new. Just a new coat of polish. The difficultly is also very steep. Certain bosses and levels are easier after completing other stages first. But you aren't told this, which makes for a lot of trial and error gameplay. If you can't beat a certain boss with your current weaponry, you should probably try a different stage.
The end boss is just as tough because you need to fight 3 bosses in a row. Which means that you're pretty much required to find all the hidden life tanks just so you have enough life to make it through the battle.
GRAPHICS – 9
The graphics in MHX are outstanding. The 3D visuals work very well, while still being faithful to the original design. The anime style artwork is also beautiful, as are the cut-scenes.
However, the slow down problems from the original game are back. When there are a lot of enemies on the screen at a time, the frame rate will tank. When you enter a boss chamber, a cool looking warning message appears on the screen, but this also makes the frame rate drop dramatically until it goes away.
SOUND – 8
The sound, like the graphics have also been reworked. The music is greatly improved, yet still retains the classic beats you love. The sound effects are virtually unchanged though. That's not a bad thing, but it would have been nice to see more of an improvement like the music got.
The voice acting is terrible, though. I mean it's really bad. It makes games like Symphony of the Night, which is known for it's bad voice work, look like Oscar material. Thankfully the spoken dialog is rare.
VALUE – 8
MHX is a fun game, just like the original. However, like the original, it's very short. This game can be completed and all the secrets found in 10 hours. Playing as Vile and the other bonus material adds a little more lasting value, but only the hardcore fans will fully explore these bonuses.
Maverick Hunter X is a great remake of a classic Mega Man game. If you're a fan of the series, or you just like side-scrolling shooters, this game is worth your time. It's a short ride, but worth the cost of admission.