Being the first in the series, it’s usually not expected for a game to be a huge hit. Mega Man X, however, changed all
I remember my first experience playing this game. I couldn’t get past the first level. That was when I was 6. After spending some time practicing, I finally managed to get past the first level, only to find that from that point on, you could choose which level to go to. I thought “Sweet!” Until I quickly found out that there was a specific order to go in. Though there was an order, it never quite seemed linear. You'll even get the feeling that there's no order, you're just being smart enough to do it like that. The reason is that when you defeat a boss, you acquire their unique weapon. This new weapon could then be used by X at any point during a level, simply replacing his normal arm cannon. And each boss has a specific weakness. After defeating all of the bosses, you could go to the final level, in which case you could get your entire arm cannon upgraded. The new upgrade makes it possible to power up each boss aquired weapon to its full power. This provides enough depth to keep you hooked all the way through. Who wouldn't want to create the ultimate killing machine that saves people? To this day, Mega Man X is one of my favorite games of all time.
The game play. There’s one word to describe it, and that’s difficult. Once you’ve gotten past that point, you find Mega Man X to be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. There's almost nothing more satisfying than being stuck on a level for a week, than to suddenly breeze through it without a scratch. And the thing is it never seems to get repetitive. There’s always some secret to find, or some health upgrade to get to, or even body upgrades to earn by defeating mini-bosses. The one lacking feature is a story line. Beyond that basic, “save the humans from the robots” you don’t have much else. But you don’t even think about that while playing the game. And that’s truly remarkable, when you forget about a game’s shortcomings, because it’s so fun. And even if your not shooter fan per-say, X is more of an adventure platformer. But don't think that there won't be plenty of weapons to play around with.
Graphics. Being the first Mega Man game on the SNES, the graphics look amazing. From the color variations when you switch weapons, to the amazing scenery you fight one (ok, amazing during the SNES era). Each boss has received an upgrade since their original debuts, and it shows. It's the little things that make the difference with graphics. Want to use your flamethrower upgrade? X's body turns a slight red hue. Upgraded his full body? You'll be looking at a metallic silver. Everything from the differences of your body, to the color variations depending on your weapon, the graphics in this game are outstanding.
Sound. Basically, you’ll be hearing a lot of the same songs as you’ll be dieing quite frequently. But you never really get tired of it. As for the sound effects, Capcom has made it so that you can tell when a helicopter is coming, rocks are falling, or lava is flowing. And let’s not forget that Mega Man theme music! You'll play through the levels so many times that the theme song will be stuck in your head. And oddly, that's ok.
Value. This game kept me playing for a long time. Not just because of how much I died, but because it’s just plain fun. Beating a level doesn’t mean you’re done with it. Now that you’ve acquired that boss’s power, why not try it out? You may find that you come across something you didn’t expect… And just because you've beaten it once doesn't mean that you should just stop. This is the type of game where if you stop playing, you'll get bad at it. So playing it again is a great way to not only spend some time, but also to keep your skills sharp for the next Mega Man game.
Overall, this is a great game and an easy recommendation for anyone who misses the glory of old Mega Man games. Showing off just what the SNES is capable of, Mega Man X is easily one of my favorites, and one that should be in every SNES gamer's collection. You can trust me when I say that you’ll be playing this one for a long time to come.