User Rating: 7.5 | Mega Man X7 PS2
Mega Man X7 is the first 3D megaman game (not including legends), and it makes the leap to 3D pretty good. Many people complain about the camera because it can't be move in most areas (you'll give up after a short while because you just can't find the place where you can move the camera), but though problems do exist, the camera never renders the game unplayable or too hard becuase of weird angels. sometimes it gets too close, but you can forgive the game, for the pros outwhigh the cons. MMX7 also brings a new character into the series, named Axl. Axl is a pretty cool character with a solid design and some awesome skills, like rolling (which renders him invincible during the roll animation, but it can't save him from every situation), hovering and copying enemy attack (and skins), which make playing him fun. copyind enemies makes the gameplay even more stratigic, with some enemies being slower, some more powerful, some with better range and some with special skills like super dashing and defense from spikes).combined with the double hero system and the huge difference between him, X (who isn't playable from the start) and zero, MMX7 is an enjoyable and kinda stratigic game. every time you defeat a boss, the character who gave the final blow gets a skill and a weapon, while the other character gets just a skill, so there is depth and stratagy. every platform game must have good level design, and MMX7 doensn't fail in there, just like the rest of the series. the 2D levels are a real blast, and 3D levels can be really enjoyable. even though you'll play most of the game with just one character that bests suits your style (again, stratagy), some situations force you to use the double hero system, which makes the game stay fresh until the end. like in MMX5 and X6, you will need to save people (well, robots), but this time some of them will give you chips that you will use to modify your character (like adding extra moves for zero, or a better dash of stronger attacks), while some will increase you're life bar or energy bar. the game is hard, but thanks to the new and greatly improved continue system, when you lose all of your continues, you will restart the last section you just died in. every time you lose 3 continues, you'll restart the section with 3 more continues (but it'll still be hard). this works even in bosses. once you finish the game you can start an new game+, so you can get all of the skills, weapons, armors and chips you missed in the first time, and the game will still stay enjoyable and fresh thanks to the introduction of new weapons and armor types. the game isn't terribly long, though. it has 9 levels, but some of them will take you more time due to length and difficulty level, and the new game+ and the deep, arcade-like gameplay will keep you coming for more. the graphics are pretty good, but far from the best the ps2 can offer, and some slowdowns really mess up the game (though they don't render it unplayable like max payne 2). the models look really good and have some fairly good designs, and so do the enviorments, though they don't look all that great. alla-around, it's pretty standard looking game with some good design. the sound is... not that good. voice acting sounds sometimes good (like red and axl, and even zero in certion scenes, and so do some of the bosses), while some sound really terriable and lack feeling, like x. music is standerd, but the sound could've been better, but nothing that'll ruin the expirience. the presentation is standard anime stuff. great anime cutscenes, techno anime music and arcade menus. again, standard. all in all, if you never got into the megaman series, this might be your ticket, even though there are better games on the market. if your a hardcore fan, this game should be right up your alley. if you're hardcore and find the 3D gameplay to be bad, just spend some time with it, finish some bosses, and you'll see that megaman x7 is a worthy addition to the series. 
