An excellent installment to the Mega Man X series.
Anyways, the graphics are outstandingly beautiful! The environments of each stage are a treat to get through, because they are enjoyable to look at, and there's plenty of color variance. My only complaint has to deal with the design of the boss', because quite a few of them made me raise an eyebrow. The main character designs are a bit awkward at first, but I got used to them rather quickly, and I actually grew attached to their new looks.
The music is excellent, and there wasn't one song that I came upon that made me want to listen to something else. The sounds are how they should be, offering plenty of explosions for your ears to enjoy. For the second time in a Mega Man X game, the voice acting was superb. Capcom nailed it dead on with the cast it had this time around, and although there were certain points where I feel like the actors were a bit off, they still did a fantastic job.
Lately the Mega Man X games have had deeper storylines to them, and this one is no different from the others. In all honesty, there were times that I almost felt like I was playing an RPG rather than a Shoot-'Em-Up game, and that should give you an idea as to how good the storyline in this game is.
Finally, how is this games controls and gameplay? You don't have to worry about the controls, because everything responds quickly, and the button layout is how it has always been. As far as gameplay goes, Mega Man X8 returns to it's roots, and actually improves upon it. The game is so much fun that even after I have beaten it, I still find myself playing it. It also helps that there are new secrets to unlock once you have beaten the game.
To summarize things up, if you're a Mega Man X fan, you do not want to miss out on this game, because you'll regret it.