Megaman ZX is great for anybody who can handle a good challenge.
The game starts you off with the decision of being the male of the story (Vent) or the female of the story (Aile). You are a simple delivery boy/girl and you have to send this package containing a "biometal." When trying to deliver the package you get attacked by a band of evil robot who want the biometal for their own purposes. During the brawl you, the simple delivery boy, fuse with the biometal and you turn into model X. Once you become model X you have a buster cannon and hightened speed. You proceed through the game collecting biometals and transforming into whatever they were. If you defeat a underwater boss you will get its underwater abilities, and you if defeat a fire boss you get its fire abilities, just like the classic Megaman games. The gameplay is perfect. It feels exactly like the good old Megaman games except it plays like a new game. You would be shocked at how difficult it is. It provides one of the greatest challenges you can find on the DS. If your new to the Megaman series you will want to play through the game on easy first. You would think with such a simple gaming mechanic it wouldn't be this hard, but it is, and I love it. The only thing about the Megaman series that has always bugged me is your shooting skills. You are a highly advanced super android who can fuse with other robots, but you can't shoot straight up?!? What? Is the M.E.G.A. suit that restricting that you can't even move your arm up all the way? Anyways, the game plays amazingly and veterans and newcomers will both love the controls.
Graphics: 9/10
This game has an amazing art style that kind of reminds me of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. The game is presented in a 2D style much like the Zero series and the past iterations of Megaman.The character models look amazing, and they are some of the coolest looking sprites you can find on the DS. The whole design of the game is really intricate, and the bosses look amazing. Each boss has their own unique look that really defines them, and in the end makes them quite memorable. This game also throws a lot of cutscenes at you, which are very entertaining to watch. Usually they show pivotal points of the story in this kind of cool and short anime scene. The graphics are almost perfect, but some of the environments get old after playing in them for ahwile. Regardless, this game looks amazing.
Sound: 10/10
This is hands down my favorite videogame soundtrack for the DS. I love these songs to the death. I would openly put these songs on my mp3 and listen to them on my own free time. The music fits so well together with the environments your in, that they just tie together to resonate something beautiful. Put some headphones in and listen to this music with the volume all the way up, because it truely enhances the gameplay.
Value: 8/10
This game is longer than I expected it to be. Even when you complete the main story mode you can always go back and collect various objects, like these round devices that give you an insight on enemies, bosses, and people in the game. It's also great to go back and beat all the bosses again with the highest level. After you beat a boss it ranks you (i.e. level 4 victory) and it's always a good challenge to try to beat every boss perfectly. And once you complete the game with one character, you switch over to the other and play again. There are only minor differences in the characters, but the stories are different, and I think it's great that they have the same story from two different points of view. This game will last you longer then most of the other Megaman games.
Reviewer's Tilt: 7/10
Megaman ZX has its difficult points, but is an overall amazing experience. The graphics and sound knit together perfectly and the whole game melds into one nearly perfect platformer. I recommend this game to veterans of the series because it provides a daunting challenge and I also recommend this game to people who are looking into the megaman series, because this is simply a good place to start. If you enjoy a good challenge or just like 2D platformers, pick this game up and give it a try, you won't be dissapointed.
- Joe B.