Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, known as Irregular Hunter X in Japan, is an enhanced remake of the original Mega Man X (SNES) game released for the PlayStation Portable in 2005-2006. I know haven't done any PlayStation Portable (PSP) reviews at all in the past, but I hope to change that with this title.
Many of you should remember that I mentioned this title briefly as part of Mega Man Week on this blog's Facebook page back in December 2013.
New Content
- Updated 3D graphics.- Character and item redesigns and updates (primarily the Mavericks). Note that many of these redesigned items in this game are also similar in design and function to another 3D Mega Man X game, Mega Man X8, which was released in the same year as this title. Similar items for both games include (but are not limited to) the Dr. Light Capsule designs, Life Energy and Weapon Energy Refills, and Ride Armor design and mechanisms.
- A new 4-chapter cinematic animation named The Day of ∑ that shows the world before Sigma openly turns Maverick.
- A Navigator appears in game speaking with X. She speaks directly with X in the opening level, but does not contact X during the levels, unlike the navigators of other games. Zero on the other hand, does not speak to X face-to-face after defeating the eight Mavericks but via radio transmission instead in this remake (Zero meets up with X and speaks to him in the classic version).
- The ability to play as Vile after completing the game. Vile acquires unique weapons as he defeats each Maverick that attaches to his Arm, Shoulder, and Leg that must be equipped before each stage. He can use these three weapons an unlimited number of times, but he cannot use any weapons beyond those three once in a stage. Each attack uses some of Vile's quick-charging Weapon Energy. However, there is a drawback of Vile being unable to dash as a player despite being able to do so as a boss in X Mode. This has been somewhat compensated by allowing him to get the Speed Devil and Frozen Castle parts to increase his defense and speed. According to Keiji Inafune's comments in Mega Man X Official Complete Works, he deliberately chose Vile to be the second playable character in order to give players the opportunity to see the same event from a villain's perspective, feeling that it would have been "too obvious and boring" if the new option was to play as Zero.
- Much dialogue has been added to the game, mainly between X with the Mavericks, Vile, Zero and Sigma.
- Vile has similar conversations through his own game. These dialogues are fully voiced, bringing over the full-voiced dialogue features of Mega Man X8 into this game as well.
- Ironically, Sigma's final lines from the original game, that appear after the ending credits, were cut.
Some of the upgrades and bonuses have been moved as well. For example, the "acceleration system", or Foot Parts is impossible to miss in the original, since X cannot proceed through Chill Penguin's stage without acquiring it. In Maverick Hunter X, the dash upgrade is located in Flame Mammoth's stage, in the secret area that houses the X-Buster upgrade. It is also significantly easier to reach this room, since the original game required the Helmet upgrade from Storm Eagle's stage to gain access.
Some of the upgrades and bonuses have been moved as well. For example, the "acceleration system", or Foot Parts is impossible to miss in the original, since X cannot proceed through Chill Penguin's stage without acquiring it. In Maverick Hunter X, the dash upgrade is located in Flame Mammoth's stage, in the secret area that houses the X-Buster upgrade. It is also significantly easier to reach this room, since the original game required the Helmet upgrade from Storm Eagle's stage to gain access.
- In both this version and the original, the upgraded version of the X buster can be received from Zero. While it was identical to the capsule upgrade in the original, the remake version made it a point for X to be able to fire exactly the same charged shot that Zero himself uses while he is in possession of that buster initially. Since the design of X's Arm Parts is identical to those used by Zero, the transfer of the part from Zero to X in the remake will also grant X the same powerful shot that Zero has previously used against Vile's Ride Armor in the opening stage, although when X uses it himself during Free Play Mode it still cannot deal any damage to Vile's Ride Armor.
- The stages in Sigma's fortress have completely different layouts.
- Vile's battle against X and Zero is moved from near the beginning of the first fortress stage to the penultimate stage, right before the boss D-Rex.
While in the original game you faced only six of the eight bosses on the final stages, in the remake you face all of them. Boss orders in the final stages have been completely changed in account of this:
- 1st Final Stage against Bosspider will involve re-matches against Launch Octopus and Boomerang Kuwanger.
- 2nd Final Stage against Rangda Bangda will involve re-matches against Armored Armadillo, Storm Eagle and Spark Mandrill.
- 3rd Final Stage against D-Rex will involve re-matches against Chill Penguin, Sting Chameleon and Flame Mammoth followed by Vile (without battling his Ride Armor) before facing D-Rex.
- Also different from the original Mega Man X, Sigma's final form is no longer immune to the Hadouken, allowing players to defeat him in one hit.
- The in-battle voice acting for the 8 Mavericks change significantly between the main and the rematches. The main Maverick voice acting will sound like their original selves, but will sound corrupted and half-dead in the rematches in the fortress stages. The most noticeable ones are Chill Penguin, Flame Mammoth, and Storm Eagle.
The Plot (FULL Spoilers)
Note: The plot is essentially the same as the original Mega Man X from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but with added dialogue and anime cutscenes to expand the narrative.
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X Script (X's story)
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X Script (Vile's story)
Mega Man X takes place in an unspecified time during the 22nd century (21XX) and approximately 100 years after the original Mega Man series. A human archaeologist named Dr. Cain discovers the ruins of a robotics research facility that had once been operated by the legendary robot designer Dr. Thomas Light.
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X Script (X's story)
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X Script (Vile's story)
Mega Man X takes place in an unspecified time during the 22nd century (21XX) and approximately 100 years after the original Mega Man series. A human archaeologist named Dr. Cain discovers the ruins of a robotics research facility that had once been operated by the legendary robot designer Dr. Thomas Light.
As the public outcry against the few Maverick incidents becomes too great to deny, the government steps in, and under the advice of Dr. Cain, forms an elite military police organization called the "Maverick Hunters". The Hunters are to capture or disable any Reploids that pose a threat to humans, provide damage control at Maverick uprisings, help with disaster recovery, and perform other tasks as needed. To lead this group, Cain designs a very advanced Reploid, thought to be immune to whatever defect causes Mavericks. This robot, named Sigma, heads the Hunters some time before ultimately becoming a Maverick himself, alongside the vast majority of the other Hunters. Sigma seizes control of a small island, driving out all human occupants. Claiming that the humans are inferior and that they are limiting the growth and potential of Reploids, he calls for his followers to begin a massive extinction effort. X, guilt-ridden at having helped design such a dangerous race, joins forces with the only other remaining Hunter Zero in order to stop Sigma at any cost.
Continuity
Unlike Mega Man Powered Up, this remake has several continuity problems with the rest of the series. This is due to the remake sacrificing ties with other games in favor of compromising them with more solid storytelling. It was also the intention of Keiji Inafune to completely redo the first six games of the X series, but this project was abruptly discontinued when he left Capcom. These are some examples of the continuity with the rest of the series being ignored:- Dr. Cain discovered X many years ago (as opposed to months), and is artificially extending his life via mechanical support to oversee the Reploids. He also fears he does not have long to live. Towards the end of The Day of Sigma, a missile also destroys his home in Abel City - with him inside it (although it is left ambiguous as to whether Cain had actually died or not).
- Vile's story is merely considered a "what-if" scenario, as it conflicts with X's game. However, the line by Sigma to "retrieve Vile" seems to foreshadow his remodel in Mega Man X3.- Dr. Light's reasons for sealing X are completely different from the version previously established. In the original storyline, Dr. Light sealed X in a special capsule that would basically test his moral integrity, because it would be necessary to determine whether X would ultimately make the right decisions when he entered the world. However, in Maverick Hunter X, Dr. Light is already confident with X's moral integrity, but seals him up because he believes mankind is not ready for him just yet.
- Sigma's personality is depicted quite differently than in other games. Here, he is obsessed with the evolution of Reploids (which somewhat reflects his attitude in Mega Man X8), and is fascinated with X's potential rather than truly wishing to overcome the humans. He even directly states to Vile he plans to go Maverick to test X's abilities and bring out his true power, and instructs Vile to help him incite rebellion to help achieve this.
- Due to the updated modern art style, other games in the series in which direct elements of the original game reappear (including flashback scenes such as the opening animation in Mega Man X5 and CD versions of Mega Man X3, as well as character designs in Mega Man Xtreme and Rockman ×over) are based on their original SNES counterparts.
The Verdict:
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the definitive Mega Man X experience, whether you can get it on PlayStation Portable, Vita, or the recently released download on the Wii U.
The original playthrough of the game is roughly the same but with some notable differences.
For those wondering, X is voiced by Mark Gatha (widely known as Domon Kasshu in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, who also returns to play X in Mega Man X8 and Command Mission - hands down the best voice actor to play X in my honest opinion), Sigma is voiced by Gerald Matthews (Master Asia in Dynasty Warriors Gundam, as well as Wild Jango, Depth Dragoon, and various additional voices in Command Mission - not to be confused with Dave Pettitt who voiced Master Asia in Mobile Fighter G Gundam), while Zero is played by Lucas Gilbertson and Vile is played by Roger Rhodes.
This stellar voice acting cast remedies the laughable and often memed horrible voice acting in Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4. The only time I get annoyed at the voices here is the fact that X has to shout the name of the weapon each time he fires it, but that's to expected since this is the same company that created Street Fighter.
Out of all of the remixes to Sigma's 1st Form theme, this blows them out of the water. That heavy metal mix that this game deserved back in the 90's. This is one of many great remixes to the original game's soundtrack.
This time around, players will be completely surprised that the vital "acceleration system" (Dash) upgrade is nowhere to be found in Chill Penguin's stage. If you need a hint, the Dash upgrade can be found in Flame Mammoth's stage instead and is much easier to obtain than the original.
It brings a completely new experience to the table. Vile can only "equip" 3 different weapons to his his arms, legs, and shoulder and these weapons/items must be selected for the use prior to the beginning of each stage. Vile cannot Dash, unlike X, despite he does so as a boss in X Mode. Playing the game as Vile is a completely new experience that will force players to experiment with Vile's abilities differently than they did with X. This addition is worth the purchase of admission alone in my eyes.
Unfortunately, Vile's campaign ends once he faces X and Zero, so there's no "what-if" scenario to see how he would have fared against Sigma himself.
The original Mega Man X from the Super Nintendo is a game that I have proudly played through countless times and I still enjoy it. Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is a brilliant remake of that classic and I humbly recommend this portable title to any Mega Man fan. It's a damn shame that Keiji Inafune didn't get the opportunity to remake the rest of the X series in this manner, as this remake shows off the best of what the X series has to offer. Sadly, if you're looking for a lengthy experience this title is going to leave you a bit disappointed as it's just as short as the SNES original and even shorter in Vile Mode.
I give Mega Man Maverick Hunter X a 8.75 out of 10.
The original playthrough of the game is roughly the same but with some notable differences.
Improved 3D graphics in the style of Mega Man X8.
While I wasn't too crazy about Mega Man X8 as a whole, I did like the new art direction for the series that turned out better than the visuals in Mega Man X7. It was great to see the beloved anime-style cutscenes from Mega Man X4 make a return with stellar voice acting this time around.
For those wondering, X is voiced by Mark Gatha (widely known as Domon Kasshu in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, who also returns to play X in Mega Man X8 and Command Mission - hands down the best voice actor to play X in my honest opinion), Sigma is voiced by Gerald Matthews (Master Asia in Dynasty Warriors Gundam, as well as Wild Jango, Depth Dragoon, and various additional voices in Command Mission - not to be confused with Dave Pettitt who voiced Master Asia in Mobile Fighter G Gundam), while Zero is played by Lucas Gilbertson and Vile is played by Roger Rhodes.
This stellar voice acting cast remedies the laughable and often memed horrible voice acting in Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4. The only time I get annoyed at the voices here is the fact that X has to shout the name of the weapon each time he fires it, but that's to expected since this is the same company that created Street Fighter.
Improved and Remixed Soundtrack
Out of all of the remixes to Sigma's 1st Form theme, this blows them out of the water. That heavy metal mix that this game deserved back in the 90's. This is one of many great remixes to the original game's soundtrack.
Dr. Light Capsule upgrades are scattered in different locations.
This time around, players will be completely surprised that the vital "acceleration system" (Dash) upgrade is nowhere to be found in Chill Penguin's stage. If you need a hint, the Dash upgrade can be found in Flame Mammoth's stage instead and is much easier to obtain than the original.
Sigma's Fortress has the same bosses, but the castle layout is completely different.
It will throw off most players that X doesn't encounter Vile until Sigma Fortress Stage 3, right before D-Rex. Sadly, he sports the same weakness that he did in the original Mega Man X. That goes double for all of the bosses in this castle as well.Playing as Vile is surprisingly fun
It brings a completely new experience to the table. Vile can only "equip" 3 different weapons to his his arms, legs, and shoulder and these weapons/items must be selected for the use prior to the beginning of each stage. Vile cannot Dash, unlike X, despite he does so as a boss in X Mode. Playing the game as Vile is a completely new experience that will force players to experiment with Vile's abilities differently than they did with X. This addition is worth the purchase of admission alone in my eyes.
Unfortunately, Vile's campaign ends once he faces X and Zero, so there's no "what-if" scenario to see how he would have fared against Sigma himself.
Closing Words
The original Mega Man X from the Super Nintendo is a game that I have proudly played through countless times and I still enjoy it. Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is a brilliant remake of that classic and I humbly recommend this portable title to any Mega Man fan. It's a damn shame that Keiji Inafune didn't get the opportunity to remake the rest of the X series in this manner, as this remake shows off the best of what the X series has to offer. Sadly, if you're looking for a lengthy experience this title is going to leave you a bit disappointed as it's just as short as the SNES original and even shorter in Vile Mode.
I give Mega Man Maverick Hunter X a 8.75 out of 10.
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