Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 and Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 Review: X marks the spot (2023)

Re-releasing old video games into modern series is a trend these days, but many developers have ignored older releases and embellished new games with higher resolutions and higher quality textures. It's a bit of a shame, because some of a game's best moments don't come in last-gen titles, but in retro versions that paved the way for the modern gaming experience. Capcom knows this, and it's one of the reasons they bless retro gaming fans with editions like Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 and Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. As with previous Mega Man Legacy collections, these new collections are undeniably reliable. It's the best way to experience the greatest moments of Series X, complete with a challenging new Boss Challenge game mode and tons of extra rewards.

A full decade of Mega Man X releases

With the Mega Man series just celebrating its 30th anniversary, the team at Capcom has been busy creating a polished, modern collection featuring all of the franchise's greatest hits. I have responded beforeMega Man Legacy-serie, and both are ultimately a great way to revisit the early history of the Blue Bomber, starting with the first Mega Man release in 1987, all the way up to the 2010 release of Mega Man X. The New Mega Man X Legacy series follows the same pattern, except they represent more modern X-series games starting in 1993 and running through 2004: Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 includes Mega Man X, X2, X3, and X4, while Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 includes Mega Man X5, X6, X7 and X8.

So the choice between the two series may come down to what Mega Man Age of X players are most familiar with: the first Series X offered the first two versions from the SNES and PlayStation era, while the second Series X offered both versions from the PlayStation 2 era. the final version. Mega Man X7 and X8 in particular weren't very popular at the time, mostly due to the X7's shaky 3D implementation and the X8's lackluster use of 2.5D effects, but the rest of the games offered a roughly similar 2D experience, with progressively higher reliability and improved gameplay.

Eternal side-scrolling action

This should go without saying by now, but I'll say it anyway: the Mega Man games, and in my opinion the Mega Man X games in particular, offer some of the best platforming of their respective eras. Mega Man was out six years before its Series X debut, and in that time Capcom managed to strike the perfect balance between shooting, platforming, weapons, upgrades and overall difficulty, resulting in an A-game formula that ended up being widely adopted. was emulated through decades of new releases. Carefully progressing through the stages, finding power-ups and averting the downfall of an evil robot empire through the concrete use of imaginative weapons is addictive - and the X game is set in a more beautiful and challenging environment. in a lower package than previous releases of the 8-bit series.

As might be expected, the standard Mega Man game loop can be found in all newer X games: players start with the introduction phase, but then face powerful forces, then are tasked with defeating eight different bosses. Travel through eight different stages. before moving on to a marathon final stage and the ultimate boss fight. While this mode largely applies to the X7 and X8, players will find that the 3D portion of the X7 breaks the usual side-scrolling formula and is one of Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2's only weaknesses - luckily it is the first Mega Man X Legacy Collection was nothing more than two-dimensional sprite-based goodness. Players will also note that both sets include the new Rookie Hunter mode, which essentially reduces the challenge level by halving all incoming damage, in addition to preventing the bottomless pit in Mega Man X4 through X8 and spike traps causing instant death.

extra extra

The new Mega Man X Legacy Collection bundle also includes loads of extra goodies: both games include a menu list of Hunter Medals, which offer some special achievements for completing different tasks, such as using all the powerful attacks with each weapon or getting an angle. -in-depth look at the game's museum feature. Both games also contain X Challenges, both Volume 1 and Volume 1. 1 or roll. 2 Depending on the collection chosen, players can hunt down all X-Series bosses in a row in challenging 2v1 battles and show off leaderboard rankings. In addition, the series features smooth anti-aliasing and CRT screen filters, interchangeable border backgrounds, options to resize the screen, and even a special game manual explaining the various controls, but unfortunately players were unable to find digital reproductions of the original game manual.

All this includes the aforementioned very robust museum menu, which includes an art gallery full of concept art and character data; a music player with songs from each game; a product gallery featuring old promotional materials, manga covers, and collectibles; Japanese and English original language trailers for each game; and finally the 25-minute animated Days of Sigma, originally intended as a bonus prologue to the PlayStation Portable version of Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. Completionists can even switch between the original English and Japanese versions of each game at the touch of a button. the main menu, allowing them to notice the difficulty changes and modified enemy positions between the two different versions.

X rots, man

Ultimately, both Mega Man X Legacy Collections 1 and Mega Man X Legacy Collections 2 are exactly what a modern retro video game franchise should be: a compendium of everything the series has to offer, including the base game, brand new Tweaks, bonus bonuses, trivia, trailers and more. No expense has been spared: The Mega Man X Legacy Collection is perfect for longtime fans of the series or gamers new to the Mega Man X formula.

This review is based on a PlayStation 4 download code provided by the publisher. Mega Man X Legacy Collections 1 and Mega Man X Legacy Collections 2 will be available in retail and digital stores July 24 for $39.99 each. The game has been rated as a T-rated Teen Game by the ESRB.