Megaman X7
Mega Man was always a 2D action platformer. When the second generation of gaming consoles introduced 3D graphics, just about every franchise had to give it a shot. Unfortunately turning a 2D game into a 3D game is ridiculously hard. What’s even more unfortunate, is that Mega Man X7 falls victim to many of the pitfalls that occurred during such a tough transition.
Story
The story of Mega Man was forgettable to say the least, essentially a rise of evil robots who pose a threat to the peaceful way of life. A simple excuse to have good robots, battle evil robots, and for our Protagonist Axl to make waste to their latest foe.
Gameplay & Camera
The fresh coat of 3D paint on Mega Man X7 looks great and aged well. With a thick black line around your character and enemies makes it easy to distinguish foreground from background. Unfortunately, this is where the new ideas in Mega Man X7 stop being any good. The controls are on par with the rest of the series, but much like other 3D platformers of its time, but the camera is poorly used. All too often the camera shifts from behind the player’s back to a side view or vice versa, mid-jump. This along with having the camera on an angle or behind the player can make it hard to judge distance and where you are relative to the platform you’re attempting to jump onto. For a game that is primarily about jumping from one platform to another, this is unacceptable. I could perhaps excuse this massive error if the game used the 3D environment to do something more than just adding the simple choice of jumping to the platform to your left or to your right. Sadly, this game rarely builds on the new 3D aspect of the gaming medium.
Boss Fights
Boss fights are a blast. It is extremely fun to dodge and weave enemy projectiles in 3D space while also navigating the environment. This also adds more variety since some bosses are still fought only in 2D while some may have similar fighting mechanics, but are in 3D. This gives the player a whole new sense of how to fight their opponent and for its time acts as a great showcase as to why the jump from 2D games to 3D games is so amazing for gamers and developers alike. I’m a big fan of classic boss fights like these, something I’d like more modern games to have as well.
Admirable Difficulty
Something I’ve always admired about Mega Man is its difficulty. You get three lives to complete a level and if you can’t do it then too bad. The game requires precise jumps that will give you a small heart attack if you barely make it, much like the rest of the Mega Man series. The game does have some issues here and there with its level design and camera which can lead to unfair deaths, but all in all this game still feels like it’s made for hardcore Mega Man fans and those who like a challenge. The main appeal to any Mega Man game is that when you complete it, it feels like you’ve overcome a really challenging obstacle and this game delivers that same feeling. I just wish it wasn’t needlessly frustrating at times.
If you’re a Mega Man fan then you won’t be disappointed with this game, though you may have to come to terms that it’s arguably the worst in the series. Thankfully it’s been mainly better since X7. For those new to the series, this may not be your best introduction to the series. Get through the frustrating camera angles and occasionally poor level design and you’ll find a challenging yet fun game. Challenging your skills and your patience.
Pros
- Good graphics with a nice style
- Fair controls
- Great boss fights
- Great character abilities
Cons
- Extremely poor use of 3D camera
- Poor use of 3D levels
- Occasionally almost guaranteed deaths
-
-