In the summer of 2004, CAPCOM’s Mega Man Anniversary Collection (MMAC) brought a tear to the eyes of many a gamer who reveled in the innovation and tight game play the Blue Bomber has brought to us since the earlier days of the NES. Not only did the compilation give us all eight games in the original series, but also added a bunch of extras such as segments of the animated series, extra artwork and bonus games. Now after much delay and speculation, the futuristic Mega Man X finds itself thrown into the collection treatment and the result is mediocre at best.
Originally, CAPCOM had no current plans to release a collection based off of the X series, but after much demand, we now have the first six Mega Man X games on one disc. The rush to put the game to market results in extremely bland menus to navigate - while it’s straightforward and quick to use, it lacks the substance and flash the interactive menus from MMAC featured. There was so little emphasis put on the menus, it seems the programmers forgot to add 2006 to the title screen instead of 2005, based on the original November release date.
Yeah, that’s mighty critical of me, but why did I notice this you ask? I sat staring at the title screen for about two minutes waiting for something to happen, that’s why. No special intro video, no clever teasers into the game, nothing; and that’s the premise of this disc. Mega Man X Collection is nothing more than a collection - you get the six X games and pretty much nothing else. While most of the X series can hang on its own, the lack of any sort of shiny, decorative wrapping paper serves up as a real bummer to the tried-and-true fans who will be expecting an entire world of extras. Sure, you have the average-at-best Rockman Battle and Chase with flat game play and extremely outdated graphics, but aside from that, all you have is a bunch of artwork and no real incentives to unlock everything.
Article comments