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Mega Man X Collection

Countdown to Collection!

By Mark Bozon

With New Years on the horizon, and the promise of a fresh start for gamers worldwide it seemed appropriate to highlight one of the greatest franchises ever to grace our industry. On January 10, 2006 fans will have a chance to finalize their US collection of Capcom's greatest hero: Mega Man. Mega Man X Collection contains six "X" titles appearing on both the Super NES and original Playstation. X Collection will retail at just 30 bucks, and contain a never before released Japanese racing title. A total of 17 classic Mega Man titles will be available for Cube in the form of two great packages: Mega Man Anniversary, and Mega Man X Collection.

We are among the lucky few who have had a chance to sit back, think back, and be taken back to the days of old when the Blue Bomber reigned supreme. As mentioned, X1-6 are included, and they couldn't have made a better conversion. Each contains all options and features, and Capcom righted wrongs of the Anniversary collection and fixed the button mapping on the controller. The B button shoots, and the A button jumps, and that, my friends, is all you need.

While it is easy for us to go on all day talking about things to come with the new Mega Man X Collection, you as dedicated fans already know; or do you? As a celebration of all things "Mega", we here at IGN thought you deserved a quick look back at the majesty and myth that is Mega Man. Shown below are each of the X titles, along with a brief description and boss guide. Enjoy.

Mega Man X: 1993, SNES As far as side-scrollers go there simply isn't a better package than Mega Man X. Everyone and their mother knows that first level by heart. X1 took what was amazing about the previous Mega Man titles on the NES and capitalized, adding in all new moves, a brand new cast of enemies, and a red punk robot named Zero. If it wasn't for Mega Man X for SNES, GBA fans everywhere wouldn't have a reason to cover their systems in bubble wrap due to the sweet frustration of the Zero series.

Boss Roster: Launch Octopus: Weak against Rolling Shield Chill Penguin: Weak against Fire Wave Spark Mandrill: Weak against Shotgun Ice Storm Eagle: Weak against Chameleon Sting Flame Mammoth: Weak against Storm Tornado Armored Armadillo: Weak against Electric Spark Boomer Kuwanger: Weak against Homing torpedo Sting Chameleon: Weak against Boomerang Cutter

Mega Man X2: 1994, SNES Continuing on with the franchise, Capcom released Mega Man X2 a year later. With a new cast of characters and new upgrades for X himself, players again went on a quest to destroy evil in the name of robot-kind. Zero has been taken captive, and X must go on a quest to collect his three body pieces.

Boss Roster: Wire Sponge: Weak against Sonic Slicer Morph Moth: Weak against Speed Burner Flame Stag: Weak against Bubble Splash Magna Centipede: Weak against Silk Shot Overdrive Ostrich: Weak against Crystal Hunter Bubble Crab: Weak against Spin Wheel Wheel Gator: Weak against Strike Chain Crystal Snail: Weak against Magnet Mine

Mega Man X3: 1995, SNES and Playstation Having collected the pieces of Zero in X2, the two of them now take on the evil Reploids along with their entourage of boss baddies. This was a huge milestone in the series, being the first game to have Zero as a playable character. This was also the final Mega Man in the X series for the SNES, and from here on out Playstation fans claimed ownership over the franchise.

Boss Roster: Blast Hornet: Weak against Gravity Well Blizzard Buffalo: Weak against Parastic Bomb Gravity Beetle: Weak against Ray Splasher Toxic Seahorse: Weak against Frost Shield Volt Catfish: Weak against Tornado Fang Crush Crawfish: Weak against Triad Thunder Tunnel Rhino: Weak against Acid Burst Neon Tiger: Weak against Spinning Blade

Mega Man X4: 1997, Playstation/Sega Saturn Mega Man X4 marked the beginning of a new era. The franchise, now on the Playstation, could fully be realized with full 3D backdrop and classic 2D sprite art. The game proved to be very difficult, though it featured some of the best gameplay elements of the franchise. Both X and Zero were playable, and while X could defeat enemies and equip new Buster Cannons Zero gained special moves that could be pulled off using button combos.

Boss Roster: Web Spider: Weak against Twin Slasher/Z-Saber Cyber Peacock: Weak against Soul Body/Ryuenjin Storm Owl: Weak against Aiming Laser/Rakuhouha Magma Dragoon: Weak against Double Cyclone/Raijingeki Jet Stingray: Weak against Frost Tower/Hyouretsuzan Split Mushroom: Weak against Lightning Web/Raijingeki Slash Beast: Weak against Ground Hunter/Z-Saber Frost Walrus: Weak against Rising Fire/Ryuenjin

Mega Man X5: 2001, Playstation/Sega Saturn X5 marks an odd spin for the series, as the control and gameplay style of X4 is elaborated on to include a time-based challenge. While this isn't the first time multiple story lines were used to increase gameplay, it was a huge turning point for the Mega Man series, and a great inspiration for the Zero franchise we now know and love on GBA. Also as a strange side note, each Boss was named after a member of Guns N' Roses for the English version. Why? Who knows. Boredom perhaps…

Boss Roster: Grizzly Slash: Weak against Spike Ball/Twin Dream Squid Adler: Weak against Goo Shaver/Frost Splasher Izzy Glow: Weak against Tri-Thunder/Electric Blade Duff McWhalen: Weak against Crescent Shot/Crescent Sword The Skiver: Weak against Dark Hold/Crescent Sword Axle The Red: Weak against Ground Fire/Quake Blazer Dark Dizzy: Weak against Firefly Laser/Crush Flasher Mattrex: Weak against Wing Spiral/Wing Shredder

Mega Man X6: 2001, Playstation While continuing the story was a priority for all previous Mega Man games, this is where the true chaos began for fans. In Mega Man X6, the first of which without the aid of the series creator Keiji Inafune, the story branches from the Megaman Zero series for GBA, creating a contradiction in the story line. Since Keiji worked with the Zero team, it is believed that the GBA series contains the true story of the Mega Man myth, invalidating this entertaining yet inaccurate sixth title.

Boss Roster: Yammark: Weak against Ray Arrow/Rekkoha Rainy Turtloid: Weak against Ice Burst/Z-Saber Shield Sheldon: Weak against Metal Anchor/Rakukojin Blizzard Wolfang: Weak against Magma Blade/Shoenzan Blaze Heatnix: Weak against Ground Dash/Sentsuizan Infinity Mijinion: Weak against Guard Shell Metal Shark Player: Weak against Meteor Rain/Ensuizan Ground Scaravich: Weak against Yammar Option

Release for Mega Man X Collection is set for January 10, 2006. Expect a review here at IGN very soon.

©2005, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved

12:00 am PST December 14, 2005

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