Mega Man X4

Other products by Sony

Product Features

• VIBRANT ANIMATION
• HIDDEN SECRETS
• GRAPHICS

Product Details

• ASIN: B00002STJI
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: 1997
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,211 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

• This is item 4 in The Mega Man X Series.

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Some video games the masses can enjoy, and some video games cater to the hard-core fanatic of a specific genre. Flight sims are a good example, as are most golf games. What many don't realize, though, is that even a genre as innocuous as the simple platform shooter has a hard-core fan base - a league of players that can run faster, shoot longer, and generally destroy any side scroller in one sitting. These blister-thumbed few need something better, faster, harder. Mega Man X4 was created for them.

First, you must be a fan of the motif to even understand this game. By motif, I'm talking about anime and all the Speed Racer-esque backgrounds, bizarre character names, and recycled sound effects that go along with it. In addition to the game's general aesthetics, all the cinematic scenes are 100 percent anime, right down to the shamefully bad voice acting. The first scene introduces you, by means of a frantic music video, to all the games major characters. From there, you are thrust into the action of the game's first two-stage level that serves as a teaser to the rest of the story.

Through much in-game exposition, we learn that General and Colonel (great names!), under instruction from the evil Sigma, have incited Repliforce, an army of reploids formerly allied with our heroes, the Maverick Hunters, to riot. Following Sigma's plans to destroy the human race that created them, they have demolished a Maverick Hunter base and promise to continue the destruction until their final weapon is complete, and the earth is vaporized, or something like that. It is, of course, up to Mega Man X and his faithful partner, Zero, to foil their plans and save the earth from destruction.

Inventive it is not, but this latest installment in the extensive Mega Man series does sport enhanced graphics, a new soundtrack, gigantic bosses, and one other notable enhancement - this is the first of the series that lets you play as X or Zero. Capcom is hyping this feature as providing "two separate adventures." While it does increase the game's replay value, it's decidedly not two separate adventures. The game follows one scenario with a few differences, such as sidekick and dialogue, depending on the character you choose - much like Sonic and Knuckles or Resident Evil.

The real difference between characters lies in how the game plays. Play as X, and the gameplay is very similar to the other Mega Man X games. You run around and shoot things, collecting armor from Dr. Light and new weapons from your fallen adversaries. If you choose Zero, the story doesn't change much, but you must alter the tactics used to fight attackers and overcome obstacles. Zero is armed with a Z-Saber instead of X's Arm Cannon making it necessary to fight up close. No armor is provided for Zero, and instead of looting his enemies for new weapons, Zero learns a new fighting tactic when he slays an opponent. This introduces an element of head-to-head-fighter gameplay into the mix and makes it necessary for you to learn button combos to pull off each move. Needless to say, playing as Zero increases the difficulty level a bit.

No matter which character is used, though, this is one tough game to beat. Challenging gameplay, as in all previous Mega Man titles, is the key here. Each level, with few exceptions, is designed to include little secrets and interesting terrain. Each new weapon or fighting move learned requires practice to master. The various baddies are quite illusive and hard to eliminate. The real challenge waits at the end of the level - another Mega Man trademark. Providing formidable bosses has always been Capcom's strong suit. The true side-scroller fan is separated from the rest. It is a real test of will to sit in front of a TV and blast away at the same massive robotic bad guy for hours straight. Some find it tedious to the point of delirium; others love the challenge. I found it tedious. I tend to enjoy a few more puzzles in the levels themselves and a tad less adversity at the end of them. Fortunately, MM X4 is executed just well enough to make the monotony bearable.

The control layout is intuitive, and the reaction time is unsurpassed. The soundtrack, while incredibly typical, is filled with the Japanese video-game synth-pop hooks we all hate to love, and the cutscene dialogue, though pitiful, is a definite improvement over Mega Man 8. The graphics, unlike previous Mega Man titles, take full advantage of the PlayStation's 16-bit color palette and alpha-channel transparency, lending the game a decidedly 32-bit look. The multiple-parallax backgrounds are flawlessly rendered and cause no discernable slowdown in the frame rate. A few more 3D effects would have been nice, but the decision to stick with a true 2D environment is bold, if somewhat outmoded. Aesthetically, Mega Man X4 is a sizeable improvement over its predecessors, but you must remember that it's only a side scroller. Seventy or 80 similar games are out there that are just as good. If you're looking for something new, look elsewhere. If you're one of those weirdo platformer fans, though, Mega Man X4 is what you crave. --Mark East
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

Some video games the masses can enjoy, and some video games cater to the hard-core fanatic of a specific genre. Flight sims are a good example, as are most golf games. What many don't realize, though, is that even a genre as innocuous as the simple platform shooter has a hard-core fan base - a league of players that can run faster, shoot longer, and generally destroy any side scroller in one sitting. These blister-thumbed few need something better, faster, harder. Mega Man X4 was created for them. First, you must be a fan of the motif to even understand this game. By motif, I'm talking about anime and all the Speed Racer-esque backgrounds, bizarre character names, and recycled sound effects that go along with it. In addition to the game's general aesthetics, all the cinematic scenes are 100 percent anime, right down to the shamefully bad voice acting. The first scene introduces you, by means of a frantic music video, to all the games major characters. From there, you are thrust into the action of the game's first two-stage level that serves as a teaser to the rest of the story. Through much in-game exposition, we learn that General and Colonel (great names!), under instruction from the evil Sigma, have incited Repliforce, an army of reploids formerly allied with our heroes, the Maverick Hunters, to riot. Following Sigma's plans to destroy the human race that created them, they have demolished a Maverick Hunter base and promise to continue the destruction until their final weapon is complete, and the earth is vaporized, or something like that. It is, of course, up to Mega Man X and his faithful partner, Zero, to foil their plans and save the earth from destruction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Side Scroller, October 21, 2000

By	Sol - See all my reviews

Mega Man X was a great series on the Super Nintendo and it continues on the Playstation. In these side scrolling games, you control a humanoid robot known as X. Although based loosely on the original Mega Man series from the days of the NES, the story of X takes place in something of an alternate universe. Both X and his comrade Zero are Maverick Hunters. Their objective is to destroy aberrant robots, known as Mavericks. The Mavericks are led by Sigma, who is the personification of a computer virus. The X series is often considered to be darker and more sophisticated looking than the original series.

In this particular game, you can choose to be either X or Zero. X controls much like the original Mega Man did. He can walk, jump, and shoot his Buster cannon. He can also cling to walls, something exclusive to the X series. Zero, on the other hand, controls in fundamentally the same way, but his weapons are different. Zero has no long range attacks, only a lightsabre type of sword. It's arguably harder to go through the game using Zero.

As per the usual Mega Man routine, you are pitted against eight bosses. They are Web Spider, Split Mushroom, Cyber Peacock, Storm Owl, Magma Dragoon, Frost Walrus, Jet Stingray, and Slash Beast. You get to pick who you want to fight first. After going through their respective levels (typically based around themes like snow, fire, and so forth), you fight the Mavericks themselves. Upon defeating them, you get to take their weapon that you can, in turn, use against a different Maverick. Zero's system is a bit different, as you get skills, not weapons. Such skills are executed in a manner not unlike most fighting games (like Street Fighter II). After dispatching the eight bosses, you are taken to the final showdown against Sigma himself.

The new things in X4, besides the ability to play as Zero and the obvious graphic enhancements, also include anime cutscenes, a game saving ability (instead of passwords), and more bizarre animal bosses. Of note, all of the bosses have a sort of "desperation" attack that they use when their energy runs low. A nice touch.

The graphics in this game are big and detailed. The levels are lavishly designed, but they aren't as long as their Super Nintendo counterparts. The music is still in the power synth style used in the original games. One thing that got annoying was the sound effects. The robots tend to shout or yelp whenever you have them jump or shoot. This can get on your nerves.

Play control is top notch, although you might want to reconfigure your controller setup so dash is one of the upper buttons instead of the default Circle button. The game isn't overly hard as X, but you'll find quite a challenge in beating the game using Zero.

Overall, if you enjoyed the first three X games, here's another one to satisfy you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Mega Man, February 10, 2001

By A Customer

By owning this game, you can trust what i have to say about the game. I enjoy mega man games emminsely and have played almost all of them to date, and i think this one keeps the beet going on. Like X3 you are mega man going aroung fighting a certain number of cybernetic animals in futuristic worlds. Unlike most mega man's you have seen, in X4 you can choose to be either Mega Man or his friend Zero. Zero is a little difficult to get the hang of because he uses a sword, not the X-buster. What is neat is you still are looking for those capsules that give you enhancment parts to your suit. One little bump in the road for me is the endless amount of "Final" Bosses. It seems to necer end, there are literally over 7 bosses you half to fight after you defeat the normal bosses. But i throughly enjoy this game as i do most mega man's, and i would reccommend this to any hardcore mega man fan, like myself:)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game, great fun, December 31, 2000

By A Customer

MMX4 is a very good game of its type. It's gameplay is identical to the other MMX games on the SNES, but that's not a bad thing if you enjoyed the first 3 games. The anime scenes are a nice addition, and the little introductions before boss battles add a bit of atmosphere to the game. Overall, a very well-done game, if side scrolling action's your thing.