Mega Man X2 Review

 (Originally published to Glitchwave on 3/4/2024)

[Image from igdb.com]

Mega Man X2

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Genre(s): 2D Platformer

Platforms: SNES

Release Date: December 16, 1994

Has Capcom ever heard the saying that too much of a good thing is a bad thing? Someone might think that I’m jumping the gun applying this adage to Mega Man X2 considering it’s merely one follow-up to the company’s advanced spin-off series that ushered in a new and improved era of Mega Man. However, anyone who is adept with the series and also possesses half a brain can already determine that releasing a sequel exactly one year after the first Mega Man X is a clear precedent that will follow the same long-winded trajectory as the classic Mega Man series. Five subsequent sequels to Mega Man X are going to render the blue bomber’s shiny, futuristic suit of cerulean armor as clanky and depleted as his 8-bit model through overuse, and it doesn’t take a soothsayer’s astronomical level of insight to come to the same conclusion. Also, a worrying aspect of the Mega Man X series compound its eventual fate is that the degradation process was liable to begin even sooner than its preceding series did because the first Mega Man X was such an exemplary entry. Mega Man X naturally dwarfed all of the older iterations on the NES thanks to the SNES’ superior hardware, so a case could definitely be made that it is objectively the blue bomber’s finest outing. How does one go about beating near perfection with a sequel? Well, perhaps I’m giving Capcom too much benefit of the doubt that their efforts stemmed from artistic inspiration as opposed to monetary gain, but the former is ideally what game companies should be striving for (in an ideal world where it rains beer and dogs live forever). As expected, Mega Man X2 is starkly similar to the first X game but proves to be much less impactful.

I guess one of the recurring attributes that a Mega Man X game will consistently implement is an introduction sequence that sets the scene of the game’s narrative. Destroying Sigma in the previous game wasn’t enough to dismantle the Mavericks, for he’s another example of a martyr whose ideas still persist long after his initial reign. However, X and his mentor Dr. Cain believe that they can extinguish the remainder of the Maverick forces that reside in an abandoned reploid factory and ransack the place hoping to finally oust the meddlesome resistance. After defeating a rotund robot boss with an endearingly primitive utilization of 3D graphics, the screen pans out to three figures named Serges, Violen, and Agile discussing how to eradicate the blue bomber who is projected as a running holographic still in their headquarters. Apparently, these new Maverick officials are cooking up a diabolical plan that is going to catch X by surprise, and the player has to wait for the events of this eventual disaster to unfold. Witnessing the game’s main villains plotting X’s demise is ominous, or at least it would be if the first moments in the opening didn’t inject a heaping load of exposition to set the scene. Removing context and simply catapulting the player into the game’s first level as the first game did and then filling the vagueness with the scene that follows would’ve been a more effective method of establishing the game’s narrative. Alas, this is the product of the earlier, pixelated era of gaming when narratives couldn’t have been presented with such liberal subversiveness, for the concept of gaming narrative was still in a vestigial state. However, the credit I will give this introduction is demonstrating that X is much stronger in will and mind than he was in the first game’s introduction, and his adept experience will avert the need for big brother Zero to rescue him.

As par for the course, Mega Man X2 follows the introduction with a menu that presents eight different Mavericks and their respective domains. One difference is that in the center of the two parallel grids of the Maverick’s headshots is a map of the island where all of the Maverick’s individual districts reside. When playing the classic Mega Man games on the NES, the thought had crossed my mind of where each robot master was located with the others in this hyper-futuristic world, so I suppose one gaming generation and one X game’s worth of hindsight now allows the player to use this neat little visual reference point. The compact space of Maverick Island should negate the eclecticism presented across all of Mega Man’s levels, but I suppose that all of the Maverick stages are artificial constructions built from the ground up with their design tropes in mind. As the eclectic definition would dictate, Mega Man X2’s stages are a diverse mishmash of elemental tropes as the series has always upheld. I guess if there was one elemental signifier that gives a few of the levels some kind of cohesion, it is...moisture? Bubble Crab’s deep, shaded reef is the only level where X is submerged underwater like Launch Octopuses stage, but we can infer that the Gemini Man-esque crystal caves and Wire Sponge’s humid, greenhouse conservatory are dripping with condensation. Infiltration is another relative theme across the levels. Wheel Gator’s stage sees X venturing through the interior of a flying battleship, and the security measures in Magna Centipede’s stage that activate when X triggers one of their alarms by barging into them convey that they’ve erected a solid fortress that has implemented extra precautions to make it harder to penetrate. Flame Stag’s volcanic cavern is turbulent, and Morph Moth’s junkyard has waste stacked up so high that it comes to life with the intermittent minibosses. Overall, the range of level themes is admirable as always, but none of them stand out as true cutting-edge examples of Mega Man’s evolution like the minecart rollercoaster ride that was Armored Armadillo’s domain. The closest Mega Man X2 comes to offering that same seamless exhilaration is riding X’s tricked-out motorbike across the dunes of Overdrive Ostrich’s stage, but the classic NES games already tried something similar with a jetski in Mega Man 5.

With this new gang of Mavericks comes a fresh batch of power-ups for X to absorb upon defeating them, a staple of the Mega Man franchise that should now go without saying. While the ability to charge up X’s blaster still decreases the motivation to use these power-ups in combat, particular instances on the field will at least warrant the shuffle process in X’s inventory. To reduce enemies to the stationary status of platforms, Crystal Snail’s glassy, freezing weapon will give X a makeshift boost when the roofs are too high. The Strike Chain stolen from Wire Sponge allows Mega Man to grapple to inclined surfaces and ceilings, as well as a trusty extended claw to reach for extra lives and energy capsules located in tight spaces. Bubble Splash brings bubbles upward to enemies at an elevated angle, as well as propelling X’s underwater jumps all the way up to the surface. Wheel Gator’s gigantic saw blades are the key to digging through the layers of specifically textured rows of rocks and blocks to gain items, and charging up the heat of Flame Stag’s weapon will transform X’s dash move into a projectile, flaming force of pure energy for a few seconds. The boss weapon gained from the Mavericks that I kept on my side as a secondary offensive tool from the charge blaster was Overdrive Ostrich’s Sonic Slicer, as the several spinning blades flying in all directions cutting down all enemies with little energy expended reminded me of the godly Metal Blade, touching a sentimental nerve in my brain. As lethal as the Sonic Slicer is, one interesting new entry to X’s arsenal is a special weapon where X unleashes a furious explosion that blows everything in the vicinity to smithereens. However, unlike the previous screen-clearing weapons from Mega Man games of yore, this uber tool of mass destruction depletes all of its energy upon using it, and it merely scratches every boss as if they anticipated it and wore reactive armor. Overall, Mega Man X2’s alternate weapons are satisfactorily beneficial and practical. Still, none of them are beating the convenience and inexhaustibility of the charged X-Blaster, which should be a disclaimer for every X game from here on out.

If there is one discerning factor between Mega Man X2 and its predecessor despite the striking similarities, it’s the swift increase in general difficulty. Somehow, all of the fanciful upgrades and quality-of-life enhancements that came with a successive gaming generation did not turn a series known for busting gamers’ balls into a cakewalk because its action-intensive 2D platformer gameplay with limited lives is inherently difficult. Still, the select choices in Mega Man X2 feel very deliberate to ensure that the player breaks out in a sweat. The falling two-ton bricks that slide around in Magna Centipede’s stage are too swift to anticipate and will kill X on impact like being crushed between any two surfaces. In the same stage, a target reticle that is inspecting the area will freezeframe X in place if it catches him, which is difficult to avoid due to the bulky clumps of clay(?) coming from the ceiling. The total number of snapshots the mysterious camera takes of X will influence how durable the proceeding miniboss will be, who is arguably a more formidable foe at his base than the power-up-sucking Maverick who commands the area. Quick ascension is also emphasized in several sections of the game where X must rush to the surface of a narrow climbing section, lest he suffers the scorching lava flow in Flame Stag’s stage or the crushing closing of the vertical surfaces in the first X-Hunter stage. A select few Mavericks have increased their defensive capabilities such as Crystal Snail blocking X’s firepower with his hardened backside, and Wheel Gator hiding in the rusty sludge of the boss arena’s foreground. I grew to detest the latter of these two bosses as he can seemingly submerge himself in the gunk forever and the moments where he jumps out of it to grab X out of the air and chomp on his armor like a seagull were randomly placed. Really, the most apparent case of Mega Man X2’s deliberate difficulty enhancement is seen in the placements of its upgrades. Finding these valuable assets that aid spectacularly during the game’s climax is no longer rewarded to especially observant players as quite a few of them are in plain sight. The catch to obtaining these items is the tight feats of skill needed to even come close to them, namely the two heart upgrades in Wheel Gator and Overdrive Ostrich’s stage whose integration with both the regular dash and Flame Stag’s fire boost felt like my fingers were playing Twister with the controller buttons. I knew from experience that obtaining all of the upgrades was paramount to success in the final series of stages leading up to the final boss from the first X game, so I had to stomach the pain of failure for several marginally imprecise attempts.

Despite my efforts to gather everything that makes X more powerful, something unknown to me prohibited my completionist reward of being able to execute Ryu’s deadly Shoryuken uppercut move for my troubles. Dr. Cain, who finally shows his face to the player here as opposed to acting as a lore figure, explains to X that the Mavericks have somehow disassembled Zero, and the three goons from the opening sequence are in possession of an individual piece of Zero’s body. To mend X’s red, ponytailed role model’s body, X has to hunt down the three fiends who are located in elusive corners at random in each of the levels. It turns out that the widescreen world map in the menu isn’t a lark, for it briefly indicates where Serges, Agile, and Violen are located. I caught onto that little hint quick enough, but what I didn’t understand is that once a certain number of Mavericks are defeated, it locks the player out of fighting the three core villains and Zero is forever lost. You see, when playing through the levels of an X game, I prefer to cruise through the levels at my own pace and only humor the collectibles if they happen to cross my path coincidentally. All of the other upgrades remain intact once the player revisits their respective sites, so I figured recovering Zero could wait as well. Permanently locking the player out of something valuable with unclear stipulations is the fault of the developers and not due to the player’s inattentiveness.

What occurs if the player fails to collect Zero’s parts beforehand feels like they’re being unfairly punished. Before facing another form of Sigma as the game’s final boss, the Maverick’s cold-hearted leader presents a renovated Zero by his side, and he is fucking PISSED. Zero saved X when his life was at stake in the first X game, and to think that X wouldn’t return the favor paints him as an ungrateful dickhead. Hey, I would’ve resuscitated Zero like an EMT if I had known the time to do so was fleeting. If the player fell victim to Capcom’s miscommunication as I did, a scorned Zero makes for what is easily the hardest boss in the game. Unlike the exploitable hound of Sigma that stalled his fight previously, Zero covers the ground and the air with an equal amount of ferocity and firepower. Because he’s a huge hindrance to finishing the game, it’s recommended to either reset the game or abuse its password system. “Wolverine Sigma” and the beta model computer head that follows are comparatively a joke, so dodging the Zero fight beforehand makes a world of difference. Leading up to this point, Mega Man X2’s ascension to Sigma’s base is a tad underwhelming. Vanquishing the three goons responsible for Zero’s incapacitation formally all makes for substantial bosses that will get every player’s pulse beating. Still, the run-up to all of them resembles ephemeral vestibules fit for the entrance of a final fight. I can’t believe I’m saying this given how it vexed me, but I wish the developers had constructed something like the first stage of the finale seen in the previous game.

Mega Man X2 is a loyal followup to the game that ushered in the new wave of Mega Man games to glowing, unprecedented praise. Because of its loyalty to the template established only a year prior, it really is as exemplary as the previous X game on a technical level. However, its inability to provide the player with anything of notable innovation for the sake of loyalty is what makes me leave Mega Man X2 a tad cold and unfulfilled. Simply because the developers compel the player to take greater risks in the game doesn’t mean they are risks on the part of the developers. Also, the Zero side quest was total bullshit. My report for Mega Man X2 is that for the most part, everything is fine and dandy. However, how long will it be before we’re discontented with being served the same meal every evening?