Mega Man X2 (SNES, Wii VC) Retro Review

Retro Review Month enters the world of reploids with Mega Man X and his second entry. Mega Man celebrates 25 years alive in gaming, and I am going to put on my party hat and join in on the fun, too. First we have this review of Mega Man X2, one of the more popular games in the series. If you missed the original Mega Man X's retro review, catch it right here.

X to the Second Power

My personal favorite Mega Man series of the seven: Classic, X, Legends, Zero, Battle Network, ZX, and Star Force would have to be the Mega Man X series. While it hasn't been of consistent quality in later installments (particularly X6 and X7), it has delivered a huge amount of entertainment for me for the games that are incredible. Joining Mega Man X and Mega Man X4 in the upper echelon of X titles is Mega Man X2. Even today there are heated conversations over which of the Super Nintendo X trilogy is the best. Is Mega Man X2 twice as good as its predecessor?

It has been six months since Mega Man X and Zero led the charge to defeat Sigma and his Maverick minions. Now X and his fellow Maverick Hunters are wiping out the last of the Mavericks. Is this truly the end of Sigma and his followers? Spoiler: Well, the tail end of Mega Man X heavily hinted Sigma's return, so no, the Mavericks are nowhere near finished. With that out of the way, X not only has to worry about cleaning up after Sigma's mess, but he also has to deal with a trio of self-proclaimed X-Hunters who are targeting the idealist reploid. The story of Mega Man X2 is a cut above X1. The characters are more fleshed out while the story is more involved.

More Mavericks just means more target practice for X.

If you are anyway familiar with Mega Man X or even the Classic Mega Man series, then you know what to expect. You have eight stages that you can choose to tackle in any order, the defeated Maverick boss with names like Crystal Snail, Flame Stag, and Morph Moth give you their signature weapon, and that weapon is used to reached inaccessible areas in levels as well as utilized as the weakness of one of the other Maverick bosses. For instance, Bubble Crab doesn't take too kindly to Wheel Gator's weapon. To have the least difficult time through the game, there's a recommended order to go through so you can use each Robot Master's weakness on them to defeat them without as much hassle as you would if you fought them with just your X-buster. However, it's also enjoyable to go out of order and make it more of a challenge for yourself, too.

The Sonic Slicer deals serious damage to Overdrive Ostrich.

There's more things to collect and do in Mega Man X2 than in the original Mega Man X. Yes, there is still one health-increasing Heart Tank in each Robot Master stage, and there is one of four Sub-Tanks that can be used to heal yourself mid-battle that are placed in special out of the way spots in the game as well. Dr. Light's many capsules return, hidden away in alcoves and other areas. Each capsule upgrade bestows X with an armor upgrade. One can allow X to charge and unleash his shots for a huge attack increase (compared to his normal charged shot anyway) while another gives him the ability to dash while midair, a series first. Then there's the matter of Zero who is MIA. Turns out each of the X-Hunters has a part of him. In each level there is an optional door leading to a boss fight with one of the X-Hunters: Agile, Serges, or Violen. Beating these bestows X with one of Zero's parts. The catch here is that the X-Hunters randomly show up on the stage selection screen, and they switch locations when you complete or exit a given stage. And if all eight initial Maverick levels are completed before Zero's parts have been retrieved, you're out of luck.

Perhaps there's even a capsule to give X a shoryuken move.

Mega Man X2 and the X series itself are a lot like classic Mega Man. The game is an action-platformer, has X facing eight Robot Masters, and has all the futuristic fun you'd want. However, X has plenty of alterations. He can scale walls, dash along the ground, earn aforementioned upgrades to his health and armor, and can charge not only his X-buster but also-- with an armor upgrade-- special weapons as well. If you loved, Mega Man X, you will probably love Mega Man X2. Perhaps a complaint one could find towards the game is that while the original X moved the Mega Man formula forward, X2 sort of toes the line and doesn't stray far gameplay-wise from X1. I am of the mind that I dig more of the same in this instance, and in some ways I find X2 to be an improvement over its predecessor.

Impeccable level design is a must for these types of games, and Mega Man X2 fits the bill unbelievably. You're taken through all sorts of interesting venues, from alligator-shaped aircraft and volatile volcanoes, to crystal caverns and desert highways. It seems every enemy placement and obstacle serves its own purpose and you understand why objects and foes are where they are. There are seldom, if any, blind jumps or cheap parts to the game. Finding hidden goodies gets to the point where you can develop a sixth sense for how the makers of X2 think and uncover secrets without the assistance of a guide.

The long arm of the law.

Mega Man X2 obviously uses the same engine as the 1994 original, so you won't be blown away-- Though the vistas, backgrounds, and characters are all nice to gaze upon. However, the graphics team at Capcom didn't rest on their laurels. For both Mega Man X2 and its sequel, they used a special cartridge allowing for wire frame effects as seen in the title screen, a mid-boss encounter in the Central Computer stage, and a later portion of the game. While I think more could have been done with the technology, it is a cool effect to witness on the old Super Nintendo. The soundtrack is quite good, rivaling Mega Man X's music in memorability and being catchy. Sound effects like buster shots reflecting off walls and enemy shields cracking sound a bit authentic as well.

This first boss may look big, but he's a pushover.

So I know you're dying to find out which is superior-- Mega Man X or Mega Man X2? Well, I'm going to go the neutralist's way and suggest that both are X-ceptional for different reasons. While Mega Man X is more challenging, more revolutionary to the Mega Man franchise as a whole, and has the more unforgettable levels, Mega Man X2 has better hidden secrets and a more engaging story. You can't go wrong with either title, and they are both available on the Wii's Virtual Console or within the Mega Man X Collection on the PlayStation 2 or Nintendo GameCube. Or you can get the authentic article and score a Super Nintendo cartridge of the game. Either way, Mega Man X2 is one game that X-cels at what it sets out to do.

[SuperPhillip Says: 9.5/10]

The Buzz - July 11th, 2012

We're right in the middle of a work week, so why not alleviate some of that burden and stress with a look at The Buzz, a segment showing the most popular posts currently on SuperPhillip Central? It might not actually help anything, but at least I'm trying to assist you!

July 11th, 2012 Buzz results.

God of War's Rank Up! installment remains king of SuperPhillip Central popularity, but closely behind it, a new challenger approaches. It is my exclusive interview with Shin'en Multimedia's Manfred Linzner. The interview is one of the fastest rising articles in SPC history, circulating far and wide around the net. Following that is the trailer for Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D, Top Five Spider-Man Games (just in time for The Amazing Spider-Man film), and Best of... Mario Kart. Stay tuned for an all-new Best of... segment this Friday, by the way! The latter part of The Buzz is home to Pushmo QR codes, my Batman: Arkham City review (which has been on the top ten most popular posts ever since it was first live on SPC), my Report Card segment for the Xbox 360, Killer Soundtracks, Part One, and my review of LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes which is based off the PlayStation 3 build of the game. I hope this look into what SPC readers are consuming visually was educational for you. Has that stress been relieved?

The International Search for a New Banner Begins

SuperPhillip Central is in desperate need of a makeover, and it all begins with a new banner. I mean, look at these:

What's with the thumb and his right eye?

The colored pencil look isn't so chic.

16-bit SuperPhillip is okay, but it could be improved.

What is going on here? I could do better in my sleep. Wait a second. No, I couldn't because I helped in making those. The fact of the matter is that the banner is the first thing that people see when they visit SuperPhillip Central, and the current one just isn't up to par. It looks amateurish and crude. I'm asking for members in and outside of the community to design their own banners to be placed at the top of each SPC page. If I can afford it, I can even compensate the time of the person with the winning entry. Send your banners to phil[at]superphillipcentral.com.

Top Five Annoying Types of Gamers

Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Phil. PHIL. You complain and lambast gamers on a constant basis. Why do I need to read another article of you whining about a group that really does no harm to you?" My answer would be, "Touche, worthy adversary." Actually, I have found that there are five types of the gamer subculture that I find most obnoxious. Perhaps you will agree with me on some of these choices, but probably not.

5) The Overly Competitive Gamer

Mad or constipated? You be the judge.

When I play a multiplayer game online, I hate it when I get teamed up with someone who takes the nature of the game way too seriously. Don't get me wrong, it's okay to be competitive, but when you get to the point where you are literally screaming at your teammates, opponents, and the TV and breaking controllers over less than satisfactory multiplayer scenarios, you've got problems. I used to have this issue with games when I was younger, but then I realized that nothing good could come out of getting angry over a game. I can get frustrated and go, "Come on, game..." but I don't go all The Shining Jack Nicholson on people anymore. Games are supposed to be fun, and there is nothing worse than having that fun spoiled by someone who is overly aggressive. I have had death threats from people I've beaten, kids calling me homophobic slurs, and being told to casually "get raped." That's sort of the reason I steer clear of online multiplayer usually unless its of the cooperative nature. Then there's that awkward moment when you are the same tangible (not virtual) room as the person getting upset. You feel for them and understand their frustration, but you still just want them to shut the hell up and cool the hell down. 

4) The Gamer Trapped Within Their Comfort Zone

This type of gamer irritates me. I mean, truly. One of their most popular buzzwords to say is "gimmick." This doesn't mean an innovative feature or gameplay element to them. No, it really means "something about this that I don't like." The November 2011 release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (SPC's GotY 2011, by the by) was one of the most egregious moments of this type of gamer's history. Rather than try to comprehend a new control scheme, a vocal minority argued that the game had horrible controls and all you did was waggle. For anyone who has invested some serious time into the imperfect title, you know that if all you are doing is shaking the Wii remote around like you're having convulsions to try to do delicate swordplay, you're doing it wrong. This gamer type just doesn't like trying stuff out of their comfort zone. Touch controls? Ha. Motion control? Keep dreaming! Tablet controller? Gimmick! It's a shame that this gamer won't allow him or herself to try different gaming experiences. If gaming was up to them, we'd be using dual analog on consoles for all time instead of evolving to better and more comfortable solutions.

Even Link hates when people try to "waggle" through his game.

3) The Gaming Snob

Well, at least he is a handsome devil.

You probably have met this type of gamer. They will turn up their nose at you for playing a game that they deem inferior to their tastes. And don't even get them started on casual gaming experiences. Not only do they call it all shovelware, but they feel insulted when "soccer moms and grandpas" enter their hobby. Far be it from anyone to allow new players to enter our hobby. No, this type of gamer wishes for his or her hobby to remain clean. What I find humorous about all of this is that the gaming snob acts all high and mighty on high tech toys, which video games and the consoles and handhelds that play them essentially are. I imagine this person wearing a top hat, monocle, and a fine suit, sipping their vermouth from a thin-lipped wine glass. So keep fighting the good fight, gaming snob, telling people that playing Wii Fit, LEGO games, and Just Dance makes them beneath you and your superior gaming tastes.

2) The Entitled Gamer

I don't want to delve too deeply into the Mass Effect 3 ending-gate, but it sort of goes along with what this type of gamer is all about. The developers essentially had to change their vision of the series just because of the cries of some entitled gamers. That isn't the way I see how art should work. Now, it is fine to not want to take garbage from developers and publishers. It is fine to want things. But when you cross the line into desire everything and immediately so, you become more annoying and come across as overly entitled.

Don't worry. We'll fix that ending right up for you guys!

Reggie Fils-Amie of Nintendo stated last month that gaming culture is insatiable (among other things). I agree because no matter what a company pushes out onto the market or reveals, the entitled gamer always wants more. There is never enough. Continuing with Nintendo, recently the Club Nintendo prizes for America were revealed. However, the entitled gamer once again moaned and groaned. Now, free stuff that doesn't have to be given to you is not enough? Seriously? I sort of would be interested to see the Club Nintendo program shut down. Then we would truly see some considerable whining and disappointed gamers.

1) The Console Warrior

We all have biases towards our gaming tastes. We prefer one platform over another, or we enjoy games from one company and not another. However, while this is normal and acceptable behavior, defending your console of choice to the death/attacking a console you dislike to extremes is most certainly not. In the Nintendo VS. SEGA days, playgrounds were filled with heated debates regarding which was better. This was one of the earliest and most prominent console wars. It basically came down to kids and families only being able to afford one home console, either the Super Nintendo or the SEGA Genesis. Essentially the root of all console wars for non-adults stems from not being bable to possess all platforms. With the advent of the Internet and for better or worse, it became easy peasy to get involved in intense conversations that are riddled with personal attacks and the like. But this time around you had anonymity on your side to hide behind. And we all know that anonymity + audience = total ****wad.

The sad part is that this guy is not joking.

Then there's trolling which is rampant on message boards. To troll is to illicit a response from someone in an incendiary way. "I used to like Nintendo, but I'm not ten anymore." "Halo is great if you are a racist, homophobic 12 year old who enjoys vast quantities of Mountain Dew." "Poor Vita. Like the rest of the world, even Sony doesn't care about you." And so forth. This is sort of reason why I don't like to frequent comment sections or message boards. This kind of material is standard form at these places.

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Surely you have your own sets of gamer that you don't like. How about smart-mouthed blogger? Enlighten the SPC community with your insight below!

SuperPhillip Interviews: Manfred Linzner (Shin'en Multimedia)

Shin'en Multimedia is an incredibly impressive developer for Nintendo platforms. Such titles in their arsenal include Iridion 3D (GBA), Iridion II (GBA), Nanostray 1 and 2 (DS), Jett Rocket (WiiWare), FAST Racing League (WiiWare), and Art of Balance TOUCH (3DS eShop). I recently had the chance to speak with Manfred Linzner of Shin'en Multimedia. My relatively short discussion with Manfred delves into the game design process of the company, types of games Shin'en would love to take a stab at, and insight into Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console.

SuperPhillip (SP): Shin'en is known for its high production values in its games. What processes allow you to push those boundaries? How do you continue to shatter expectations of what can be done on the platforms you work on?

Manfred Linzner (ML): We don't start our games with a story or a design document. We always start our games with something visual or a gameplay idea that makes a strong impact. Much later we finally go for story and background. We also don't use design documents for our own games. We use a whiteboard and some simple text sheets that are not bigger then a few lines. Everyone working on a game here will have a clear vision what needs to be done without the exact way how to achieve it. This way we don't get hindered at the start to come up with fresh looks and ideas and often we start with a game that takes later a very different path then we planned at first. This process works for us pretty well since more then a decade.

SP: How easy or challenging was it to transition from developing games on the Nintendo DS to developing games on the Nintendo 3DS?

ML: That was pretty easy. You just got more of everything. Better CPU, better GPU more RAM and more ROM. The essence of the games, the controls, kept more or less the same.

SP: What genres of video games or ideas have you not yet developed that you would love to take a shot at making?

ML: Well, I think we really visited a lot of genres already. We had action games, racing games, jump'n'runs, sport games, puzzle games and even games especially for women and kids. Personally I would love to do again a game like "Jett Rocket", but with non linear progression and a huge and fantastic world.

Shot of the WiiWare game, Jett Rocket.

SP: How is development of the eShop entry of Jett Rocket, Super Surf, coming? Any new details you can reveal?

ML: The game is coming along nicely though it had a few sharp turns while in development. We still hope to be able to finish the game this year.

SP: Do you currently have any plans of resurrecting past franchises of yours like Iridion and FAST Racing League?

Shot of the WiiWare service's FAST Racing League.

ML: We don't own the Iridion brand but for FAST we have plans for the future. I think especially on the Wii U we could do something that would blow peoples mind away.

SP: Do you currently have a Wii U devkit? If so, has the system exceeded your expectations?

ML: We have a few Wii U devkits since quite some time. We even almost finished our first Wii U game. The kits exceeded our expectations in every way and we still learn how to get the best performance out of it. A good thing about Wii U is that it's very easy to develop for. You don't have so many limitations like on the other current gen platforms. For us the Wii U is the perfect platform with enough horsepower for many years to come. I think we currently only tapped 20% of its potential and our first game already looks and plays brilliant.

SP: What kind of potential for new ideas, games, and developers/publishers do you see for Nintendo's digital platforms?

ML: Digital is of course the future. We love that Nintendo doesn't really put restrictions on the developers what they want to do in the eShop. For us as a small developer it's like a dream come true to be able to design whatever we want and to bring it quickly to the players.

SP: Is there anything else you'd like to tell our readers at SuperPhillip Central?

ML: Don't miss our first Wii U game! To get the upcoming news first just join our Twitter Tweet at #ShinenGames.

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I would like to thank Manfred for his time and giving me the opportunity to interview him. This is but the start of the SuperPhillip Interviews segment. I plan on having even more interviews with industry insiders, artists, and more right here at SuperPhillip Central. If you have a suggestion of someone you'd like to see interviewed (someone in the realm of possibility, of course), leave a comment below or send me an email at phil[at]superphillipcentral.com.