With an extensive back catalogue and more than two decades of experience it may
come as a shock to you, as I know it did too many others upon Capcom’s first Press
Release relating to the title, that this is actually MegaMan’s first step into the
RPG genre on a home console.
After appearing in countless platform titles, basketball, fighting and karting
games (to name a few) MegaMan has decided it’s his turn to take on Final Fantasy, Breath Of Fire and Baten Kaitos on their home territory. The only
spill into role-play we’ve seen from Capcom’s blue boy-wonder is the Battle Network series on the Game Boy Advance,
which has consistently fluctuated in quality with each new addition, so how will he fair
up against the big boys?
From the beginning moments of the game the hook is sunk. A beautiful 3D anime movie
sets the scene; you, playing as X, along with Zero and another companion are thrust
straight into a combat zone and decide to split up to explore the area. That wash of
adventuring instantly crashes in as you begin scurrying around every corner looking for
those hidden items. Suddenly, the screen blurs as an electric guitar screams at you…
this is classic, turn-based combat.
Yes, I can tell many of you have just been put off the idea,  but the strategy involved in turn-based combat is often directly
by-passed in favour of the “it’s so slow” argument. However, for the most
part the moves are executed independently of Menu Systems – a strange twist to the
formula, but effective – with only the options of using your Sub-Tank (limited energy
replenishment), entering Hyper Mode (a more aggressive version of your reploid for a
limited time), or using items being buried within the reams of text. Y and X control your
Sub-Weapons (such as missiles or shields, using small amounts of Weapon Energy which
builds slowly every turn) whilst A controls your main weapon and R executes your Special
Attack (again, provided you have enough Weapon Energy).
Other than the above, the combat plays out in the usual manner. A chart on the
bottom right of the screen displays the turn order and attacks will send numbers,
representing damage, flying from your opponent. The Special Attacks range in power and
style, but the Hyper Mode transformations set-apart the title from it piers. The world
structure is also very different from the competition. Seemingly having taken its
inspiration from Phantasy Star Online, the story
plays through in chapters, each in a different location that you are teleported to from
the HUB. Older levels can be revisited to find missing items, however there is also a
pretty cool mini-feature to unlock in which you can send captured enemy robots to search
your previously visited areas for the items you missed.
The visuals in the game never fall short of gorgeous – all the arenas and
characters have been very skilfully rendered. The occasional corridor may fell rather
barren, reminiscent of Konami’s hit-and-miss Nintendo64 title, Hybrid Heaven, but the cinematic quality of the
anime cut-scenes and the flashy Hyper Mode transformations will still have you reeling as
you run through these sparsely used areas.
Unlike most MegaMan titles, we have been
treated to some rather special tunes. The usual MegaMan
score consists of averagely ignorable hum-along ditties akin to Mario and Sonic,
but now we have orchestrated mood music in the background and ripping electric guitars
when things heat-up.
As far as RPG’s go, it’s not like the GameCube is experiencing the
Nintendo64’s drought. Tales of Symphonia, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Baten
Kaitos and Paper Mario are all stunningly creative, original pieces of work
which are out to challenge MegaMan X: Command
Mission on every front. But the quirky blue reploid holds his own, standing firm with
a strongly American storyline, less of a need for exploration, twists to the combat
structure (as opposed to complete restructuring as seen in Baten Kaitos and Tales of Symphonia) and some nice mini-features.
MegaMan X: Command Mission will have MegaMan fans in a state of
frenzy, and RPG fanatics (except those who reeled at The
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s graphics) have another vivid world to get lost
in.
Kev J.
Reviews
Score Table Interpretation.
26/02/05
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Each of these articles has been written either
independently of Electronic Theatre or by an external viewer. The opinions
discussed in these articles in no way reflects the opinions of Electronic Theatre.
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