Mega Man X Command Mission impressions

At a pre-Tokyo Game Show press event, Capcom has taken the wraps off a new game set in the Mega Man X universe. Mega Man X Command Mission, in development for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube, takes characters found in Mega Man X7 and tosses them into an RPG setting.

The game will let you construct a three-member team using Mega Man, Zero, Axl, or a new female character. The game will be broken up into battle stages, and after each one you'll return to the Hunter Base to regroup. The game's overall mission has your team sneaking onto Gigantis Island, where you'll be tasked with stopping General Upsilon and his evil Liberion army.

The game will feature RPG-style combat, complete with a Final Fantasy-like battle order list, which will change as the battle plays out. The game will also have a few action-like elements to its combat, so to execute special attacks, you'll have to do things like stop a golf swing-like meter or enter a series of button commands to maximize your damage.

Command Mission uses a cel-shaded style similar to the graphics found in Mega Man X7. When not in combat, you'll move through the game from a third-person behind-the-back perspective. Mega Man X Command Mission is currently scheduled to be released in Japan in 2004, with a North American version to follow.