Mega Man X: Command Mission Review
It's a great refreshing experience in the Mega Man X series, but never innovates.
this game has great rpg elements, and a fantastic story line, but is short for an rpg and can become fustrating.
While the game is too short and too simplistic, there's still a good time to be had here for Mega Man X fans.
It's fortunate that the battle system's many bells and whistles are so well executed, because the encounter rate in the game can be ridiculously high. Fleeing from fights generally isn't too much of a problem, though, and you'll often find yourself doing so to proceed to the next area (something that usually requires you to solve a simple puzzle) more quickly. And, despite the frequency of enemy encounters, completing the game's various zones doesn't take very long. Mega Man X: Command Mission can be finished in roughly 15 hours, due to the linear design and the fact that there isn't much reason to linger in any of the areas. There are a number of items you can collect as you move around a level, but picking them up isn't a very involved or difficult process.
The game's plot is a nice side story to the Mega Man X universe, and it's laid out with a minimum of exposition, which is not at all a bad thing. There are some extras to discover via the deployment system, which lets you use enemy reploids you've found lying around different areas as an expeditionary force to the game's zones in search of goodies. They can return with anything from music, video clips, and sketches to money and force metals. Force metals are items that can be equipped to your characters to boost their stats and immunities to elemental attacks and status disorders. Once you've gotten Cinnamon in your group, she'll be able to create new force metals out of existing force metals and other items, letting you craft ways to boost your stats. The extras are nice, and in the case of force metals, they're helpful as you progress through the game, but they don't pad out the experience a whole lot.
The style of the game is ruled by a strong cartoon look that works well with the character designs to bring X and his friends to nicely detailed life. The new characters you'll recruit to fight alongside X, Zero, and Axl all have distinct looks of their own, and they all have their own style of movement. The boss characters in particular are large and distinctive. The environments are treated a little more simply than the characters are--you're seemingly always moving through a series of hallways, though the hallways will look slightly different depending on what area you're in. The graphics look good on both the GameCube and the PS2, with the GameCube version coming out a bit crisper.
The only other notable differences between the two versions of the game are a couple of extras. The GameCube version allows you to hook up your Game Boy Advance via the GC-GBA link cable to scout out treasures that would otherwise be invisible to you. The PS2 version has a special item that, when located, allows you to unlock a short demo for the upcoming Mega Man X8.
The soundtrack for the game lives up to the Mega Man tradition of peppy tunes with lots of synth, and the included tracks match the action well. The various robot clanks, whines, footfalls, blasts, and explosions round things out nicely, and even the earnest voice work in the game holds up well.
Mega Man X: Command Mission has a great grasp of battle mechanics, but it doesn't have too much meat on its bones. Mega Man fans who have grown weary of the usual action fare will find this game to be a nice diversion, with a good narrative and enjoyable battles. However, those with just a passing interest in the realm of Mega Man X will probably be able to satisfy their curiosity with a rental.
