Mega Man X Command Mission Import Impressions
We check out the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions of the upcoming RPG starring Capcom's robotic hero.
Last week saw the release of Rockman X Command Mission for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The game is the latest entry in the Mega Man franchise (for those who haven't been up on his career in the last 15 years, Mega Man goes by Rockman in Japan), and marks another foray into the RPG genre. However, whereas the previous Mega Man RPG experiences have had a more action RPG spin, Mega Man X Command Mission makes use of a traditional turn-based system that has been tweaked to incorporate some classic Mega Man elements. We had the chance to try out both versions of the game, each of which has some unique content, and we are very pleased by the experiences they offer.
The game's story, set in the Mega Man X branch of the franchise, focuses on X as he's dispatched to infiltrate an artificial island called Gigantis. The island was established over the impact site of mysterious debris that fell to his homeworld. The debris has become the source for a mysterious mineral called force metal that has resulted in a revolution in reploid technology (reploids is the term used for X and his fellow 'bots). Unfortunately, a rebellion, led by the mysterious Epsilon, causes all kinds of trouble and leads the powers that be to send X in with a small strike unit. A dramatic confrontation, one betrayal, and a whole lot of exposition later, X finds himself up the creek on an adventure that will include old and new faces as well as a rich gameplay system to master.
So far, Mega Man X Command Mission divides your time between exploration and combat. Exploration is of your standard third-person variety and will yield all sorts of items and money that you can use in the game's shops. When in exploration mode, you'll be able to manage your party of characters as in any RPG and equip them with different items to enhance their abilities via the game's force metal system. The gist of the system is that X and his posse will collect different force metals over the course of the adventure. You can equip the crew with the metals in order to buff up their stats; however, the only catch is that the different metals have a unique point value that will alter their effectiveness.
Characters that you can equip with the metals have a unique limit on the total force metals they can have. If you go over the characters' limits, you'll notice that it will adversely affect their abilities. The system is given some depth thanks to the presence of Cinnamon, a member of your posse, who can create new, unique force metals from items you collect while playing. Crafting new metals will require you to have Cinnamon be at a specific level, with a recipe for the metal as well as the other proper items, and the energy to make it all happen--which you'll earn by taking out enemies.
Combat, which comes in both random and scripted flavors, follows a traditional turn-based system that puts a Mega Man twist to the brawls. A display on the lower left-hand side of the screen will show you the order of the combatants as well as their health status. Each character in your party has unique subweapons that you can trigger before performing a proper attack, which will then end your turn. Your attacks will be limited by the energy your character has accumulated during battle; it will go up slightly in between turns.
If your energy meter is charged and is displayed in green, you can use your character's special attack, which is initiated by the action trigger command. The special attacks vary per character and will require you to follow onscreen prompts to do controller actions that yield some spectacular and damaging attacks. For example, X can do a charge shot like in the traditional Mega Man action game series by holding down the A button and then letting go. In addition, you can have your characters enter hyper mode, which changes their physical appearance, ups their stats, and gives them a special ability, such as becoming invisible or avoiding enemy attacks.
Finally, a feature we haven't had the chance to do much with yet is the dispatch system, which seems to offer a La Pucelle-ish twist to the proceedings. Your party can grow to include enemy characters you've turned into friends who you can then send to different areas of the game. They may come back with new information or rare items, or just come back destroyed (destroyed characters will be automatically restored). The characters level up if you send them to various areas in the game, so it's best to dispatch them to easy areas first, and then to harder areas as they get stronger.
Mega Man X: Command Mission Quick Links
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