Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 Review (Nintendo Switch)


Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 and Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 are here. Culling together all eight mainline X series adventures between two collections, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 (X1-X4) and 2 (X5-X8) feature solid emulation, a healthy batch of extra content, and a rather intrepid challenge mode for long-time veterans.

Alright. I'm not gonna be around the bush – Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 is a great way to experience the X series from start to finish. However, there are *some* things that I think you might want to know about before you jump in. Let's break it down!


How do the games run?

For the most part you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between, say, Mega Man X2 running on SNES and Mega Man X2 running here on Nintendo Switch. All eight games look and feel great. I experienced NO input lag (TV or handheld mode) nor any new instances of slowdown. I say "new" because, in the case of X1-X3, most of the slowdown you'll run into is carried over from the original SNES versions. Armored Armadillo's stage still chugs along during that last mine ride, for example. But on the flip side, ALL instances of slowdown and frame drops in Mega Man X7 and Mega Man X8 have been eliminated. This is most clearly evident in Man-o-War's stage (X8). You cruise along like butter gliding on hot toast.



Speaking of X7 and X8, both games are indeed rendered in a higher resolution. Textures are clean, crisp and sharp. They look about as good as their respective PC versions. Disappointingly, though, much of the games' 2D elements output at a lower resolution. Menus, HUD elements, character portraits, and the like aren't pretty. It's weird – they actually have the original, hi-res X8 portraits in Legacy Collection 2's Museum but they didn't actually use them in the game. THEY'RE RIGHT THERE.

The only real emulation issue I've run into has to do with Mega Man X4. The night sky in the Sky Lagoon stage is missing a background layer. It doesn't look right. What's more, several SFX are louder than they typically are throughout the game. Neither issue is a big deal but, hey, it couldn't hurt to patch it.

Other than that, both collections perform great.




Did Capcom change or remove anything?

Yes, actually. A number of small things have been altered in Mega Man X4 through Mega Man X8.

Mega Man X4
  • The Repliforce salute was removed from the opening FMV. I assume this is due to the gesture resembling the Nazi salute a little too closely.
  • FMV cutscenes are dimmed when flashing effects are displayed (saber slashes, explosions, etc.) to accommodate players with epilepsy.

Mega Man X5
  •  "Guns n' Roses" references are indeed no more; Mavericks use their original Japanese names.
  •  Volt Kraken's mistranslated "Octopardo" line has been corrected to "Launch Octopus". 

Mega Man X6
  •  The game's opening theme and ending themes, Moonlight and IDEA, have been removed from the English version of Legacy Collection 2. They have been replaced with new music.
  • All voiced Japanese dialog has been restored. The voices were removed from the 2006 Mega Man X Collection entirely.
  • The English script is exactly the same as the original PlayStation version.
  • Zero's Sentsuizan input is still problematic (it's still Attack + Up).

Mega Man X7
  • Unlike the PlayStation 2 version, switching to Japanese audio changes ALL in-game dialogue to Japanese. Before it would only change the cutscene dialog, not the exclimations and phrases you hear in-game.
  • Aluce's cigar, which was removed in the English PS2 version, has been removed from the Japanese Legacy Collection 2 version as well.
  • Load times have been SIGNIFICANTLY improved.

Mega Man X8
  • Load times have been SIGNIFICANTLY improved.


Wait, Moonlight is gone? Are all the vocal themes gone? What if I switched it to the Japanese version?

Sorry, friend. That's a no-go. Although Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 allows you to easily switch between the English and Japanese version of X6 with the press of a button, Moonlight is still missing. This applies to the Japanese versions of X4, X5, X7, and X8 as well. The vocal opening/ending themes have all been removed and replaced with their English theme counterparts.

HOWEVER, the actual Japanese version of Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 – you know, the one called Rockman X Anniversary Collection 1+2 – keeps the original vocal themes intact. If you want the Japanese themes, you have to buy Rockman X Anniversary Collection 1+2. Unfortunately I do not believe this is something that will be patched in the future. The removal of these themes was very much intentional and likely due to licensing. 




How is the "X Challenge" mode? Is there a story? Can I play as Zero?

Well, it lives up to its namesake. For the uninitiated, this mode pits players against two bosses in a series of two-on-one battles. Bosses from Mega Man X1 through X6 appear (no X7 and X8) and you choose three Special Weapons to take into battle. There are three levels of difficulty – Easy, Normal and Hard – and based on which one you beat, you're awarded with a special image.  Easy Mode's wallpaper is a cool shot of X suiting up for X Challenge. Normal Mode's wallpaper is, uh, the X8 Navigators in bikinis eating ice cream. And Hard Mode's image is... well I actually don't know. X Challenge is pretty tricky in general, but Hard mode is the true test. Maybe it's old age? I dunno. Point is, X Challenge is tough stuff. You almost have to run through it one time just to see who you're up against and THEN go back and play with the best Special Weapons best suited for the job.

X Challenge's "story" is the very definition of bare bones. It's actually three sentences long: "There are countless Mavericks who've suffered defeat at your hands. Now, somehow, they've reappeared and are causing havoc! Prepare yourself, X!" That's it.

And nope; you can't play as Zero. You can play choose to go X-buster only as an unarmored X, though.

All in all, X Challenge is a neat, albeit difficult mode. It's definitely designed with X series veterans in mind! HideOfBeast is gonna love it.




Is Rookie Hunter Mode any good?

Rookie Hunter mode is excellent for players new to Mega Man X and rusty old timers. When turned on in X1-X3, Rookie Hunter halves the damage you receive. Additionally, in X4-X8, Ride Chaser segments are greatly slowed down (use it wisely in Volt Kraken's stage) and you can no longer instantly die from spikes or bottomless pits. You can turn Rookie Hunter mode on or off any time you want! 

Also, be aware that using Rookie Hunter Mode locks you out from certain achievements. You can see which achievements are ineligible in Rookie Hunter mode via the Medals screen under the Options menu.
  



Is there a teaser for Mega Man X9?

Not this time, sadly. Unlike Mega Man Legacy Collection 2's Mega Man 11 concept art, there's no secret or unusually placed artwork here. Like I said, there is some new art to unlock from X Challenge mode and, by meeting certain conditions, you can unlock two "special" screen borders to use while you play (pictured above). I guess it's possible X Challenge's Hard mode art could be something? I'm honestly not counting on it at this point. The best X9 tease we got was from the Rockman X Anniversary Collection album, though.



What about that secret music track? What is it? 

 Don't get excited: it's just an extended version of the new song "Give it a Shot".

 
What about that "Blast through the mystery of the staff credits and return to the future" achievement? What do you get?

The credits in Legacy Collection 1+2 are actually playable! You play as X and you get to blast the credits to bits. If you destroy enough text, you get to listen to Re; Future sung by ERICA. That's it.




Is "The Day of Sigma" in HD? Can I watch it in Japanese?

The movie is upscaled but it still looks quite good. And yes, you can! (no subtitles though) Just switch the game's language to Japanese from the options menu.



What version of Mega Man X3 is here? 

It's the Super Nintendo version. No PSX cutscenes here. Oddly enough, however, the English X3 opening/ending themes can be listen to in the Music Player.


Can I turn off Alia's annoying text in X5?

Haha nope! 


What is something you didn't like about these collections?

These are two GREAT collections. Really. My only real gripe is A) it would've been nice if this was one big collection instead of two separate products and B) Command Mission and Maverick Hunter X are sorely missing. Both games play a large part in Mega Man X's history. It's a shame they remain stuck on sixth generation consoles. Xtreme 1 and Xtreme 2 would have been nice little bonuses as well.

Oh yeah, achievements/unlocks. Both collections have some really nice achievements (called "Medals" in the Switch version) with some fun little rewards. Meeting the conditions to unlock some of these rewards, however, doesn't always work like it should. For example, to unlock "Special Wallpaper 1", you're supposed to view 20 images in the Museum. I did that and nothing happened. No Special Wallpaper 1. I tried all kinds of things, like looking at 20 images for EACH game instead of altogether. Still nothing. I eventually gave up and resumed playing through the games. It wasn't till a short while later that I received a message telling me I unlocked the wallpaper. It happened randomly. I don't know what I did to trigger it but it certainly wasn't by looking at 20 images. I'm not sure if this was a glitch or if they just didn't specify the conditions all that well.

The lack of save states or MMLC1's fantastic rewind feature is a bit of a bummer, too. Rookie Hunter mode is nice, but these features set a gold standard for beginners. They will be missed among certain players!


So did you like it overall?

Heck yeah, man. Capcom has done a bang-up job preserving these classic titles for the current console generation. It's clear a good deal of effort has gone into both Legacy Collection 1 and Legacy Collection 2. From superb emulation to the little things like well-written Museum profiles (they're great), there's a lot to appreciate here. If you can get the game on Nintendo Switch, absolutely do it. The added portability is so dang satisfying.

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 is now available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC.

58 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review. I can't wait until my Switch import copies show up.

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  2. You know what would have made this perfect, in my opinion?
    - Both the Super and CD versions of Mega Man X3
     (Though would make it "9" games, though…)
    - The Saturn version of Mega Man X4
     (It has more background effects and longer music tracks.)
    - The ability to ignore Alia, in Mega Man X5
    - Including Mega Man X: Command Mission
      and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
     (Some PSP models look pretty bad, upscaled, but still!)
    - Maybe, a "no power-ups" mode, for all games?
     (X1 would require a ROM hack, but still…)

    My other qualms have to do with regional stuff that's easily negated by just importing the game. (Missing voices, missing music, etc.) That, and the missing physical copy of Collection 2. But, other than that, it seems to be a pretty good buy.

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  3. Eh? i was able to play Day of Sigma in Japanese audio just fine from MMXLC2. just go to options -> Language -> Japanese. then play Day Of Sigma. Japanese audio unlock! btw, i have EUR version.

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  4. What kind of a cushy world do we live in were people can't handle a reploid solute?

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  5. Can you change language to english on Rockman Anniversary Collection 1+2?

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  6. At least I'm glad the Japanese voice still in there. I can watch the op/ed in youtube .Though unfortunately I 'll miss the X6 opening stage song.

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    1. Japanese voice acting is nothing special, nor should it be a deciding factor in purchasing a game. It's a shallow excuse and a big reason why a lot of gamers today really don't have a clue what makes a game great.

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  7. I have a question about X7: is it possible to freely rotate the camera in 3D stages? So far this feature was exclusive to the old PC version (ported by KOKO Capcom) and it made the game so much more playable.

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  8. Did you know if X6 will receive fix to make it capable to fight LV4 Zero Nightmare or not?

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    Replies
    1. Never mind, they did NOT fix the oversight in X Legacy Collection ver. Oh man...

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  9. It's so weird that they went through the trouble of changing the Maverick names and fixing the "Octopardo" line in X5, but then did absolutely nothing for X6.

    And I guess they forgot the overseas version of the X6 Opening Stage theme existed and just used the Japanese version... *sigh*

    I'm still hyped to play all of these on Switch later today, but I like being nitpicky.

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  10. I will grab PS4 version because of 2 discs. A Switch will have one physical and one digital which I dont liked. Even thought I have a Switch too. Yeah, a PS4 for me then.

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  11. i dont understand capcom. i really dont . they'll patch one game but not sentzuisan? when they changed the game anyway?
    *sigh*

    patch. or dlc. or something. come on guys.

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  12. What exactly IS the picture for X Challenge's hard mode, anyways?

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  13. Kinda of weird they didn't fix X6 script while deciding to change some things in X5. Oh well.

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  14. do you know if japanese version of Rockman X anniversary collection also has X4 openineg edited? I know ir ha the jpop song, but i hope it retaons geberal salute

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  15. >removed roman salute animation
    >removed x6 theme songs
    >only half the package is on the switch cart
    what a garbage release

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  16. Very disappointed in this collection myself. Was going to buy it, but I realized with all the pre-release footage that there's nothing better about it than playing the games the way I have for years. Now with all the reviews, I see there are even more reasons to be glad I didn't purchase it. I'll stick to my inaccurate, non-authentic experience with fan made patches to fix or improve things in the games because I love actually playing them, not staring at them in a museum, obsessing over precious imperfections, with a 40 dollar admission cost for things I already own original, physical copies of.

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  17. It's too bad the upscaling is still garbage, the Type 2 is my preferred way to play. It still suffers with inconsistent pixels all around and the V interpolation is just bad. I think I'd have to see the Switch version in action to change my mind for the portable mode.

    Original hardware seems to do a much better job for X1~6. Though, this is probably the best way to play X7 and X8 if you wanted to play those...

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    Replies
    1. Actually X4-6 are prettier on this collection than on the original console, and that's for testing the two versions at the same time.

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    2. Have you used a Framemeister or an OSSC with RGB SCART cables in comparison?

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  18. Great review! Just a few questions: Does the Japanese version retain the original intro songs for X4-X6 and does it include an English language option for all the games?

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  19. Hideofbeast has died and gone to Valhalla. He's now enjoying far better things than Capcom's endless stream of cashgrabs.

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  20. So they kept the horrible english dub on X4? That fucking sucks.

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    Replies
    1. You can switch to the japanese version but unfortunately won't be able to read the text unless you read japanese

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    2. Watch your mouth, you little edgelord brat.

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  21. So is there anyway you can get word of capcom whether or not they will fix or consider fixing Sentsuizan in a patch update? I'm still going to enjoy this collection but really not only do classic players like me want it fixed but what kind of thing is that for new players just getting into the series they'll have all those unnecessary deaths because of simple mapping mistake in controls... ontop of X6's random difficulty curves and whatnot...

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    Replies
    1. Myself and The Mega Man Network have reached out with a list of things that could benefit from a patch. So stay tuned!

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    2. oh please include enable mapping zL and zR for X1-X3. thanks

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    3. i hope they patch this.
      just for the gallery trophy bugs at least.
      better button mapping would be nice.
      and there is no excuse for x6, especially sentzuisan.

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    4. Thanks for reaching out to them. I'm a bit let down by X1-X3 performing so bad on Switch. This would be my top request for them to fix.

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  22. Was the recoil glitch fixed in X7?

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  23. i think they fixed the infinite metal glitch when they released X8 in Japan. I have the Japanese PSN download, and boy, was I appointed that I couldn't get infinite metals lol

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  24. I must say, removal of the Repliforce salute shocked me. What? It's a military salute and a part of the storyline. Then they nixed "Moonlight" and one you forgot to mention, "The Answer." Those songs are great, and both of them are on my mobile playlist. It seems that every time they fix something with these ports, they end up breaking something else.

    I'd like to know if the other voices for Mavericks in the X4 PS1 version were added back, because they aren't on the PS2 or PC versions of the game, but I guess not.

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  25. Seems like they fumbled a bit on this collection to make it palatable to the whiny weebs who demand "Japanese perfection". Massive eye roll. 9_9

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    Replies
    1. Do you have a problem with people who prefer the "original" version?
      People liking the original version aren't necesseraly weebs you know...
      I mean, I own the collection but I'm not happy because there are some things that are missing from the originals ( that I own)

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    2. I think Anon has a problem with those types who go out of their way to bang on endlessly about why the Japanese can never do anything wrong (which is a steaming load of course) with game releases while North America always does everything wrong (which is yet another steaming load). They do tend to whine a lot, you know.

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  26. Would have loved to get the collection but in Mexico the coin exchange is just an asshole move, you en up paying around 140% the price of the game just because of coin exchange, and this only happens in capcom games, I will most likely wait for a chance to get it either from USA or Brazil

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  27. So, while it is a minor issue for many, because of some damage in my left hand, I use a keyboard to play (I am playing the PC version). Unfortunately this collection, for some reason, is extremely limited on what keys you can map controls to. I was only able to map controls to a, s, d, z, x, c, space, up, down, left and right. There may have been another key or two I could map controls to, but the vast majority of the keyboard is off limits.

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  28. I'm going to import the two collections separately for the Switch just so I can get the second collection on a cartridge. It helps that the Switch is region free

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    1. Getting the import collection might be the best way to go. It keeps all the original Japanese music intact and gives you all the US music as well. I'm very please with this collection. There is also art work done on the inside of each case and my copies came with bonus cards packed in. I know this last part will vary but my copies arrived today and that was all the way from Japan to my house in the States. I'm still floored by how quick they arrived. I ordered from Amazon Japan. My last wish for this collection is fixing up the lag in X1-X3 for Switch.

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  29. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  30. I know that question came up few times but hasn‘t clearly answered (or my english translation skills are just not good enough).
    Can you switch to English Texts with the japanese Version aka Rockman X Anniversary Collection?
    I really love the Boxart of that version and i couldn‘t find an answer anywhere in the web, please help!

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    1. Yes you can! You do it the same way you do it here - press the region switch button on the game select screen. You can change the menu text to English from the options

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    2. Thank you so much for the reply, now I’m getting myself a Japanese copy of it, YES!!!

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  31. did they fix the infamous "burn to the ground" in x7?

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  32. You didn't feel the 8 frames of input lag? It's astonishing how they still can't make a good mega man collection to save their lives.

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  33. Idk if this is significant enough for an article of own... but would like to confirm I have the Japanese version of the collection.
    Japanese music is retained on the Japanese versions of the game. Both the Japanese and english version of X6 contain the Japanese music it was not replaced by the new music the accompanies the English edition.
    And in X7 the japanese version does not edit out the cigar in the opening scene. The English version is still censored in that respect.
    XD although I think you mentioned some of the music thing in your article I just wanted to confirm it being I have the collections on hand

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  34. If you have the ability to set your Region Location to Japan on your console (in my case Xbox One), and then go ahead and re-install/re-download the collections, they will be both (hopefully) displayed as "Rockman X Legacy Collection", and that way you'll have access to the Japanese only content, like example the Playstation Opening and Ending music for X4 - X8. It's worth a shot if you wanna try it out, but it works fine on Xbox One, so no need to re-purchase the game from Japan or something like that.

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  35. To add to my previous comment, even if you set X6 to its English (US) version counterpart within "Rockman X Anniversary Collection 2", Moonlight will still be playing instead of the new opening music, including the English dialog text for the opening video. C:

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  36. So....after having a real sit down with this game, as well as reading others' experiences, I'm a little confused about this review. Personal experience shows that the PS4 version is hardly close to the originals in terms of emulation. Flickering happens and there is occasional screen tearing. X3 has extreme issues with tearing whenever a ride armor is involved. X1-6 all have audio issues of some sort; typically with SFX being too loud or quiet. X3 in particular also has some issues playing level BGM correctly. PSX games occasioanlly render backgrounds with the wrong colors. The Switch verion has more obvious issues that even most mainstream sites have covered. I put money down because I want X9, but I really hope they issue a patch for these collections.

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  37. Protodude, in case you still don't know about it, there's a secret boss fight at the end of beating X Challenge on Hard mode. Getting to the fight also unlocks the ??? option in the menu which simply allows you watch the cutscene prior to the boss fight.
    Footage of the fight:
    https://youtu.be/m1W1ZpI8y9I?t=733
    Screenshot of the menu:
    https://imgur.com/a/NbwewHR

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  38. I got the JP version and that guy still has his cigar in X7

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  39. Yeah, I was about to post the same. I don’t think he actually verified what the Japanese versions have. Just what he assumed was censored

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