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Video games have come a long way since their inception. What was once seen as a passing fad by retailers in the Atari years has blossomed into a full-blown industry. As the oldest of gamers grow older and technology advances there have been many shifts in the business: some of them good and some of them bad. As I watched a commercial for Dead Space 3 on YouTube as I waited for video of the twelve year old GameBoy Color title I was more interested in playing to load, I grew to dislike current video game trends even more.
Now I know what you’re thinking, that I suffer from an acute case of nostalgia goggles were everything that’s older is better. That’s probably (definitely) true to some extent. Yet at the same time you have to love (e.g. hate) the mentality that occupies both sides of the developer/player fence these days. I don’t remember being anal enough to nick pick over the polygon count in a game or worry about a slight dip in the frame rate every now and then. Then there are developers who sell out their vision to appeal to a broader base because if the game doesn’t sell x amount of copies it automatically becomes a failure. I know no one will ever be able to separate the unappealing business side of game development from the overall equation – or have it where artistic vision overrules the almighty dollar – but you have to feel somewhat distraught when these company spokesman try to justify these “necessary evils” to consumers when the game itself tells the players all they need to know about what went on behind closed doors.
While survival has become the name of the game in an industry that tries to appeal to everyone under the sun, what is often lost on a lot of groups is sometimes… sometimes things need to die. Sometimes ideas outlive their expiration date and their place in the scheme of things. Devout fans may rage against the blatant truth as a property flails about, grouping for a surface to stick to but the sad fact is prolonging the life of an outmoded product is often more cruel than it is merciful. Sometimes these attempts at remaining relevant become downright embarrassing. This is a lesson I learned having experienced the twilight years of the Wild Arms and Mega Man X franchises. For the longest time I made up excuses that these struggling series were still relevant when they were anything but. I will always remember the great times I had with these games – especially the earlier ones which were way better – but at some point you got to quit lying to yourself. You got to pull off the band-aid and expose the truth.
Unpleasant as admissions like these are, they don’t always represent these kinds of products as a whole. At times games like these are interesting case studies in what to do and not to do in a video game. To some this may appear to be another attempt to see a silver lining on an ever darkening cloud, but face it: you’re eventually going to find faults with something you encounter down the road. The game’s developer may be at fault for those flaws, but it’s ultimately up to the player to decide how they impact their experience. Concepts such as these wrapped themselves around my brain as I played through Mega Man Xtreme 2 on the GameBoy Color. At first glance, Xtreme 2 appears to add little to an aging franchise. No matter what argument you make, this is true to some extent. However, while the game is a little more touch-and-go than the first Xtreme, there are some ideas at play here that deserve some analysis.
Even though it’s not the main element of the game that grabs my attention, it’s probably best to tackle the story of Mega Man Xtreme 2 first. Now, beyond the brainless, automatic tripe I always run into on message boards (“you play Mega Man games for the story? Ha ha ha ha…”) I actually do care about the storyline angle of these games to a certain degree. I’m not expecting the equivalent of a good book per say, but I was interested until utterly pointless games like Mega Man X6 and X7 came into existence. Anyway, most people will have an issue with the storyline in Xtreme 2 right away because, like the first Xtreme, it’s solely built to allow the game to reuse the bosses from previous games while still being canon. Really, that’s the only prerequisite the stories of these games have to fulfill. If that seems kind of cheap, that’s because it is. However, Xtreme 2 attempts to sweeten the storyline pot with the appearance of Iris from Mega Man X4. This works because Mega Man Xtreme 2 occurs before Mega Man X4 in the Mega Man X storyline, but the fact of the matter is Iris is woefully underutilized outside a few specific conversations. Now, if Iris is actually acting in lieu of Alia (X and Zero’s navigator who wasn’t introduced until Mega Man X5) why not use her in that manner during gameplay? Okay, I guess I should admit I kind of disliked how I always had to read Alia’s messages in Mega Man X5 (and was irked at how they interrupted the game’s flow) but there are a few times in Xtreme 2 where a warning of certain hazards would have been helpful. I know I was kind of irritated at being killed by certain hazards in the Volt Catfish (wow, so the water’s electrified and deadly in THIS area!?) and Flame Mammoth (I see these completely untelegraphed fireballs are of the deadly variety) levels. The whirlwinds in Overdrive Ostrich level look pretty innocent since they remind you of the whirlpools in Launch Octopus domain but step into one and see how wrong you are. Crazy as those moments are, the only thing that’s memorable about Iris’ appearance is the joke the game’s illustrators crack in the Mega Man X Official Complete Works artbook about her being not being as “physically developed” in this game as she was in Mega Man X4. So reploids experience puberty and the minds of Japanese game developers will remain forever filthy? Sounds about right.
Another key aspect of Mega Man Xtreme 2’s story are what are eventually dubbed as “DNA Souls.” The game states that a reploid’s DNA is like the soul of a human. This is important and interesting for a variety of reasons. The concept of a reploid even having DNA is never mentioned until Mega Man X5 where it is the basis of the game’s power-up system. So, in a round-a-bout way, Mega Man Xtreme 2 explains gameplay elements that Mega Man X5 never gets around to explaining. Personally, I find this to be nothing short of ironic, but considering how wayward the series narrative would become I guess I’d rather have the explanation at some point than not at all. The focus of DNA in this title could also be seen as a precursor to its importance in Mega Man X6 considering it was released a few months later. Then there’s the massive amount foreshadowing in game’s two false endings where the language used enforces the events at the end of Mega Man X5 and beginning of Mega Man X6 while the closeness between X and Zero they describe comes off as creepy.
Even though the above helps make a case that there are a few interesting moments in Mega Man Xtreme 2’s narrative - aside from it’s fleeting reference late in Mega Man X6 - it doesn’t really account for the game’s original antagonists: the “Soul Erasers” Berkana and Gareth. From the beginning these two have an obvious Queen/Knight-like relationship that is intended to be interesting. Berkana plays the ever-so-vain queen that is obsessed with beauty and power while Gareth’s only true purpose seems to be doing her dirty work. For the most part it’s far from entertaining. Then again, I don’t think anyone expects anything too interesting to come out of an adversary in any Mega Man game – even when Sigma’s goals and “purpose” were fleshed out by the babbling Lumine at the end of Mega Man X8. Still, some of Berkana and Gareth’s exchanges with X and Zero do lend a curious flair to the proceedings. I personally loved how Zero becomes enraged when Gareth casually justifies his actions and the same goes for Berkana when she mocks X’s tendency to give speeches and ability to remain cute even when he’s angry. Still, beyond these small sparks the script and translation are rather stilted with the occasional typo popping up every once in a while.
As clear as it is that Mega Man Xtreme 2’s narrative is a side story and little else, what about the gameplay? Given that the game carries the Xtreme moniker it should come to no surprise that it handles identically to the original. This is good news as the original game did a great job at of handling of it’s on-screen real estate despite the smaller sprites. Some players will be at odds with some changes like Zero not having or obtaining the ability to double jump (which does make odd sense considering this is pre-X4) or having to hit jump after jumping to execute the air dash but time eventually heals all wounds. Other issues that typically pop up when players critique the game is how the vast colors used in the backgrounds are not used in the character and enemy models, which is probably the result of the developers wanting to keep the action in the foreground so it would not be difficult to see. It is disappointing to see that some of the small touches in the animation have been toned down since the last game but being able to play as two characters (with the ability to switch between them on the fly after a certain event) is a more than adequate trade-off.
Those familiar with the later Mega Man X games on the PlayStation 2 may wonder if the ability switch characters during play is a big deal. Well, it’s not this feature alone that gives Xtreme 2 it’s identity but how it combines with the game’s structure. As players play through the game they will tackle three main scenarios: X’s mission, Zero’s mission and extreme mode. X and Zero tackle their own/a different group of mavericks/levels in their individual missions until the ability to use both characters opens up before the final levels. This ability to switch your character on the fly remains intact until the last level where X and Zero split up to tackle the villains pulling the stings. After the conclusion of the X or Zero mission you’re given the chance to save your game and start the opposite character’s scenario. If you’re wondering why you would do this – saving one scenario over into the other – it’s because it gives you a head start in the second. For example, if one plays as X the first time around Zero will start the second half of the game (his scenario) with the weapons X bosses would have given him if he had defeated them. Additionally, if you had the Dr. Light capsule power-ups for X he’ll still have those equipped once you get the ability to switch characters later on. It’s a lot like the dual scenario system that was a big part of Resident Evil 2 combined with its zapping feature. The downside is while your main character will now have a full set of weapons (which isn’t possible during your first playthrough) you still only have access to half the heart tanks and sub tanks since you only have access to half of the first eight levels.
The idea of limiting power ups may seem to tear down the concept at play here, but it really doesn’t as you don’t need access to every item to be successful in the initial, semi-individual missions. Clearing the X and Zero missions grants you access to extreme mode, a combination of the previous two modes. You have to start with a clean slate when you start this mode (you can’t transfer anything over from a previous save) but you have unrestricted access to all eight of the maverick levels right off the bat and can switch between characters from the start. This would appear to be the best mode (and it is) but there are a few things that make it less straight forward than it seems. The big catch is when a boss is defeated only the character that delivers the finishing blow obtains a weapon – not both. This means you need to plan ahead with the knowledge you gained from previous play throughs and decide which weapons are the most important to you.
I’m am sure there are a lot of people out there who have an issue with such a system and the game takes no time in proving that such worries are valid. Without the aid of certain weapons some power-ups become inaccessible. This is a real problem because two of the items that are affected by this (that are Zero related) are insanely important. You would think the “equivalent” weapon on the opposite character would act in lieu of the necessary weapon but that simply isn’t the case. Beyond the possibility of permanently missing out on items, this take on weapon obtainment fails in other ways, namely that its attempt to add a layer of strategy is a big failure. The fact is that most special weapons – regardless of which character has them – are usually worthless. Seriously, you could beat every boss in the whole game without the aid of additional weapons and no, it’s not really a case of purposely doing it as some inane challenge. You can do it because it’s easy (most of the mavericks that are included here are those with the most obvious and memorable patterns) and it’s ultimately much less of a hassle.
There are two reasons why this is so but one is much less pressing than the other. Unlike the original Xtreme, many of X’s weapons have been altered despite their familiar names. The thing is while they still serve rather recognizable purposes some of the imposed limitations are detrimental. The Sonic Slicer has a really bad wind-up now and the powered-up spread shot no longer covers the entire screen. Neon Tiger’s Ray Splasher has been replaced by the short-ranged “Ray Claw” and Launch Octopus’ Homing Torpedo has been nuked out of existence and turned into a Storm Eagle Storm Tornado-like vortex. Mucking around with well established and thought out weapons is a foolish battle the game clearly loses but things get even worse when you have to make up weaponry for a character (Zero) that didn’t get weapons in the games this game is based off. Zero’s special weapons have very little personality to them and some of them (like Lightening) are extremely hit or miss and annoying to activate from the status screen.
As unappealing as the weaponry is (the only weapon I really made use of in battle was the Ray Claw which really helps verses Launch Octopus and Volt Catfish) it really doesn’t matter since X’s X-Buster and Zero’s Z-Saber are the weapons you’re going to utilize after you realize how deliciously broken they are. I myself was having trouble beating my first boss until I realized there was no reason to charge my X-Buster. Seriously, there is no reason to ever fire a charged shot in this game since X’s normal three-pellet shot backed by the auto fire option is just as effective. Back this up with some of the parts available through DNA Souls like Buster Plus 1, Buster Plus 2 and Speed Shot and it becomes even more powerful. If you want to see some real craziness, add the Ultimate Buster part to the previously mentioned combo (on an unfully armored X – skip the helmet capsule) and watch the charged shots fly out of X’s arm like explosive diarrhea. All I can say is thank God bosses have post-hit invulnerability animation frames or you’d cut through them even faster than you already do. Zero isn’t nearly as abusive but affix his saber with Saber Plus 1 or Saber Plus 2 and Ultimate Saber and the game is practically over again. Furthermore, it’s not really hard to obtain the necessary number of DNA Souls to buy these parts.
Other disappointments wait around the corner as well. Unlike the first Xtreme, Xtreme 2 takes more chances with its level design; there are many more original sections despite the overall design schemes being lifted from previous games. There are parts that are clearly “borrowed” like the section of Volt Catfish’s level that was a part of Toxic Seahorse’s domain in Mega Man X3. This is kind of a shame because while you obviously want fresh layouts for the levels to help justify Xtreme 2’s existence they don’t match the level of quality present in their 16-bit counterparts. It’s a respectable effort but as most people know level design is something you can’t phone in: you either have it in spades, end up with something that’s a reasonable facsimile or not at all. Some of these maps are home to semi-blind jumps and other irritants that sometimes stretch your patience a little thin. This issue really comes to a head in the final level when X and Zero split up and tackle what are some of the most unforgiving terrains in the game. The section X faces in particular has a very, shall we say “fickle” jump that the game forces you to deal with immediately because of the impending doom with those wonderful, electrified waves of destruction making their return from the Volt Catfish level. This is not to say I don’t expect some trial and error when traversing through a level but there has to be a certain amount of respect that accounts for the player’s initial unfamiliarly. Mega Man Xtreme 2 comes close to crossing that fragile line but manages to stay in-bounds.
The remaining element of the game one should touch base with is sound. Like Xtreme, Xtreme 2 takes its tunes from its 16-bit brethren and downsamples it for use on the GameBoy Color. Like stage design some could see this “borrowing” as a cop-out, but the tunes that were crafted for the SNES are pretty iconic even though some had issues with gritty guitar attack in Mega Man X3. I didn’t exactly share that opinion (even though the soundtrack had some obvious deficiencies) but Xtreme 2 takes some shortcuts that come off as sloppy. The big one I noticed was the editing of the Volt Catfish theme that completely removes the track’s guitar solo. That’s a rather memorable moment of that particular piece and the part that remains really loses out when the track loops and resets. However, in Capcom’s defense, this may have been the result of a cartridge space issue.
So that – in a rather large nutshell – is Mega Man Xtreme 2. Despite the fact that there are enough games in the series (and that I was far from enthused when I started playing) it is an interesting piece of software that will prove unessential to most of those reading. Even though those who have a devotion to the series (even if it’s been slightly damaged by the more recent games) will find that it offers a meager side story and little else. However, once you experience certain moments – like taking down the final, true boss with both characters (which manages to outshine anything in Mega Man X7 and X8) the justification for potential ownership becomes much more obvious. That said the Mega Man Xtreme games aren’t the kind of game you should break the bank for. They are nice to have around to round out a serious Mega Man X collection but will remain passing curiosities to anyone else at the end of the day. Still, problems and loopholes aside, don’t worry about the quality within if you’re interested: despite the limitations it will give any X and Zero fan a quick fix of the (portable) action they are looking for.
7/10
