| System: PlayStation 2/PC | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Capcom | Sound: |
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| Year: 2003 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Casting error | Rating: |
2/10 |
X, weary from so many battles, has retired from the Maverick Hunters. Since then, the movement has lost its influence and a secret organisation, called Red Alert, now rules. One day, during a mission, Zero meets Axl, a young reploid who claims he wants to break away from the syndicate. He is being hunted by Red, the leader of Red Alert, who refuses to let one of his key members defect to the enemy. This leads him to declare war on the hunters…
Everything started well enough. A beautiful animated intro set the scene and introduced us to the series’ new character, Axl, who has the ability to mimic the appearance and abilities of his opponents. The manual even promised an interesting innovation called “double hero system” (meaning: the ability to switch between two characters at any time during the game). Ultimately, this episode proves to be slow, unwieldy, boring… In short, the complete opposite of its predecessors.
As you’ll have noticed, the game is entirely made in 3D, with a very fashionable visual effect at the moment (2003): cel-shading, which involves outlining objects, as in a cartoon.
Mega Man X7 alternates between two gameplay phases: “2D mode”, where you move your character on a single vertical plane, mostly viewed from the side, as in previous instalments (though the backgrounds are in 3D); and “3D mode”, where you navigate in full 360°. This is where the game’s biggest flaws rear their ugly heads: poor visibility, camera issues, imprecise control (you’ll rely heavily on auto-targeting, as in most 3D games, actually), and above all, a sluggishness never before seen in a Mega Man game…
It would’ve been nice if the leap to 3D had come with greater freedom of movement, but perhaps I’m asking too much.
To round out this already dim picture, the graphics are minimalist—it feels like we’ve gone back ten years. I can’t help but think of my benchmark for ugly 3D, Fade to Black, when traversing certain empty and angular corridors. As for the soundtrack … let’s not even go there!
A huge disappointment then, especially since one level does manage to stand out: Deep Forest, entirely made in “2D mode” and undoubtedly more visually polished than the others. Ah, if only the whole game had been like that…
Suggested order:
Tornado Tonion > Splash Warfly > Flame Hyenard > Ride Boarski > Snipe Anteater > Wind Crowrang > Vanishing Gungaroo > Soldier Stonekong
To get the most out of the experience, I recommend the PC version, which doesn’t support gamepads. Relish the joys of a clunky 3D game … played with a keyboard!
