The eighth in the X series, “Mega Man X8” for the PlayStation 2, is a bit of a sour grape. Beloved Mega Man, who is called “X” in the X series, has teamed up with two buddies. Axl has a gun that can shoot repeatedly in different angles, and he even has a hover jump. Zero does a melee attack and can double-jump. If old Mega Man is indeed your beloved, and you’ve spent hours on your old Nintendo or Super Nintendo, then you’re in luck.Like original “Mega Man” video games, “Mega Man X8” is full of 2D adventure and bots, lots of them. It is a bore for the PlayStation 2. Its 2D side-scrolling action is poorly conducted. Try playing a game like “Viewtiful Joe,” which is also a 2D side-scroller, and then compare it to the graphically lacking “Mega Man X8.” It just cannot compete.
Besides the eyesore picture, there are tons of robot enemies to fend off, and the occasional mind-boggling puzzle. The bosses are boring, and the levels truly are painstakingly difficult.
One new idea presented in the game is shopping for upgrades for your characters between levels. A neat idea, but you’ll find many character specific upgrades to be worthless.
What really got me was the voice-acting, which was just plain silly. The music wasn’t so thrilling either.
“Mega Man X8” is a game for nostalgic fans who are the “gotta-have” “Mega Man” video game collectors. Otherwise, it’s safe to say that there’s much room for improvement in “Mega Man,” or X’s, future as this series continues to be developed and released.
A D+ for an okay idea executed into a Mega Man blunder.