Well, after spending about five hours with the game so far, I'm ready to give you my impressions of Mega Man X: Command Mission.
First of all, the graphics are excellent. It's cel-shaded, much like X7, but far, far better. Very sharp, and no slowdown at all (note that I'm using the GC version. If you're playing on a PS2, the visuals may not be quite as good). I do, however, have three major gripes with the art:
1. X looks kinda dorky. I wish they'd stop giving him new "looks." He's not Madonna, for crying out loud! They have yet to come up with an X that looks as good as he does in X3 with full armor.
2. Another X complaint, when you run around, X has twin flames (which are made to look like a big scarf, or cape) shoot out small jets on his back. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAN, STOP IT! We already HAVE a character with an object that looks neat when it flows behind him (Zero & his hair). This flaming cape just doesn't suit X at all.
3. The mouth animation when characters are speaking looks really, really stupid. I can't really explain it. You'll understand when you see it.
The sound is pretty typical for an X game. Upbeat techno with lots of synth. In other words, if you like the music in all the other X games, you'll like it in this one.
Since I'm talking about sound, you're probably wondering "So, how's the voice acting in this game?"
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
This is CAPCOM we're talking about here. If they ever get voice acting right, I will gnaw off my own penis. To be honest, it IS better than what they normally put out, but has the same overacted quality that is usually does. X no longer sounds as incredibly stupid as he did in X7, so that's a small blessing. However, I hate Zero's voice. Hate, hate, HATE! He sounds like a cocky surfer. I swear to god. His voice might be acceptable as a new character for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," but it certainly isn't accpetable in this game. Someday, Capcom will get voice acting right, and the universe will explode.
As for the game itself? In one word, good. But then, you're probably expecting more than just one word (greedy bastards). Well, wandering around the "field" is basically the same as in other RPGs, with the expception that you can dash (but why not jump, dammit!?). The levels themselves, while looking pretty good, lack the depth that most other RPG dungeons have. With the sole exception of backtracking a room or two to open a newly unlocked door, the levels are VERY linear. Which is ok for X fans, since the levels DO feel like they belong in an X game.
You probably noticed I used the word "levels" oinstead of "dungeons." In Command Mission, the game is divided into chapters. Each chapter has a goal, with a boss at the end. In other words, the game is still organized much like an X game. You can, of course, go back to old areas to level up and grab items you missed.
Anyway... other than the standard new weapons you buy and find through the course of the game, you find items called "Force Metals." These are essentially accessories, but have a unique property that makes them more interesting. Each character has between 1-4 "slots" where they can equp Force Metals. X has 4, Zero has 3, Massimo (a new character) has 2. In addition, each charater has a certain level of immunity, and each Force Metal has it's own level of erosion. If you, for example, have 7 immunity, and equip Force Metals with a total of 8 erosion, bad things will happen to you in battle, such as being spontaneously blinded. Each character also has different immunity levels. at level 5, X had 11 immunity, while Zero had only 5 (or was it 6?) immunity at level 5. This helps define the characters. Zero is physically stronger than X, but X is far, far more adaptable.
Combat. The meat and bones of this game, and the game will live or die depending on whether or not people like the combat system. I like it.
The combat is turn based, and you can see who goes next for the next several turns on a bar at the bottom of the screen. You can also swap out one character for another at any time with no penalty. In this regard, the combat is just like Final Fantasy X. The similarities end there, though. Each character has Weapon Energy that is used to launch sub-weapons and activate your special attacks. X's special is a charged shot performed by holding A (duh) that hits all enemies on the screen. Zero's special is performed by inputting as many attack combinations as you can within a time limit (think Zell from FF8). With Spider's special, you play one round of 5 card draw, and the attack done is based on the hand you have. Rather than being uncommon to use, you'll use these attacks all the time (WE recharges during battle, and resets to a specific value when the battle is done).
Your characters can also enter "Hyper Mode" at will. Well, almost at will. Each character has a certain amount of Hyper Mode energy (X has 6, Zero has 3, etc.), and one unit of energy is used for every turn you are in Hyper Mode. Yuu can recharge Hyper Mode by either gaining a level or resting at the base. During hyper mode, the character's appearance changes (X gets new armor, Zero becomes Black Zero, etc.), your defense increases, and your attacks become insanely powerful. It's pretty neat.
The last notable thing abput combat is the "Final Strike." If you can reduce an enemy's current HP by 75% in one turn, you get a Final Strike. By jamming on the A, X, and Y buttons, all three characters launch missles and attacks against the hapless enemy, pulling off dozens of hits, and you are guaranteed to destroy it. Unfortunately, if you can reduce an enemy's current HP by 75% in one turn, it's basically dead anyway. Still, it saves the turn you would use to finish the enemy off, and it looks pretty cool, too.
There's a bit more to the game I haven't mentioned, but this should be enough to help you decide wheter you want to play the game or not. My score for this game (out of 100) is 80. Not spectacular, but good. If you're a fan of Mega Man like I am, the score is 90. And now, I leave you so that I can play this game some more!
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