Review for Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 and 2. Game for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 24/07/2018
The wave of nostalgia now seems to have been ridden by all the big brands in the gaming sector: Sony, Activision, Blizzard, Nintendo and even Capcom… there is no one missing. Sometimes bringing back great classics from the past can be a great way to prevent them from being lost forever. However, there is another fundamental factor in all of this, which is the intention to attract not only long-time fans, but also new players curious to discover new worlds.
Capcom, after some decidedly subdued years, is rightly implementing an aggressive recovery policy of its historical IPs such as Resident Evil, Mega Man and Street Fighter. Mega Man in particular is a real gold mine as it boasts, between the main series and spin-offs, dozens and dozens of titles. After a first collection dedicated to the classic series, a second one arrives in this torrid summer: it is the Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1e2, in which we find the episodes belonging to the glorious generations at 16, 32 and 128 bit.
The complete package includes eight titles - offered at a price of € 39.90 - specially adapted to look their best on high definition TVs. Not being able to count on the obvious visual rendering of CRT monitors, Capcom has well thought of simulating the effect through special filters that, surprisingly, manage to return a feeling similar to the original. The titles are all offered in their original video format, 4: 3, but it is still possible to adapt the image to 16: 9 by altering the aspect ratio. The first option is therefore preferable, especially since the empty space on the sides of the game area is filled with beautiful artwork in theme with the episode performed. A separate discussion should be made instead for Mega Man X 7 and 8, the two 3D episodes for PlayStation 2. Their conversion was done very well, but unfortunately the game interface has not been touched in any way and the result is not exactly the best.
If you choose to follow the path of fidelity, you will find yourself in your hands no more and no less than the original chapters that appeared on SNES, PlayStation and PlayStation 2 in all their two-dimensional glory. The fluidity of the experience is not trivial: the various episodes that make up this Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1e2 have all been masterfully converted and do not suffer from particular frame drops or input lag. Does it seem absurd to you to read such a specification? In reality, frame drops and input lag are far from rare to observe in this type of collection, mainly because you try to save money by entrusting them to teams with little experience. In this case, however, Capcom wanted to do things big and give us an experience truly faithful to the originals.
If you play the title on PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC, you will have no difficulty with the control system; if instead you want to choose the Nintendo Switch edition, know that you will surely encounter some disadvantages. As you well know, the Joycons of the hybrid console do not have a directional cross and being Mega Man X a series strongly based on lightning and chained movements, the four divided buttons of the left Joycon are unfortunately not the best option. This does not mean that Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1e2 is unplayable on Switch, on the contrary, the title still responds very well and if you really need a directional cross to tackle the levels, you can opt for the Pro Controller or the newly announced Joycon left by Hori .
In order to bring new followers to the cult of Mega Man, Capcom has also thought of adding a new difficulty mode, simpler than the original, so as to allow everyone to enjoy these fascinating horizontal scrolling action. Does the idea work? Well yes and pretty good too, plus there is always the option to go back to the original difficulty in case the challenge level is not up to the player.
The additions don't stop there! First of all, we find the “Museum”, a section where artwork, commercials, images of gadgets and music from the various episodes of the series are collected. The most substantial part, however, is represented by the "Challenge" mode in which it is possible to face numerous challenges against specific combinations of bosses. Cherry on the cake? The score obtained will appear in a worldwide online leaderboard.
The Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1e2 is a real gem. Inside we find some of the best 2D action games ever and if you are a lover of rankings, the "Challenge" mode can only give you great satisfaction. The smudges are there - it is not a perfect production - but they vanish in front of the contents offered. Well done Capcom, but now we are curious to know what your next move will be!
► Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 and 2 is an Arcade type game developed and published by Capcom for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 24/07/2018
