Mega Man X2

Mega Man X2 (ロックマンX2 , Rockman X2), produced by Tokuro Fujiwara, is the second game in the Mega Man X series of action platformer games and was released in 1994. It used the same graphics engine from the first installment of the series, but Capcom included an in-cartridge enhancement known as the Cx4 chip to improve semitransparencies and allow for some 3D graphics in the game. Mega Man X3 was the only other game to ever use this chip. Like the first game, it is praised for its soundtrack.

The subtitle Versus X-Hunters is given in the opening story; the Japanese version's full name is Rockman X2: Versus Counter-Hunters.

The game was re-released on January 10, 2006 as part of the Mega Man X Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was later included in 2018's Mega Man X Legacy Collection.

Gameplay[]

Mega Man X2 is an action-platform game in the same fashion as the first Mega Man X and the original Mega Man series. The player takes on the role of the titular character X, who must traverse and clear a series of eight, side-scrolling stages in the order of the player's choosing. The protagonist's initial abilities include running, jumping, scaling walls, dashing forward to make longer jumps, and firing his chargeable "X-Buster" arm cannon. Unlike Mega Man X, the dash is a permanent ability at the start of the game, instead of being an armor upgrade found in a capsule. The player must contend with countless robotic enemies and several platforming hazards such as bottomless pits, deadly spikes, and rising lava. Along the way, the player can pick up extra lives and items that restore health and weapon power. Each stage contains one main boss at the end; defeating the stage's boss will earn the player a special weapon that can be quickly switched to and used in any remaining levels. Every boss is weak to another's weapon, so the player may strategize the order in which the stages are completed.

Mega Man X2 features a number of extra gameplay elements. At certain times, the player can pilot vehicles including an attack mech in Wheel Gator's stage and an attack hovercycle in Overdrive Ostrich's stage. Each of the eight stages contains an optional entrance for a battle with one of the three X-Hunters, should the player select that stage when one of them is present. Defeating an X-Hunter will earn the player a piece of Zero, which may affect the storyline late in the game. Like the first Mega Man X, players can locate and acquire numerous hidden power-ups. "Heart Tanks" extend the player's maximum life bar, "Sub-Tanks" store life energy for later use, and armor upgrade capsules grant a set of new abilities. For example, the leg part will allow the player to perform a dash in mid-air, while the X-Buster part will allow for two charged blasts in succession. When specific conditions are met a special capsule is unlocked in one of the game's final stages, allowing X to perform an attack that deals damage on every frame (the "Shoryuken"), making it almost insta-kill. It is used by characters from the Street Fighter series.

Characters[]

X

Zero

Sigma

Dr. Cain

Serges - An integral part of the X-Hunters trio, it seems that he came up with the Unification and leads the plan with his vast intellect. He resurfaces in Mega Man Xtreme.

Agile - One of the three X-Hunters. As his name implies, he moves very quickly and wields an energy saber.

Violen - One of the three X-Hunters. When encountered, he attacks with either a morning star or shoots a spray of shots from his fingertips.

Overdrive Ostrich - Ostrich was in the 7th Air Cavalry unit of the Maverick Hunters, but after losing his ability to fly during an accident, he was forced to retire. Sigma later found and hired him for his superior leg strength, and Ostrich occupied the desert base where he held control over a missile aimed at the Hunter Base.

Wire Sponge - Sponge was a Maverick given access to the weather control center by Sigma. He enjoyed changing the weather on a whim. Due to a mistake in Sigma's factory, his personality was made playful and immature. He was hunted down as a Maverick. Both Wire Sponge and Overdrive Ostrich return in Mega Man Xtreme 2.

Crystal Snail - Snail was in the Maverick Hunters under Sigma. When Sigma revolted, he went Maverick with him, along with most of the Maverick Hunters. He was hunted down long after many other Maverick Hunters, six months after Sigma had been defeated the first time.

Flame Stag - Stag was in the 17th Unit of the Maverick Hunters under Sigma with Boomer Kuwanger. He went Maverick along with Boomerang, but later became missing in action until 6 months later, when he planned to create an ice age by covering the sun with volcanic ash using his volcano base. He was hunted down by X. Reappears in Mega Man Xtreme.

Magna Centipede - Centipede was in the #0 Class Unit of the Maverick Hunters under Zero. He was kidnapped and brainwashed by Sigma's followers, who forced him to use his stealth skills to sneak into the central computer and spread the Maverick Virus. Reappears in Mega Man Xtreme.

Morph Moth - Moth was an experimental Reploid that would grow in power by absorbing wreckage, and used it to create his adulthood phase. Whether he was working for Sigma is not known. However, on his forehead is Sigma's insignia. Reappears in Mega Man Xtreme.

Bubble Crab - Crab was in the 6th Sea Force unit of the Maverick Hunters under Sigma, and constantly argued with Wheel Gator, also a member of the 6th Sea Force unit. He threw away his position in the Hunters for profit, and controlled the sea base to carry out Maverick duties under Sigma.

Wheel Gator - Gator was the leader of the 6th Sea Force unit of the Maverick Hunters. When one of his companions was destroyed during a mission, he was chased out for being a traitor. He was a vicious Maverick who loved destruction, and roamed around in a giant dinosaur tank. Reappears in Mega Man Xtreme.

Story[]

Six months following the events of the first game, X becomes the head of the Maverick Hunters. X tracks a "manufactured Maverick" bearing Sigma's emblem to a Reploid factory, where he launches a full assault. However, despite Sigma's apparent death and X's recent efforts, the Maverick rebellion continues. Three powerful Mavericks—Serges, Agile, and Violen—form a group called the "X-Hunters" and gain control of the North Pole. In the time between Sigma's demise and the trio's sudden uprising, Serges has collected the deceased Zero's bodyparts. After the factory mission, X is assigned to seek and exterminate eight Maverick leaders on a large continent directly south of the North Pole. The X-Hunters contact the Maverick Hunters shortly thereafter and taunt them with Zero's body. The X-Hunters drift among the eight Maverick locations and attempt to lure X out, each one promising the protagonist a piece of Zero if he can defeat them.

The story deviates slightly depending on whether or not the player collects all three of Zero's parts before heading to the X-Hunter fortification in the North Pole. If the player gathers all the parts, Dr. Cain states he will attempt to reassemble and reactivate Zero using his original control chip. If the player does not succeed, X is informed by Dr. Cain that the X-Hunters have attacked Maverick Hunter headquarters and stolen any collected parts and the control chip. Just as X annihilates the last of the X-Hunters, Sigma reveals himself to have been behind the plot. X leaves the exploding compound and tracks Sigma to the Central Computer, one of the eight locations he visited earlier. If the player fails to collect all of Zero's parts, X finds both Sigma and the newly rebuilt Zero waiting for him halfway through the stage. X must then beat Zero in combat. If the player does manage to collect all of the parts, a gray-armored clone of Zero accompanies Sigma instead; the real Zero then appears at X's side and destroys the clone. The outcome of either event has Sigma retreating and Zero creating a passageway in the floor to allow X pursuit. After X defeats Sigma, he reveals to X that his true form exists as a computer virus, and taunts to X that he will return. However, Sigma questions Zero's allegiance with humans, stating that Zero is "the last of the Doctor's creations". X evacuates the facility to rendezvous with Zero outside, and the two watch as the facility self-destructs.

Trivia[]

Like Mega Man X which preceded it, Mega Man X2 also contains a secret capsule, this time giving X the ability to perform Street Fighter character Ryu's Shoryuken attack. In order to receive it, X must own every other item in the game. The Shoryuken Capsule can be found in Agile's station of the X-Hunter Fortress.

Credits[]

Unlike the series' previous entry, the game lacks a credits sequence for the game's staff, leaving it with just a "cast roll" for the game's characters, enemies and bosses. The next game in the series would follow this trend.

The official soundtrack release for Mega Man X through X6, however, revealed that Yuki Iwai (then known as Yuki Satomura) was the sole composer of the game's soundtrack.

Another credit source is the Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero album, where Inti Creates head composer Ippo Yamada lists this game among these he previously worked on, stating he did sound effects. Yamada has also done sound effect work on Mega Man 7 (credited) and three other SNES titles (all uncredited).