Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 Review (PS4)

1) Introduction

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 is a compilation of Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 and Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2. Both collections are done by Capcom. Each Legacy Collection has four Mega Man X games, which are:

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1: MMX, MMX2, MMX3, MMX4
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2: MMX5, MMX6, MMX7, MMX8

Basically, Mega Man X games are action and platforming games. Each game shares the same basic game design, with more or less improved gameplay mechanics.

You may get either Legacy Collection separately, or get both together in certain regions.

2) Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1

Play Mega Man X5, Mega Man X6, Mega Man X7 and Mega Man X8.

This is the stronger collection between the two, as it has three very great Mega Man X games.

Mega Man X is the start of the series. Solid platforming, great special weapons, great boss fights, simple plot, great music, overall good level designs, and challenging difficulty. This is my second favourite Mega Man X game in the main series.

Mega Man X2 is the second game, but it doesn't improve much from the first game. However, it still has solid level designs and upgrades. Boss designs however, feel lackluster compared to Mega Man X's boss designs. Story is also simplistic too.

Mega Man X3 was developed by an external company. Unlike previous two games, if you destroyed certain intermission bosses with the special weapons they are weak against, they will not appear in the final stages and will also affect the stage designs slightly. Boss designs are decent, but not great. Pretty good game.

Mega Man X4 is my personal favourite Mega Man X games. Decent story, exhilarating combat, two diverse playable characters with their unique fighting styles, good boss designs, good looking sprites, and great music. An excellent game.

I personally rate this collection with 9/10.

3) Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2

Play Mega Man X5, Mega Man X6, Mega Man X7 and Mega Man X8.

This is the weaker collection between the two, as I only like two Mega Man X games in this collection.

Mega Man X5 uses the same gameplay system from Mega Man X4. However, there is a new customisation system called Parts where you can gain parts by defeating high leveled Maverick bosses. The story can also be altered slightly depending if you can destroy a certain colony on-time. This is a good game, but it doesn't match Mega Man X4.

Mega Man X6 is one of the most notorious games in the series. Uneven difficulty, hard level designs, troublesome Nightmare enemies, and mediocre translation. This game however, has better Parts system compared to MMX5. The boss designs are amazing, with great looking sprites and attacks. I enjoy playing this game compared to MMX5, but it is not necessarily better than it.

Mega Man X7 is my least favourite Mega Man X game. The change of graphical style from 2D to 3D is admirable, but the gameplay didn't evolve better. Unforuntalely, the gameplay is terrible due to weak 2D and 3D plane traversals, slower movement speed, and less memorable boss designs. The story is not memorable, and Axl's special ability did not get more utilisation in this game. Some good ideas, but not a great game.

Mega Man X8 improved a lot from Mega Man X7, with faster movement speed, 2D plane gameplay like the older Mega Man X games with 3D graphics, and better boss fights. This game also has better balance between the three playable characters, and has good music. My third favourite Mega Man X game.

I personally rate this collection with 7/10.

4) Bonus Content

Check out the new content.

Each collection has it's own Trophy list, X-Challenge, Gallery, Music Player as well as a new easier difficulty mode that can be set for all Mega Man X games, which is called Rookie Hunter.

X-Challenge is basically a Boss Rush mode, where you fight against two bosses at one stage with selected special weapons. You may choose your set of special weapons and difficulty before tackling them. Unfortunately, the X-Challenge in both Legacy Collections have nearly the same dual boss fights. It is an interesting game mode, so check it out.

Gallery allows you to view profiles and artworks for characters for each game in a collection. Some of it have interesting entries, and there are tons of nice artworks. Music Player basically allows you to play the soundtracks for each Mega Man X game as well as the new tracks for X-Challenge, which is neat.

5) Conclusion

Worth purchasing if you want to try out action platforming games, or if you are a Mega Man X fan.

This is a good compilation of Mega Man X games, but unfortunately neither Legacy Collection in the compilation includes Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, as it is an excellent remake of Mega Man X. Mega Man X: Command Mission is a notable omission too, but understandable omission since it is an RPG game. The bonus content are decent, but nothing to shout about. The X-Challenge is a decent gameplay mode to test players with varying skill levels.

I only advise that you get the compilation Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 if you like Mega Man X games and/or you like action platforming games. You may also choose to get either Legacy Collection separately if you want, however.

Good compilation of classic games, but with certain issues.

Score: 8/10

6) Pros and Cons

Pros

- Good compilation of the main Mega Man X games.
- Accessible to players with varying playing skill levels.
- Classic Mega Man X games.
- Good ports for each Mega Man X game.

Cons

- Mega Man X7 does not age well.
- Exclusion of Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X


**Images are from official PlayStation game page.