"A remake that doesn't lose the nice flavor of the orignal."

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is a strong remake of the classic 1993 side scrolling masterpiece made on the SNES. Notable changes include the updated graphics, music, voice acting along with the new game modes.

Story: 10

One of the best parts of the game in my opinion. The story has been expanded from the original's, now having opening and ending FMV sequences for both X and Vile. The overall story has been made more apparent and each character's purpose has been clarified. Also X and Vile talk with each boss before battling them. For a brief summary of the story: X is a model of a new series of robots called reploids who have the ability to think and feel. Sigma, one of the most powerful reploids has gone "maverick" which means he pretty much betrayed his master. 8 of his minions have attacked the city and it is X's mission as one of the Maverick Hunters, a force against the maverick threat, to put a halt to Sigma's plans. Upon beating the game a 24 minute anime movie “The Day of Sigma” is unlocked which describes the events occurring before teh game begins. The story has been given a major update adding a new refreshing feeling when playing the game.

Gameplay: 9

The gameplay for this game hasn't really changed at all. You still go through each level destroying every enemy that gets in your way with a boss fight at the end to earn you new weapon shots. The bosses haven't changed for the most part, however the location for the major upgrades you get have. The change in upgrade location is a nice surprise for those familiar to this game. Along with upgrades to X there are still items to increase your maximum life located in each level and there are still 4 Sub-Tanks for you to find. The most notable change is the ability to play as Vile, after beating the game as X, whose game differs from X's game. Vile doesn't gain moves from boss battles as X does, however he gains upgrades to his initial weapons. Vile's game involves more tactics than X's game but is still a great joy to play. The gameplay for this game easily matches the original and doesn't lose any of the style the original had.

Graphics: 8

As stated earlier, the graphics for this game have been completely updated and look quite nice. The backgrounds look beautiful on the PSP and are really a sight to see. Problems occur in X's character model as the graphics on X aren't as sharp as they could be. Though it's hard to notice when playing the game, it becomes apparent during many instances in the game. Also, the game slows down at certain points, as it did in the original, though it isn't anything to really worry about (in fact, sometimes it looks pretty cool). The FMV sequences have no complaints from me and they're really nice to watch.

Sound: 9

The music for this game has been beautifully re-done. The sounds have been clarified and come out more crisp than ever however some songs were better in the original game, in my opinion (Boomerang Kuwanger's stage music in particular). The updated music has changed more in a good direction rather than a bad and the voice acting is superb. The music and other sounds for this game deserve the 9.

Overall: Rent or Buy?

Buy this game. Its worth the $30 and still remains as one of the best games in the market. The game received a strong face lift but hasn't lost any of the play value of the original. For those of you who played this game before, it brings back some awesome memories. For those who haven't played it, it will make some nice new ones.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/10/06