"A Megaman Fans Dream Come True, Best Current Game for the PSP!"

Hey look, it's another Megaman game! What else is new? And it's a remake? Capcom has now officially crossed the line into extreme laziness, right? Wrong. Even if this is just a Megaman X remake, it's probably the highest quality Megaman game we've gotten in a while. Not only is it arguably the best Megaman X game, bet it has a ton of extras. And they have not even scratched the core game, only added too it.

Graphics: 10/10
Best looking Playstation Portable game no doubt. Other then a few frame rate issues occasionally (which is somewhat weird for a platform game, but platform games are least effected by it too) the game looks fantastic. Stage environments and backgrounds are highly detailed and colorful, and special effects rival those on current consoles. This really looks better then Megaman X8 on the Playstation 2. And that's not an exaggeration in anyway, thought it might just be because the screen is smaller I admit. And they bosses perfectly represent their SNES versions, colors are the same and all, same expressions on the face even. It's innovative, yet perfectly fitting with the original. As for the Animated Movie, the video quality is perfect, and the animation quality is surprisingly great for an anime video. If you watch some stereo typical anime such as Naruto or Dragon Ball Z, you will be shocked at the superiority of the animation quality. Of course this is because it's only a one episode deal, ongoing anime shows cut down on animation quality because it takes a large amount of effort for so many episodes.

Game Play: 10/10
The game plays just like it did on the SNES. Normal mode is slightly easier then it though, while Hard mode is slightly harder. Would have been perfect if they made Normal mode Easy mode and Normal mode parallel too the SNES game, but still, casual and hardcore fans alike will enjoy this game and its difficulty settings, just maybe not purists. The bosses are some of the best in the X series, with fun attack patterns. Be sure to get the Foot Parts as early as you can when playing as X however. Which is another great point to bring up; this game includes a new mode, Vile mode. Vile plays differently from any Megaman character before him, but if I had to pick any character most like him, it would probably be Bass, with minor Axl influences. He has several weapons, but his default weapons are a machine gun, a rocket shot, and a grenade kick. His mode is much harder, and is unlocked after beating the game once. Great addition to the game.

Story: 9/10
While it is based on the originals story line, it takes Megaman X's storyline and delves deeper, and much more of it. Cut Scenes are a good bit longer mostly, and much more cinematic feeling (this is greatly helped by surprisingly excellent voice work). But what's great is that upon completion of the game, you get a 24 minute anime movie that takes place before Megaman Maverick Hunter X, explaining the maverick rebellion clearly, and other such things. Great watch, great voice work.

Sound/Audio: 10/10
Important to mention, awesome voice overs. None better even for a video game of this style I might add (in English at least, can't judge Japanese voice overs). One or two of the bosses might be slightly annoying (Chill Penguin) but still better then the average voice actor. In fact, I thought it was fitting for Chill Penguin. The game remixes are awesome too. Capcom never ceases to amaze me in music terms, some of the best they've done too, greatly remixed.

Overall: 10/10
Though it's a bit on the short side, this is easily the best Playstation Portable game on the market right now. Great story line, fun game play, impressive graphics, and a good voice cast make this a high quality product. Worthy of many playthroughs, instant classic. It's a Megaman fans dream and a great game for a newcomer or the series to get hooked.

Buy or Rent: Depends
If you're a Megaman Fan, instant buy no doubt. If you're looking to fill your Playstation Portable Library, instant buy. If you replay your games over and over, instant buy. If you just play through your games once, are new to the series and you have enough games to satisfy you're Playstation Portable, rent it before you buy. Still, it's only $30, very cheap for a Playstation Portable game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/06