I’ve never played any of the Mega Man X or Mega Man ZX games. You can chalk that up to me not ever owning a Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS. In truth, I almost forgot these games existed before I began this review. But that’s half the reason Capcom continues to release these compilations: for those who originally missed out. Of course, the other reason is for folks to take a stroll down memory lane. Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection is a fun action side scroller that continues Capcom’s… er, legacy, of excellent compilations.
This title collects Mega Man Zero 1-4, Mega Man ZX, and Mega Man ZX: Advent. Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX are effectively sequels to the Mega Man X series. Zero is more in line with that franchise, while ZX takes on a Metroidvania approach to gameplay. Like the Mega Man X entries, the games in this collection take place in the future (100 and 200 years after X, respectively) where humanity and its robotic creations wage war against one another. Zero stars the always-popular Zero from Mega Man X. ZX allows users to play as either a male or female protagonist. In all honesty, the games’ stories don’t interest me. I’m here for the gameplay, which I’m happy to report, is pretty damn sweet.
Because these are still Mega Man titles, they are appropriately challenging. To alleviate some of the pain, players can enable Save-Assist. Doing this drops save points throughout levels. When you die (and you will), you’ll automatically respawn at the last save spot. Not only does this prevent you from losing lives, but it also fully restores your health. There’s even a casual mode that lets players take twice as much damage and stops them from dying on environmental hazards like spike pits. Of course, you can always play these games in their original form if you feel these settings make things too easy.
This collection features three different graphical filters. One smooths out the pixels, giving the graphics a “modern” look. While it mostly accomplishes this, the filter makes visuals too blurry. Another is a CRT filter that mimics the games’ original appearance. This filter also adds something akin to film grain. I like this option, though I could have done without the film grain. I prefer playing with the original pixelized graphics. While some may find the pixels glaring, I find them charming and nostalgic. Plus, I’m a fan of pixel art so it was a no-brainer for me. On top of all this, there are a number of different wallpapers available to fill out the empty space created by games that originally ran at resolutions under 16:9.
As with the previous Capcom collections, this one contains a slew of bonus material. There are art and music galleries for each of the six titles. You can even enable Japanese or English voices. The most notable extra comes in the form of a speed run mode called Z Chaser. This mode is perfect for competitive gamers since it allows one to post their results on a global leaderboard. You can select the “ghost” of other players and try to outdo them. There’s even an option for local head-to-head if competing online isn’t your thing.
The only major complaint I have with this collection is the lack of button configuration. On PS4, you jump with Circle and attack with X. Wrapping my head around that took some time since I’m so used to jumping with X and attacking with Square. I realize this is a personal beef and may not apply to all players. I’m sure those who played the originals won’t mind this setup. I just wish I could have configured the buttons to something I’m more accustomed to.
I came into the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection with zero (pun intended) expectations since I had never played the games. Though I prefer the Mega Man X titles over these (at least the first four), I still found them rather enjoyable. As with Capcom’s other collections, this one has a ton of content even outside of the six core games. I should also applaud the remastering process. These old handheld titles look amazing on one’s HDTV. If you’re a fan of the originals or simply enjoy action-packed 2D platformers, give Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection a (buster) shot.
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