Mega Man X9

Disclaimer: This Hub is fan speculation; there is no guarantee that any of these features will appear in Mega Man X9, or that there even will be a Mega Man X9.

Mega Man X8 has become one of my favorite video games for the PS2. Capcom took everything that was wrong with Mega Man X7 and improved upon it tenfold. It had everything a Mega Man X game should have: good graphics, great music, (and most importantly), fun gameplay.

Unfortunately, it seems like Capcom will not be gracing fans with another entry in the Mega Man X series for a while. In fact, it's not certain if there ever will be another Mega Man X game, as rumors have spread that the series has become unprofitable for the company.

So in the mean time, I've put together a Mega Man X9 wish list of sorts; a list of features and improvements that should be put into the next game. Whether they will be applied or ignored is anyone's guess, but I had fun doing it. I hope you enjoy it as well.

CEL-SHADED GRAPHICS

ARCADE STYLE GAMEPLAY & MULTIPLAYER

STAGE ORDER AFFECTS GAMEPLAY

REINTRODUCTION OF DUO

REGULAR MAVERICK NAMES

SIDE QUESTS

MEGA MAN X9 FAN TRAILER (VIDEO)

LINKS / NEWS

COMMENTS

Mega Man X: Command Mission featured cel-shaded graphics that were simply phenomenal. Mega Man X9 would do well to use a similar presentation style. The graphics in Mega Man X8 were a little bit of a disappointment, and a step down from the graphics in X7. Hopefully they'll lean more towards this style with X9.

I think it would be interesting to introduce arcade-style gameplay in Mega Man X9. Instead of having the game be a 2D sidescroller or a 3D free-roaming adventure, why not combine the two for a 2.5D perspective, something like the old-school coin-op arcades?

Players would be able to sidestep up and down, in addition to regular control scheme. This would make gameplay quicker and more addictive. The crouch feature introduced in Mega Man X5 should return, but it should be controlled by a button.

Imagine how fun it would be to play Mega Man X9 cooperatively? Or to take the Street Fighter-esque battle system from Mega Man 7 and implement it here? Of course, if they were just to slap on a multiplayer, it wouldn't be worth it. But a solid multiplayer mode would make a great addition to the traditionally single player experience that is the X series.

This would be amazing if Capcom added in this feature in Mega Man X9. Basically, the story would change based on the order that the player completes the stages in. This would involve quite a bit of programming, but it would create massive replay value if it were included.

Also, it would be interesting to see the stages themselves change based on play order as well. This was a feature introduced in the first Mega Man X, and it was a nice little touch that should be brought back.

You may remember Duo as the alien robot introduced in Mega Man 8. It seems that everyone else from the original series has gotten an "X upgrade", even Roll! I would like to see Duo's Mega Man X incarnation introduced in the sequel. I even thought of an appropriate name for him as well: Deuce.

Since there are already two ranged playable characters (X and Axl), I would assume Duo would be a melee fighter much like Zero to add balance. As far as his Weapons, Duo would gain different Weapon Heads for his Arm that would grant his attacks different attributes, much like Axl's.

Also, Duo would be able to use 2 Special Weapons either separately, or in combination to create unique combination effects! If you think of the weapon system used in Gunstar Heroes for Sega Genesis. then you know how it would work! His Weapon Energy would only deplete whenever he uses both his Special Weapons at the same time.

This has been a personal pet peeve of mine. The last few Mega Man X games have had some wacky and unconventional names. Infinity Mijinion? Tornado Tonion?! And I'll never understand the logic of naming the Mega Man X5 Mavericks after members of Guns 'N Roses...

Anyways, they need to return to regular, good old Maverick names like Launch Octopus, Wheel Gator, Jet Stingray, etc. Short, to the point, and they just sound cool. In fact, I've come up with a few possible Maverick ideas of my own: Oil Toad, Laser Scorpion, Stealth Lynx and Nova Stallion.

One last thing; there should be other things to do in Mega Man X9 besides replaying the story over and over again. Maybe some level specific side quests could be tossed in to extend the lifespan of the game. The Metals currency system in Mega Man X8 should be reintroduced as well, because that alone added a decent amount of hours of replay value.

I hope you're listening Capcom! Give us a worthy sequel to the mighty Mega Man X8! There was definitely enough of a cliffhanger at the end of X8 to warrant a sequel, so give us what we want!