Calling Capcom’s latest release “Mega Man X7”
is a bit misleading as the main character isn’t Mega Man at
all but rather a new robot by the name of Axl. The game starts with
a beautiful anime cut scene detailing why Axl is a fugitive and how
he joins forces with Mega Man and his side-kick Zero.
Unfortunately, the writers gave “X7” a plot so trite
that it basically boils down to the antagonist of the story
proclaiming, “If you want what you seek, defeat all eight of
my minions and fight through my castle and try to destroy
me.”

After so many years fighting, Mega Man has turned battle-weary
and is tired of violence. He sends Zero and Axl to fight eventually
joining them halfway through the game. Axl, a small robot, has the
ability to transform or take on the characteristics of reploids,
androids fighting for good. This can only be done by killing the
creature with a charged shot of a special weapon; it sounds simple,
but it’s a time-consuming process that, when implemented,
only lasts for a few seconds. Zero uses a saber and has a wonderful
“double jump” as his special ability. Mega Man is
essentially an Axl clone without the ability to transform; however,
he is able to make use of capsules left by his creator Dr. Light to
augment his abilities.

Capcom decided to shift from a primarily two-dimensional format
to a more three-dimensional world for “X7.” Because of
the fast-paced, side-scrolling gameplay inherent to the “Mega
Man” series, adjusting the camera angles for 3-D often
becomes bothersome. The transition to either perspective was smooth
but often awkward and unexpected.

Unfortunately, it appears that the designers did not put much
thought or effort into “Mega Man X7.” Taking into
account that Capcom is pumping out new games in the acclaimed
series every year, perhaps it is too difficult to take designing
any single one seriously. While “X7” will satisfy
die-hard Mega Man fans, it’ll only serve to frustrate those
not familiar with the blue bomber.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.