X (full armor)

Article by: David Hesselbom (Dafydd)
Pictured from: Mega Man X2
Created by: Capcom
First appearance: 1993

Bio

The Mega Man series has always had a small RPG element — the ability to collect enemies' weapons and to use them against other enemies. The X series introduced something else to the franchise as well — the ability to upgrade armor and gain new abilities, by finding upgrade capsules left by Dr. Light as his last legacy. Mega Man's sliding ability was first introduced in Mega Man 3 for the NES and in Mega Man II for Game Boy (Mega Man slides feet first; X dashes head first), but X needs to find a pair of new boots before he can dash (but only in Mega Man X).

Other upgrades in Mega Man X include the helmet upgrade that allows X to break certain blocks as he butts into them, and the X-Buster upgrade that allows X to charge his shots beyond his normal charged shot into an enormously powerful and purple wall of plasma. This X-Buster upgrade also allows him to fire charged shots of the new weapons he receives during the game. Each game in the series starts with X in his standard armor and introduces new abilities to come with the upgrades as the series progresses — the armors are not the same in every game, nor do they look the same. For example, in Mega Man X2, the armor upgrade not only allows X to take more damage, but it also enables him, when fully charged, to perform a powerful attack that kills almost everything on the screen at once (the effect is similar to the Power Bomb in Super Metroid). The picture above is how the armor looks in Mega Man X2.

Quote

"Take care of yourself, Zero. I don't have time to put you back together again!"

Selected game appearances

Super NES

• Mega Man X (1993)
• Mega Man X2 (1994)
• Mega Man X3 (1995)

PlayStation

• Mega Man X4 (1997)
• Mega Man X5 (2000)
• Mega Man X6 (2001)

Game Boy Advance

• Mega Man Zero (2002)
• Mega Man Zero 2 (2003)

References

• Mega Man X instruction manual
• MobyGames - "Mega Man X / Rockman X series"
• MMHP: Mega Man X