... and some of you who've bought the game are probably wondering why some things that were promised (script revisions, music remixes, redubs of the english voices) didn't quite make it in.
You'll see that this also appears to confirm future PSP remakes of the entire Mega Man/Mega Man X series.
Which kinda sucks, really, because while that means our ideas ARE being used (yay!), it's for a console I have no intention of owning (boo!).
Oh well, at least our input isn't going to waste.
Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. Nice to know the reasons now, but still incredibly annoying, as I was really looking forward to some of the new features, particularly the redubs for X4 and X6. It makes it that much more torturous to know that these things were actually done, and they were taken out. (and we almost got an X6 Sentsuizan fix!) Dangled in front of us so close, then snatched away at the last second. >_< Even if they are planning more X series remakes, this is pretty rotten for those of us who will never own a PSP, and will never get these improvements. (which is one other thing I find annoying, I've wanted X series remakes for years, and when they finally do it, it's for a system I don't own and don't ever intend to own) Besides that I was really looking forward to an X4 in it's original form with the redubed voice acting. That would've fixed the one single complaint I have with that game. And now it's pretty clear that will never happen.
*kicks Capcom*
That said, I'm still definitely getting the collection, although I'll probably continue to grumble excessively about the things we could've (and should've) gotten. I tried to get it the day after it came out, but GameStop didn't have it and wouldn't have it for a few days, so I just ordered it online. Hopefully it'll be here soon. Went with the GameCube version, since I'm thinking I'll like the Hori digital controller quite a bit for these games after a button config change. I may eventually try to get the PS2 version used sometime as well though, since that would enable me to play both the entire Mega Man classic series and the X series (not counting spin-offs and side games) all on one console, and I'll probably go insane if I don't.
My copy finally came in today. So far I've only completed X4 with Zero and tested the other games for a couple minutes. Seems alright I guess, kind of nice to finally get to see what the PS1 version of X3 is like, since I've only played the SNES version. Pretty interesting from what little I've seen of it, and kind of weird hearing "PlayStationy" sound effects and music with the SNES graphics. (although so far I'm liking the SNES version's music better)
It's still disappointing to have lost all of those extras and features we were supposed to get though. And I've also noticed quite a few little sound issues just in X4 so far, which is a bit annoying. It's nothing that affects the gameplay, and probably wouldn't bother anyone new to the game, but having played the original countless times myself, I tend to notice most things right off when they are different. The glitches seem to have no pattern to them either. For example, Web Spider's voice clips during the fight all seem too quiet, while Frost Walrus's "RRARGH!" thing during sliding is unusually loud. Split Mushroom's jumping voice clip seems lower pitch than it should be, but his electrocuted voice sounds normal. During the fight with Colonel, the voice clip when he reappears and attacks with his saber after vanishing is too quiet, but the rest of his clips sound normal. And there are probably other voice issues I'm forgetting.
It's not limited to the voices either. Several of the other sound effects are either too quiet, too loud, or sound weird. For example, the menu sounds during the stage select sound slightly lower pitch than usual, which I also noticed in X6 as well. The sound of moving the selector through the pause screen and other options screens is louder. The text scrolling sounds are louder than before. The voice saying "READY" at the start of each stage is louder than usual. The sound when Web Spider makes large web halfway through the fight is louder than before. Frost Walrus's steam venting sound is louder than it should be. The sound made when Zero's fire attack hits the blue Sigma head during the final battle sounds weird for some reason, but there's no issue with the red and yellow heads. All of the waterfalls and streams throughout Web Spider's level are considerably louder than they should be, to the point where they somewhat overpower the music. The "WARNING" alarm prior to boss fights is louder than it used to be. The sounds made just before (when Zero does his thumbs up thing or when X raises his fist) and during teleporting away at the end of the levels are louder. The life refill sound is louder. The extra life sound effect sounds a little different. The sounds of the teleporter pads in Split Mushroom's level and in the last level where you fight all of the bosses again have a slightly lower pitch. Just before the third phase of the Sigma battle, when then text box appears, the final boss music starts playing early, only to be cut off by the voice clip of Sigma's taunt after the text is gone, and then starts up again when it should as the battle begins.
Oh, and the videos are all considerably quieter than the rest of the game, something I'd noticed was also a problem with the PC version, but not in the PlayStation version. There is also a slight delay when you press a button to skip a video, which was instant before.
And these are just the things I'm remembering after playing through X4 once as Zero, there could be more issues I either missed or am not remembering at the moment.
So, yeah. That's kind of annoying. It doesn't affect the playability though, from what I could tell it seems to play pretty much the same as the original. I'm liking being able to play it with the Hori digital controller after a slight configuration change, but it's still taking a little bit to get used to when I've played it with a PlayStation style button layout for so long. I don't think I'll feel the need to dig out my adapter to use a Sony controller with this though. The control scheme I'm using is A=jump, X=dash, Y=saber, B=learned move with Zero, and A=jump, X=dash, Y=buster, B=buster+special weapon with X. I find that makes it much easier to dash and attack than A=jump, B=shoot/saber would be with this controller, and I think once I get used to it, it may also be a little easier (particularly with X) than the Sony layout for dashing, jumping, and shooting all at the same time (especially when trying to do things like dash jumping while holding onto a charged shot with X).
Anyway, while those sound issues are kind of annoying, it still seems decent so far, if for no other reason than having all of these games on one disc. (and since I don't own actually copies of X2 or 3) Hopefully I won't run into too many issues with the other games.
One thing I am wondering is if the PS2 version has these issues. I've heard people say they are both identical, but I haven't heard much mentioned about sound issues for either version, so I'd be curious to know if it has the same problems. That's another reason to get the PS2 version some time I guess (cheap used), which I'm still thinking of doing eventually since I'm a bit of an obsessed nutcase.
PS2 version suffers from the same sound issues as well. In both X1 and X2 (that's all I've played so far) certain sound effects are barely above a whisper while others appear normal. Also, one slight loading issue with the music: there's a split second between changes. Normally this is hardly something to comment on, but when you consider how some people are "tuned" to attack a Maverick boss immediately when the tempo changes, it can throw off their game. Like I said, a small issue but it tends to irk people nonetheless.
Oh, and for some odd reason X doesn't shout "HADOUKEN!" anymore. :
And yet, I'm still impressed by the porting accuracy. The save feature for the SNES titles is integrated nicely and very much appreciated. Thing is, I thought for sure Capcom would muck up something that would initiate a groanfest ("Jump is mapped WHERE!?!").
But... perhaps I'm speaking too soon?
That save screen is one of the other things I found slightly annoying, actually. It's great for X1-3, but I don't like it as much as the original one for X4, and I was hoping it'd allow for more than three slots for X4 (like the PC version allows) without needing a second file on a second memory card. But that I can deal with, the main thing I find annoying about it is that you are also limited to three slots for X5 and X6 as well, when the originals allowed for a total of eight each.
I agree with you about the porting accuracy in terms of the actual gameplay, which seems to be identical, but I'm still a bit surprised and disappointed by how many issues there are with the sound.
And I kind of wish we'd gotten the SNES version of Rockman & Forte instead of or in addition to Battle and Chase, so long as they were including something unrelated to the X series. But that's really minor wishful thinking. (I was wishing it was on the Anniversary collection before this)
Why would Capcom add R&F to any collection when they already have a port on the GBA?
Does anyone really need more than 3 slots for each game? Anyway, I suppose they limited it in order to keep the save file small.
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Why would Capcom add R&F to any collection when they already have a port on the GBA?
They probably wouldn't for that very reason, unfortunately. I just wish we could get the original SNES version on something, since I liked it much better than the GBA version. Being part of the classic series (albeit a side story), it would've gone nicely on the Anniversary Collection, but I'd take it on pretty much anything if we'd get the SNES version.
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Does anyone really need more than 3 slots for each game?
I don't remember what I had saved in X6, but I liked that ability a lot in X5, where I like to have several saves at different points in the game for quick access if I want to see something again without having to replay everything. For example, just before Zero's crash into the colony (without going Maverick), just before Zero goes Maverick, just before the fight with X and non-Maverick Zero, just before the fight with Maverick Zero, just before the fight with Sigma (again, one with normal Zero and Maverick Zero), another just before the fight with Sigma, but having skipped all eight maverick levels/bosses entirely, and an open slot for when I'm just playing through the game normally.
Similarly with X4, I like to have game saves with unarmored X, normal armored X, normal armored X with the four-shot buster upgrade (which I rarely use), Ultimate Armor X, and Zero all at the end of the game (along with a free slot for the occasion that I don't play the game straight through). The PS1 version didn't have that ability to begin with though, so I wasn't really expecting to get it in the collection. But it's a little annoying that it was removed from the others.
As for file size reasons, unless this version saves the data differently in some way, it doesn't seem like it should be that big of an issue, since those 8 slot saves still only took one block on a PlayStation memory card.
Part of me cries after I hear that X5's ever hilarious maverick names havent been changed.
"Duff McWhalen". Good one.
X4 not being redubbed = dissapointing.
speaking of which, how is the video quality for the X3 and X4 cutscenes?
The X5 names were a little unusual, but I seem to be one of the few people who greatly prefers "Izzy Glow" and "Duff McWhalen" to "Shining Hotarunicus" and "Tidal Makkoeen", among others.
As for the video quality, in X4 it seems to be about the same as the original PS1 version from what I can tell. Haven't played the original PS1 version of X3, but it's video quality seems to look about the same.
On the subject of differences in the collection, I've noticed an interesting one in X5. The slowdown that would happen off and on in Dark Dizzy's stage is now completely gone. I suppose that's a good thing, except that I never thought it was actually a problem with the game before. I had always assumed it was supposed to be a side effect of what was happening in the stage (due to that black hole type thing in the background), intended to make things a little harder. Maybe I was wrong...
Oh yeah, definitely slowdown and not intentional. The PSOne can play small video files onscreen (the swirling effect is FMV) in real time while manipulating polygons or sprites, but at a substantial hit to the CPU.
I think you'll find that previous issues of slowdown in all the games has been eliminated altogether, sometimes causing desynching between what's happening onscreen and the music (X2 title intro).
I only dislike the names in X5 because of the breaking of tradition.
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As for the video quality, in X4 it seems to be about the same as the original PS1 version from what I can tell.
Which is a shame. PS2 Mpeg2 compression should allow for 640x480 (or higher?) videos running at a solid 30 fps, but what we get are the same 320x240 15 fps FMVs re-encoded into PS2 format. 🙁
That effect is FMV? Weird, I had no idea. Strange that they used that method when it doesn't really look any better than some other normally animated backgrounds.
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PS2 Mpeg2 compression should allow for 640x480 (or higher?) videos running at a solid 30 fps, but what we get are the same 320x240 15 fps FMVs re-encoded into PS2 format.
I never really thought about that, kind of makes you wonder if the redubbed versions we missed out on might have also been higher video quality.
That's what I didn't like about X5 through X7. They had really weird names that didn't reflect their animal appearance or their special ability. I haven't played X8 yet (I ordered the X collectioin and X8 off ebay for a total of $35!!! That includes shipping!!!. They should be here sometime this week then I am going to do a 16 part marathon and see if my eyes start to bleed.
Also I made up my own names when referring to the mavericks from X5 on. Here's an example.
Crescent Grizzly: From the instruction manuel, like it the way it is
Volt Kraken: From the instruction manuel, another good name
Shining Hotarunicus: I change his name to Shining Firefly. Easier to remember.
Tidal Makkoeen/Duff Mcwhalen: That second name is retarded I just call him Tidal Whale.
Spiral Pegacion: Becomes Spiral Pegausus.
Spike Rosered/Axl The Rose: A Guns N Roses refference?
Spike Rose is an easier name to remember.
Dark Necrobat: I name him Dark Bat.
Burn Dinorex: I like Burn T Rex.
If I was the one redoing the X series I would have changed the Maverick names like the one's above. I bet there are alot of people who would disaproove. But with the names they were given it's just harder for me to place them with the game they were in, and forget asking me the names without the book.
Well, I found a page with the Irregular Hunter X music that was supposed to have been used in MMXCollection. I haven't listened to much...
All the X5 names are Guns 'n' Roses references.
It's very blatant.
I wouldn't have picked up on that, seeing as how i don't listen to guns and roses.
Just out of curiousity, is that Spaz's art on the cover?
i can't find any pictures of the cover to see if it is or not.
www.capcom.com/xpml/game.xpml?gameid=800041
Normally, I'd say no as Capcom Japan has used the same artist to illustrate for the X series for quite some time now. But looking at the box art, I noticed a slight difference in lines , shading and coloring that isn't present in the official stuff (see Maverick Hunter X boxart) that could be attributed to Patrick Spaziente, going on his work on the short-lived Mega Man X comic. Also, isn't MMXC mostly a Capcom USA project?
Short answer: dunno, but it's possible.
Took me a while to remember to scan it, but here's a larger image of the cover if it helps any:
**notes the seal of quality** They still do that? How vain.
Regardless of who made it, an un-molested version of that art would make some sweet wallpaper.
Heh, yeah, I was a bit surprised to see that seal still on their products when I first got my GameCube. The text on the back of all the games describing the seal is even still the same, or at least very similar, to what I remember seeing on the old NES games.
Anyway, that image would make for some pretty nice wallpaper. Too bad one isn't available currently.
EDIT: On the previous subject, I've noticed they seem to require every third party GameCube game (that I've played, anyway) to say "Licensed by Nintendo" at the beginning for some reason as well.