VIDEO GAME: Mega Man ZX Advent (2007)

Mega Man ZX Advent Year: 2007 Rating: E10+ Time Played: 410 minutes / 6.83 hours One hallmark of the Mega Man franchise is the ability to absorb the powers of each boss and use them against other enemies. It's interesting that in the decades of this franchise's history that there have been so few opportunities to actually turn into these bosses. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't realize Mega Man ZX Advent was referencing the character introduced in Mega Man X7 until I was almost through playing the game. In a sense, this is the first game where you play as Axl the whole way through. Story-wise, there's nothing terribly interesting to write home about here, and the voice acting feels shrill from the DS speakers—both of which are made worse when you have to replay cutscenes near the endgame because you failed to pass the long gauntlet. Still, the draw here is the almost Metroidvania-like collection of boss abilities that help unlock other...
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VIDEO GAME: Mega Man ZX (2006)

Mega Man ZX Year: 2006 Rating: E Time Played: 5.32 hours Much like how Mega Man Star Force expounded upon the Mega Man Battle Network formula, Mega Man ZX evolved the platforming and action of the Mega Man Zero series. While this meant the visual style and difficulty carried over from the Zero series, ZX added just enough modification to the player character to make it more reminiscent of the original Mega Man series. Given how I’d developed some of my skills via the Zero games, I was easily able to jump right in and start playing ZX without too much difficulty. Part of the problem with this game was the slightly “open-world” style of the overworld. I’ve been so used to playing Mega Man games that immediately transport you to the level you want to play. I’m so used to this formula that having to navigate a labyrinthine home base just to get to the next area was frustrating at times—if only for the...
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