An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time . The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games , beat 'em ups , shooter games , rhythm games and platform games . Multiplayer online battle arena and some real-time strategy games are also considered action games.
124-751: Mega Man X is a series of action - platform games released by Capcom . It is a sub-series of the Mega Man franchise previously developed by the same group with Keiji Inafune acting as one of the main staff members. The first game was released on 17 December 1993 in Japan on the Super Famicom and the following month on the Super NES in North America. Most of the sequels were ported to Microsoft Windows . The gameplay introduces new elements to
248-841: A first-person shooter might secretly enjoy that their character gets killed in the game, although their expressions might show the contrary. The game used in the study was James Bond 007: Nightfire . Shooter games have been around since the beginning of the video game industry . Notable examples of shooting arcade video games during the early-to-mid-1970s include Syzygy Engineering 's Computer Space (1971), Galaxy Game (1971), Tank (1974) by Kee Games , Gun Fight (1975) by Taito and Midway Manufacturing , and Midway's Sea Wolf (1976). In turn, early arcade shooter video games were inspired by early mainframe games such as Spacewar! (1962) as well as arcade electro-mechanical games such as Periscope (1965) and gun games . A major turning point for action video games came with
372-450: A character often in the form of a protagonist or avatar . This player character must navigate a level , collecting objects, avoiding obstacles, and battling enemies with their natural skills as well as weapons and other tools at their disposal. At the end of a level or group of levels, the player must often defeat a boss enemy that is more challenging and often a major antagonist in the game's story. Enemy attacks and obstacles deplete
496-424: A "unique cadre of fans". The story is notable for being more violent than the predecessors with stages and bosses also looking scarier Capcom producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya played the first Mega Man X in his youth, enjoying the successor to the first Mega Man character, X, due to he having new unique skills, helping to popularize the "golden age of action games". X's characterization was often praised for coming across as
620-595: A 12-year old human scientist. Zero, unsure of who he is due to temporary memory loss, protects Ciel and her band of Reploids from a group sent out to destroy them. During the events of the game, as Zero fights off several attempts to destroy the remaining Reploids, it is unveiled what happened during his 100-year absence: After the Maverick War that took place during the Mega Man X series - where humans were being purged by malevolent Reploids, known as Mavericks - drew to
744-533: A body that looks exactly like Zero. Weil appears in the background and reveals that while Zero was powered down during his 100-year hibernation, he had transferred Zero's conscience and memories to a copy body and then stole Zero's original body to be used by Omega due to its unmatched fighting abilities. Despite the revelation of this fact, Zero, with assistance from the Four Guardians, destroys his original body and kills Omega for good. Omega's death results in
868-408: A broad category of action games, referring to a variety of games that are driven by the physical actions of player characters . The term dates back to the golden age of arcade video games in the early 1980s, when the terms "action games" and "character games" began being used to distinguish a new emerging genre of character-driven action games from the space shoot 'em ups that had previously dominated
992-444: A certain amount of E-Crystals that are dropped by enemies, the elves can either provide permanent enhancements—such as increasing Zero's maximum health capacity, or grant temporary benefits—such as the ability to deflect bullets for a short time. However, the score at the end of each mission will decrease for every Cyber-Elf used. Finally, Zero's weapons receive elemental enhancements in every game except Mega Man Zero 4 . Acting like
1116-400: A classic action game formula in which the hero earns his defeated enemies' abilities; the armor parts were added to supplement this concept. The development team additionally wanted the world of Mega Man X to be much more sophisticated than in the first Mega Man series. They wanted to accomplish this with Zero's "hardcore" personality and the game's antagonist Sigma. As stated by Inafune,
1240-615: A close with the Mavericks suffering total defeat, humans and Reploids were able to live in harmony in a utopian state known as Neo Arcadia. Unfortunately, this peace was short-lived due to the energy shortage crisis which led to the murdering of countless innocent Reploids to reduce energy consumption. Ciel thus banded with the Reploids and founded the Resistance. It is also revealed that a copy of X - Zero's former ally and best friend -
1364-599: A colossal amount of power but is narrowly defeated by Zero. The game ends with the Dark Elf escaping and the original X — now a Cyber-Elf — telling Zero that the Dark Elf was once known as the Mother Elf, whose original purpose was to cure the Maverick Virus — which turned Reploids into Mavericks — in order to end the Maverick War during the Mega Man X series. Two months have passed since Elpizo's defeat, with
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#17327732728911488-521: A desire to see X portrayed as a darker character. They decided not to start with the Command Mission incarnation, which depicted X as more of a leader. X and Zero have appeared in other video games. In Dead Rising , the protagonist, a photographer named Frank West can unlock and wear an X outfit. Zero also appears as a hidden character in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars and as
1612-407: A dictatorial reign over Neo Arcadia and stripped much of its citizens' rights, leading many humans to flee and start their own settlements. In response, Weil labelled the escapees as Mavericks and began to purge them just like the Reploids. The game starts with Zero, Ciel, and the Resistance members encountering a group of humans fleeing from Weil's forces. Zero protects the humans, who then reveal to
1736-698: A different approach to game design at the time. According to Eugene Jarvis, American arcade developers focused mainly on space shooters during the late 1970s to early 1980s, greatly influenced by Japanese space shooters but taking the genre in a different direction from the "more deterministic, scripted, pattern-type" gameplay of Japanese games, towards a more "programmer-centric design culture, emphasizing algorithmic generation of backgrounds and enemy dispatch" and "an emphasis on random-event generation, particle-effect explosions and physics" as seen in arcade games such as his own Defender (1981) and Robotron: 2084 (1982) as well as Atari 's Asteroids (1979). In
1860-412: A dominant genre in video arcades and on game consoles through to the present day. Space Invaders set the template for later games in the shooter subgenre, and it is considered one of the most influential games of all time. During the arcade golden age, from the late 1970s to early 1980s, a wide variety of new subgenres were created. The success of Space Invaders led to space shooters becoming
1984-486: A large explosion, which releases the Dark Elf from Omega and frees it from Weil's corruption. X tells the truth about Zero and his body to the Resistance before disappearing forever. The Dark Elf, now known as the Mother Elf once more, brings Zero back to the Resistance Base, before it too disappears, ending the game. Despite Omega being destroyed, Weil continued his revenge on humans and Reploids alike and assumed
2108-416: A limited range, but this attack is rare. Players may find a power-up within the game world that grants temporary or permanent improvements to their abilities. For example, the avatar may gain an increase in speed, more powerful attacks, or a temporary shield from attacks. Some action games even allow players to spend upgrade points on the power ups of their choice. In action games that involve navigating
2232-399: A location near the Resistance Base, where he is eventually found by the Resistance members and repaired by Cerveau. While Ciel tries to develop a new energy source to end the war, the new leader of the Resistance, Elpizo, instead prepares for a head-on invasion on Neo Arcadia. The invasion results in total failure, with Elpizo being the only survivor. Frustrated by his powerlessness, he leaves
2356-406: A more deterministic, scripted, pattern-type" of play. Terms such as "action games" or "character games" began being used to distinguish these new character-driven action games from the space shooters that had previously dominated the video game industry. The emphasis on character-driven gameplay in turn enabled a wider variety of subgenres. Namco 's hit maze game Pac-Man (1980) popularized
2480-508: A new life, the player resumes the game either from the same location they died, a checkpoint, or the start of the level. Upon starting a new life, the avatar is typically invincible for a few seconds to allow the player to re-orient themselves. Players may earn extra lives by reaching a certain score or by finding an in-game object. Arcade games still limit the number of player lives, while home video games have shifted increasingly to unlimited lives. Action games take place in either 2D or 3D from
2604-477: A playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds , Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 , Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite , and Teppen . For Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite , X was included due to his significant popularity with Western audiences alongside Zero. They also appeared in the two role-playing games Project X Zone and Project X Zone 2 . Several websites retrospectively held Mega Man X as
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#17327732728912728-680: A plethora of shoot 'em up games taking place from a top-down or side-scrolling perspective. Space shooters were initially categorized as a separate genre from action games in the early 1980s, when the term was used to refer to character action games, up until character-driven shooters, particularly scrolling run-and-gun shooters, became popular by the late 1980s. The setting of shooter games often involves military conflicts, whether historical, such as World War II , contemporary, such as Middle East conflicts , or fictional, such as space warfare . Shooter games do not always involve military conflicts. Other settings include hunting games, or follow
2852-405: A rock-paper-scissors system, Zero gains three element chips (Fire, Ice, Thunder) that can be attached to all his weapons and changed freely. Doing so adds elemental effects to his charge attacks and inflict higher damage to bosses weak to the selected element, or no damage if they are immune to it. Centuries after disappearing at the end of the Mega Man X series, Zero is found and awakened by Ciel,
2976-723: A single one, with some alterations to make the games easier (e.g. blocks covering spikes, no need to feed Elves, all Cyber Elf powers automatically activated, etc.). A new collection, known as Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection ( Rockman Zero & ZX Double Hero Collection in Japan), was released on the PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , PC ( Steam ), and Nintendo Switch in February 2020. This contains all four Zero video games along with Mega Man ZX and Mega Man ZX Advent . Much like with Mega Man Zero Collection , and just like
3100-437: A space, players will encounter obstacles, traps, and enemies. Enemies typically follow fixed patterns and attack the player, although newer action games may make use of more complex artificial intelligence to pursue the player. Enemies sometimes appear in groups or waves, with enemies increasing in strength and number until the end of the level. Enemies may also appear out of thin air. This can involve an invisible spawn point, or
3224-645: A successful milestone in transitioning the Mega Man series from its increasingly stale existence on the NES to the SNES. IGN named it the twelfth-best on its own top 100 SNES games list in 2011. The sequel Mega Man X2 was often praised for providing the player with new content GameSpot editors Christian Nutt and Justin Speer were appreciative of Capcom's attempt at expanding Mega Man X2 over its predecessor in all aspects. By
3348-437: A team at Capcom which had worked on the long-running Mega Man series for the NES. Lead artist Keiji Inafune (credited as a planner as Inemuryar) recounted that the development of Mega Man X required a lot of brainstorming for its storyline and content where the team's goal was to branch out from original Mega Man games while still maintaining their fundamentals. In the original Mega Man series, Inafune typically designed
3472-457: A unique tragic hero similar to Hayao Miyazaki 's works as well as dystopian works in general, compared to Ghost in the Shell , Casshan , as well as other famous gaming icons like 2B from Nier Automata , and Raiden from Metal Gear , who question the nature of his missions. Alexander expressed feeling guilty upon completing the game as the final narration highlighted X's depression over
3596-430: A variety of perspectives. 2D action games typically use a side view or top-down view. The screen frequently scrolls as the player explores the level, although many games scroll through the level automatically to push the player forward. In 3D action games, the perspective is usually tied to the avatar from a first-person perspective or third-person perspective. However, some 3D games offer a context-sensitive perspective that
3720-451: A visible generator which can be destroyed by the player. These points may generate enemies indefinitely, or only up to a certain number. At the end of a level or group of themed levels, players often encounter a boss . This boss enemy will often resemble a larger or more difficult version of a regular enemy. A boss may require a special weapon or attack method, such as striking when the boss opens their mouth, or attacking particular part of
3844-733: A world. Each level involves a variety of challenges, whether dancing in a dance game or shooting things in a shooter, which the player must overcome to win the game. Older games force players to restart a level after dying, although action games evolved to offer saved games and checkpoints to allow the player to restart partway through a level. The obstacles and enemies in a level do not usually vary between play sessions, allowing players to learn by trial and error. However, levels sometimes add an element of randomness, such as an enemy that randomly appears or that takes an unpredictable path. Levels in an action game may be linear or nonlinear , and sometimes include shortcuts. For levels that require exploration,
Mega Man X - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-660: Is an action - platform game series in Capcom 's Mega Man video game franchise. It was developed by Inti Creates , with Co-Producer Keiji Inafune and Director Yoshinori Kawano. The series consists of four games that were first released on the Game Boy Advance and later on the Nintendo DS and the Virtual Console (Wii U). The story plays 200 years after(23XX) the Mega Man X storyline and follows
4092-443: Is controlled by an artificial intelligence camera. Most of what the player needs to know is contained within a single screen, although action games frequently make use of a heads-up display that display important information such as health or ammunition. Action games sometimes make use of maps which can be accessed during lulls in action, or a mini-map that is always visible. Action games tend to set simple goals, and reaching them
4216-528: Is obvious. A common goal is to defeat the end-of-game boss. This is often presented in the form of a structured story, with a happy ending upon winning the game. In some games, the goal changes as the player reveals more of the story. Many action games keep track of the player's score. Points are awarded for completing certain challenges, or defeating certain enemies. Skillful play is often rewarded with point multipliers, such as in Pac-Man where each ghost that
4340-434: Is often under time pressure, and there is not enough time for complex strategic planning. In general, faster action games are more challenging. Action games may sometimes involve puzzle solving, but they are usually quite simple because the player is under immense time pressure. Players advance through an action game by completing a series of levels . Levels are often grouped by theme, with similar graphics and enemies called
4464-589: Is sent out to investigate and find out more about the energy reading, but instead, finds the remaining three Four Guardians fighting against a gigantic Reploid named Omega and encounters an accompanying scientist named Dr. Weil — both who were banished to space for life due to their crimes in instigating the Elf Wars by corrupting the Mother Elf into the Dark Elf. Dr Weil then reveals that he had resurrected Copy X, who then resumes his reign in Neo Arcadia and forces
4588-492: Is the leader of Neo Arcadia and the mastermind behind the Reploid genocide. After defeating the Four Guardians - Copy X's right-hand generals - Zero eventually confronts Copy X and defeats him in battle. While dying, Copy X self-destructs and Zero barely manages to escape. He then finds himself in an endless desert, surrounded by Neo Arcadian troops. Knowing that Neo Arcadia will focus their attention on him, Zero decides to stay in
4712-485: The Mega Man franchise in the form of Mega Man 's successor X including his new skills and power-ups in the form of armors while retaining the ability to decide which boss to fight first. Set 100 years after the original games, the story follows X, the last creation of Dr. Light whose free-willed programming and intelligence allows for countless other free-willed androids called reploids to be produced. When these reploids begin to go "Maverick" and start to rebel against
4836-404: The Mega Man series suggests was a mistake to create", he says that Sigma runs contrary to the previous, optimistic themes of the series, which suggest that technology is ultimately beneficial to mankind, and that robots are "morally neutral tools". He described this "more cynical worldview" as "anti-technology scaremongering." Action game In an action game, the player typically controls
4960-615: The Mega Man X3 team had no plans to provide a sequel until their superiors from Capcom aimed to try the X series on new hardware. The team aimed to make Zero different from X, he was remade as a proper samurai-like warrior who wields a Z-Saber instead of shooting like X. In order to get the approval to make Zero playable, the developers gave him special moves based on the Street Fighter fighting game series to compensate for lacking X's powers. In particular, Capcom struggled in
5084-486: The University of Rochester on college students showed that over a period of a month, performance in eye examinations improved by about 20% in those playing Unreal Tournament compared to those playing Tetris . Most arcade games are action games, because they can be difficult for unskilled players, and thus make more money quickly. Researchers from Helsinki School of Economics have shown that people playing
Mega Man X - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-459: The arcades in the late 1970s. Classic examples of character action games from the early 1980s include Frogger , maze games like Pac-Man , and platformers like Donkey Kong . Shooter games allow the player to take action at a distance using a ranged weapon, challenging them to aim with accuracy and speed. This subgenre includes first-person shooters , third-person shooters , light gun shooters , rail shooters , run and gun games and
5332-509: The first-person shooter (FPS) genre was popularized by Doom ; it is also considered, despite not using 3D polygons, a major leap forward for three-dimensional environments in action games. 3D polygon texture mapping appeared in action games around the mid-1990s, introduced to fighting games by Sega AM2's Virtua Fighter 2 (1994), to light gun shooters by Sega AM2's Virtua Cop in 1994, and to FPS games by Parallax Software 's Descent (1995). Mega Man Zero Mega Man Zero
5456-443: The high score . It also had a basic story with animated characters along with a "crescendo of action and climax" which laid the groundwork for later video games, according to Eugene Jarvis , who said many games "still rely on the multiple life , progressively difficult level paradigm" of Space Invaders . Following the mainstream success of Space Invaders , the industry came to be dominated by action games, which have remained
5580-430: The 1978 release of Taito's shoot 'em up game Space Invaders , which marked the beginning of the golden age of arcade video games . The game was designed by Tomohiro Nishikado , who drew inspiration from Atari 's Breakout (1976) and the science fiction genre. Nishikado added several interactive elements to Space Invaders that he found lacking in earlier video games, such as the ability for enemies to react to
5704-455: The Dark Elf but he fails and Dr. Weil fires him. Dr. Weil creates Roze, Roze try to replace zero but failed. Neige and Craft were introduced in the treasure hunting story. In one story Zero goes crazy and starts destroying stuff, Neige thinks he is possessed by the Dark Elf. Craft comes in and tries to help but gets defeated after getting hit by Zero's Z-Knuckle, Zero steals Neige's car and commits vehicular manslaughter on Omega trying to steal
5828-495: The Dark Elf's location still unknown. During this time, Ciel has finished her research on a new energy supply that allowed virtually unlimited energy generation, which was dubbed the "Ciel System". While en route to Neo Arcadia to propose the Ciel System in hopes of making peace as there would no longer be a reason to continue the genocide on the Reploids, a large spaceship with the Dark Elf's energy reading crashes to Earth. Zero
5952-404: The Dark Elf, the missile attack causes thousands of innocent human casualties. Following this nefarious event, Ciel rescinds her offer to propose the Ciel System, leading Dr. Weil and Copy X to brand the Resistance as Mavericks and subsequently launch an all-out invasion against the Resistance. The Resistance is able to delay the invasion until Zero reaches Copy X and kills him once more, thus making
6076-473: The European region, release of the game has been inconsistent, with it not being released in some nations. No changes were made to the games in comparison with the original versions, but a few new features were added to the compilation, like an artwork gallery and the ability to remap certain actions to different buttons, as well as an "Easy Scenario" mode that allow the four games to be played as if they were
6200-480: The Four Guardians to submit to Dr Weil's will and subsequently demotes them. The Four Guardians, suspecting that Copy X is being heavily influenced by Weil, leave the Neo Arcadian army. The Dark Elf soon reappears in a human residential district in Neo Arcadia. Wishing to capture it, Dr. Weil and Copy X authorise a missile to be launched at the district to incapacitate the Dark Elf. Although successful in capturing
6324-468: The Maverick Hunters ("Irregular Hunters" ( イレギュラーハンター ) ) was formed to combat them. The Maverick Hunters were led by Sigma until he, too, became a Maverick and declared war against the humans, thus starting the Maverick War. X takes it upon himself to join the Maverick Hunters under his superior Zero . Throughout the series, X and Zero battle against the Mavericks to stop their plots to destroy
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#17327732728916448-608: The North American home video game market (after it had crashed in 1983 ). Alongside side-scrollers, rail shooters and light gun shooters also became popular during the mid-to-late 1980s. Popular examples include first-person light gun shooting gallery games such as Nintendo 's Duck Hunt (1984), pseudo-3D third-person rail shooters such as Sega's Space Harrier (1985) and After Burner (1987), and Taito's Operation Wolf (1987) which popularized military-themed first-person light gun rail shooters. A trend that
6572-804: The Resistance that they are headed towards a large, nature-filled settlement in Area Zero, the location where the Eurasia colony crashed during the events of Mega Man X5 more than 100 years ago. The large population of settlements like Area Zero attracts Weil's attention, who reveals a plan to use a meteor-sized space cannon called Ragnarok to vaporize all nature and make Neo Arcadia the only habitable location on Earth, which would force people to stay under his tyrannical rule. Zero eventually makes his way towards Ragnarok and defeats Weil, but not before Weil programs Ragnarok to crash into Area Zero in an attempt to cause immense destruction on Earth. Knowing that there
6696-399: The Resistance to search for the Dark Elf, a powerful, malevolent Cyber-Elf that brought unparalleled destruction to Earth during the Elf Wars - an event that happened during Zero's 100-year absence. Elpizo eventually revives the Dark Elf by finding and destroying the original Mega Man X's physical body, which acted as a seal to keep the Dark Elf contained. Elpizo absorbs the Dark Elf to obtain
6820-399: The action-style gameplay for which the Mega Man franchise is known along with the more adult-themed storyline of the Mega Man X series. This involved adding the newer, non-traditional character Axl to deepen and better the narrative. Kitabayashi emphasized, "He's young, he's running away. He's like the new younger character of the group, and that's why I wanted to put him in there." However,
6944-435: The audience. An interactive movie game known as Rockman X Interactive was in development between December 1995 and 1996; it would have featured several new characters and reportedly greatly influenced the direction of Super Adventure Rockman , another interactive movie which released in 1998. A copy of the design documents were once being sold on Yahoo! Auctions Japan , but were later taken down due to concerns about how
7068-474: The avatar eats will generate twice as many points as the last. Sometimes action games will offer bonus objects that increase the player's score. There is no penalty for failing to collect them, although these bonus objects may unlock hidden levels or special events. In many action games, achieving a high score is the only goal, and levels increase in difficulty until the player loses. Arcade games are more likely to be unbeatable, as they make their money by forcing
7192-452: The beginning with the number of backgrounds they had to draw, but were pleased with results. There were twice as many sprite animation patterns to create. Instead of presenting Repliforce as blatantly evil villains like Sigma, the writing staff decided to leave them some "moral leeway". They did not want the ideals of Repliforce and the Maverick Hunters to be so black-and-white . Ever since the series started, Inafune wanted to add Dr. Wily to
7316-448: The best player, paving the way for the competitive multiplayer and deathmatch modes found in modern action games. Inspired by Street Fighter II , along with the SNK fighting games Fatal Fury (1991) and Art of Fighting (1992), John Romero created the deathmatch mode in id Software 's Doom (1993), which popularized competitive multiplayer online games . In the 1990s, there
7440-401: The boss. In many action games, the avatar has a certain number of hit-markers or health, which are depleted by enemy attacks and other hazards. Sometimes health can be replenished by collecting an in-game object. When the player runs out of health, the player dies. The player's avatar is often given a small number of chances to retry after death, typically referred to as lives . Upon beginning
7564-411: The bosses in the classic series, although their attacks and names are usually based on mechanical or chemical phenomena or laws of physics like in the original games. Defeating a Maverick allows X to use that Maverick's signature weapon. Each boss is particularly weak to one special weapon, so the player may complete the stages in an order that best exploits these weaknesses. Mega Man X was developed by
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#17327732728917688-569: The chaos of war. His popularity led to criticism in Mega Man X7 for being the first and only time to have him unlockable and the player having to use his replacement Axl instead. Meanwhile, Zero stood out mainly in his debut as playable character due to having own iconic techniques. Additionally, Brett Elston from GamesRadar credited Zero as one of the reasons the X series became so popular and that his own popularity within gamers earned him his own video game series. When compared with Zero, X
7812-454: The character models of Mega Man X from 2D to 3D graphics was a challenge, but that including both 2D and 3D gameplay was not, as they had planned to have them in equal amounts for the game. The development team took into account the less-than-favorable reception for Mega Man X6 , but instead of simply trying to make the next game new and fresh with 3D graphics, they decided to focus on "getting 3D right". The team also attempted to build upon
7936-439: The character's hit points, and the ability to charge weapons earned from bosses, which gives them an enhanced secondary fire mode. In later games, there are multiple armor types available that can either be mixed and matched, or completed for additional armor set bonuses. Mega Man X3 is the first game in the series which allows the player to play as X's ally Zero, although his playability is more limited compared to later games in
8060-400: The criticized gameplay elements of Mega Man X7 , making it a much more appealing game than its previous two predecessors. Mega Man X was a commercial success. The SNES version sold 1.165 million copies worldwide as of 2001, IGN's Jeremy Dunham speculated that the game's more mature storyline and its inclusion of numerous gameplay extensions over the original Mega Man series helped create
8184-499: The desert and fight endlessly in hopes of giving Ciel and the resistance the time needed to escape. Set one year after the events of the first game, it is revealed that Zero has been hunting down Neo Arcadian forces in the desert. After defeating yet another group of Neo Arcadian forces, Zero finally collapses due to exhaustion. However, because of unknown reasons, he is rescued by Harpuia, one of Four Guardians and now leader of Neo Arcadia. Although they are enemies, Harpuia brings Zero to
8308-509: The development team chose not to pursue 3D gameplay for Mega Man X8 simply because of its graphical style. The game's main illustrator, Tatsuya Yoshikawa, was an assistant in X7 and took a bigger role. He was responsible for designing the protagonists, the Maverick bosses, and the newer ancillary cast. Yoshikawa took into account what the characters may resemble if they were toys, and even imitated
8432-500: The dominant genre in arcades for a few years, before a new genre of character-driven action games emerged in the early 1980s. The term "action games" began being used in the early 1980s, in reference to a new genre of character action games that emerged from Japanese arcade developers, drawing inspiration from manga and anime culture. According to Eugene Jarvis , these new character-driven Japanese action games emphasized "character development, hand-drawn animation and backgrounds, and
8556-754: The end of the issue, where X travels back in time to get help from Classic Mega Man and Dr. Light; the intention was to publish a comic based on Mega Man X , however Dreamwave shut down before any issues were released. Characters from Mega Man X appeared twice in the Archie Comics series ; the first time was during the Dawn of X arc, and the second time was during the Sonic the Hedgehog crossover Sonic and Mega Man 2: Worlds Unite . Writers noted that prior to his introduction, many fans sent them messages expressing
8680-731: The events leading up to the first level, including Sigma turning Maverick; it was produced by Xebec (who also produced MegaMan NT Warrior and Mega Man Star Force ) and later included in the Legacy Collection . Characters from the X series also appeared in the Mega Man animated series in the episode "Mega X", which was a pitch at an X cartoon that never got off the ground. Several tie-in manga adaptations have been released, mainly serialized in Kodansha 's children's magazine Comic BomBom , its quarterly special issues and its sister magazine Deluxe BomBom . An adaptation of
8804-664: The first four games in the series by Yoshihiro Iwamoto ran from 1994 to 1998 and was collected into 12 volumes. An original story featuring elements from the first Mega Man X game called Irregular Hunter Rockman X by Shigeto Ikehara ran from 1994 to 1995 and was collected into two volumes. The magazine also published several one-shots, including one based on the Mega Mission carddass series by Hitoshi Ariga and an original self-contained story called Team X Shutsujin seyo!! by Daisuke Inoue. Yoshihiro wrote an alternative ending to Mega Man X5 in 2018. The character of X appeared in
8928-415: The first game in the series came out, reviewers were quick to hail a return to what they considered "the Mega Man roots"; however, some fans criticized that the lack of knowing which boss the player will face next was a change for the worse and that it "takes away what made the series unique in the past". Mega Man Zero games have earned generally positive reviews. Review sources both criticized and praised
9052-406: The franchise. The next two games have been critcized for a harsh difficulty caused by poor design, as well as recycled narrative. With the transition to 3D graphics, the general consensus was that the game's mixture of 2D and 3D gameplay was well-intentioned but poorly executed. The latest game, Mega Man X8 , was generally praised for returning to a more classic style of Mega Man gameplay and removing
9176-521: The game leaked online, it was announced that the title was cancelled in August due to the underperformance of Devil May Cry: Pillar of Combat . The original Mega Man series on the NES consisted of 2D platform games that focus on run-and-gun gameplay. Mega Man X uses the same basic principles as its precursors but with many added options. X has, by default beginning with X2 , the ability to dash along
9300-522: The game's rating is T for Teen unlike the original releases which were rated E for Everyone, or E10+ in the case of Mega Man ZX Advent due to the inclusion of the uncensored Japanese versions. A manga series was authored by Hideto Kajima and serialised in CoroCoro Comic ran from June 2003 to February 2006. Unlike the games, the Rockman Zero manga is light-hearted and comical; during
9424-459: The genre of "character-led" action games. It was one of the first popular non-shooting action games, defining key elements of the genre such as "parallel visual processing" which requires simultaneously keeping track of multiple entities, including the player character, the character's location, the enemies, and the energizers. Other classic examples of character action games that followed include Nintendo 's Donkey Kong (1981), which established
9548-754: The ground along with Ragnarok's debris. In the Japanese versions of all four games, characters that were wounded would often spurt blood, or blood-like oil. Much of this was removed in international versions to maintain a child-friendly rating. These changes were not done to the Japanese versions of the games included within the Zero/ZX Legacy Collection . The English version of the Mega Man Zero series has also edited some instances of words such as "die" or "death," replacing them with terms such as "perish," "destroy," or "retire". When
9672-598: The ground, cling to walls, jump off walls, and dash jump to cover greater distance than a normal jump. This all gives X more mobility than his original series counterpart. At certain times, the player can pilot vehicles including in an attack mech and an attack hovercycle . X is also able to locate capsules and tanks that permanently upgrade his armor. These upgrades are all either hidden or require an exceptional feat to reach. Upgrades common to each game are increased maximum hit points, "sub-tanks" which can be filled with surplus health pick-ups and then used at any time to refill
9796-400: The high difficulty level of the game and remarked that they were similar in nature to earlier installments in the Mega Man series. Positive reviews noted the variety of abilities and customization along with an engaging story than compared to its prequel series, while negative reviews focused on the series repetitiveness and lack of originality. Review scores were lower for the last two titles in
9920-426: The human race. Sigma continues using his power and a virus to create more conflicts with the Maverick Hunters and attempt to destroy the planet in the process. While X and Zero also gain new allies, in Mega Man X7 they work with the missing Maverick, Axl, who becomes their partner. In the latest game, Mega Man X8 , it is revealed New Generation Reploids are doomed to become Sigma copies with the original Sigma dying in
10044-489: The humans under the command of Sigma , X decides to make up for his creations by joining the Hunters. Throughout the series, he is partnered by his superior Zero , who becomes a playable character from Mega Man X3 onwards. A third character named Axl , joins the group from Mega Man X7 onwards. For the remake Mega Man Maverick Hunter X , the antagonist Vile debuted as a playable character. While at first Zero possess
10168-522: The invasion lose steam. However, Dr. Weil then succeeds Copy X as the new ruler of Neo Arcadia and announces his true intention for capturing the Dark Elf, which is to fuse the Dark Elf with Omega and link them with a colossal frequency transmitter that would enable Omega to control the minds of every Reploid on Earth. Dr. Weil justifies this as vengeance against both humanity and Reploids for his exile in space. Zero eventually confronts and kills Omega in two different forms, but Omega then reveals his true form —
10292-443: The joints of Revoltech figures. Similar to his previous work in X7 , Yoshikawa wanted the designs to pander to his feelings about the first Mega Man X game while still following his own ideas too. The three main characters were revised for Mega Man X8 as Yoshikawa planned to give them more unique features to contrast their personalities. In Maverick Hunter X , the player can unlock an OVA called The Day of Sigma that details
10416-420: The level is completed with time remaining, this usually adds to the player's score. In most action games, the player controls a single avatar as the protagonist . The avatar has the ability to navigate and maneuver, and often collects or manipulates objects. They have a range of defenses and attacks, such as shooting or punching. Many action games make use of a powerful attack that destroys all enemies within
10540-547: The mid-1980s, side-scrolling character action games emerged, combining elements from earlier side-view, single-screen character action games, such as single-screen platformers, with the side-scrolling of space shooters. These new side-scrolling character-driven action games featured large character sprites in colorful, side-scrolling environments, with the core gameplay consisting of fighting large groups of weaker enemies using attacks/weapons such as punches, kicks, guns, swords, ninjutsu or magic. The most notable early example
10664-447: The navigator Alia might be the most fitting heroine in the series in contrast to the tragic Iris from Mega Man X4 . Alia stood out as the only female character, which Suetsugu did not mind since the game is aimed towards a young demographic. As the idea of having a calm woman as navigator proved difficult to execute, the other navigator Roll Caskett from Mega Man Legends was used as a reference. Kitabayashi explained that transitioning
10788-475: The obscure Brazilian comic Novas Aventuras de Mega Man (translated as The New Adventures of Mega Man ), where he is Classic Mega Man and Roll 's younger brother; the comic rather notoriously implies that all three characters are attracted to each other in a sexual manner. Similarly, the fourth and final issue of the Dreamwave Productions comic series included a short story with Mega Man X at
10912-451: The one who saves the day, and has been compared to a Mary Sue . Other characters in the Zero games do appear in the manga but with some differences in personality, like Ciel whose personality was changed to be more hands-on and a bit ruthless, The Guardians, and Copy-X. There are some other characters that appear in the manga like Cial, Ciel's evil sister who created Copy-X. Fifty years later
11036-463: The original Zero left for a mission, Lito (now an old man) uses all the information he learned about reploids and the original Zero, he creates another Zero. This Zero is fitted with the "Hero of justice Circuits" allowing him to access his weapons like his over-utilized Z-Knuckle, and be ready for action but with a downside of him acting like a child. His activation results in Zero accidentally blowing up Lito's house. He soon comes across Omega, His design
11160-563: The original series' villain Dr. Wily had "a side to him you couldn't really hate". Sigma, however, was written as a once-good character suffering an "unforeseen error" that leads him to be completely evil. Starting with Mega Man X2 , Inafune wanted to use a computer virus as a plot device, something he considered a more interesting idea than a tangible villain. This led to the creation of the Sigma Virus seen in Mega Man X3 onwards. Originally,
11284-503: The platforming of Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. (1983) with side-scrolling elements from racing game Excitebike (1984) and beat 'em up Kung-Fu Master to create Super Mario Bros. (1985) for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It went on to have a significant impact on the video game industry , establishing the conventions of the side-scrolling platformer sub-genre and helping to reinvigorate
11408-535: The player can rescue Reploids to replenish health and acquire upgrades not otherwise available. In X7 , the playable character Axl is introduced. Axl utilizes two guns known as Axl Bullets. In X8 , a tag system is introduced, along with a new Double Attack feature, where the two selected characters can attack at the same time. Mavericks serve like a boss . The stage boss Mavericks are based on various types of organisms (usually animals, but plants and fungi are also represented) instead of being humanoid, as were most of
11532-475: The player character's health and lives , and the player receives a game over when they run out of lives. Alternatively, the player gets to the end of the game by finishing a sequence of levels to complete a final goal, and see the credits . Some action games, such as early arcade games , are unbeatable and have an indefinite number of levels. The player's only goal is to get as far as they can, to maximize their score. The action genre includes any game where
11656-437: The player may need to search for a level exit that is hidden or guarded by enemies. Such levels can also contain secrets—hidden or hard-to-reach objects or places that contain something valuable. The prize can be a bonus (see below) or a non-standard exit that allows a player to access a hidden level, or jump ahead several levels. Action games sometimes offer a teleporter that will cause the player's avatar to re-appear elsewhere in
11780-403: The player overcomes challenges by physical means such as precise aim and quick response times. Action games can sometimes incorporate other challenges such as races, puzzles, or collecting objects, but they are not central to the genre. Players may encounter tactical and exploration challenges, but these games first-and-foremost require high reaction speed and good hand–eye coordination. The player
11904-523: The player to lose the game. Games sold at home are more likely to have discrete victory conditions, since a publisher wants the player to purchase another game when they are done. Action games contain several major subgenres. However, there are a number of action games that do not fit any particular subgenres, as well as other types of genres like adventure or strategy games that have action elements. Character action games , also called "character-driven" games, "character games" or just "action games", are
12028-407: The player's movement and fire back and a game over triggered by enemies killing the player, either by getting hit or enemies reaching the bottom of the screen, rather than a timer running out. In contrast to earlier arcade games which often had a timer, Space Invaders introduced the "concept of going round after round." It also gave the player multiple lives before the game ends, and saved
12152-408: The possibilities X presented, Cain disregarded the warnings Light had logged in the capsule and created a legion of robots that replicated X's free will; these robots were called "Reploids" ("Repliroids" ( レプリロイド ) in Japan). A number of Reploids turned against humans led by the rebellious Reploid Sigma . These Reploids are dubbed "Mavericks" ("Irregulars" ( イレギュラー ) in Japan), and a force called
12276-401: The previous Legacy Collection releases this one contains bonus content and a new gameplay mode known as Z Chaser, a time-trial based mini-game. It was originally set for release on January 21, 2020 (worldwide) and January 23, 2020 (in Japan), but was delayed until February 25, 2020 and February 27, 2020 respectively. Like with Mega Man X Legacy Collection and Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 ,
12400-458: The process in his final showdown with the Hunters. After the series reached an unresolved cliffhanger, a game entitled Mega Man X Dive was released by Capcom Taiwan in which a human plays Mega Man X , until due in part to some corrupted data known as Maverick Data, he/she gets transported into the Deep Log, a massive database with data on every Mega Man game. The player must progress through
12524-442: The protagonist while his protégé Hayato Kaji handled the supporting characters. However, their roles were reversed for Mega Man X . Inafune and Kaji worked simultaneously on the various designs for X with different pieces of armor attached. The idea for the armor parts came about because the game was planned during a time when role-playing video games were becoming extremely popular. Inafune felt that Mega Man had always represented
12648-431: The re-awakened Zero , who is fighting in a war between humans and Reploids, self-aware, human-like robots who are oppressed and hunted down by mankind due to a worldwide energy shortage crisis. Together with the human scientist Ciel, Zero helps the Reploid resistance survive and fights against other Reploids sent by mankind to destroy them. However, this is only the setup for the story and events change drastically throughout
12772-447: The release of Mega Man X4 , critics praised the added option to play through the game as either X or Zero, noting that the drastic differences in the way the characters played the same levels added to the game's replay value. The English voice acting was still criticized for poor performances. Mega Man X5 was generally well-received as an appealing sidescroller, although several sites commented that it did not contribute new major ideas to
12896-405: The respective mission(s) in each area is completed. However, Mega Man Zero 2 and later entries removed this and returned to the traditional Mega Man format that allowed the player to select a mission from a stage select screen. The game mechanics slightly change with every entry of the series. Zero is given a variety of weapons to use and can level them up to unlock new abilities, although this
13020-426: The same level. Levels often make use of locked doors that can only be opened with a specific key found elsewhere in the level. Action games sometimes make use of time restrictions to increase the challenge. However, game levels typically do not react to time passing, and day/night cycles are rare. When the timer expires, the player typically loses a life, although some games generate a difficult enemy or challenge. If
13144-647: The same skills as X, he becomes a swordsman in Mega Man X4 . The video games have also inspired several spin-offs that deal with other villains while several manga adaptations have been produced. Critical reception to the Mega Man X series was generally positive for its faster-paced action in comparison to the original series, but the continuous release of installments led to criticism about Mega Man X lacking innovations. A sequel series titled Mega Man Zero followed, and focused on its titular character while several crossovers involving X and other characters from
13268-705: The scrambled code of the Maverick Wars, Elf Wars , and the Game Of Destiny , to destroy the Maverick Data causing the slow corruption of the Deep Log. In contrast to the Mega Man Zero and ZX sequel series, the spin-off Mega Man X: Command Mission instead is set in a future where X is a veteran Maverick Hunter dealing with rebellions. Capcom expressed their desire to portray X and Zero as stronger versions in this spin-off of their previous incarnations even if they come across as out-of-character to
13392-403: The seller obtained them. In 2010, Armature Studio, a development studio founded by the creators of Metroid Prime , were developing a first-person shooter trilogy titled Maverick Hunter , which was intended to build on the mythology of Mega Man X . However, it was cancelled by Capcom after six months of development due to it being considered a "significant gamble" for the company. The game
13516-430: The series have been produced. The plot focuses on " X ", a mechanical being created by Dr. Thomas Light . He is a new type of robot with the ability to think, feel, and make his own decisions . Recognizing the potential danger of this model, Light sealed X away in a diagnostic capsule for over 30 years of testing. X's capsule is uncovered by an archaeologist named Dr. Cain almost 100 years after X's creation. Excited by
13640-569: The series, three kids (one of them named Lito) went to an abandoned lab and released a reploid named Zero who saves them from a giant snake, Zero has two forms. His Hero form depicts him with his helmet on and has a serious personality. His normal form has his hair loose and is often depicted as weak with a skittish personality. His hero form activates whenever he is under stress. Whenever he switches back from hero to normal he does not retain his memories of him fighting and suffers from amnesia . Lito follows Zero through his journeys but often ends up being
13764-558: The series, with critics pointing out that the games were just using the same gameplay without introducing anything new. Capcom bundled all four Mega Man Zero games in a single release for the Nintendo DS titled Mega Man Zero Collection ( Rockman Zero Collection in Japan). The game was released in North America on June 8, 2010, two days later in Japan and Australia, and was slated for release in Europe on 11 June 2010, however, in
13888-433: The series. Similar to the Mega Man X series, the Mega Man Zero series is a two-dimensional action platform game with run and gun elements that places a heavy emphasis on memorizing boss patterns and selecting the correct weapons to use against enemies. Unlike the previous series, the stages of Mega Man Zero are inside of areas that are part of a larger map, and the player can freely explore these areas once
14012-467: The series. He relies on his saber almost exclusively starting in X4 . Zero is more melee-oriented than X by using a "Z-Saber" sword. Rather than acquiring weapons from the bosses (with the exception of his Giga Attack), Zero learns special techniques that do not require ammo such as the "Hienkyaku" air-dash and "Kuuenbu" double-jump. However, Zero cannot upgrade any of his body parts in this game. In X6 and X7 ,
14136-448: The story leading to the twist of Mega Man X4 that reveals he created Zero to set the climax of the series. Mega Man X5 was originally intended to be the final game in the Mega Man X series. According to Keiji Inafune, he had little to do with the title and told the staff his idea. Much to the dismay of Inafune, Capcom decided to publish Mega Man X6 the following year, in which Zero survived his fight from X5 . Suetsugu believed that
14260-539: The story of a criminal, as seen in the popular Grand Theft Auto franchise. Although shooting is almost always a form of violence, non-violent shooters exist as well, such as Splatoon which focuses on claiming more territory than the opposing team, by covering the playable environment with colored paint or ink. Hybrid action games are games that combine elements of action games with elements from other genres. Studies have shown that people can improve their eyesight by playing action video games. Tests by scientists at
14384-441: The template for the platform game subgenre, as well as Konami 's Frogger (1981) and Universal Entertainment 's Lady Bug (1981). Martial arts action games eventually emerged in the mid-1980s, with Data East 's Karate Champ (1984) establishing the one-on-one fighting game subgenre. While Japanese developers were creating a character-driven action game genre in the early 1980s, American developers largely adopted
14508-681: Was Irem 's Kung-Fu Master (1984), the first beat 'em up and the most influential side-scrolling martial arts action game. It was based upon two Hong Kong martial arts films, Bruce Lee 's Game of Death (1973) and Jackie Chan 's Wheels on Meals (1984), This side-scrolling arcade action format became popular during the mid-to-late 1980s, with examples including ninja action games such as Taito's The Legend of Kage (1985) and Sega 's Shinobi (1987), run and gun video games such as Namco 's Rolling Thunder (1986), and beat 'em ups such as Technōs Japan 's Renegade (1986) and Double Dragon (1987). Shigeru Miyamoto combined
14632-766: Was a "3D Revolution" where action games made the transition from 2D and pseudo-3D graphics to real-time 3D polygon graphics . 3D arcade system boards that were originally designed for 3D racing games during the late 1980s to early 1990s, such as the Namco System 21 , Sega Model 1 and Sega Model 2 , were used to produce 3D arcade action games in the early 1990s, including 3D rail shooters such as Namco 's Galaxian 3 (1990) and Solvalou (1991), 3D fighting games such as Sega AM2 's Virtua Fighter (1993) and Namco's Tekken (1994), and 3D light gun shooters such as Sega AM2's Virtua Cop (1994) and Namco's Time Crisis (1995). On personal computers ,
14756-400: Was changed, and his size is that of a regular reploid. He is looking for the Dark Elf (was not explained how it escaped) but Zero defeats Omega making him the new hero of the village. Zero soon befriends a cyber elf frog named Kwappa who was abandoned after some war (not known if it's the elf wars) and becomes Zero's sidekick. Omega tries multiple attempts to defeat Zero while also trying to find
14880-462: Was often seen as the less compelling character, with Zero being the more memorable of the two. The villain Sigma Sigma was praised for his backstory, resulting in the story of Mega Man X having unclear morality. Patrick Lee of The A.V. Club , however, stated that Sigma is "exactly the sort of boogeyman anti-progress allegories are built around". Saying that he is the "first piece of technology
15004-461: Was one of the several cancelled Mega Man games of the 2010s, which also included Legends 3 , Online , Universe and Star Force 4 . Rockman XZ: Time Rift was first revealed in September 2020 on NebulaJoy's official website, which included the game's logo. It was a crossover game between the X and Zero series for mobile phones, in a similar vein to X DiVE . Shortly after footage of
15128-482: Was only one option to save the Earth, Zero rejects Ciel's plea to transfer out of Ragnarok and back to the Resistance Base and sacrifices his life to destroy Ragnarok's core before it crashes to Earth. Ciel, watching the pieces of Ragnarok fall to Earth, promises to recreate the Earth as a better place where there will once again be peace between Reploids and humans. The series ends with an image of Zero's shattered helmet on
15252-517: Was popularized for action games in the early 1990s was competitive multiplayer , including what would later be known as esports tournaments. The arcade fighting game Street Fighter II (1991) by Capcom popularized the concept of direct, tournament-level competition between two players. Previously, action games most often relied on high scores to determine the best player, but this changed with Street Fighter II , where players would instead challenge each other directly, "face-to-face," to determine
15376-574: Was removed from Mega Man Zero 3 and onward as the abilities become accessible from the start of the game. A new entry in the series was the Score and Level System, which gives the player a score out of 100 and its corresponding level depending on how well they performed on each mission. The series also introduces the Cyber-Elf system, which allows Zero to equip small helper beings known as "Cyber Elves" to assist him in combat. After feeding them with
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