Which Flavor of Mega Man do you prefer? Original or X?

[TheRev]

Well Zero in the X games controls very differently than he does in the Zero games.

Zero in X4-6 is more like Ninja Gaiden than it is like Mega Man. X7 and X8 he's looser.

[Gunstar Green]

I think if I were to compare both series, I would go with classic Mega Man. Yeah you can joke they just made the same game over and over but to someone who really enjoys the series each has subtle refinements that make them worth playing.

I kind of compare Mega Man games to music albums. They're short, satisfying, sometimes experimental but usually comfortably familiar. I really adore the simplicity and cleverness of their design. The reason the formula was so overused and copied is because it's something that 8-bit games rarely got right.

That said Mega Man X itself is my favorite game in the entire series. I feel it's the ultimate refinement of the formula and an incredibly polished work. It goes beyond being a great game in a good series and stands out on its own.

I think that all of the cards were left on the table with Mega Man X though. X2 and X3 were fine games but felt a little hollow after the initial effort. X4 was a good attempt at using new technology to beef up the series but after that it all kind of falls apart. None of them truly build on the first in a meaningful way or manage to be as memorable. Worst of all the more they experimented the worse a game ended up being, but that probably also has to do with a lack of budget and development time.

Where every addition in the original series up to at least 4 (and arguably again in 6 with the Rush Adapters) was kind of a game changer, Mega Man X felt like it was just adding gimmicks that it didn't need to and by X5 onward the simplicity that I loved in the first place started to get a little bogged down by the gimmicks.

So overall I'll take the original Blue Bomber though I'm a fan of all the side scrolling platformers.

[Xeogred]

Well said. An issue I also have with the later X games is how hilariously short the levels got sometimes. You'd think on beefier hardware they could have gotten bigger, but it went the complete opposite. I'm not sure which of the X's would be my favorite, though I just ran through all of them again last year and X2 stood out a lot this time actually. X is a classic but super easy once you know it pretty well, so X2 took that up a notch with tougher bosses... although Sigma is a total joke in that one. All in all X-X4 are all top notch to me.

In comparison now, I'd say the original games never gave me that vibe... finishing a level and thinking "that was it?", some were very short, but never really felt rushed or incomplete.

Believe me, I take the X stories more seriously than needed, but yeah I'd also easily argue the series ended up "trying too hard" towards the end there and that's what brought down the later games from X5 and up. Just a lot of needless stuff thrown in.

Although there's far more nostalgia behind the X series for me, I'd have no problem admitting the Zero games told a much better and more mature story, with an absolute conclusion that couldn't be milked. So it told one complete big consistent story, for that the series stands out to me. Still third tier for me, but yeah I loved how it broke the tropes when it comes to MM plots. I'll agree I didn't love some of the designs, but I'd easily take silent protagonist Zero over "I'm an S-Rank hunter who does half the work behind the scenes!" Zero in the X series...

(still fun to play as him in X4-X6 though).

[Flake]

I only played X and X2, but I think that is true, which is perhaps why I like it more. I haven't played the X games where you get to play Zero though, presumably those have similar gameplay?

...

Between Classic and X I prefer X without a doubt.

Keep it that way. If you never play another X game or stop with X4, you'll be the gamer I wish I could still be.

[WallCrusher]

In terms of consistence, I'd say the original series is superior. Although I am in the minority, Mega Man 4 is one of my most favorite games in the franchise, and I also love MM7 and 10 a whole bunch as well.

The X series is more of a roller coaster in quality. First three games on SNES are awesome, simply put, and X4 is a pretty solid game aside from some niggling issues that I have with it. Everything beyond that is a mixed bag, however.

[Erik_Twice]

I think if I were to compare both series, I would go with classic Mega Man. Yeah you can joke they just made the same game over and over but to someone who really enjoys the series each has subtle refinements that make them worth playing

I present you the most amazing tool-assisted speedrun ever made:


Megaman 3,4,5, and 6 beaten with the same input at the same time.

[WallCrusher]

That is amazingly ridiculous.

[AppleQueso]

I think if I were to compare both series, I would go with classic Mega Man. Yeah you can joke they just made the same game over and over but to someone who really enjoys the series each has subtle refinements that make them worth playing

I present you the most amazing tool-assisted speedrun ever made:


Megaman 3,4,5, and 6 beaten with the same input at the same time.

I once attempted something like this, but I was trying to beat 8 instances of Street Fighter II with all 8 characters at the same time.

I didn't do very well.

[o.pwuaioc]

Has this been posted yet?

[marurun]

I concur with what some have already pointed out: while there are some less-than-stellar entries in the classic Mega Man line, the titles are, in general, pretty consistent. They are also, despite being quite challenging games, easier to deal with since you only have to keep track of so many things. Mega Man X has some outstanding titles (x1, x3), but it also has some titles of questionable value. The highs and lows do not even out quite as neatly as MM classic.

I do not necessarily know what I'm getting into when I sit down with an MMX title, but I typically do when I sit down with an MM game. That's worth something to me.