Mega Man X: Command Mission
North American cover art for PlayStation 2
Developer(s)Capcom Production Studio 3
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Yoshinori Takenaka
Producer(s)Tatsuya Kitabayashi
Koji Nakajima
Artist(s)Ryuji Higurashi
Composer(s)Shinya Okada
Yuko Komiyama
Seiko Kobuchi
SeriesMega Man X
Platform(s)GameCube, PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: July 29, 2004
  • NA: September 21, 2004
  • EU: November 19, 2004
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Mega Man X: Command Mission, known in Japan as Rockman X: Command Mission (ロックマンＸコマンドミッション), is a turn-based role-playing video game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The game is the spin-off to the Mega Man X franchise. It was released in Japan on July 29, 2004, with releases in North America and Europe following that September and November.

Command Mission takes place in the 23rd century, when a metallic substance called Force Metal is discovered that revolutionizes engineering for Reploids, humanoid androids with human-level intelligence. When an assault on a Force Metal mining island occurs, a Maverick Hunter team led by the veteran hero X is sent out in response. Across the story, X forms a group to stand against the Mavericks who trying to use Force Metals. These characters are controlled in encounters involving parties of three characters who can use their own special techniques in order to defeat the enemeis.

The game was developed by many of the team members who previously worked on Capcom's Breath of Fire series of role-playing games. According to the producer of Command Mission, a plot-focused role-playing game based on the Mega Man X games was created because the series is well known for its action and storyline. In order to flesh out the game, new characters were created to aid the famous X and his fellow allies. Moreover, their characterizations where altered in order to fit in this new game with a new design being created specifically for the main character.

Command Mission was met with a mostly average critical response. Reviewers generally praised its battle system, comparing it other famous role-playing games, but still felt its true potential was not taken. Meanwhile, the plot was also the subject of mixed response for its short length and lack of depth in the supporting characters. Nevertheless, Command Mission received positive sales.

Gameplay

A boss battle against Silver Horn in the game in which the player is using X, Spider and Massimo. X is attacking the boss with his buster while Spider is in his Hyper Mode which makes him barely visible.

Unlike the action-platformers of the Mega Man X series, Command Mission is a turn-based role-playing video game. The game follows a narrative that forces the player to go to the different stages in order, which abandons the stage select feature of many games. The action is split between a field screen and a battle screen, with the player always in the center of the field of view and with a map of the surrounding area in the bottom-right hand corner of the screen.[1] Player spend their time in one of the situations described below. The hub area linked to Central Tower. From here, players transfer to the different Adventure Stages. They can visit previously completed Adventure Stages, as well as ones vital to progressing through the story. Similar to other Mega Man X games, stages are spread around Giga City, which have to be cleared to progress through the story. Most of the time, the adventure stages are "empty", with enemies appearing randomly throughout the level as with traditional RPGs.[2] While the game is primarily linear, upon completing missions and the game the player can re-explore the previous areas and find hidden bosses.[3]

Throughout the game, the player may come across abandoned robots. Collecting them enables the player to deploy robots to Adventure Stages, where they can then search for money, information, data or rare items. Some robots may require special parts in order to be used. As with many RPGs, characters or enemies can be induced to enter different states of affliction that may affect their performance during battle. These status effects can all be healed by "Cure One," or "Cure All" except "DOA". Some names were changed due to the fact the characters are machines.[4] The game features the appearance of Force Metals, special alloys from meteorites that fell from outer space. Reploids and robots equipped with Force Metals gain special abilities, however, the energy that these metals exude may have unwanted side effects if the character is overloaded past force metal tolerance. X and his companions can equip these Force Metals, which can be made from special recipes collected from Deployment Missions. However, they can only equip a certain number of Force Metals. They give Reploids special abilities. Exceeding the amount they can equip may lead to them becoming Maverick, which results in them starting battle with random afflictions including but not limited to the above. Finally, some Force Metals may cancel out the side-effects when equipped.[5]

There are a few differences between the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions of the game. The GameCube version makes use of the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable, in which players can connect a Game Boy Advance (GBA) to the GameCube, enabling the use of a special radar function to find secret items. A radar screen appears on the GBA screen, showing the immediate area around the player, the direction the player is facing and the location of any hidden items.[6] The PlayStation 2 version features an unlockable demo of Mega Man X8 instead.[7]

Plot

The main cast (from left to right): Marino, Axl, Massimo, Cinnamon, X, Spider and Zero.

Mega Man X Command Mission takes place during an unspecified year in the 23rd century ("22XX AD") where the mechanical beings known as Reploids coexist with humans. A new substance known as Force Metal is extracted from the debris of a small meteorite. Technology based on the metal revolutionizes the field of Reploid Engineering. Giga City, an artificial island in the middle of an ocean, is built for the mining and smelting of Force Metal. A band of Reploids arm themselves and launch an assault on the island.[8] Its leader, Epsilon, is branded a criminal "Maverick" by the government, and a Maverick Hunter team is dispatched by Colonel Redips to Giga City in order to liberate it from the grasp of Epsilon's Rebellion. X, Zero, and a Hunter named Shadow travel to the ruins.[9] However, Shadow betrays the team and Epsilon's cadre appears and knocks Zero away.[10]

X has no choice but to escape and gather a resistance team led by Chief R to assist in defeating the minions of the Rebellion Army, quickly siding with Chief R and the bounty hunter Spider.[11][12] The three find new allies including Steel Massimo, a Reploid who is the successor of the former Massimo who was destroyed by the Rebellion Army; Nana, a navigator who was abducted by Epsilon's forces;[13] Marino, a thief interested in targeting trade secrets;[14] and Cinnamon, a Reploid capable of producing Force Metal.[15] X also reunites with Zero and his other ally, Axl, who is searching for somebody who possesses his own copy abilities.[16] X's group manages to defeat the Rebellion Army but Spider presumably dies in the process.[17] Epsilon was not a Maverick but instead a puppet controlled by Redips instead. Redips is revealed to be the real Spider, having used the same powers as Axl to spy on the Maverick Hunters by disguising as Spider.[18] Redips overpowers the group but one of Epsilon's underlings, Ferham, helps the group by removing part of the Force Metal from Redips. With Redips weakened, X's party is able to defeat him.[19]

A defeated Redips berates the heroes for their unwillingness to evolve using Supra-Force Metal before dying.[20] Ferham appears holding the Supra-Force Metal and apologizes to X for all the trouble she caused before leaping off the elevator, planning to self-destruct, dying in the process.[21] The elevator then begins to crumble, forcing them to get inside to survive the fall back to Earth. Meanwhile, Nana watches from the Earth as Ferham destroys the Supra-Force Metal, creating a shower of aurora as it hits the atmosphere. Elsewhere, the heroes exit the fallen elevator, having landed in the middle of the ocean.

In epilogue narration, it is revealed that due to Colonel Redips' treason being unveiled to the public, Epsilon was posthumously cleared of his Maverick status, and peace returns to Giga City.

Development and release

Mega Man X: Command Mission was first announced and presented by producer Koji Nakajima at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2003. Nakajima promised that action fans will still like Mega Man's new direction due to how they would handle the returning characters X and Zero.[22] It was developed by Capcom Production Studio 3 and many of the team members that worked on Mega Man X7 and Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter.[7][23] Long-time producer and artist Keiji Inafune had always viewed the Mega Man X series in the action genre. He flatly refused when it was requested that he make it into an RPG.[24] When asked why the team chose to make Mega Man X into an RPG, producer Tatsuya Kitabayashi explained, "Mega Man X is respected as an action game, but also has a good story. So we've decided to focus on the story, which is why I'm creating an RPG based on Mega Man X."[25] Kitabayashi considered Command Mission a sequel rather side-story or the beginning of a new series because the plot is complete at the end of the game.[25]

Based on their experience with the Breath of Fire series, the team created a new battle system for the game but found it difficult. "It's really difficult to create a battle mode system," Kitabayashi elaborated. "Mega Man has been about jumping and shooting in an action setting, so I needed to add a new system for this game. It was quite difficult to create something that is action-like but still has an RPG-like fighting mode." The new system was inspired by the Whack-a-mole game.[25] When the game's production began, the Hyper Mode was exclusive to the playable characters X and Zero. However, because this gave them too large of an advantage over other party members, all other characters were given one Hyper Mode while X and Zero were given two each. This was mainly to balance the strength of each party member with Marino initially standing out. Putting some restrictions on healing made things more interesting for the Capcom designer. Depleting the energy of the character's subtanks mean that there was no way to restore the player's health anymore, making the game system more challenging. Cross Orders are used to mark the pace, but since action games are all about being good at them, they tried to make that into the decisive factor. As a result, the Action Triggers of Zero and Axl can be ugraded across the game. The Final Strike system was decided by the amount of playable characters and similarities with sentai-like works.[26]

X's characterization was altered to give him a stronger persona now that he is a more iconic hero and leads several characters. In order to make him more appealing, the protagonist was also redesigned as the artists found his classic look too plain. Ryuji Higurashi, a veteran artist of the Mega Man X series, acted as the game's chief character designer.[24] When he learned that the game was to take place in the same time period as the Mega Man Zero series, Higurashi added several features to his designs to Command Mission to reflect their relation. However, he was initially somewhat sceptical about the changes requested for the character X.[27] Artist Keisuke Mizuno assisted Higurashi in the making of the visuals, most notably the 3D models.[28] Up until its development, the Mega Man series has focused more on male characters in the battlefield which led to the idea of including more female characters for a change. In regards to the antagonists, the narrative primarily explores the concept of how X and his allies face rebellious mechanical soldiers, Reploids, who become known as Maverick when they start causing crimes. In Command Mission, the team wanted to make the narrative properly explore the characterization of each Maverick as they have their own reasons for their crimes, most notably due to the concept of Force Metal that the protagonists wield in combat and the overuse can result into transforming them into Mavericks. The villain antagonist was pointed out by the staff to have his motives to be have such role but the final boss was instead a character who loses his own self in the ending.[26] The development also decided not to include a New Game Plus option because the game is an RPG rather than an action game. Instead, they included incredibly difficult, secret bosses that were originally part of the storyline.[29]

The game was released in Japan on July 29, 2004.[24] The Western port was first released in North America on September 21, 2004,[30] and in Europe on November 19, 2004.[31] The game's musical score was composed by Shinya Okada, Yuko Komiyama, and Seiko Kobuchi. A total of 58 tracks were compiled and released on a CD soundtrack by Suleputer in Japan on September 23, 2004. Asami Abe performed both the opening theme, "Jounetsu Setsuna" (A Moment of Passion), and the closing theme, "Parts".[32] The game was released in Japan on July 29, 2004; in North America on September 21, 2004; and in Europe on November 19, 2004.[24][30][31] The North American PS2 version includes an unlockable demo version of Mega Man X8.[6] To coincide with the release the launch of the game in North America, NubyTech announced Mega Man-themed game controllers for both console versions.[33] However, only the GameCube version of the controller arrived with the release of Mega Man X Collection in early 2006.[34][35]

Reception

Command Mission received mixed reviews from critics. The PS2 version holds a 69 out of 100 on Metacritic, while the GameCube version holds a 67 out of 100 respectively.[36][37] Official Nintendo Magazine claimed Command Mission was a decent RPG with an "interesting" universe; however the staff found its genre too different from other entries in the Mega Man X series, which were platformers that required quick reflexes, and thus fans of the series used to the platform style would not enjoy it.[43] The battle system was generally praised, with the concept of pressing combinations of buttons to pull off techniques or improve a technique's power said to be one of the game's highlights.[7][41] A common complaint has been the short length and linearity of the game.[6][41] Despite comparing the gameplay with the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy X role-playing game, 1UP.com felt the game still lacked the depths that made Final Fantasy X stand.[38] RPGamer had no problems with the gameplay system due to customization of Metal Forces and balancing of healing items, and offensive attacks he compared with Shadow Hearts but said the story would be better appreciated by returning gamers than casual gamers.[44] RPGFan had mixed opinions in regards to the gameplay, praising the handling of the Hyper Mode and Metals as they can be appropriately used but critcized the few healing items that are accessible especially early in the game.[45] One reviewer stated that the game was "too far on the easy side".[7] Though reviewers liked the cel-shaded and colorful look of the game, Phil Theobald of GameSpy noted that "most of the environments tend to be rather bland and end up looking a lot alike."[41] GamePro said the there are not unique material in the gameplay despite noting enjoyable puzzles.[40]

In regards to the story, RPGamer found it "decent" based on pacing and twists, though he still found it more fitting for veterans.[44] X was praised by GameSpy due to the series giving him a more elaborated storyline and characterized him as a veteran.[41] RPGFan regarded X, Zero, and Axel as one of the best-written characters in Command Mission but lamented the supporting cast are not that engaging in comparison.[45] 1UP.com critcized how early in the story Zero is removed from combat despite his fame while the main story did not have a major impact in the reviewer.[38] While finding the narrative too simple, GamePro believes the usage of new and returning characters in the story has the potential to give X's story an alternative path to follow.[40] While Anthony Hubeny from Stockholm University commented on X's portrayal to be stereotypical hero written to appeal to a young audience due to the lighthearted premise, there are several occasions in which the plot takes a dark twist which harms X or one of his allies. This results in X taking a more realistic persona where the group is more serious. As a result, Hubeny viewed X as a knight holding virtues who almost always tries to talk to the enemy before resorting to violence and often showing noteworthy chivalry.[46]

Comparing the versions, IGN and RPGamer criticized that the GameCube version has a much higher random encounter rate, but also cited a smoother frame rate and marginal improvements in graphics.[7] GameSpot called the GameCube version "a bit crisper".[6][44] According to Famitsu, the PS2 version sold 36,635 units, making it the 312th best-selling game in the region for 2004. The GameCube version sold 18,599 units, making it the 460th best-selling game in Japan for that year.[47] Battle system designer Togawa Yugo expressed a desire to create a sequel. This hypothetical "Command Mission 2" would have featured enemies visible on the field instead of random encounters.[25] Both Den of Geek and NintendoLife also listed Command Mission as one of the best games in the entire franchise.[48][49] Nintendo Life also listed it as a game they would like in the Switch.[50]

References

General
  • Sepelak, Greg (2004). Mega Man X Command Mission Official Strategy Guide. BradyGames. ISBN 978-0-7440-0399-4.
Specific
  1. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 8.
  2. ↑ "Mega Man X: Command Mission". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 68.
  4. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 5.
  5. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 6.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Massimilla, Bethany (September 21, 2004). "Mega Man X Command Mission for Gamecube Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dunham, Jeremy (September 14, 2004). "Mega Man X Command Mission - GameCube Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
  8. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 46.
  9. ↑ Capcom (September 2004). Mega Man X: Command Mission (Sony PlayStation 2). Capcom. Redips: Your mission is to infiltrate Giga City and halt the activities of Epsilon's organization, the Rebellion. I'm afraid the team that went in before you has likely perished. You are our final hope. If you fail this mission, then we... We will have no choice but to launch an indiscriminate assault on Giga City. The whereabouts of Epsilon are unknown. But, we're getting an energy reading from a certain area of ruins. Survey the ruins first.
  10. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 12.
  11. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 14.
  12. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 15.
  13. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 30.
  14. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 34.
  15. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 36.
  16. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 38.
  17. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 42.
  18. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 66.
  19. ↑ Sepelak, Greg 2004, p. 58.
  20. ↑ Capcom (September 2004). Mega Man X: Command Mission (Sony PlayStation 2). Capcom. X Redips. What made you Maverick? / Redips: Maverick? You seem more Maverick to me with all your stubborn nonsense about friendship and your unwillignes to evolve.
  21. ↑ Capcom (September 2004). Mega Man X: Command Mission (Sony PlayStation 2). Capcom. Ferham Don't worry. I'll get rid of this with my own hands.
  22. ↑ IGN Staff (September 25, 2003). "TGS 2003: Mega Man X: Command Mission". IGN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  23. ↑ Nutt, Christian (October 14, 2003). "Interviews: Tatsuya Kitabayashi on Mega Man X". GameSpy. IGN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Mega Man X: Official Complete Works. Udon Entertainment. January 6, 2010. pp. 82–5. ISBN 978-1-897376-80-5.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Mega Man X Command Mission Interview". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  26. 1 2 Rockman X Command Mission Complete Bible. Capcom. 2004. pp. 250–253. ISBN 978-4906582167.
  27. ↑ Mega Man X: Official Complete Works. Udon Entertainment. January 6, 2010. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-897376-80-5.
  28. ↑ "《洛克人 X》系列人設水野佳祐專訪 以小短褲側馬尾等元素描繪原創人物「RiCO 莉可」". GNN Gamer. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  29. ↑ Brady Games staff (September 15, 2004). Mega Man X: Command Mission Official Strategy Guide. Brady Games. ISBN 978-0-7440-0399-4.
  30. 1 2 "The Blue Bomber Levels Up with the Release of Mega Man X: Command Mission". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. September 21, 2004. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  31. 1 2 Luke (November 7, 2004). "Updated Australian Release List - 7/11/04". PALGN. IGN. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  32. ↑ Suleputer staff. "ロックマンX コマンドミッション オリジナル・サウンドトラック" [Rockman X Command Mission Original Soundtrack] (in Japanese). Suleputer. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  33. ↑ "Blue Bomber Fans Rejoice as Nubytech, Capcom Announce Mega Man Controllers". GameSpot (Press release). CBS Interactive. August 25, 2004. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  34. ↑ "News: Invasion of the Mega Men". Nintendo Power. No. 194. Nintendo of America. August 2005. p. 21. ISSN 1041-9551.
  35. ↑ Block, Gerry (January 23, 2006). "NubyTech's Mega Man X Controller for GC". IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  36. 1 2 "Mega Man X: Command Mission for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  37. 1 2 "Mega Man X: Command Mission for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  38. 1 2 3 Parish, Jeremy (September 23, 2004). "Mega Man X Command Mission GC Review". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
  39. ↑ クロスレビュー ロックマンＸコマンドミッション [Cross Review: Rockman X Command Mission]. Weekly Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 816. Enterbrain. August 6, 2004.
  40. 1 2 3 Cheat Monkey (November 2004). "Review: Mega Man X: Command Mission". GamePro. No. 184. IDG. p. 156. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011.
  41. 1 2 3 4 5 Theobald, Phil (September 20, 2004). "Mega Man X Command Mission Review". GameSpy. IGN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
  42. ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (September 14, 2004). "Mega Man X: Command Mission - PlayStation 2 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  43. 1 2 "Mega Man X Command Mission". Official Nintendo Magazine. No. 147. December 2004. p. 97. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  44. 1 2 3 4 "Mega Man X Command Mission - Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  45. 1 2 3 Wilson, Mike (October 20, 2005). "Mega Man X Command Mission". Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  46. ↑ Hubeny, Anthony (2011). "En kategorisering av våld i dator och tv-spell" (PDF). Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Journalism, Media and Communication. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  47. ↑ "2004年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP500" [Video game software sales in 2004 Top 500]. Geimin.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  48. ↑ "The 25 best Mega Man Games". Den of Geek. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  49. ↑ "Best Mega Man Games of all time". Nintendo Life. 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Talking Which Other Mega Man Games Could Come to Switch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
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