The Mega Man X series has always been very hit and miss with its quality. The last two installments were quite disappointing. Thankfully it seems as if the series is getting back on track in Mega Man X8.

Like its most recent predecessor, Mega Man X8 is rendered in full 3D. The graphics are improved and even more detailed this time around, which results in the prettiest Mega Man X game to date, at least in a technical sense. The animation, as a whole, is also a significant improvement from X7. The motion and response-time was a little too loose in X7 for my liking and is now significantly tighter. As the game now plays entirely in a classic 2D style, camera issues are also no longer a problem.

While the sound effects and music are the typical, and appropriate, blaster and rock style stuff you find in every game in the series, Capcom has managed to do the impossible at last and has actually managed good voice acting in a Mega Man game. Gone are the overtly child-like or ridiculous voices we’ve found in past games, and, like Mega Man X: Command Mission, provides appropriate English voices for the characters. A certain familiar villain could have sounded a little more sinister though.

Mega Man X7 experimented a bit by taking the familiar Mega Man X style gameplay into a fully 3D environment. Ultimately the experiment failed, and though Mega Man X8’s visuals are 3D, its gameplay is decidedly more old fashioned, sticking to its 2D roots.

The gameplay of Mega Man X games have always been a mixed bag. While it’s a tried and true style of gameplay at this point, many people may find the process too familiar and/or repetitive. It’s the same old shtick of choosing from 8 robot bosses and earning new weapons after beating them. While some may dislike this, fans of the series will feel right at home.

Each of the three playable characters, X, Zero, and Axl, have their own unique strengths and weaknesses and offer a lot of depth to the gameplay. X and Axl are ranged fighters while Zero, as always, likes to get close to mix it up. Each also has diverse ways to perform similar tasks. X gets a high jump, Zero has as double jump, and Axl can float in the air for a short time.

Some have called the series stories “throwaway”. I find this statement to be far from true. Like everything else in the series, the stories are often great one game, and mundane the next. Like everything else however, the story aspect of Mega Man X8 seems to have finally gotten the series back on track, and moving forward.

If you’re not a regular fan of the series, you’re probably going to find Mega Man X8 to be very, very difficult. Though the game offers an easy difficulty, you’re still going to have a rough time of it. This is a hard game; there’s no question of that. It requires very precise timing and fast reflexes. If, however, you’re a longtime fan, you’ll find this to be one of the easier ones in recent memory.

The tag-team mechanic from X7 returns and this time with some added features. You still choose from two of your three robots before a mission and can switch between them during the level. Additionally, you now build up a team-up gauge that, when full, allows you pull off a very devastating team-up attack. Also, your non-active character can slowly regain health when not in active combat. This allows you stay alive a lot longer if you are prudent in your switching tactics.

One significant departure from previous titles in the series is the absence of heart and sub-tanks. While you can still find upgrades for X in the form of Dr. Light Capsules, all other upgrades in the game are bought between stages with items called metals. These can range from things such as extra retrys (like lives, but better), additional health, spike protection, etc… You can also find rare metals in stages that allow you to buy new items.

After some of the growing pains we saw in X6 and X7, it’s refreshing to see the series finally get back on steady footing in X8. The gameplay feels tight, the story is solid, and the game systems all fit together really well. And, thankfully, there’s nothing even closely resembling that god awful hyena fight from X7. That’s something we can all be thankful for.