Mega Man X8

Mega Man X8, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the eighth game in the Mega Man X series. The game plot focuses on the abduction of a "next-generation" reploid from the construction site of a space elevator, and the subsequent pursuit of his captors. During the course of game play the motivations of these captors comes into focus, and it is up to the heroes, led by Mega Man X, to stop them.

Plot
The story is set during the late 21XX. The Reploid rebellions across the past years continue, seemingly with no possible solution. To escape these troubles, mankind has begun the next generation of research and development by constructing an orbital elevator able to take equipment and handwork to the moon where they seek to expand their horizons to space. This operation is labeled as "Jakob Project", with the orbital elevator bearing its name, and a Reploid named Lumine is placed in charge of the project. As another part of the project, an advanced generation of Reploids is dispatched to the moon surface in order to work on the project. These New Generation Reploids are able to use DNA data to change their shapes. They are the perfect workers because they can change their shape according to a task, and have subroutines built in to prevent them from going Maverick. (In Mega Man X7, it was revealed that Axl is the first of his kind, a prototype next-generation Reploid.)

Everything seems to be running smoothly until Vile, who has apparently been resurrected from his earlier defeat in Mega Man X3, kidnaps Lumine for unknown reasons. It becomes the Maverick Hunters' mission to rescue him. However, what the Hunters do not know is that Sigma has returned. Contained on every single copy chip in these robots is Sigma's own DNA, meaning that the next-generation 'Maverick-Proof' reploids are in fact able to go Maverick. Sigma seeks to remove the "old generation" and repopulate it with his "children". When Sigma is defeated in his palace, Lumine steps in to take the entire operation over and kill the Maverick Hunters. Lumine gloats to the Hunters that, in order for evolution to take its course, he and his fellow new-generation Reploids must destroy both humans and "obsolete" Reploids. After a massive struggle, Lumine is defeated. When Axl walks up to Lumine's body, however, he is shocked as a tentacle springs from it and damages the crystal on his head. As the three different characters ride back down the Jakob Elevator, Zero wonders if he no longer has to fight now that Sigma is dead for good, while X ponders Lumine's words on evolution. Axl is unconscious, but his shattered crystal can be seen glowing with a tiny fragment of a crystal shard.

Gameplay
Gameplay in Mega Man X8 is similar to previous Mega Man X games. After an introductory stage, Mega Man X8 presents the player with a choice of 8 stages, with a Maverick robot serving as the stage boss. After defeating the 8 bosses, a series of fortress stages open up for the player to complete in linear progression until the final boss is defeated. This general format is the template of all X series games. X, Axl, and Zero have character-specific attributes to assist them in navigating the terrain and defeating enemies:
 * Axl has the ability to fire his gun in any direction, hover and glide horizontally for short distances, and stick in place on a wall as long as he is firing. He also has a 'Copy Shot' which allows him to assimilate the DNA of certain enemy reploids and take their forms and abilities for a short time. By defeating bosses, Axl gains new types of guns which have unlimited ammo.
 * X can find and equip individual body parts, obtained from capsules hidden by Dr. Light. He can equip any combination of previously obtained armors to a "Neutral Armor," a new addition to this game. As X defeats bosses, he gets special weapons which have a limited supply of ammo, just as in previous games in the series. Unlike X7, X can only fire his shot in a straight line.
 * Zero uses many different short range weapons and is the only character that can double-jump, but in this game Zero moves slower than X with armor - what was never been in any other seria. He learns new attack techniques by defeating bosses, some of which change depending on which weapon he has equipped.

[Game play on Troia Base] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od2-x1AzPns

Maverick Hunters

 * Mega Man X
 * Since X7, X has developed a stronger resolve for fighting when it needs to be done. He trusts Axl on a personal level now, and maintains a solid relationship with Zero as well. He retains his strong will to fight for the sake of peace, and to accomplish the mission through non-violent matters if possible. Like his two friends, he is a Class S Hunter. X is voiced by Mark Gatha in the English version and by Takahiro Sakurai in the Japanese version.


 * Zero
 * Zero's character is a cocky one. His rationale for fighting is that it simply needs to be done. He also gains the ability to use different weapons besides his beam saber - fans, knuckles, a hammer, a spear, and even Sigma's blade (normal and hard difficulties only). Now with a more trusting attitude towards Axl, he also maintains an unbreakable relationship with his best friend X. His new attitude is partially caused by the angst he suffers from recent events, especially his involvement as a tool to spawn a lethal virus during the events of Mega Man X5. Zero is voiced by Lucas Gilbertson in the English version and Ryotaro Okiayu in the Japanese version.


 * Axl
 * Axl returns in X8 with his abilities heavily modified. He can now store enemy DNA for future use, aim (but not move) while firing, and use a gun with infinite weapon ammo upon the defeat of a boss. Axl is branded as a traitor by the New Generation Reploids, being a New Generation Prototype who sides with Old Generation Reploids. His promise to X and his duty as a Maverick Hunter keep him from siding with others of his kind. Axl is voiced by Jeffrey Watson in the English version and by Minami Takayama in the Japanese version.


 * Alia
 * Alia continues the role she's had since Mega Man X5 as X's Navigator. She assists the player in navigating levels. As a playable character, she is X's female counterpart, but cannot use his armor system. She is voiced by Mariette Sluyter in the English version and by Rumi Kasahara in Japanese version.


 * Layer
 * The scantily-clad Navigator introduced in this game. She's in love with Zero, but he is apparently oblivious to this. Her expertise is in boss strategy. As a playable character, she is Zero's female counterpart, and can pretty much do everything he can (although her rapier has a slightly longer reach than Zero's Z-Saber, and she cannot use his black armor). She is voiced by Meredith Taylor-Perry in the English version and Sonoko Kawata in the Japanese version.


 * Pallette
 * The young Navigator introduced in this game. She knows about a stage's secret capsules and rare metal locations. She also runs things in the R&D lab by making items for X, Zero and Axl out of Metals. As a playable character, she is Axl's female counterpart, although she can't use the Copy Shot or his white armor. She is voiced by Chris Simms in the English version and Haruna Mima in the Japanese version.

Notable Mavericks

 * Lumine
 * Leader of the new-generation Reploids and director of the Jakob space elevator, Lumine is a new generation-type Reploid like Axl, but far more advanced. Part of the New-Generation Reploid model line, he is the penultimate version with powerful shape-changing abilities and the power to copy Reploids' most powerful attacks. He is kidnapped by Vile in the initial mission and is unseen (though often referenced) until the later stages of the game, when he reveals his intent to destroy the old world.


 * Sigma
 * Leader of eight Mavericks guarding key points for the successful building of the Jakob tower. He takes up residence on the moon, in a body seemingly composed of nothing more than scraps of metal held together by his viral form.


 * Vile
 * Vile (Vava in the Japanese version) was first seen in the first Mega Man X game and has not been seen since X3. He is once again in Sigma's employ, and his character serves as little more than a lackey this time around. His body is green now as opposed to his original purple (Mega Man X), and later dark blue (Mega Man X3).

Development
The Rockman X8 Original Soundtrack was released on April 13, 2005 by Suleputer. The Japanese opening theme "Wild Fang" by Janne Da Arc. However, it was not included in the soundtrack and was even omitted on the game's localization in English.

A PC version of Mega Man X8 was released in Asia, Europe, and as a download from GameStop in North America. This version can run in windowed mode, in addition to full screen, and includes mouse and keyboard features, although it does support using a controller. The PC version also features several languages, which can be changed from the main menu or after starting a new game. All of the music and cutscene dialogue is encoded in Ogg Vorbis format.

Reception
Mega Man X8 received a mixed reception. It was generally praised for returning to a more classic style of Mega Man gameplay and removing the criticized gameplay elements of Mega Man X7. On the other hand, X8 was most criticized for its level design, which often made the game extremely frustrating to play. Critics also derided the story, remarking that it "dabbles in a lot of nonsensical anime-style ramblings about things that are of little importance to the actual game."

According to Famitsu, Mega Man X8 was the tenth best-selling game in Japan during its week of release at 14,927 units. A total of 35,546 units were sold in the region by the end of 2005.