Mega Man X7

Mega Man X7, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom. It is the seventh main game in the Mega Man X series and the first to have 3D gameplay. It is the first in the series to appear on the sixth generation of video game consoles and the debut of the series on the PlayStation 2.

It was also released for the PC in Asia, though it suffered from numerous bugs (such as Zero's hair disappearing during gameplay). A patch was later released that fixed numerous bugs.

Plot
As the Reploid Conflicts proceed after the Nightmare Phenomena event, the world is slowly recovering. But as always, Maverick crime is rising in newly constructed cities. As this new crime wave hits, X finds himself trying to answer moral questions that have plagued him since he joined the Maverick Hunters: "Are we doing the right thing to solve this matter?" "I've had enough of this violence" Unable to assuage his conscience, he drops from the battle frontlines and assumes a more strategic support role at headquarters. With X's retirement, a massive power vacuum ensues and many independent groups develop, trying to fill the void left by the hunter. Prominent among these groups is the "Red Alert Syndicate", growing large enough to become a dominant force. The Red Alert is a new group of Reploids, similar to the Repliforce, but consisting of vigilantes. They claim to hunt Mavericks, but apparently do more than that. One of their members, Axl, decides he's had enough of their "murdering" and tries to leave the group. Red, the group's leader, is angered by Axl deserting, and goes on a rampage to get Axl back.

Axl is chased by a mechaniloid sent by Red Alert to retrieve him, and their chase causes havoc that calls for the Maverick Hunter Zero to investigate the area. After a quick meeting and battle against the mechaniloid, Zero takes Axl into custody at Hunter HQ. With this action, Red issues a challenge to the Hunters: he will release some Mavericks that Red Alert has in captivity, and whichever group can defeat the Mavericks first will gain custody of Axl. Zero goes into the action without hesitation, and Axl's remorse for what he has done fuels his desire to become a Maverick Hunter. With no word from X, Axl promises to impress the former hunter. X stays behind, trying to find a more peaceful solution to what he views as another pointless conflict. Eventually, X decides that his involvement in is required to assure a quick end to the bloody war. Alia then finds out the location of Red Alert main base. The hunters enter the Crimson Palace and find a rebuilt Sigma. Sigma is eventually defeated and X promotes Axl to become an official Maverick Hunter.

Gameplay
Mega Man X7 is the first and only game in the Mega Man X series where the main protagonist, X is not available as a playable character from the beginning of the game. Instead, the player must rescue 64 reploids or defeat the eight main bosses in order to unlock him.

X7 is the first and only game in the series to have 3D gameplay in addition to the standard 2D style. It is also the only X series game where X's buster can be fired directionally (although in 2D form like Axl).

Development
The musical score for Mega Man X7 was composed by nine individuals. A 46-song soundtrack was released by Suleputer in Japan on October 1, 2003. The game's opening theme, "Code Crush", is performed by Rina Aiuchi. The ending theme is "Lazy Mind", performed by Showtaro Morikubo, the voice actor for the protagonist Mega Man X in the Japanese games. A CD single for each of the songs was released in Japan on July 20, 2003 and August 6, 2003 respectively.

Reception
By its second week on sale in Japan, Mega Man X7 had sold 71,739 copies. By its third week, it had sold 89,775 copies in the region. Media Create sales data lists the game as having sold 111,778 copies by the end of 2003 in Japan. A budget re-release of the game was included alongside the PlayStation versions of the first six original Mega Man games as part of the Rockman Collection in Japan on December 19, 2003.

Critical reception of Mega Man X7 was moderately negative. While it attracted some positive remarks for the character switching and Reploid rescue systems, the general consensus was that the game's mixture of 2D and 3D gameplay was well-intentioned but poorly executed. In particular, critics commented that the camera and controls don't translate well from 2D to 3D.

GameSpy concluded "I can't fault Capcom or the MMX7 team for trying to reinvent a series that had obviously completely lost its way... [but] the flaccid 2D sections in this game aren't half as good as any of the levels in the original Mega Man X. The 3D bits are more compelling, but still substandard." IGN instead placed the blame wholly on the 3D sections: "We can't help but think that Mega Man X7 would have been better-suited staying 2D. But until Capcom realizes that the better action-oriented 3D titles allow you to manipulate the camera whole-heartedly, future installments of the series will likely run into the same problems that this one did."