Capcom is back with another collection from the iconic Mega Man franchise for current generation systems with Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2. Unlike the previous collection of the mainline Mega Man games, this one hits PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC at the same time. Having played games in both collections, the Mega Man X games feel like a breath of fresh air and are much more polished compared to the mainline games. This collection (available separately digitally) brings all 8 of the Mega Man X games together and it is a fine collection with very little holding it back.
Retro game collections or just compilations of older games should always offer the original gameplay as an option and some modern conveniences for newer players. This satisfies both audiences who will likely buy into collections. Capcom has already put out 3 collections on the Switch with the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection and both original Mega Man Legacy Collections. With Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 they have gone a step further with a new mode that makes these games more accessible for beginners and a ton of extras. Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 are digital only in regions outside Japan and North America and are available in 2 separate digital collections. Mega Man X Legacy Collection includes X, X2, X3, and X4 while the second collection includes X5, X6, X7, and X8. Both include a slew of extras and a new Challenge Mode.
In addition to all the games with their Japanese versions included albeit with some cut content from the Japanese releases, there is a new challenge mode included in each collection called “X Challenge” that has its own leaderboards. This is a remixed boss rush mode that has you facing multiple X bosses at the same time to earn a high score. The team really did a great job with this mode in both collections.
This collection lets you switch between the English Mega Man X versions and the Japanese Rockman X versions with a press of a button. For X7, you can play various localised releases as well like the Italian, German, or French release in addition to the English and Japanese versions. It is always interesting seeing how games get localised into different languages. The actual games can be played with a few visual options. You can play with the original aspect ratio or a zoomed version with the same aspect ratio if you don’t want things stretched. If you still want a full widescreen picture, it is supported and these settings can be changed on the fly by pressing “-” at any time. The non stretched options are letterboxed given the aspect ratio and you can toggle various in game images for wallpapers or use no wallpaper and black bars.
The Museum in this collection is fantastic with various extras like a Gallery showcasing artwork across the X series, a music player, and even a set of images for various merchandise and toys from the franchise. I wish every game collection included options to view trailers for the games included because that’s exactly what a game museum should include. Outside of the usual extras and the trailers, each collection includes an original video animation in the form of “The Day of Sigma”.
While the games are available digitally in India on all platforms (not on Xbox One for some reason so you probably should import the USA physical release if you want to play this on Xbox One), the Japanese releases have two big additions. The first is the Switch versions supporting English text and having all the original Japanese songs which are pretty amazing. The second addition is the option to get Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 on a physical cartridge. While USA gets a physical release on Switch, the second collection is included as a code in the box with the first collection on a physical cartridge. The Japanese release is no doubt more expensive but for completionists, there is now an option to have the best of both worlds.
Overall, if you’re looking to get into or try the Mega Man franchise, Mega Man X Legacy Collection is the best entry point. It offers fantastic games with polished gameplay in addition to a new mode to make things not as unforgiving if you find the challenge too much. Capcom keeps getting better with each new retro collection and I’m glad to have all these Mega Man X games on the Switch to play on the go. Hopefully they consider doing Mega Man X9 as well since we are getting Mega Man 11 later this year.
- Another great Capcom collection
- Great introduction to Mega Man
- Controls well in both modes
- Loads of great extras
- Legacy Collection 2 isn't as good as 1
- Some content missing compared to Japanese release
