Mega Man X6

 PlayStation
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Release Date: Dec 4, 2001
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 108
  3. Negative: 22 out of 108
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  1. pokebulborb
    Nov 15, 2014
    3
    Level too easy? Just throw more enemies in it. Platforming not tight enough? Just throw in some enemies that don't have the same movement restrictions. Player moving too slow for the enemy trigger traps? Just put in a collectable that both offers items (if any) unknown to the player at time of rescue and make it lost forever if the player can't get to it in time. Bosses too easy? Just giveLevel too easy? Just throw more enemies in it. Platforming not tight enough? Just throw in some enemies that don't have the same movement restrictions. Player moving too slow for the enemy trigger traps? Just put in a collectable that both offers items (if any) unknown to the player at time of rescue and make it lost forever if the player can't get to it in time. Bosses too easy? Just give them more health. Minibosses not challenging enough? Give them tiny weak points. Level design or puzzle too basic? Instantly drop in about a dozen things that can damage the player.

    When a game causes you to lose, a good game will indirectly let you know what you did wrong. If you rushed the enemy and got gunned down, then you deserve to get gunned down. If you miss a powerup because you weren't skilled enough to take out a target while jumping, you don't deserve the powerup. If you miss a powerup and die because on your way to jumping to the powerup the RNG decided to have a rock fall in front of you from the top of the screen, then you just got screwed over.

    This game is brutal, and not in a good way. It has an unnatural affinity for spamming enemies and making the entire screen a "danger zone" where anything can hit you at any given moment (*cough* weapon center 2nd power core *cough*).

    The only reason why I pushed through the game was bragging rights to some friends. Honestly, I'd rather play X7 over this (even with all bad 3D sections and voice acting considered).    … Expand
  2. flowwolf
    Mar 26, 2012
    3
    Megaman X6, the chink in the chain of the X series. All was going well until this game came along. Though the sprite animations are some of the best seen in the series, X6 has many flaws and outweigh what good was done. I felt the puzzles and difficulty in X6 were quite a bit harder and less sophisticated than previous X games. Even though some times the goals felt impossible in aMegaman X6, the chink in the chain of the X series. All was going well until this game came along. Though the sprite animations are some of the best seen in the series, X6 has many flaws and outweigh what good was done. I felt the puzzles and difficulty in X6 were quite a bit harder and less sophisticated than previous X games. Even though some times the goals felt impossible in a cheap kind of way, X6 was hard to put down. I give it a base score of 6 point for consistent solid game mechanics. Level progression was interesting and much more dynamic. So far it is my favourite evolution of the original MegaMan formula that I've seen. The formula that was tried and true for So many iterations. I'll give them a point for trying something other than the usual and in my opinion succeeding. The Nightmare system is something that add's a sense of urgency to game progression. Emergencies and secret bosses are always getting in the way of your master plan. It really makes me feel like there's a crisis at hand. The music was bogus. Nothing compared to the standards of composure set by the original X. It sounded like it was produced entirely on someone's home keyboard, which in an 8bit world is fine. When your playback is full digital audio, synthesizer strings and percussion just sound ugly. I found at critical points the atmosphere didn't fit the moment. The Dr Light moments are noteworthy. I also got the impression that it was trying to dynamically change the music as I went through the level and it just wasn't working for me. The music direction really didn't work. 2 points from X6. Music is really important factor for my immersion, and if it doesn't fit well, it chafes me. As far as story went, it's like the entire thing was a denouement. Where ever there was build up, it was always very anti climatic. Though playing as zero was a good time and all, it messed the canon up. I would've rather you had a different mystery partner the whole time, because with x6 ruined series creator's plans for the Zero series. What would have come of the next evolution if X6 left canon as canon. The Bosses. No style. Pretty flat and easy to be fair. I hardly even remember what bosses were there, because they were boring and flat. What difficulty was created was with cheap patterns that weren't memorable to who they were at all. Pretty much the only reason this game got any points at all was due to the fact the mechanics are fun to control and the sprites were always very responsive to my input. They made me feel powerful like I could take on those impossible challenges... Standing there thinking "Are you kidding me?" while still knowing it was possible with X's upgrades. They did that well. For these reasons, I couldn't put this one down despite it's flaws.… Expand
  3. Robinson2511
    Apr 12, 2015
    4
    The worst thing that can happen in a platformer, is when the developers cannot tell the difference between challenging, and cheap, Mega Man X6 falls into the latter with level design filled with obstacles that are extremely difficult to dodge, and they're usually instant kills as well. The control is the same as previous games but the graphics, while visually similar to X5, areThe worst thing that can happen in a platformer, is when the developers cannot tell the difference between challenging, and cheap, Mega Man X6 falls into the latter with level design filled with obstacles that are extremely difficult to dodge, and they're usually instant kills as well. The control is the same as previous games but the graphics, while visually similar to X5, are significantly lower quality. The story is, to put it simply, stupid, Zero died in X5, and it was something that had to happen to restore the balance, apparently, in this game, Zero apparently just hid himself away while he repaired himself, which is stupid. As for the Mavericks, well, you should always start with Commander Yammark who is extremely easy with any character, and his stage is rather easy, but going after any other maverick first is a really bad idea, because they can either destroy you like nothing (Infinity Majinion), or their stage is ridiculously hard and/or tedious (Blaze Heatnix). And then there's the nightmare system, which was made for a nice replay factor, but instead, it makes the game random everytime you play it, you never know how the game will be because one stage that was fairly nice the first time, could be either pitch black, full of annoying blocks, or could make you go to random rooms that you may not want to go to everytime you replay the game, meaning there's no way to plan how to play a stage because it could change up on you at any moment, not to mention the damn nightmare enemies that will kill the reploids forever, even if they had a part that you may need, needless to say, it's not fun.… Expand
  4. sdc
    Apr 5, 2015
    0
    A terrible game with cheap level designs and bad difficulty. I love challenging games, but... this is the WRONG type of challenge. Getting blind-sided by enemies, getting dog-piled by enemies, random spawn enemies, this game is among the worst games of all time.
  5. Daveman
    Jul 12, 2020
    2
    At the time, I found X6 to be a challenging game. In retrospect, I now realize the game is a soulless cash grab, and doesn't even try to mask it.. X7 generally gets a lot of flak for being the absolute worst in the series, but it at least gets a small pass for venturing off into unfamiliar territory. There is NO EXCUSE for how bad X6 is when it is building off the same engine and formulaAt the time, I found X6 to be a challenging game. In retrospect, I now realize the game is a soulless cash grab, and doesn't even try to mask it.. X7 generally gets a lot of flak for being the absolute worst in the series, but it at least gets a small pass for venturing off into unfamiliar territory. There is NO EXCUSE for how bad X6 is when it is building off the same engine and formula as the previous two games.

    Lets start with the release date. This game wasn't even released a FULL YEAR after X5! Do anyone really think that's a reasonable amount of time to develop and polish a game? It's abundantly clear that the levels have had no real play testing. There are a few interesting set pieces here and there (Infinity Mijinion definitely stands out) but they are few and far in-between. Levels are flooded with enemies to distract you from the poorly designed stages as well. The Reploid rescue side missions are largely a hassle and uninteresting. This is all under the guise of "being challenging." Bad level design is the wrong kind of challenge.

    The story is a complete retcon of the previous game. X5's multiple endings had a feeling of finality to it, which makes sense since the story continues on in the Mega Man Zero series. But X6 comes along and says, "Nope! Not on my watch!" The story itself is rather hard to swallow, the dialogue is still in Japanese (the English text translation is passable), and there are less options to lead the story than it's predecessor.

    The soundtrack is just about the only saving grace of the game. Some of these levels have incredibly memorable tracks that will stick with you after you end your playthrough. The only problem is actually wanting to play this game again.    … Expand
  6. rpundurs
    Oct 11, 2014
    1
    Mega Man X6 is a misery to play from start to finish. The litany of sins includes boring, tedious level design that relies on cheap insta-kill gimmicks rather than creative or engaging enemy/platform layouts. The graphics use a muddy, ugly color palette that often makes walls and floors blend in with backgrounds (the Central Museum stage is an especially heinous offender in this regard).Mega Man X6 is a misery to play from start to finish. The litany of sins includes boring, tedious level design that relies on cheap insta-kill gimmicks rather than creative or engaging enemy/platform layouts. The graphics use a muddy, ugly color palette that often makes walls and floors blend in with backgrounds (the Central Museum stage is an especially heinous offender in this regard). In contrast to the frustrating deathtrap filled levels, the bosses are pathetically easy and bland to the point of not posing any kind of challenge.

    You wouldn't think a game built on something so fundamental as "jump and shoot" could get bolloxed up so badly, but it can! The Magma Area stage earns a special shout-out for combining lazy, boring enemy design in the form of the stupid ring miniboss you fight FOUR TIMES with onerous instant-kill **** in the form of the purple magma waves(?). Seriously, it looks like you're being drowned in grape jelly or something. Why are the only colors in the "Magma Area" black and purple? I know Capcom knows what magma and fire look like; previous lava stages (Magma Dragoon in MMX4 and Mattrex in MMX5) prove as much.

    An infinitely frustrating "permadeath" system for rescuable Reploid characters can result in some vital items (e.g. "Jumper") being missed forever due to bad luck. The translation is incompetent and incoherent, resulting in a baffling and opaque plot. Even if the dialogue/cutscenes were translated perfectly, the story is still a train wreck. The music, which is normally a high point of any Mega Man title for me, is bland and uninspired.

    The single nice thing I can say about this game is that the navigator Alia's useless advice (carried over from MMX5) is no longer forced on the player; you have to hit "Select" to read her nattering. Oh, I should try to *avoid* being crushed by falling ice blocks, you say? THANKS FOR THE TIP.    … Expand
  7. Zero5842
    Jan 12, 2015
    2
    *Sigh* I don't know how they screwed this game up. It had so much going for it. This game had so much potential.

    Plot: The plot in this game is bull **** if you played the previous games. It's still bull **** if you haven't. I won't spoil anything, if you wanted that you could look it up. Gameplay: Holy crap, this game did so much right, but had terrible level design that made all of    *Sigh* I don't know how they screwed this game up. It had so much going for it. This game had so much potential.

    Plot: The plot in this game is bull **** if you played the previous games. It's still bull **** if you haven't. I won't spoil anything, if you wanted that you could look it up.

    Gameplay: Holy crap, this game did so much right, but had terrible level design that made all of the good things not matter. It gave zero an (almost) entirely new set of move he can learn instead of just copying moves from X4. The weapons for X are unique and useful. Zero's buster has been improved making him more effective at ranged combat and X gets a z-saber slash which can be useful, but most of the time your just better of spamming projectiles. The level design is that bad. Despite all these good things, the level design is just crazy. I really wonder what they were thinking designing certain levels.

    Controls: They're a bit more clunky then previous installments, but they work.

    Conclusion: I can see why some people enjoy this game, (As I mentioned, there are good things about it.) but is it a game worth paying money for to see if you like? Heck no! If your truly curious, get the megaman X collection pack for gamecube or PS2. It includes megaman X 1-6, and an unlock able megaman racing game that was never released in the US. It's actually pretty fun.    … Expand
  8. GamecubeLover
    Jul 21, 2016
    2
    Mega Man X WAS good until this abomination came out. Everything is clunky and the story is terrible. This game sucks and the levels are an abomination as well.
  9. MasonCP
    Mar 23, 2023
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mega Man X5 was the last great Mega Man X game in my opinion. It wrapped up the story and set the stage for the Mega Man Zero series (which I have not played as of writing this). Then Capcom decided to get greedy and make this game that ruined ruined the series.

    After I beat Mega Man X5 on Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2, this was the next game to play. When I started the game, I was actually enjoying the game. The intro stage was cool, and the story is rather bizarre, but I had hope. All of that goodwill evaporated when I tried Metal Shark Player’s stage.

    Mega Man X6, upon further investigation is nothing but a cash grab. It was not even in development for a year and they still decided to release it anyway, possibly for Holiday sales. This is my personal least favorite Mega Man game ever (yes worse than X7 in my opinion) for so many reasons. I will list the positive things first:

    X still has his abilities, and he also starts with the Falcon Armor from X5, but it has been nerfed to the ground. In other words, it’s pretty much useless. It no longer has the flight, and instead has a very weak air dash that takes a second to do. X also has Zero’s Z Saber, but it feels useless as well. Other than destroying very few obstacles, it does nothing else and is not worth it. The gameplay is the 2D gameplay we all came to expect, and there are lots of powerups to gain and use (more on that later). X’s new armors, the Blade Armor and Shadow Armor, are actually some of the best armors in the series. Alia also doesn’t constantly interrupt the player like in X5.

    Zero is also here, and he also has his natural abilities. That’s always a good thing.

    Now for the negatives. Be warned: there are a TON.

    As I mentioned, the story is very bizarre. This robot named Gate who apparently used to be a friend of Alia is the villain, and plans to create the Zero Nightmare to make all the replies serve him. He sends out these investigators (who are basically the mavericks of the game) to 8 locations. In an optional task, X can find and defeat the Zero Nightmare, which will somehow cause Zero to return. He then says one of the stupidest lines in gaming ever, “I hid myself while I repaired myself.”.

    On the topic of bad dialogue, the translation from Japanese to English was terrible, and there are grammar/spelling issues and typos throughout the dialogue. Also the characters speak Japanese, which clearly shows that this game was rushed. They didn’t think of removing the Japanese voice acting?

    After the nightmare investigators are defeated, X and Zero can then confront gate himself in his lab. After defeating him, he claims that he has revived Sigma, who then suddenly appears out of thin air and kills Gate. This is a huge issue for the story, because X5 was originally meant to be the last Mega Man X game. That’s why that game has multiple endings. It should also be noted that Keiji Inafune, former Capcom producer intended for X5 to be the last game in the series. He was not involved with X6, and was angry when he found out about the development. He had every right to be angry with Capcom.

    After Sigma is defeated, the group is ready to repair the world basically. And Sigma claims that he will return.

    Now for issues not associated with the story. The stages are awful and have way too much enemies, especially the floating nightmare enemies. Metal Shark Player’s stage is awful with a crushing machine and little checkpoints, and Blaze Heatnix’s stage has so many Nightmare Snakes that have very small weak points. Ground Scaravich’s stage in interesting, but chance based. The stages rely on artificial difficulty and terrible stage design. I should also point out that Gate’s lab is IMPOSSIBLE to progress normally. The other Mega Man X games were possible to complete without any upgrades. Now you’re FORCED to get upgrades. Some players would like to test their skills.

    There are reploids to save in every stage, and they can give powerups to X and Zero. The nightmare enemies can possess them and cause them to be unable to be rescued, will could cause powerups to be lost. Some of them, such as the “Jumper” and “Speedster” upgrades are vital, and it is so sad to know that they are gone FOREVER if they are lost. At least the reploids are easier to save than in X7.

    The bosses either range from pathetically easy to frustratingly difficult. Commander Yammark and Ground Scaravich are super easy, but then you get Infinity Mijinion, High Max, and Gate, who are some of the worst Mega Man bosses ever. Sigma is also way too easy.

    The only reason why I gave this game a 1 and not a 0 is because of the music. The music is fantastic, but it cannot save this game. Please don’t play this game. It’s more fun to watch others play than to play it yourself. Mega Man X6 could have been so much more, or maybe it would be better if this game was never created in the first place.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Best PS1 Game of 2001
4
#4 Most Discussed PS1 Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 14
  3. Negative: 3 out of 14
  1. TotalGames.net
    89
    The plot is in badly translated Japanese and makes little sense, but still the game is curiously 'unputdownable'.
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  2. PSX Nation
    88
    Decent-looking and extremely fun,...fast, tough, fun and a solid 2D blast from the past that is priced just right at $30.
    Read full review
  3. GameZone
    85
    The kind of game you can’t get out of your mind. Though frustration may make you set it down (I limited myself to about an hour a run) it’s a game you can always come back to.
    Read full review
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