Introduction

Videos

Episode 01 - It's Zero Time!


Episode 02 - Drew Does Not Suck


Episode 03 - Fwost Walwus


Episode 04 - Uppercutting Peacocks


Episode 05 - What Am I Fighting For?


Episode 06 - Sound Board Sully


Super Bonus 01 - Drew Sucks at Cheats


Super Bonus 02 - Double


I just want to preface this LP by saying that this is one of my favorite Mega Man X games (and by extension one of my favorite games period), but it is not without its flaws. It has the tight action packed gameplay we've come to know from the Mega Man X series up to this point and having X and Zero both completely playable with wildly different play styles blew my freaking mind. Finally, this was the Mega Man X game I had been waiting for. The story on the other hand... well let's just say they tried. I will do my best to point out specifics of why the story falls short instead of just complaining about it, but I'll get into that later. Without further ado...

Story So Far...

It's been some time since the events of Mega Man X3 (it's not really made clear exactly how long but we know Mega Man Xtreme 2 takes place between X3 and X4 so we can assume at least several months). At this point I think it's safe to say we're well over a year since the events of Mega Man X1. Fearing that the Maverick Hunters would not be enough to combat the Maverick threat, a new army is created: Repliforce. Repliforce seems to follow a much more rigid and traditional military structure than the Maverick Hunters, having an explicit chain of command (at least we can assume this due to the presence of General and Colonel, and their apparent authority in Repliforce). Repliforce and the Maverick Hunters have been working side by side and during this time Zero befriends the colonel of Repliforce, aptly named Colonel, and his sister Iris. Zero even seems to be romantically involved with Iris, though the exact details of their relationship are unclear (this is an area of the story I have some issues with, but again more on that later). Things seem to be going well between Repliforce and the Maverick Hunters, until X and Zero are summoned to action...

Characters

The Heroes



X uhhhh has been fine I guess? We don't really get much information on what X has been up to since the events of MMX3 but we do know that he has apparently taken a rookie Maverick Hunter named Double under his wing. Once again X seems to have traded in his armor upgrades for store credit and gotten a crap deal as he starts off with no armor.



This game may be called Mega Man X4 but it might as well have been the first Mega Man Zero game. Finally we can play as Zero for an entire game and this time he plays wildly differently than X. His buster is gone entirely, as his new fighting style favors his Z-Sabre exclusively. It's never said explicitly but I like to think that Zero trained with Colonel to master this new style, as Colonel is also a lightsabre user. The story also seems to revolve more around Zero, as he has more direct dealings with the cast and seems to be more emotionally involved with the characters. There are other reasons why I feel like Zero was the focus of the game, but we'll get into that later.


The Villains



We don't see this in Zero's opening cutscene, but in X's opening cutscene (which we will showcase in a bonus episode after the Zero playthrough) there is a shadowy figure speaking to General and urging him to action against the Maverick Hunters. He seems to be the one pulling the strings behind the events of the game. I'm leaving his identity a secret in good faith, but if you can't guess who this is then I'm very disappointed in you.

The Not Quite As Villains

Quick side note, I'm including these in their own category, as their motives are not inherently evil. They are being manipulated by the shadow figure and I felt it an important distinction to make.



General is... well he's the general of Repliforce. Both his military status and his physical stature make him an imposing figure, as he towers over all of the other reploids in Repliforce. He is a man of honor and principle.



Colonel is the colonel of Repliforce. He serves under General as second in command of Repliforce and has become a personal friend to Zero. He has a strong sense of duty and pride and takes his job in Repliforce very seriously. Colonel was created as one half of the perfect reploid soldier. Colonel was the aggressive fighter and his sister, Iris, was the diplomat and arbitrator. Originally the scientists of Repliforce attempted to merge these personalities into one, much like X, but decided the two were irreconcilable and split them into the pair of Colonel and Iris.

The Supporting Cast



Iris is the sister of Colonel and second half of the ideal reploid soldier. She represents the level headed, intelligent diplomat. She works with her brother in Repliforce, but she also lends aid to the Maverick Hunters as a navigator (which she can be seen doing in the later released Mega Man Xtreme 2 as well). Despite her involvement with Repliforce, she sides with Zero and helps him and the other Maverick Hunters.



Double is a rookie Maverick Hunter who is currently shadowing under X. He's eager to help, but is something of a klutz. He assists X as X's navigator during the events of X4. Not much else is known about this new recruit.