Its American import is kinda lazy if you ask me. Why aren't the Japanese voices removed? Then again, I'm not complaining because I get to hear better voices. There's also some erroneous spelling such as "overwrite" is written as "overwright". The game itself presents to be very hard. You can also miss a lot of rescuable Reploids if you're not fast enough. The game itself can be a challenge. Sometimes, you just need to punch in that Ultimate Armor code to help you through but you can only use one at a time. The stage layouts can be very "HUH?!" or "WHAT THE?!" in many instances. Who can remember that notoriously bad design or should I call it overly challenging designs in the fortress stages? Those really look a lot so bad if you ask me. I remembered I nearly rage-quitted the game until I started playing the classic 16-bit saga of Megaman X with X1 to X3.
Think the game is that hard? Megaman X2 and X3 really have that hardness which I think is way more irritating than X6 can ever get. Many times, X2 suffers from some issues similar to Megaman 2 for the NES. Do you remember how pixel-perfect Megaman 2 had to be? I still can't get over that hype with how some say, "It's the best Megaman game ever!" For me, Megaman 2 remains as the most unforgiving game of the classic series. X2 requires that pixel-perfect thing especially in getting that heart tank in Wheel Gator's stage. X3 is extremely annoying especially if you've got no choice but to either (1) cheat with complete armor OR (2) die many times while collecting pieces to make your gameplay easier. I could also talk about how both games are that unfairly difficult. Granted, I need to cut some slack because those were 16-bit era games and memory is extremely lacking at that time! Plus, NO refill of weapon energy every time you lose a turn!
So how is X6 actually more forgiving than X2 and X3? The era it was in was just the start of the digital age. Sure, the digital age may have been at its infancy but can you consider the better thing? X1 to X3 had you required to get the latest copy of a video gaming magazine - something I haven't done due to the Internet. Then you can consider the fact that with the walkthrough - you can start to plan things ahead. Also, if you foul up - YOU CAN FREAKING RESET without hitting the reset button (that is press start then select) but just make sure you have several save points too. Not to mention the gift of a free weapon energy refill makes the game easier.
Why would I say X6 is actually a step-up than a stepdown from X5? You can consider the one that made X5 really irritating. Do you remember how Alia forces you to STOP and she sends in a message? Fortunately, you can SKIP them - it's because she got as irritating as the Kattlelox TV reporter from Megaman Legends when you play the city hall mission! The only difference is you CANNOT FREAKING SKIP! Also, you can now SKIP those cut scenes which you couldn't back in X5. Finding the armor pieces can be very hard and I admit that Ground Scaravitch's stage can get annoying - but it's also fun. Shadow Armor does more than what the Gaea Armor could do. Heck, I dare call the Shadow Armor a big improvement from the underrated/underappreciated Megaman 6's Power Armor. The Falcon Armor (which you start with unless you've got the Ultimate Armor) may have lost its flight ability but at least I can now AIR DASH (which damages weaker foes) and CHARGE WEAPONS. The Blade Armor is nearly an improvement from the dashes in X3's Third Armor. Not to mention, there's more free exploration due to not having that time limit. Though, I'd still think that the random encounters can be irritating especially the spotlight effect. Other than that, learning how to trigger them and how not to trigger them is all but part of the fun!
If any post X5 game should be considered to be the worst of the X series - I'd give that honor to X7. X7 is completely an idiot towards innovative thinking for better gaming. It had potential but it couldn't decide between 2D and 3D gameplay. The camera for 3D play is SO WONKY that whoever designed it should be FIRED. I could say that X7 is so mercilessly difficult that X2 and X3 are tame in comparison! The gameplay itself is clunky and confusing. I never had that much "ARGGHHH!!!" issues with X6 as I would have with X7. At least, X6 did a lot of stuff right from X5. I did play X7 and the fun factor is just that low.
Also, if you happen to be unfairly b*tching about this series - maybe you need to play the spin-off Megaman & Bass to see it as one unfairly cruel game. As much as I'd like to credit that game for actually giving an Axl prototype (because both Axl and Bass are very similar). Megaman & Bass should be considered far crueler than X6 can ever be!
For me, this game may not really stand out as the best but I'd dare say it's still a decent game. It still ages well in my library. I would still play it in this day and age more than the first three games of tne franchise. I'd say it's second-best to X4 which I think is the best of the 32-bit era of the Megaman X series.
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