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Mega Man ZX ds Game Reviews
Mega Man ZX
Critic Score
Metascore: 76 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.4 out of 10
based on 37 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 10 votes
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Players assume the role of either a human male character named Vent or his female counterpart, Aile, who are employees of the Girouette Express, a courier service that takes jobs transporting anything to anywhere. On a job accompanying their boss, Girouette, to transport a package containing Model X and Model Z Biometals, they are attacked by a mysterious group of Mavericks who seeks to take the material for themselves. During the scuffle, the Model X Biometal is absorbed into the main character, causing a transformation into Model X form while the Model Z Biometal fuses with Girouette. Facing innumerable enemies, Girouette lends his newfound power to his employee and the two substances combine to form Model ZX. With powerful abilities at their disposal, they must discover who the menacing enemies are and what they are ultimately after. [Capcom]

PUBLISHER: Capcom
DEVELOPER: Capcom
GENRE(S): Action, Platform
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2006

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

92
WHAM! Gaming
It’s safe to say that any fan of old-school Mega Man games will love ZX. Whether you’re familiar with the series or not, though, be sure that this is a must-have for anyone looking for a superb platformer on the handheld DS.
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91
Gaming Age
Mega Man ZX features some amazing production values, great game design, and even some inventive and sensible usage of the dual screen format. Outside of the somewhat confusing world map, I just can’t think of a single complaint about the game—it’s solid on every front, excelling in a few key places.
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90
eToychest
If you’ve liked any Mega Man game ever, Mega Man ZX is a must buy.
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90
GameBrink
The Castlevania/Metroid style of play works really well here and is used at it's full potential. This is a great addition to any Megaman fan's collection, although, again, I suggest to wait for the english version. [JPN Import]
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90
Play Magazine
Easily the best looking game in the series. [Sept 2006, p.65]
90
GameSpy
The level designs are outstanding and take great advantage of all the powers that the Biometals grant. The game is also extremely challenging.
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90
Thunderbolt
One of those few DS titles that gets it completely right.
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86
GamerNode
Mega Man ZX may suffer from a few cosmetic flaws, and it may be widely regarded as one of the most difficult in the franchise, but it would be a huge mistake for anyone to discount this game based on such small factors given how incredibly solid the gameplay is.
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85
Nintendo Power
Hard-core gamers won't be disappointed. [Oct. 2006, p.90]
85
GameZone
I love the gameplay mechanics of this game and it controls wonderfully. The level designs are perfect and remind me of the games in the past.
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83
GameShark
Free form exploring obviously has it's advantages, but the real meat of the game revolves around these boss missions that net you new biometals, and these biometals not only give you a wide variety of new powers but also a fresh new look.
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82
IGN
The visuals are amazing, and the gameplay is still just as tight and responsive as it has been over the years, but a few beats were missed when moving onto the DS.
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80
Modojo
The game has longevity to burn, especially for Mega Man veterans.
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80
GameDaily
Despite the implications of its poorly designed map, Mega Man ZX is still extremely enjoyable and rewarding.
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80
Deeko
It's an enjoyable game, most certainly, but it doesn't go much further than your typical GBA Mega Man game and that's a sore point for many.
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80
NintendoWorldReport
All in all, Mega Man ZX is a worthy successor to the Mega Man Zero line. The combination of Zero's gameplay with X's power-collecting is a nice mesh of the two series.
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78
Cheat Code Central
I’ve often slammed Mega Man for being resurrected from the dead, and deserved so. Fortunately Capcom has been able to breath new life into him with this ZX.
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77
GameSpot
Mega Man ZX offers a familiar but refined combination of action and platforming that will challenge even the most seasoned Mega Man veterans.
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76
Console Gameworld
Mega Man ZX is a good, though not perfect, action game that does justice to the Mega Man series.
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75
1UP
The series seems to be back on the right track. Here's hoping that ZX speaks of good things for Mega Man's future...and that we won't have to suffer through a few more years of half-baked sequels before those good things arrive.
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75
Nintendojo
ZX is really just fun, and what else can we ask of Mega Man besides aiming for better things?
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74
NGamer UK
This is Mega Man done right, not New. Don't expect to get too fresh with the touch screen, either. [JPN Import, Oct 2006, p.56]
70
Game Informer
The core gameplay(which is lifted almost entirely from the Mega Man Zero series on GBA)is nearly perfect, but nobody bothered to implement all of the other things that a game needs to be truely exceptional. [Oct. 2006, p.112]
70
Worth Playing
Mega Man ZX is a bit of a misstep for the venerable franchise. While much of the gameplay is similar to what you've seen before, the wretched map system makes Mega Man ZX merely tolerable, rather than enjoyable.
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70
Games Master UK
Pretty, playable, but predictable. [Oct 2007, p.85]
70
Official Nintendo Magazine UK
A decent Mega Man outing, just one that disappoints with its willingness to lazily sit back and join the dots rather than trying to push the DS hardware at all. [Aug 2007, p.78]
70
Pocket Gamer UK
Building on the series' heritage, Mega Man ZX is a refined title that, although not without flaws, brings quality action platforming to the DS.
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70
PALGN
A good first effort for the Blue Bomber's great grand-cousin on the DS. Worth a go for any platform fan, but expect some frustration at points.
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68
Electronic Gaming Monthly
This latest case of sequelitis attempts to keep things fresh by making a few minor changes to the familiar Mega Man formula. Notably, the nonlinear world gives some freedom to the series--but at a cost. [Oct. 2006, p.118]
67
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Solid but frustrating, new but unoriginal—like a delivery boy wrapped in biometal, Mega Man ZX goes down hard.
Read Full Review
60
Games Radar
It's more of an interesting but unfocused experiment than a tight, compelling Mega Man game.
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60
games(TM)
This isn’t the best Mega Man game ever made, but those with the patience to tolerate the game’s flawed attempt to add depth to the series will find an enjoyable shooter underneath. [Aug 2007, p.122]
60
EuroGamer
Blind jumps, enemies that re-spawn almost instantly combined with boss battles that often require repeated attempts make this a difficult game. But the formula has been expertly updated here and, while the game never achieves the excellence of those titles from which it draws heavy inspiration, this is still a competent and engaging proposition.
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60
Gamestyle
A terrible map system and dated graphics are only just outweighed by the classic gameplay that lies underneath. This is for die hard Mega Man fans only.
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60
AceGamez
The wonderful presentation and tried-and-true game play will easily appeal to long time fans of the series who have yet to grow tired of what Capcom has to offer them. Everyone else maybe have trouble pushing through what is obviously a series in transition.
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58
Game Revolution
Mega Man ZX isn’t bad, with smooth graphics and fun, intuitive play mechanics, but its shallow Biometals and terrible map will leave you lost and under-stimulated.
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50
NTSC-uk
There is nothing to recommend within this game cart to anyone who isn’t an uber-fan of the series, when there is much better fun to be had on both the DS and the GBA already – and for a much cheaper price.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

MegmMan Fan X gave it an8:
Capcom has a winner on their hands. The mission system, while stupid in some eyes, is a nice twist! And the map is easy to navigate with a decent amount of skill. The bosses also provide good challenge, with secret bosses like Omega Zero and Fenri Lunaedge. However, with all it's ups, there are some downs. The story is predictable, and despite the overall easiness, the secret areas are ruthless. Still, a great game.

Raymundo R. gave it a10:
I'm a great fan of megaman and this game tops them all. it's anime cuts are the bomb. they might be in japanese but at least it has english subtitles. i all ready reserved it's sequel Megaman ZX Advent. i have read many previews of both games and they all agree with me that it's the best one yet. P.S. The megaman starforce game is not too far from this one.

Ben G. gave it a1:
I thought the whole reason Capcom is reluctant to make 3D Megaman games is because they would be too complicated and that the simplicity of 2D allows more focus on tight gameplay. It's anybody's guess then, as to why would they muddle the classic structure of Megaman with a horrendous map system and poorly made mission objectives. ZX is strictly a step down from Mega Man Zero on Game Boy Advance.

Tupac gave it a7:
It's just like the old megaman x games for snes in terms of gameplay except you don't know how to get where you're supposed to go half the time. the story is decent but that doesn't really matter to me. If it was easier to find out where to go this would have been a 9.

Mrt M. gave it a5:
This game really sucks! I like Megaman games but this one is a deception, because the mission system just sucks! and you have to go around the entire place to find where are you meant to go! so it ruins the very well built mission system it had before plus the graphic are like for the sp.

Darren Z. gave it a6:
In addition to what Nate B. wrote, this game seems to have been designed for a system with no RAM as enemies immediately respawn as soon as you exit their screen-space. Retreating is tactically useless simply because there's never a safe place behind you to retreat to. The general effect is to compel you to simply barrel forward, mindlessly shooting whatever enemies happen to be in front of you. Not to mention this could have been a Game Boy Advance game for all the use the second screen gets. There's potential for a really great game here (heck, I'd have settled for a merely good one!); however, there are simply too many flaws that get in the way of the fun.

Nate B. gave it a7:
I have always wanted a Castlevania or Metroid style MegaMan game and I feel like this game had the right idea, but things just weren't implemented too well. It's more of Mega Man Zero 5 as opposed to a new version altogether. The game-play is typical megaman and the new difficulties are nice and accommodate megaman newbies and vets alike. The main things that bother me are the lack of depth that games like Metroid and Castlevania have and the absence of a map system is a huge annoyance. You can see how areas are linked, but that system is totally unintuitive that you run around forever until you figure out where to go. The worst is that you have to accept a mission, otherwise events won't happen when you walk into an area. Why can't you just take on multiple missions, and then be able to run around without worrying about finding a needle in a haystack? I'd much prefer an actual map system so I could see everything I have explored and how areas actually link up (where the doors are, etc.). If you like megaman games (like me) you can't go wrong, but the map system, lack of items, and absence of anything like an upgrade system (like leveling up, or something like the elf system) or more weapons (the forms are kind of lame and too similar to each other) really prevent this game from being fantastic. As is, it's worth playing, but only if you liked the MegaMan Zero games.

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