Mega Man X8, known as Rockman X8 (ロックマンX8) in Japan, is a 2004 platform game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2. It is the eighth and final game in the Mega Man X series. It was first released in North America on December 7, 2004. The PS2 version, as well as a Windows iteration, were released in Japan and Europe the following year. Although Mega Man X8 uses 3D graphics like Mega Man X7, the development team chose not to opt for 3D gameplay, instead opting for sidescrolling action. The plot of Mega Man X8 focuses on the abduction of a next-generation "Reploid" from the construction site of a space elevator, and the subsequent pursuit of his captors. During the course of game play the motivations of these captors comes into focus, and it is up to the heroes of "Maverick Hunters", led by X, to stop them. The gameplay of Mega Man X8 is similar to the other games in the series, in which the player must complete a series of stages. Defeating their bosses will earn special weapons or abilities for each of the playable characters. The game was met with a mixed critical reception. While the visual presentation was praised for improving on Mega Man X7's, the gameplay was met with mixed reviews in regards to length and execution, including its difficulty and the character balancing between X, Zero and Axl, and its story was criticized. Despite Mega Man X8 being considered an improvement over X6 and X7, the Mega Man X series went on hiatus due to the game's low sales. On December 16, 2015, it was released on PlayStation Network in Japan. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on July 24, 2018, worldwide and July 26, 2018, in Japan as a part of Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2.
Plot
The story is set during the year 21XX. The "Maverick" Reploid rebellions across the past years continue, seemingly with no possible solution. To escape these troubles, mankind has begun the next generation of research and development by constructing an orbital elevator able to take equipment and handwork to the moon which they seek to colonize. This operation is labeled as the "Jakob Project", with the orbital elevator bearing its name, and a Reploid named Lumine is placed in charge of the project. These New Generation Reploids are able to use DNA data to change their shapes. They are the perfect workers because they can change their shape according to a task, and have subroutines built in to prevent them from going Maverick. Everything seems to be running smoothly until Vile, returning from his defeat in Mega Man X3, kidnaps Lumine for unknown reasons. It becomes the Maverick Hunters' mission to rescue him. However, what the Hunters do not know is that Sigma has returned. Contained on every single New Generation Reploid's copy chip is Sigma's own DNA, meaning that the next-generation 'Maverick-Proof' Reploids are in fact able to go Maverick. Sigma seeks to destroy the "old generation" in favor of his "children". When Sigma is defeated in his lunar palace, Lumine steps in to reveal himself as the true mastermind behind recent events. He gloats to the Hunters that, in order for evolution to take its course, he and his fellow New Generation Reploids must destroy both humans and "obsolete" Reploids. After a massive battle, Lumine is defeated. When Axl walks up to Lumine's body, however, he is struck unconscious as a tentacle springs from it and damages the crystal on his head. As the three different characters ride back down the Jakob Elevator, Zero wonders what Sigma's defeat means for his future battles, while X ponders Lumine's words on evolution. Axl is still out cold, but his shattered crystal can be seen glowing with a tiny fragment of a crystal shard. The ending excerpt revealed that although the production of New Generation Reploids with copy chips has been stopped, demand for the New Generation Reploids itselves has not dwindled due to the rapid development of space, and years later, the production for copy chips resumed, despite criticisms from historians.
Gameplay
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